Mayor Eric Garcetti and other city leaders Thursday formally accepted a bronze sculpture of a pair of wings from representatives of Mexico and its capital city.
“Alas de la Ciudad” or “Wings of the City,” by Mexican sculptor Jorge Marin, was part of a temporary exhibit of 13 sculptures installed in 2010 along the Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City.
Mayoral aide Vicki Curry said the sculpture was originally gifted to the city of Los Angeles during Garcetti’s trade mission to Mexico two years ago.
Garcetti and other officials took turns Thursday standing in front of the selfie-friendly sculpture, which consists of wings that appear to hang in mid- air, just below the average person’s shoulder level.
City officials say they plan to permanently install the sculpture in front of City Hall South, at the northwest corner of First and Los Angeles streets.
Garcetti and City Councilman Paul Koretz worked with his office to allocate $200,000 in the budget to put toward the design and the landscaping for the permanent site, according to Councilman Jose Huizar’s office.
Cultural Affairs Department General Manager Danielle Brazell said, however, that the permanent site has not been decided, though the idea is to put it somewhere in the Civic Center area.
The sculpture still needs to be formally accepted into the city’s art collection, and must be put through a process that involves approval by the Cultural Affairs Commission and engineering tests to ensure its weight does not create undue ground stress, she said.
This process is set to begin in the upcoming months, according to Huizar aide Rick Coca.
Huizar, who is Mexican-born, said the wings depicted in the sculpture “represent the strong connection between Mexico City and Los Angeles.”
“Our shared culture and history transcends borders and I join Mayor Garcetti in thanking Mexico City for this beautiful and uplifting work of art,” he said.
Garcetti noted the existing connection between Mexico and Los Angeles Thursday, saying that “Mexican culture and history are very much at the heart of community,” and the “heritage” of people of Mexican-descent “runs strong here in Los Angeles.”
Mexican Consul General Carlos Sada said the sculpture represents a “symbol of the friendship, the deep friendship that exists between Mexico and Los Angeles,” as well as the “creativity of Mexican artists.”
He added that it is also a symbol that “these wings do not recognize borders — they fly over the border — and that is what should be, this relationship, and it is, between Mexico and Los Angeles.”
—City News Service