New Sculptures Enliven the Streets of Del Mar

 By Lonnie Burstein Hewitt. Photos by Maurice Hewitt.

Moonshadow, by Jeffrey Laudenslager & Deanne Sabeck, one of the new temporary outdoor sculptures now on view in Del Mar. See it on the northeast corner of 9^th Street and Camino del Mar—bright sunshine makes it look even better—and don’t be afraid to touch it gently and change the way it moves.  

If you haven’t strolled through Del Mar lately, now is a good time to go. Since the City of Del Mar established a public art policy and created an Arts Advisory Committee, there’s been an upsurge of artful activity here, with the Del MarFoundation stepping in to underwrite the costs of the newest installations: five sculptures between 9^th and 15^th Streets.

They’re all by contemporary local artists and will be on view for the next 23 months, and they’re all for sale… but must stay in place for a minimum of 12 months.  Then if sold, a fresh piece will be selected to replace it for the duration of this exhibit.  We recently got to see them and some of Del Mar’s more permanent public artworks with Naomi Nussbaum, who was engaged by the Del Mar Foundation to oversee the Temporary Outdoor Sculpture Program almost two years ago.  

A sought-after art consultant who lived in Del Mar in the late 1980s, Naomi Nussbaum is also executive director of Synergy Arts Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to supporting local artists and arts organizations. When pandemic lockdowns made in-person interaction impossible, she put out an online call to artists and received 41 submissions, which had to be passed on to a subcommittee before making their way to the Arts Advisory Committee, who made the final five choices and selected their sites.

Terpsichore, by David Beck Brown. (SE corner of 12^th Street & Camino del Mar)

Bird’s Eye View of Torrey Pines Beach, by Robert Petrello & Drew Graham. (SE corner of 14^th Street & Camino del Mar)

Pasaje a lo Infinito, by Hugo Heredia. (15^th Street, west of Camino del Mar)

Hanging Out #3, by Maidy Morhous. (15^th Street & Stratford Court)

Here are a few of the permanent artworks we also enjoyed seeing on our walk: 

Outside the Del Mar Library, on 13^th Street & Camino del Mar: Baby Boomers Google! —a bronze, apple-topped bookstack by Maidy Morhous, with a partial view of the grand mosaic mural created in 2002-2003 by Betsy Schulz and Pat Welsh with the help of community volunteers.

Yet another bronze by Maidy Morhous, originally submitted to the Temporary Sculpture Program, which only allowed one piece per artist to be chosen. It was immediately purchased by Del Mar Plaza owner Marc Brutten and now has a prominent place on the top deck of the Plaza, as part of its Public Art Collection.  

“This Temporary Outdoor Sculpture Program was a pioneering project for Del Mar and I think it’s a great start,” Nussbaum said, after we’d seen the artworks and were comfortably seated on the Plaza’s upper deck. “I hope the City of Del Mar will embrace more public art since there are so many potential sites here and it will not only enhance the cultural life of local residents, but also increase cultural tourism.” 

To make it easier for you to tour Del Mar’s public artworks on your own, here’s a map, created by the Del Mar Foundation.  Enjoy!

Del Mar Art Walk Map

Lonnie Burstein Hewitt is an award-winning author/lyricist/playwright who has written about arts and lifestyle for the La Jolla Light and other local media for over a dozen years. You can reach her at hew2@sbcglobal.net