‘Surfing Madonna’ must come down

[Pax_et_Bonum]

‘Surfing Madonna’ must come down
Southern California beach town reaches agreement with artist on removal of mural – without destroying it

An illegal mural depicting Our Lady of Guadalupe on a surfboard that mysteriously appeared on Good Friday in the northern San Diego beach town of Encinitas must be removed “as soon as reasonably possible,” the city announced yesterday.

The 10-foot-square mosaic made from pieces of stained glass showed up on a support wall below a train trestle on Good Friday, April 22. It shows Our Lady of Guadalupe surfing, with Juan Diego riding the tip of her surfboard, and bears the slogan: “Save the Ocean.”

Since the mural went up, it has gained worldwide attention and attracted hundreds of visitors, but the city council voted last month that the “guerilla art” constituted graffiti and could also be interpreted as municipal endorsement of a religious symbol, so it must be removed.

The city of Encinitas spent $2,125 for a June 7 study by the Sculpture Conservation Studio to figure out how the mural could be removed without damaging it. The experts concluded the task would be virtually impossible. But on June 8, artist Mark Patterson came forward to say he was responsible for the mural and knows how to take it down without harming it.

“Patterson, an Encinitas resident since 1983, said he quit his job at a software company in late 2010 so he could devote his time to creating the Surfing Madonna, a vision he first had in 2005,” the San Diego Union Tribune reported. “He said he ignored that vision until it came back to him powerfully in 2009. He then took a prestigious two-week class in Italy in September 2010 on mosaic making. He quit his job a month later. The mosaic took him nine months to build. Patterson is still living off his savings.”

calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=8b76fbf1-c05e-47b1-80b8-270a32f91f28

 

[Dale_M]

The city apparently is trying to send the message that it doesn’t welcome guerrilla art, fearing that doing so would create a legal defense for graffiti. The fines and charges must hurt, but the artist is being offered help.

Patterson, who is not Catholic, said the mosaic’s message is not religious; it’s to save the ocean.

While he acknowledges his savings will take a hit from the fines, his supporters might help him pay them. Dody Crawford, who heads the Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association, said a fundraising group called “Our Lady of Encinitas” is ready to fundraise if Patterson asks.

Patterson said he appreciates the generosity, but he hasn’t “crossed that bridge yet.”

signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jun/21/surfing-madonna-come-down-artist-pay/

Although Patterson has received many offers to host the mosaic on private property, he would like the city of Encinitas to find a public space for it.

He added that his new ideal location would be a publicly owned spot, rather than a privately owned location as some people have suggested. His attorney recently has told him that if he agrees to put the mosaic on someone’s private property and that land is later sold, the new owners can do whatever they like with the piece, he said.

Because of that information, he’s now considering going through the city’s standard public art review process, and seeing if the city will accept it, he said. And, his ideal, publicly owned location probably wouldn’t be its current spot on the railroad structure, he added. Patterson said he has discovered that the current site just doesn’t have enough sidewalk space in front for people to easily take pictures of the piece without stepping out onto busy Encinitas Boulevard.

“My main goal is to just make sure it’s viewable in an easy way,” he said.

nctimes.com/news/local/encinitas/article_df963b77-301d-520b-946b-7c93aad9732f.html