The sculpture “No! No!? Oh Yeah!” by artist City-o Bernardo stands exterior Fireplace Station 11 on Florin Highway in Sacramento’s Greenhaven neighborhood on Wednesday. Made from polished granite and metal, it was created in 1986 as a part of town’s Artwork in Public Locations program.
A brown, summary sculpture sits on the entrance of Sacramento Fireplace Station 11 at Florin Highway and Havenside Drive, its which means puzzling passersby — and The Sacramento Bee.
Doni Blumenstock, a Sacramento resident for greater than 25 years, mentioned she drives by the artwork piece incessantly. Curiosity, she mentioned, is what she feels when she sees the sculpture.
“If you take a look at it, it appears like possibly one reclining determine and one standing, nevertheless it doesn’t communicate to me in any specific method,” Blumenstock mentioned. “It simply makes me marvel.”
The rust-colored sculpture within the Pocket-Greenhaven neighborhood toys with viewers’ notion, showing as two figures of their leisure at one angle and as one stoic character in one other.
“I’m accustomed sufficient to taking a look at artwork that I can normally determine one thing out,” mentioned Blumenstock, who can be on the artwork fee for town of Sacramento. “However this one stumps me.”
As part of “Bee Curious: What’s That Factor?,” a mini-series in our community-driven undertaking, Blumenstock requested: “What’s that sculpture in entrance of the firehouse at Florin and Havenside within the Pocket?”
To reply this query, a Bee reporter visited the sculpture at 785 Florin Highway and talked to the Sacramento Workplace of Arts and Tradition.
What is that this sculpture?
The sculpture is titled, “No! No!? Oh Yeah!” and was created in 1986 by artist City-o Bernardo, in line with the Public Artwork Archive, a nonprofit arts group.
It’s product of polished granite, metal and rust patina. The piece was constructed by welding ferrous plate metal with granite fitted tightly in place, in line with an electronic mail from town’s arts workplace.
Not a lot might be discovered in regards to the artist, Bernardo. A 2015 Sacramento Journal story refers back to the sculptor solely as a “California artist.”
The historical past of what this sculpture means and why it’s displayed at Sacramento Fireplace Station 11 additionally seems a thriller. Because the piece was created within the Eighties, digging into its historical past would name for town to undergo its paper archives, requiring a public data request, mentioned Jennifer Singer, a media and communications specialist for town.
The Bee filed a request on the sculpture Thursday and is awaiting town’s response. However Singer mentioned that there may not be info past what’s detailed on the web archive.
Contemplating summary artwork is an experiential artwork type, the which means of the sculpture might be private — no matter you make of it.
Summary artwork doesn’t have to inform a narrative or have a singular rationalization, in line with Artwork Mine, a information for artwork collectors. As a substitute, it encourages involvement and creativeness.
“This artwork type is generally about offering its viewers with an intangible and emotional expertise — as a rule, the expertise is totally completely different for each particular person relying on their persona and way of thinking,” in line with Artwork Mine.
Public artwork decorates town
Public murals, installations and sculptures are scattered all through Sacramento.
This consists of one other piece from artist City-o Bernardo on the Belle Cooledge Library at 5600 South Land Park Drive. “Untitled,” the sculpture, product of metal, glass and marble, mimics a slice of a brick wall.
Blumenstock mentioned one among her favourite artwork installations within the metropolis is on the federal courthouse on I Avenue the place small bronze sculptures are panning for gold — an homage to Sacramento’s Gold Rush historical past.
Sacramento has a number of artwork applications targeted on creating a visible arts expertise across the metropolis. This consists of the Artwork in Public Locations program in 1977 that led to a whole lot of artworks fastened in public areas. In response to town’s web site, a majority of the items are from native and regional artists.
The general public artwork program is funded by town and county, and a Memorandum of Understanding — or an settlement — that 2% of metropolis and county enchancment undertaking budgets are reserved for commissioning, shopping for and putting in artwork in Sacramento.
You could find public artwork close to you utilizing the web map from the Public Artwork Archive.
Ever puzzled about an obscure constructing, plaque or different quirky sights in Sacramento? Ask us about it within the type beneath and we’ll discover the reply. Or electronic mail [email protected].
This story was initially revealed September 17, 2022 5:00 AM.
Hanh Truong is a reporter on The Sacramento Bee’s utility desk. She was beforehand a contract journalist, overlaying training and tradition for PBS SoCal and music for buzzbands.la.
