Sculptures in the Park
Nonprofit Proposes Museum-Quality Art for Altos del Mar

The city wouldn’t incur any additional costs besides the $2.4 million in approved city monies to develop the park infrastructure.

By Omar Sommereyns

A nonprofit corporation founded by a German art consultant and frequent Miami Beach visitor has been pushing for the creation of a sculpture park in North Beach and hopes the Miami Beach City Commission will approve its plan.

Based in Hamburg, Germany, Gerrit Schulz-Bennewitz, director and chairman of Altos Del Mar Sculpture Park, Inc., along with colleague and art collector Peter Saile, envisions an open-air sculpture garden with rotating exhibitions of world-renowned pieces from the 19th century to the present, including, at any given time, 11 large sculptures and about 25 smaller ones.

Schulz-Bennewitz has previously worked on three similar projects in Hamburg, New York and Rotterdam (the Netherlands).

The North Beach project would be located on public land at Altos Del Mar Park between Collins Avenue and the ocean, and 76th and 77th streets.

In the spring of 2005, Saile, a Miami Beach resident and co-chairman of Altos Del Mar Sculpture Park, Inc., approached the city of Miami Beach with the concept, which has since received support during community planning workshops and from the city’s Art in Public Places Committee, the Historic Preservation Board and the North Beach Development Corporation.

City Manager Jorge Gonzalez, along with city commissioners attending the last Finance and Citywide Projects Committee meeting on August 17, recommended moving forward with the master plan process for all North Beach parks and to consider the sculpture park proposal.

The staff report from Gonzalez to the committee assures that there are several instances where community-based, nonprofit organizations have been formed to select, install and maintain a sculpture exhibit on city-owned land, citing the Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park in Skokie, Ill., as a prime example.

“It should be noted, however, that Skokie Northshore, and virtually every other sculpture park of this model, shows only contemporary art, usually on loan from the artist, whereas Altos Del Mar Sculpture Park, Inc. is proposing exhibitions found otherwise only in museums and private collections,” states the report.

According to Saile, the sculpture park will feature a welcoming station, a comfort center, rest areas and special events (artist-led tours, private workshops, kite flying, literary readings, outdoor cinema and yoga classes). Additionally, the sculptures are to be solicited exclusively from private collectors and promise to be of the highest caliber: from Alexander Calder, Giacometti and Henry Moore to Henri Matisse, Joan Miro and Richard Serra.

At the Finance Committee meeting, Saile made it clear, “We don’t want developing artists — we want established artists.”

So far, the planning phase is being funded by private individuals, primarily from Miami Beach, including Rudy and Betsy Perez, Juan Carlos Toca, Loreyne Alicea, Gerrit Schulz-Bennewitz and Peter Saile.

Saile explained that future operational funding will come from current sponsors, professionally solicited corporate and individual sponsors, and public and private grants.

The city wouldn’t incur any additional costs besides the $2.4 million in approved city monies to develop the park infrastructure – i.e. walkways, plants, grass, lighting, benches and the foundations for the sculptures.

In an e-mailed mission statement to the SunPost, Saile pointed out that “education is one of the most important goals of the sculpture park.” Saile and the park creators hope the project will help raise public awareness about sculpture in art history through the past two centuries. Even more, Altos Del Mar Sculpture Park, Inc. is willing to offer an educational program headed by its own art historian, with classes and activities for children and adults.

“The goal of the park's education program is to provide an exciting and stimulating curriculum that teaches practical skills for building confidence and a sense of personal achievement,” Saile wrote. “The unique setting of Altos Del Mar Sculpture Park provides children and adults with the opportunity to explore their creative talents [outdoors].”

Comments? E-mail omar@miamisunpost.com.