Bending metal: Mountain View's modern sculptures Bending metal: Mountain View's modern sculptures (January 16, 2004)

City is awash in examples of 1980s modernism

By Katie Vaughn

Drive around Mountain View long enough, and you're likely to see one of them: a looming metal structure, a physical testament of the city's commitment to the arts.

Since the 1980s, the city of Mountain View has mandated that certain parcels of land showcase large-scale works of art.

"Sometimes in zoning, there is a requirement for a 'significant' piece of art," said Barbara McBride, the city's planning assistant and staff liaison to the visual arts committee.

Although all publicly funded projects must dedicate 1 percent of their budgets for artwork, some of the city's private companies are required to erect a piece of art outside.

Most of the private areas containing art are located in the northeastern section of the city, said Whitney McNair, the city's zoning administrator.

"The North Bayshore area is where you see most of the public art," she said "But some of the other art is scattered."

While the sculptures are set on private land, the city considers the artwork open to the public because people can enjoy a piece as they walk or drive by.

Although the city may require a company to display a work of art, it cannot dictate the style of the piece. Each corporation can select its own aesthetics.

"We leave it up to them and keep the bureaucracy out of it," McBride said.

Despite the freedom businesses have in choosing their art, many of Mountain View's sculptures have a modern and abstract quality.

Jim Levett, the art department coordinator at Mountain View High School, said the style emerged in the 1960s as popularity began shifting away from traditional representational sculpture.

By the 1980s, modern art was widely accepted and readily practiced.

"A huge percentage of people were producing that type of art," Levett said. "It brought art back into the eye of the public."

The style's cutting-edge reputation and look, with its curving planes of steel and sharp metal angles, has made it a fitting choice for local technology corporations.

"Because this is Silicon Valley, a lot of younger companies and younger CEOs wanted a more modernist style," Levett said. "They looked to a more modern type of art to represent themselves."

Levett said Mountain View residents should consider themselves fortunate to live in a city that encourages artistic production and display.

"Sculpture is wonderful. You don't have to go inside a building to enjoy it," he said. "It's something Mountain View should be highly commended for."

E-mail Katie Vaughn at kvaughn@mv-voice.com

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