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On Tuesday, April 11, at 9:00 a.m. the Newport Beach Arts Foundation will dedicate the sculpture Sphere 112, by Ivan McLean, to the City of Newport Beach. The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony and reception, which will be held in the Civic Center Park, at the site where Sphere 112 is located, on the north end of the park, across San Miguel.  The artist, Ivan McLean, will attend the ceremony.

The Arts Foundation purchased Sphere 112 using funds raised at their annual Art in the Park event and donations by citizens.  Sphere 112 was voted “most popular” by those who attended the Inaugural Opening Ceremony of the Sculpture Exhibition at Civic Center Park in September 2014.

Background on the Artist and Sphere 112

On September 13, 2014, when the first phase of the Sculpture Exhibition at Civic Center Park was officially inaugurated, the public voted Sphere 112 the most popular piece.  Although it was originally scheduled to be de-installed in August 2016, the Newport Beach Arts Foundation felt Sphere 112 would be a wonderful gift to give to the citizens of Newport Beach to forever represent the Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park project. The Arts Foundation contacted the artist and he agreed to sell it so that it could remain in the Civic Center Park.  

Sphere 112 gets it name from its size:  The sphere measures 112 inches in diameter.  Although securely anchored on its base, it was decided to place the in its location to create the illusion that the sphere could be rolling down the hill at any moment.  

Spheres are a common theme in Mr. McLean’s portfolio, but each one is unique and this version is one of his largest. The structure is crafted by welding together thousands of stainless steel rods of varying lengths and shapes, selected at random from a box of scrap rods in his studio.

The transparent quality of the sphere presents a different view from every angle of reference, whether looking upward toward the sky or through the structure to the view beyond.  Even the shadow it casts is interesting.

Ivan McLean earned a bachelor’s degree in farm management from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo before branching out into furniture making and sculpture. The artist reflects that although he has built functional things since he could hold a hammer, the sculptures he makes now are based on the desire to create pieces that make people smile.