Quick Take
The proposed monument to women surfers in Pleasure Point is drawing both strong support and familiar resistance. But as a co-creator of Santa Cruz’s iconic “To Honor Surfing” statue, author Brian W. Curtis says he’s seen how meaningful public art can shape community identity. He believes the monument is thoughtfully designed and locally rooted and, since it’s privately funded, he says it won’t cost taxpayers anything. It’s time, he writes, to trust the vision and recognize the women who help define our surf culture.
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It has been a few weeks since the Santa Cruz County meeting for approval of the female surfer monument, which we hope will be called “To Honor the Women of the Water.”
I was one of the sculptors, along with Thomas Marsh, chosen in the 1991 competition to create the original surfer statue, “To Honor Surfing,” which stands on West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz, and I believe I can offer a unique perspective on the questions about the new statue.
From the beginning of that project in 1989, we had massive community support, yet also some naysayers. Today, we find a similar situation: massive community support and some naysayers.
In the ensuing years, “To Honor Surfing” has since become iconic, a landmark in both the city and county of Santa Cruz. As a third-generation Santa Cruz native, I take great pride in maintaining our community’s beauty and nature.
My grandfather was the pharmacist in the 1940s “soda fountain” era for Big Tree Pharmacy, which was located at Pacific Avenue and Laurel Street from 1915 to 1973. My grandfather on my mother’s side owned the Russell Vending business and was very involved in the community until he died in 1968. I ran Brian W. Curtis Antiques and Fine Arts in Soquel for more than 30 years. My dad was a surfer in the 1940s, and my two boys and I are all surfers.
Pleasure Point is legendary, and the proposed female statue fits perfectly at the site proposed. I believe the concerns about preserving the “Dirt Farm” we heard expressed at the community meeting already existed in the area even before this sculpture was proposed. While the vast majority of feedback about the idea has been positive, some resistance, which I attribute to “NIMBYism,” persists.
The proposed monument to women surfers will be 16 feet, 4 inches high. The bottom section, which will be cast bronze (not cast cement), is an integral part of the whole sculpture so that the board, the figure and pedestal form one unified monument. The three adjacent palm trees are three times higher than the statue. That will make the sculpture look modest.
The proposed footprint – approximately 30 inches by 36 inches – is small in comparison to the 16-foot site and leaves the Dirt Farm intact as a beloved asset of the Pleasure Point community.
We don’t yet know what the statue will look like. Please know the renderings passed around and published in Lookout articles about the project were just renderings designed for the permitting process. It is not yet the full vision for the piece, although the wetsuit is a tribute to the contributions of Jack O’Neill to our surf culture.
I plan to work as project manager for the construction and placement of the monument. Bob Pearson, a local surfboard-making legend, will shape the board and assist in the mold-making process. His daughter, Kaila Pearson, is a marine biologist and will be an adviser and assist in some aspects of sculpting the project. Thomas Marsh will again be the sculptor of the figure. Tom Ralston, whose family has been in Santa Cruz concrete for three generations, will do the cement footing and benches. We will also have other Santa Cruzans contributing time and work, and the project will comply with all applicable county codes and policies.
Some naysayers cite traffic as a reason to oppose the statue. But traffic will always be a problem whether the monument is put up or not, as it is with our whole area and population. The monument, as explained at the meeting, will allow space for those with wheelchairs to appreciate it. There is no taxpayer money involved.
This is a gift to the community.
I feel we should trust the vision to move forward and trust Marsh, whose skill and respect for the human figure will reflect a vision for a monument honoring women: those who are vital to the history of surfing and to surfing today.
As the “To Honor Women of the Water” monument becomes a valued part of the landscape, I imagine local concerns at Pleasure Point should diminish. The statue will play a key role in the community’s history, surfing culture and art.
Its significance will be reflected in all the women of the water for generations to come.
Brian W. Curtis is a Santa Cruz native and is the co-designer of the “To Honor Women of the Water” statue.