A dedication ceremony for “Sebastopol Spire” is scheduled for May 3.
After nine years of false starts and frustration, internationally recognized Sebastopol sculptor Ned Kahn’s “Sebastopol Spire,” finally will be dedicated in an hourlong public ceremony at 1 p.m. May 3, at the sculpture site in Sebastopol.
The sculpture is located along the west bank of the Laguna de Santa Rosa, just off Highway 12 at Bodega Avenue, on the west side of the entry bridge into Sebastopol. It was installed last fall in a meadow in the Laguna Wetlands Preserve.
The initial plan was for two — much larger — structures, towering 70 feet above the highway on either side of the road at the west end of the Laguna Bridge, but Kahn ran into repeated Caltrans objections about possibly distracting drivers.
“Caltrans was difficult to collaborate with,” Kahn recalled. “The ironic part is that it was their idea to begin with.”
The next proposed site was Yamaguchi Park on the south side of Highway 12, but “the Open Space District rejected that idea,” Kahn said.
“I tried a site closer to the freeway, but PG&E had the right of way and was unwilling to collaborate,” the sculptor added. “Working in public art is not like working in a studio, where you’re completely in control.”
Ultimately, Kahn, who won a city of Sebastopol competition to place a sculpture at the Laguna Bridge, went through dozens of versions of the dazzling spire, which continued to evolve through the years.
“A lot of people think it’s hidden in a corner, but I think it’s a beautiful site,” said Kahn, who will speak at the public dedication ceremony.
Located near the eastern entrance to downtown since last year, the spire stands 28 feet tall and shimmers when the breeze comes up ― the result of 11,760 reflective bio-based polycarbonate tabs affixed to the stainless steel superstructure.
“I view my art as an appreciation of nature,” the sculptor said.
Kahn, who maintains a studio in Sebastopol, figures he has created “160 projects around the planet,” including new works installed last year in Paris, Seoul and Abu Dhabi.
Kahn won a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” fellowship for exceptional creative work in 2003. The foundation is named for late philanthropists John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur, of Chicago and Palm Beach.
Kahn’s “Digitized Field” was installed n downtown Santa Rosa on the side of the former AT&T building on Third Street near B Street, in 2005.
His early career had him designing exhibits and installations at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and the sculptor said he has done some recent consulting work there.
You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On X @danarts.