Last year I reported that the City of Luxembourg (which is not just a city, but a country in its own right) was planning a mermaid statue for its 1050th anniversary.

A contest was concluded on February 25th, which selected a contest entry by artist Serge Ecker.  The photo on the left is of a miniature model of the sculpture.

The mermaid theme is based on a well-known legend that the mermaid Melusine was the wife of Count Siegfried, who founded Luxembourg in 963.

The Melusine legend exists in a number of versions across Europe, with similar elements.  Essentially Melusine marries, but with the stipulation that once a week she must have absolute privacy.   She turns into a mermaid every Saturday, and spends the time in a bathtub in complete privacy.   One day, her husband can no longer contain his curiosity and spies on his wife while she is bathing, and sees her as a mermaid.  At this point, she vanishes forever, although she is occasionally seen in a nearby river.

There is a famous statue in Baden (Austria), in the Undine fountain, based on the story of Undine by  Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué.   This story in turn is based partly on the Melusine legend.

Articles in the news media can be accessed below.
http://tuoitrenews.vn/lifestyle/17704/vn-artist-enters-luxembourg-mermaid-sculpture-finale
http://www.wort.lu/en/view/the-winning-mermaid-sculpture-revealed-530c9cdae4b01171e9aa3c7e

Ama Maria in San Antonio, TX

It is official.  The beautiful and charming City of Tarpon Springs on the west coast of Florida is getting a fabulous 6′ 4″ bronze mermaid statue this spring.

The statue will tie in perfectly with the city’s strong tradition of cultural arts, with its strong Greek heritage, its tradition of diving for sponges and with its status as a haven for manatees.

The idea was proposed by yours truly to the Tarpon Springs Public Art Committee last year, and the idea was well received.  The Public Art Commission did a fabulous job of surveying city officials and prominent citizens for feedback on the idea.   Finding enthusiastic support from every quarter, a full proposal was made to the City Board of Commissioners, who authorized the project in December.   Final details were decided last week and the statue is currently in the process of being cast in bronze.

The statue, “Ama of Tarpon Springs”, is part of the Amaryllis Art for Charity project sponsored by German company Koh-i-Noor, which aims to eventually place 100 similar Ama statues across the world in locations of great beauty that are near water.  Ama of Tarpon Springs will be the 17th statue in the series, and the first on America’s East Coast.

The name Ama comes from the Japanese word Ama, referring to traditional pearl divers in Japan, similar to the haenyo divers of South Korea. Ama is also the nickname of French artist Amaryllis, who created the Ama mermaid sculpture as well as many other mermaid art pieces.

The Ama statue will be placed at the northernmost point of Craig Park, overlooking Spring Bayou and visible from the park, from the bayou waterways and from across the water. The statue will include a traditional vase sponge at the mermaid’s feet, and an engraving of a manatee on the base.

The Ama of Tarpon Springs project has been covered in the media by the Tampa Bay Times and the Suncoast News.

Philip

The Golden Mermaid in Songkhla, Thailand, has been in the press this week as a result of people conducting prayers in her location, and draping her with yellow fabric.

Officials have publicly announced that this is misguided and actually detracts from her image – the statue is a popular tourist attraction and was constructed for this purpose as a symbol if the city.

One of the news articles is available here.

This wonderful rendition of a mermaid in granite and marble was created by Barcelona sculptor Antonio Cañete, and is located on the waterfront promenade at the Puerto Jose  Banús harbor on the west side of Marbella on the south coast of Spain, about 30 miles from Gibraltar.

Mermaid statue La Sirena Puerto Banus Marbella in Spain. Photo © by Chris Robertshaw.

Puerto Banús was created in the 1970’s and has become one of the key attractions in the Costa del Sol area, with 5 million visitors annually.   There are many works of art here.   With her location right on the beach walk promenade next to hundreds of yachts in the port, La Sirena has a prominent location in the sun and further enhances the natural beauty of the town and this area of Spain.

For more information and photos of this statue, see La Sirena de Puerto Banus.

In some situations an issue arises regarding the ‘propriety’ of mermaid statues as public art – whether they are family friendly or ‘decent’.

