Miami Artist to Fix Spellings on Library Mural, but Defends Work

AP/TBO ^ | 10/06/04

[Nasty McPhilthy]

LIVERMORE, Calif. (AP) - It didn't take a nuclear physicist to realize changes were needed after a $40,000 ceramic mural was unveiled outside the city's new library and everyone could see the misspelled names of Einstein, Shakespeare, Vincent Van Gogh, Michelangelo and seven other historical figures. "Our library director is very frustrated that she has this lovely new library and it has all these misspellings in front," said city councilwoman Lorraine Dietrich, one of three council members who voted Monday to authorize paying another $6,000, plus expenses, to fly the artist up from Miami to fix the errors.

Reached at her Miami studio Wednesday by The Associated Press, Maria Alquilar said she was willing to fix the brightly colored 16-foot-wide circular work, but offered no apologizes for the 11 misspellings among the 175 names.

"The importance of this work is that it is supposed to unite people," Alquilar said. "They are denigrating my work and the purpose of this work."

Alquilar said it took her quite a bit of her own time and money to create and install the work, and that it sat idle at her Santa Cruz studio for two years until the city cleared the way for its installation.

There were plenty of people around during the installation who could and should have seen the missing and misplaced letters, she said.

"Even though I was on my hands and knees laying the installation out, I didn't see it," she said.

The mistakes wouldn't even register with a true artisan, Alquilar said.

"The people that are into humanities, and are into Blake's concept of enlightenment, they are not looking at the words," she said. "In their mind the words register correctly."

[Dad2Angels]

"Our library director is very frustrated that she has this lovely new library and it has all these misspellings in front," said city councilwoman Lorraine Dietrich"

The obvious comments pertaining to the 'artiste' aside, the above comment was striking to me.

Doesn't this 'lovely new library' belong to the taxpayers in this city? or is it run by democrats?

[Boiler Plate]

Just pull the mural down and put up wall paper. End of story.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

Alquilar was born in Brooklyn, New York, and since she was probably schooled there this would explain her lack of a basic education.

http://www.maria-alquilar.com/

[Reeses]

Funny story. There's a news video available here:

An earlier story from July: www.livejournal.com

The artist's web site:

[Sam Cree]

On first glance, I kind of like some of her stuff, too bad she is more than likely a crazy liberal.

[6SJ7]

Ah Ms. Alquilar, here's your check for $4.00. What? You say your price was $40,000! Why quibble over a misplaced decimal point Ms. Alquilar?

[Congressman Billybob]

"Words mean what you want to say, neither more nor less," said the Cheshire Cat, grinning widely. Lewis Carroll, Alice Through the Looking Glass. Come to think of it, that should be the slogan of the Kerry Campaign as well.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "And the Debate Winner is -- Lemony Snicket"

If you haven't already joined the anti-CFR effort, please click here.

[a noble vision]

Absolutely.

Don't let the facts get in the way of "the Truth."

She sounds like a pothead.

The city should ask for a refund.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Maybe they should have misspelled the name on the check and the dollar amount should have been incorrect to the tune of a few grand below the agreed upon price.

Then let's see if spelling matters to the RatTrashArtist.

[elli1]

I wondering if the library commissioned the piece & if the artist submitted a model & the errors were in the model.

[AF68]

Just another example of Democrats throwing taxpayer money into a liberal screwball rat hole.

[Dad2Angels]

Hey, there's always more where that came from.

[aruanan]

To the "artist":

There were plenty of people around during the installation who could and should have seen the missing and misplaced letters, she said.

It's too late, baby, now it's too late. That was all after the fact. The fact being that YOU should have taken as much care for the slight intellectual content of your work (the spelling of names) as the so-called artistic so-called content.

"Even though I was on my hands and knees laying the installation out, I didn't see it," she said.

You should have seen it as you planned it before laying the installation out. That you didn't demonstrates something about the working of your mind. That you blamed what you should have spotted and corrected on others demonstrates something about your character.

The mistakes wouldn't even register with a true artisan, Alquilar said.

Oh, so I guess all those people you said "should" have caught it were "true" artisans? If so, why blame them? Would you have complained if whoever was paying you misplaced a decimal point resulting in your being paid a tenth or a hundredth of what you thought you would get? If so, I guess you wouldn't have been a true artisan.

[Lockbar]

I've done some reasonably sophisticated art work in my life. I feel comfortable in saying her work is amateurish junk.

[Rocky]

"The people that are into humanities, and are into Blake's concept of enlightenment, they are not looking at the words," she said. "In their mind the words register correctly."

LOL!

[concentric circles]

"...Mayor Marshall Kamena and Councilwoman Marj Leider argued that it's best to leave the artwork alone, especially since there are questions as to how long the mosaic -- which has already sustained some chipping and other damage -- will withstand the outdoor elements..."

"...Another less costly option was to install a plaque near the mosaic pointing out which words were misspelled, perhaps turning it into a game challenging kids to find the mistakes in the mosaic..."

[The Brush]

There were plenty of people around during the installation who could and should have seen the missing and misplaced letters, she said.

Why does she blame "plenty of people" instead of just admitting she made an error? Taking responibility for our mistakes is crucial to becoming an adult.

If their our any errors in this mesage dont not blame me, im an artiste!

[Publius6961]

said city councilwoman Lorraine Dietrich, one of three council members who voted Monday to authorize paying another $6,000, plus expenses, to fly the artist up from Miami to fix the errors.

I would make sure that these people were not re-elected. Just because it's not their $6000+. I would bet a cookie that if they contracted for something and the results were shoddy, they would not pull out their own checkbook.

As for the "artist"? Once upon a time they were professionals. This is one of those that give the good 1/2 of 1 % of them a bad name.

[Publius6961]

Just pull the mural down and put up wall paper. End of story.

And cheaper.

[avenir]

"I prefer Locke's concept of enlightenment..."

But I doubt her concept of Blake. He was a mad genius, but was he a slacker? His poetry and paintings don't seem to indicate that.