The Ocala Municipal Arts Commission will consider removing several public works of art that have deteriorated and are no longer of “acceptable quality.”
The topic will be discussed during the commission’s meeting on Wednesday, August 7, at 4 p.m. at Ocala City Hall (110 SE Watula Avenue).
The Division of Cultural Arts is looking to establish a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the process of deaccessioning (i.e., officially removing/decommissioning) murals and other works of art across Ocala. Several criteria for deaccessioning will apply, including whether the artwork has “physically deteriorated” or is “no longer of an acceptable quality.”
Additional criteria would include whether the artwork requires “excessive or unreasonable maintenance” or is “damaged irreparably, or to an extent where the repair is unreasonable or impractical.”
During Wednesday’s meeting, three public works will be up for review:
- Crest of the Wave, a recycled steel sculpture located in west Ocala at the Martin Luther King Recreation Complex (1501 W Silver Springs Boulevard) that has rusted over time;
- Natural Flow, a mural located on the Ocala Downtown Market water tank (SE 5th Street and SE Watula Avenue), whose “latex-based paint” is “non-breathable;”
- And Marie and Jean, a sculpture at the Tuscawilla Art Park that has been a “consistent target of vandalism,” with incidents reported in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2023, and 2024.
Natural Flow was painted by Eduardo Mendieta, a South Florida-based artist, in 2016. According to a deaccession report, the latex-based paint used for the mural, “while safe for the water within the tank,” does not allow the water to “permeate through.”
As a result, the water “filled protuberances” throughout the life of the mural, which has required Cultural Arts staff to “regularly inspect and release water from” the protuberances.
“Under the original contract, the artist provided a warranty of five years for the mural’s condition. The mural has maintained its integrity past this timeframe,” reads the deaccession report. It goes on to state that there is “substantial cracking and peeling” of the paint around “two-thirds of the mural.”
“While the mural requires a good cleaning, any sufficient method would remove more paint than intended due to the severity of the cracking and flaking,” reads the report.
The city says that “cleaning and repairing/repainting the mural” would require more than 50% of the mural’s value. Staff says they contacted the artist and that he requested to “be considered for a replacement mural.”
Marie and Jean was created by Amel Chamandy, a Canadian artist, and was donated by the artist for display in Ocala in 2013 as part of the Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition. Towards the end of that period, the artists donated the artwork to the city.
Since then, city staff says the sculpture has been a “consistent target of vandalism,” with damages reported regularly.
In addition to the damages caused by the vandalism, the sculpture has also deteriorated over time. In one instance, Marie’s head was detached from the sculpture, costing the city $1,800 to make dramatic alterations.
Now, Cultural Arts staff recommend that Marie and Jean either be returned to the artist, donated to another gallery, museum, or other institution, or disposed/recycled.
Crest of the Wave was created by Corrina Sephora, a Georgia-based artist, and acquired by the city in July 2016 from donor Lisa Irwin. Its current value is estimated at $14,400.
The deaccession report indicates that the sculpture has “physical deterioration,” requires “excessive or unreasonable maintenance,” “possesses unrepairable inherent manufacturing faults,” and “represents a threat to public safety.”
The report goes on to say that the sculpture’s inherent “fabrication material of recycled steel” and fabrication methods of “unwelded, unfinished edges of thin steel layered on top of each other,” made the artwork “susceptible to age-related damage due to outdoor elements/weather and oxidation quicker than anticipated.”
“Deterioration of steel layers due to rust is destroying the integrity of the sculpture by reducing the size of individual sheets/layers of metal. As the metal rusts, the layers come apart or are destroyed entirely,” reads the deaccession report.
The report says the city has spoken with Irwin and that she has agreed to accept the sculpture back on her property.
According to staff, the new SOP would adhere closely to the Visual Artist Rights Act of 1990, which specifies certain criteria for the removal of public art. The proposed policy would allow for deaccessioning of artwork from the city’s collection only “after a deaccessioning report, a recommendation by the Ocala Municipal Arts Commission, and approval by Ocala City Manager.”
In addition to deterioration and damage, the new procedure would enable the commission to deaccession artwork that it determines is “fraudulent, stolen, not authentic, or in violation of copyright law,” or artwork that “represents a threat to the public safety” or no longer has a “suitable place for display.”
For works of art that meet the criteria, the city must authorize the removal or relocation of the artwork, which may only be done by “authorized representatives or contractors of the city who are pre-approved by the office of Cultural Arts” to handle the artwork.
“In the event that an artwork is significantly damaged, stolen or completely destroyed, City staff will notify the Cultural Arts office, who will make a report to the Ocala Municipal Arts Commission and complete a 1001 form. If appropriate, the Ocala Police Department will be contacted,” reads the SOP.
An artist whose work is being considered for deaccessioning will be “notified by reasonable means and shall be invited to speak at the meeting.”
During that meeting, staff will present a report that they have prepared that lists reasons for the deaccessioning recommendation, the acquisition method of the artwork, an estimate of the artwork’s current value, public feedback, and staff’s suggested courses of action.
“The first course of action should be to offer the artist(s) the opportunity to buy back the artwork at the current appraised value, cost of appraisal to be borne by artist, or to retrieve or exchange the work,” reads the SOP.
Other course of action include modifying the artwork “with the approval, support, or involvement of the artist;” loaning or donating the artwork to a “gallery, museum or similar institution,” relocating the artwork, or selling/trading the artwork in accordance with all relevant laws governing surplus public property.”
The final course of action calls for the disposal of the artwork or the remainder of the artwork in an “appropriate and practical way.” The SOP also specifies that artwork could not be “sold, loaned, or otherwise transferred to any city staff or member of OMAC.”
UPDATE: The location of meetings was originally reported as the Citizen Service Center (201 SE 3rd Street).