ANNA MARIA – The Anna Maria Island Garden Club and the city are partnering on an $18,000 wind sculpture project for City Pier Park.
The garden club will contribute $6,000 to the project and the city will contribute $12,000.
Garden Club member Pat Short – Commissioner Mark Short’s wife – presented the wind sculpture concept and funding request to the city commission on Oct. 20. After discussing the request, the commission voted 4-1 in support of the project. Commissioner Robert Kingan opposed using city funds for the project.
Made of copper and created by Utah-based sculpture artist Lyman Whitaker and his Whitaker Studio, two rotating Star Dancer vertical wind sculptures will be installed alongside the City Pier Park flagpole. No timetable was given as to when the installation will occur.
Short said this will be the club’s most significant project to date, adding that the project supports the beautification aspect of the club’s overall mission. The club would
like to be recognized with a plaque placed near the wind sculptures.
“We believe these wind sculptures will create a new point of interest at Manatee County’s number one tourist attraction, the City Pier,” she said, noting that the sculptures, when lit up at night, will look beautiful when viewed from the pier.
Short said Whitaker’s sculptures have been installed at SeaWorld and Walt Disney World and have been commissioned by several cities and coastal communities. Short said each pole-mounted sculpture will be nearly 17 feet tall and will hold up to Anna Maria’s salt air environment. She said the sculptures can sustain 70 mph winds and 90 mph wind gusts and can be removed if Anna Maria is in the cone of probability for an approaching hurricane.
Short said the garden club would also like to spruce up the flagpole area with some additional landscaping.
Commission feedback
Kingan asked Short why the club chose Whitaker Studios. Short said she first saw Whitaker’s work while visiting an art gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico and she later purchased a smaller Whitaker sculpture while in California.
After noting the city recently incurred approximately $200,000 in Hurricane Ian- related expenses, Kingan said, “This is a big ask.”
Kingan said he supports public art projects but he doesn’t support the city funding this project at this time.
“It seems to me it could very easily be sourced from private donations. I don’t see why
we should be paying for it,” Kingan said, noting that his wife is a garden club member.
He suggested delaying a decision until more public input could be sought.
Mayor Dan Murphy said he’s partially responsible for the funding request.
“I recommend this. I think we have an obligation as a city to address aesthetics and add beauty to the city. It’s more than just functionality. Is it functional? No, it’s not. It’s not like a paved road. It’s not like a drainage ditch. It’s not like a crosswalk or a sidewalk. This is something over and above that,” Murphy said.
Murphy said he expects FEMA to reimburse the city for its recent hurricane-related expenses.
Garden club member and City Commissioner Deanie Sebring said, “I think it’s wonderful that the garden club and others want to work in conjunction with the city. It’s great chance for the garden club, which resides in Anna Maria, to assist the city with beautification.”
Commission Chair Carol Carter said she’s been a member of several ad hoc committees that were unable to garner the community’s financial support for their desired projects.
“I think this would be a good thing for the city to do,” she said. Commissioner Jon Crane’s wife, Dusty, is a garden club member. During public input, she said, “The garden club thought long and hard about this. One of the things our city has is wind and it’s a wonderful reflection of how we could celebrate that.”
Speaking as vice president of the Anna Maria Island Historical Society, the mayor’s wife, Barbara Murphy, said, “This would be modern. This is new and innovative. It would be a beautiful addition to our Island. People could visit the pier, enjoy the wind sculptures and then walk down to the museum.”
