Out of the museum
Out of the museum
By: Gabriel Ramirez
We’ve all driven or walked by the murals and sculptures that add zest to the downtown landscape.
Most of the time we are left in awe and amazed at the imagery and work put into the art, but sometimes we just can’t help but ask, “What is it?”
Artists weigh in on some of the art, but for the rest you’ll have to form your own opinion. If you’re looking for some light exercise with a dose of culture, take a walking tour downtown to see these painted walls and metallic masterpieces.
“Tango”
Artist: Betty Younger
Location: Younger Sculpture Garden (near the Bank of America building)
Description: Installed in 2004, the enameled steel sculpture is nearly 9 feet by 5 feet.
Artist commentary: “The interacting bird shapes, with the male enfolding the female in its wings interpret the excitement, color and passion of the courtship. The challenge of working with the metals and the birds was my inspiration. The sculpture was meant to have a Latin appeal.”
“Moon Window”
Artist: Betty Younger
Location: Younger Sculpture Garden
Description: Installed in 2004, the sculpture — made of steel, aluminum and brass — is 6 feet tall by 6 feet wide.
Artist commentary: “The sculpture was designed with a Chinese theme and was intended to represent the moon.”
“Carousel”
Artist: Betty Younger
Location: Younger Sculpture Garden
Description: Installed in 2004, the stainless steel and brass sculpture is 6 feet tall by 5 feet wide with a 1-inch thick cold steel plate.
Artist commentary: “My inspiration was early American. It is supposed to be a sort of merry-go-round and appeal to children. I created special cuts that created a design that shows more movement.”
“Sun Catcher”
Artist: Betty Younger
Location: Truxtun Avenue in front of the Bank of America Building
Description: The 9-foot-tall stainless and enameled steel sculpture was installed in 2004.
Artist commentary: “The inspiration for this sculpture was the Basque game jai alai. It shows two hooks catching a ball, which represents the sun.”
“The Oracle”
Artist: Betty Younger
Location: Corner of Truxtun and Chester Avenue
Description: This sculpture was installed in 1991. The two 5-foot circles depict light and shadow with negative space.
Artist commentary: “My inspiration for this sculpture came from the ancient Greek oracles. Both the oracles and Bank of America serve the people.”
“Bakersfield’s Time Capsule 2020”
Artist: Betty Younger
Location: Corner of Chester Avenue and 17th Street
Description: The red earth on the top of the sculpture with compass was installed in 2004. The sculpture is made from high polished, thin stainless steel cones.
Artist commentary: “The time capsule shines its vision of the future and honors the vision of the 2020 (Vision) Committee while standing tall on the rich history of its new home.”
“April in Winter”
Artist: Jill Thayer
Location: East wall of the Hayden Atrium Building, which houses the Spotlight Theatre on 19th Street
Description: The mural — a 30-foot-tall-by-125-foot-wide latex enamel painting — was a centennial project done for the Hayden Atrium Building.
Artist commentary: “The mural is based on one of my original landscape paintings. It depicts the beauty and tranquility of the Sierra Nevadas. It was inspired by my travels, especially the area around Kern County and the San Joaquin Valley.”
“Lighting up the Arts Downtown”
Artist: Tom Zachery
Location: West wall on the Bradford building on 20th Street
Description: The painting of the Statue of Liberty with a three-dimensional operational fiberglass torch measures 38 feet tall and was installed in 2003.
Artist commentary: “I kept driving by that building and told the owner of the building that I wanted to paint a mural on that wall. I took a digital picture of the wall and kept putting things on it and she worked perfectly. I thought to myself, ‘If I make her bigger and get her hand close to the top of the building, I can actually have a light that turns on.’”
“Fabulous Fifties”
Artist: Tom Zachery
Location: Located on the corner of K Street and 19th Street on the east wall of the Woolworths building.
Description: The 60-foot-by-12-foot painting was installed in 2005.
Artist Commentary: “This used to be the area where everyone would drive through in Bakersfield during the ’50s and ’60s. It is an homage to cruising downtown.”
Cancer Survivors Park
Artist: Victor Salmones
Location: Beach Park at the corner of Oak and 24th Street
Description: The project of the Leadership Bakersfield class of 1995, this multipiece bronze sculpture consists of a walkway leading to “Cancer … There is Hope,” which consists of life-sized figures passing through a maze representing the fight against cancer. Identical sculptures are displayed at cancer survivor parks in 21 other cities in the United States and Canada.
“From this Earth”
Artist: Sebastian Muralles and Eloy Torrez
Location: East wall of the Kern County Museum
Description: This sepia tone painting was installed in 2009. The 8-foot-by-36-foot painting depicts people who helped shape Bakersfield, including Dolores Huerta, J.J. Lopez and Bonnie Owens. The painting includes an oil field landscape and the Bakersfield Clock Tower.
Artist Commentary: “We worked with some of the kids from Valley Oak Charter School. We did a few workshops and we did some research on Kern County and Bakersfield. The kids researched some of the images and we got inspired by the images they found online, in the books and the museum archives.”
“A Salute to Emergency Medical Services”
Artist: Alfredo Cuellar
Location: Corner of Chester Avenue and 21st Street
Description: The mural depicts firefighters, an ambulance and other emergency service-related themes. The artist worked on the mural for seven hours almost every day over a six-month period, using airbrush paints.
“Bear and Cubs”
Artist: Beniamino Bufano
Location: Beale Library
Description: The granite sculpture installed in the mid-1930s
“The Desert Tortoise”
Artist: Mark Rossi
Location: Beale Library
Description: 17 inches by 40 inches by 30 inches of cast bronze installed in 1994
“Storytime”
Artist: Gary Price
Location: Beale Library
Description: Measuring 34 inches by 64 inches, the bronze work created in the ’90s depicts the relationship between a brother and sister and their books.
“General Edward Fitzgerald Beale 1822-1893”
Artist: Robert Hinckley
Location: Beale Library
Description: The bronze sculpture commemorates this pioneer, Kern County settler and founder of Tejon Ranch.