Chairman and CEO Ted J. Balestreri had envisioned a monument to the many different cultures and peoples who contributed to Cannery Row's history and development, and after working with Whyte for several years pulled the trigger on the monument in 2013. The Cannery Row Monument was dedicated in February 2014 at a ceremony that included former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, a close friend of Balestreri.
B-K Lighting was graciously given an opportunity to discuss the monument project with representatives from the Cannery Row Company. We asked the following three questions about the project:
1. Why was this particular spot chosen for the monument, as opposed to a location closer to the museum in neighboring Salinas?
John Steinbeck wrote about Cannery Row and all of the colorful characters who were a part of its history and canning era days. The monument's location on Cannery Row in the center of Steinbeck Plaza, with its breathtaking views of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, stands in tribute to the very people who lived and worked on Cannery Row.
2. How does the monument's impact differ from the literary works of Steinbeck and Cannery Row Company's other cultural projects?
The monument's impact mirrors rather than differs from Steinbeck's literary work. His characters were not the privileged nor the powerful. He presented readers with characters whose flawed humanity never detracted from their nobility.
3. Why was a traditional bronze monument deemed appropriate over a more contemporary installation?
Steven Whyte is a world-class figural sculptor and his classical training and ability to capture the essence of personality were a perfect fit with Cannery Row Company's goal of honoring the many different cultures who are part of Cannery Row's history. Cannery Row receives 4 million visitors a year from many different countries and across the U.S. A classical and traditional bronze monument was seen as the best way to create connections with those visitors.
According to Aurum Consulting Engineers lighting designer Steve Cate, it was extremely important to Steven Whyte that the monument be lit by fixtures that were not mounted on the monument itself. Cannery Row Company stressed that any illumination needed did not add "visual noise" to the view scape. Also of key importance to all parties was the color temperature of the lighting plan. Mr. Cate reports, back in 2012 when the plan was first being organized, most LED lighting was still in its infancy which gave planners some pause. Fast forward two years and LED's have matured considerably into a dependable and extremely long-lived source. B-K Lighting's BKSSL® solid state technology which illuminates the monument is tuned to a warm and evocative 2700K.
Steve also commented that Cannery Row Company VP of Development Frank Donangelo was instrumental in coordingating the various parties involved such as architect Darrel Hawkins of JHW Architecture, Chemrock, the artist, city planning, permits and all the others who made this monument possible.
Cannery Row was published in 1945 and focuses on the acceptance of life: both the exuberance of township and the loneliness an individual can experience within it. Steinbeck used his memories and friends of actual citizens of Monterey, California, including Ed Ricketts. Steinbeck's characters' stories live in a world which is our own, where only the fittest survive, where the meaning of life is non-apparent. It is at one of the author's most humorous and poignant works. Several buildings remain easily identifiable in the town that appear in the book such as Doc's laboratory and the Bear Flag building.
The two female figures are representations of Dora Flood [Flora Woods-Adams (1876-1948)], one of the novel's successful, motherly albeit risque characters. Steinbeck is honored at the topmost position seen above.
The monument is illuminated by several B-K Lighting fixtures that include ten Mini-Micro™ floodlights, a single Denali™ floodlight and ten custom brass Vertical Brick Star™ fixtures with a special "D" style open aperture. The custom fixtures are embedded into the wooden posts that surround the monument as seen in the detail shots below.
The brass construction helps keep the highly corrosive maritime atmosphere from damaging the lighting fixtures and keep the monument looking spectacular at night. The buildup of sea-born minerals can easily be seen on the surface of the Brick Star™. The bronze statues will patina wonderfully in this environment and be well protected as previously discussed at the TEKA Illumination website.
The monument is a testament to both the enduring and beloved literary works of Steinbeck, the artist, the Cannery Row Company, the construction trade, the lighting industry and most importantly, is a testament to the unyielding nature of man Steinbeck wrote so often so well, “For there are two possible reactions to social ostracism - either a man emerges determined to be better, purer, and kindlier or he goes bad, challenges the world and does even worse things." - John Steinbeck, Cannery Row
PROJECT DETAILS:
Fixtures:
(10) c1309-26
(1) Denali™ Series / Remote Solid State (BKSSL®)
(10) Mini-Micro™ Floodlight Solid State (BKSSL®)
Project Commission: Cannery Row Company
Sculptor: Steven Whyte Studios
Lighting Specifier: Aurum Consulting Engineers
Sales Representative: Associated Lighting Representatives, Inc.
Photo Credit: ©Micheael Troutman, DMT Imaging
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