by Mark McDermott
It was the shark that kept resurfacing, in search of a place to call home. And on Tuesday night, on the cusp of once again being turned away, the City Council finally agreed in a 3-2 vote to allow the shark to reside at the Civic Center parking lot.
The saga of the great white shark, depicted on a proposed mural by artist Eric Snyder, began in August 2023 when it was among several public art works under consideration for placements throughout the city. In September 2023, the council rejected the shark’s proposed placement on Fire Station #1, in part because its aggressive emergence from the wall seemed a bit too jarring.
But the shark was not forgotten. Last March, the Council approved the allocation of $65,000 from the City’s public arts fund (derived from development fees) for it to be painted on the parking lot wall. But even then, complications arose, because the location also include LA County property. Those details were worked out over the course of the last year, and the shark was even enlarged, until it finally appeared again at this week’s council meeting, with a request for an additional $18,000 to complete the project. The item was on the consent calendar portion of the agenda, which generally includes items marked for routine approval.
But the shark got pulled from the consent calendar. Mayor Pro Tem David Lesser had concerns, and suggested the shark mural be sent back to the Cultural Arts Commission for reconsideration.
“I think the artist is terrific, but I’m just a little bit questioning the location,” Lesser said.
Councilperson Joe Franklin also had concerns. He thought the shark was too realistic.
“It’s well executed,” he said of the artwork. “I go back to saying, not every blank wall has to be covered….There has to be a trigger warning. You’ve got little kids walking around. It’s a huge mural. And it takes enough to get your kids in the water, because you want to be water safe, and then you have great whites walking around, swimming around.”
“Art is supposed to be evocative. This art evokes consternation, to me, in terms of being so realistic.”
Councilperson Steve Charelian made a motion to approve the shark. He was brief and to the point in his comments.
“It’s been kicked around, and it’s a Public Art Trust Fund [project],” he said. “I think we need to move these things along and not take it back to the Commission. It was already relocated.”
Mayor Amy Howorth said she was “agnostic” regarding the shark. But she ultimately sided with Charelian.
“Former Councilmember Napolitano and I were big proponents of the shark,” she said. “I did take seriously what Councilmember Franklin said about maybe scaring little children. I understand it’s larger now, but I think it does look better, with the proportions and everything….I think it’s time to move forward.”
The shark won, with Councilperson Nina Tarnay providing the third vote in favor, without comment. ER