New Petaluma art installation proves controversial
A new art installation is causing such a stir Petaluma that its receiving around the clock surveillance to deter vandals.
With the bulk of the work done, Brian Goggin is in the process of putting the finishing touches on a sculpture that will soon become a fixture of the Petaluma riverfront.
"The inspectors came and liked what they saw - they applauded when they walked in," he said. "There's not a lot of visual clutter behind it. You can really see the sculpture stand out."
It's called "Fine Balance." On display - two claw-foot bathtubs appearing to balance on stilts above anyone and everyone below.
"I like to make things that look impossible, possible," he said. "I'm so overjoyed. I feel like the whole piece has come into focus."
"Fine Balance" certainly has people talking. Some people love it, some don't. But some people have turned their negative opinions about it into threats of vandalism - even posting some of those threats online.
That prompted the Petaluma Police Department to bring out their mobile surveillance trailer, which now sits at the site of the project at 1st St. and H St. It monitors activity there, and is in place to deter anyone from acting upon those threats of vandalism, per Petaluma PD.
"I felt misunderstood, as if the project was being judged before it had a chance to exist," Goggin said. "Through all of the adversity, including all the skepticism, it encouraged me, in a way, to make it as good as it possibly could be - because with all of these people telling me I was failing, I was really working hard to not fail."
The project is the culmination of an 8-year project to bring another public art installation to Petaluma, according to Melissa Abercrombie, a public art specialist with the city.
"It is owned by the city. So, any kind of threat to it or violation to it - vandalism - will be prosecuted. So, I hope that everybody just takes a step back and calmer minds prevail," she said. "I would say 9 out of 10 comments that I receive are positive. When I go online, it's overwhelmingly negative."
"Fine Balance" was originally planned for another location in Petaluma. However, in 2022, after community input, discussion, and thought, Abercrombie says the committee decided to find a new location for the project that would better suit it. She thinks the final location along the river front near other public art installations, is the right one.
"Then we came to find out through neighbors once we sighted it here that there used to be a man in the neighborhood named Lim who restored antique bathtubs. So, it's kind of interesting that the narrative keeps growing," she said. "It seems like we did the right thing."
On top of that, it's bringing new life to this part of Petaluma.
"It's just a really great opportunity for us to take this really small pocket park and turn it into something much bigger," she said. "It's just going to have a nice refresh. We're hoping this park gets revitalized."
Goggin is no stranger to controversy with art projects. He's dealt with it before while doing other projects of a similar style in other parts of the Bay Area.
"A life without challenges is one without growth," he said. "I feel like I've grown and the project has grown and all of us have had a chance to enrich our lives through the process of creating this work."
When you look at it, it's easy to see where "Fine Balance" gets its name from. But as there is with just about every work of art, Goggin says there is a deeper and thoughtful meaning behind the piece.
"That as a metaphor reminds me of humanity working through a way to survive for another 10,000 years in harmony with nature, given global climate change issues," he said.
There is an event scheduled for September 8th to officially unveil "Fine Balance" in Petaluma.