Stephen Fitz-Gerald's 'Industrial Tropic'

Readers have been sharing their opinions with me recently about large outdoor sculptures to be seen around Sonoma County.

And now we have a new one to talk about.

Stephen Fitz-Gerald’s new 12-foot-high steel sculpture, “Industrial Tropic,” commissioned by the Martin family of Pine Creek Properties, has been installed on Piner Road near Industrial Drive in Santa Rosa.

“I was challenged in that they wanted the banana leaf as the motif, because the name of the shopping center will be Palm Square, and also that the piece would ultimately be painted,” Fitz-Gerald said.

“Both of these challenges took me somewhat out of my comfort zone, but I have only grown in the past artistically when this has happened, so I ultimately embraced the project,” he continued.

Fitz-Gerald did the design and fabrication, and the Martin family handled the base platform and the high-tech paint job.

If the Rohnert Park-based sculptor’s name sounds familiar, that’s because he’s been the county for 30 years. You may have seen his “Sea Spiral Fountain” at Memorial Hospital, or his “Trione Sculpture Fountains”‘ at Third and D streets in downtown Santa Rosa.

The “Industrial Tropic” project was financed by the Santa Rosa Arts District ordinance, passed last year, which funds new public art by taxing one percent of the budget for all commercial projects that exceed $500,000 in building cost.

In the past, sculptors have seen great potential sites for art around town, but have been unable to come up with the funding, Fitz-Gerald said.

“Now that there’s this new ordinance, it’s quite possible that it will change the face of Santa Rosa in a very short time,”  he added.

What do you say to that, fans (or foes) of public art?