Sculpture Collection
Changing of the Guard
Angelo Grova works primarily as a sculptor in bronze, steel, and stone with numerous commissions and public art pieces. In his words, “Changing of the Guard is concerned with changing political views in a democracy and encompasses the idea of an ever-evolving political system. Each individual entering a participatory democracy brings with them new ideas and direction and the potential for change. The piece appears to be moving and changing on its base as it is viewed from various perspectives.”
Gray Whale
Twice a year over 20,000 Gray Whales pass through the Monterey Bay. From December through mid-February they migrate south from the Bering Sea to Baja for their winter calving. Then in summer they return to their arctic feeding grounds. The whale sculpture that rests outside of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, designed by illustrator Larry Foster, depicts a life-size gray whale. Since 1982 it has been a favorite of local school-children, who continue to affectionately refer to the Natural History Museum as the ‘Whale Museum’. The original structure, fabricated by a local boatmaker the consisted of a wood frame covered by narrow strips of lathe. The concrete ‘skin’ was painted to enhance the sculpture’s life-like effect. . In 2009, after a number of years of deterioriation the whale received the ultimate reinforcement — it was filled with concrete, making it the same weight as a real gray whale.
Tom Scribner
Union Organizer, newspaper editor and musical saw player, Thomas J Scribner was a Santa Cruz folk hero. His trademark suspenders, derby hat and checkered shirt are memorialized in this life-size statue. The annual International Musical Saw Association Festival kick-off is sited here.
Hypercube
The inspiration for this sculpture stems from research into minimal surface structures, formed by surface tension between the edges of forms. If you make a cube out of wire and dip it into a soap solution the soap film forms a ‘Hypercube,’ a cube with a hint of another dimension: a second cube inside the first is visible by seeing through to the other side. This artwork was gifted to the City.
