Photo Series Day Three: New Public Sculptures Coming to Downtown

The City's Public Sculpture Committee, led by chairperson Suzanne Moshier, recently approved seven new sculptures to be installed downtown, that are being loaned to the City by local artists. The estimated value of the seven sculptures is around $70,000--that's $70,000 worth of free art, generously being donated to the City by local artists.

Public art is not new to Los Altos; the City has had a sculpture loan program in place for the past 20 years or so. Currently, there are 18 sculptures already in place around town, and with these new seven, Los Altos' count will increase by nearly 40 percent.

The sculptures are expected to be installed soon, in August or September. Six of the seven pieces will be placed in downtown intersections, and a seventh is slated for the corner of West Edith Avenue and Los Altos Avenue.

Los Altos Patch will be running a different photo each day for seven weekdays, to offer readers a sneak peek at the seven sculptures that will soon be gracing downtown, along with background information on the local artists who created them.

Sculpture #3: "Danseuse" by Jeff Owen

Jeff Owen has been creating sculptures for both private and corporate clients since 2000. His list of corporate clients includes Apple Computers and Tyson Foods.

Owen was commissioned to create sculptures to celebrate the Green Bay Packers for events surrounding the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami, and was invited by the U.S. State Department to submit a bid for sculptures to display at the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh.

One of Owen's sculptures was used in an episode of "Desperate Landscapes" on the DIY Channel; another was selected by Sunset Magazine for the recent "Sunset Celebration" in Menlo Park; and another was displayed during a recent concert by the San Francisco Symphony. His works were also a part of the recent Midsummer Art Festival at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara.

"Danseuse" measures 81 inches by 30 inches by 18 inches, was crafted from steel, and has a red painted finish. The sculpture is slated for installaton at the intersection of State and Second streets.