Since mermaids don’t wear clothes, excepting of course Disney mermaids, sculptors of fine art mermaid statues and sculptures almost always model them without clothes.

Occasionally there are concerns about this when a new statue is proposed.

Such statues are however very well received by the vast majority of people, children and adults alike.  Most people see beauty, aesthetics, grace, elegance and fairy tale magic when they see a mermaid statue.

Here are a few examples of mermaid statues as public art which are respected, admired and appreciated by the communities in which they are located, and which help bring culture, business and visitors to their cities:

The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen. visited by millions each year.  It has been here for 100 years.
It is an icon of the city and of Denmark.  Photo © by News Øresund – Johan Wessman.

Fidardo Landi’s Mermaids Sculpture at the Cleveland Museum of Art has been here since 1929,
visible from the Museum grounds and from East Blvd.

The Rotary Club’s 2001 Mermaid in Ganges, Salt Spring Island, Canada.  Photo by Ruth Hartnup.

Mermaids Fountain in Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco CA. Created in 1968 by Ruth Asawa, one of the
founders of the San Francisco School of the Arts. Photo © by Tyson Villanueva.

Mermaid Statue created by Larry Oliver in 2012 for the City of Oak Harbor,
Whidbey Island, Washington. Photo by Gerry Oliver.

The ‘Russian’ Mermaid installed in 2009 at Soter Point in Ventura CA.  Photo by Sunny Oberto.

Pearl of the Concho Mermaid by Jayne Charless Beck installed in 1994. Photo by Jonathan Cutrer.

Pearl of the Concho Mermaid by Jayne Charless Beck installed in 1994. Photo by Jonathan Cutrer.

Ama mermaid statue in Cap Ferrat, France. Photo courtesy of Amaryllis.

The Syrenka Mermaid Statue from 1855 in Warsaw, Poland is the icon of the city.  Photo © by Hans Cornette.

There are of course many other examples – there are over 180 public art mermaid statues across the world, most of which are listed here.

Ghirardelli Square is located in the historic Fisherman’s Wharf area of San Francisco.  The centerpiece of the square is Andrea’s Fountain with statues of turtles, large frogs, two mermaids and a mermaid child.

Mermaid Statues in Ghirardelli Square. Photo © by Tyson Villanueva.

The fountain was created in 1968 by Ruth Asawa, and has a varying water feature – at times quiet, at other times gently spraying water and sometimes splashing water over all the fountain elements.

Asawa was instrumental in creating the San Francisco School of the Arts (renamed in tribute to her in 2010 to Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts). She passed away on August 5, 2013 at the age of 87.

The plaque close by the fountain states:

Then-owner William Roth selected Ruth Asawa, well known for her abstract, wowen-wire sculptures, to design and create the centerpiece fountain for Ghirardelli Square. Although it was unveiled amid some controversy in 1968, Asawa’s objective was to make a sculpture that could be enjoyed by everyone. She spent one year thinking about the design and another year sculpting it from a live model and casting it in bronze.

Although landscape architect Lawrence Halprin attacked Asawa’s design of a nursing mermaid seated on sea turtles for not being a “serious” work, Asawa’s intentions were clear: “For the old it would bring back the fantasy of their childhood, and for the young it would give them something to remember when they grow old!

I wanted to make something related to the sea…I thought of all the children, and maybe even some adults, who would stand by the seashore waiting for a turtle or a mermaid to appear. As you look at the sculpture you include the Bay view which was saved for all of us, and you wonder what lies below that surface.”

The most photographed feature of Ghirardelli Square, the fountain was named in honor of Andrea Jepson, the woman who served as the model for the mermaid.

Mermaid Statues in Ghirardelli Square. Photo © by Timothy Carroll.

Mermaid Statues in Ghirardelli Square. Photo © by Timothy Carroll.

Mermaid Statues in Ghirardelli Square. Photo © by Diana Jepsen.

See more at the Andrea’s Fountain page.

The Russian mermaid statue at Soter Point in Ventura, California was donated by Alec & Tatyana Benke to the city of Ventura in 2009, and placed at Soter Point in collaboration with Samuel Povar and Andy Soter.

The Russian Mermaid statue at Soter Point, Ventura CA. Photo by Sunny Oberto.

Alec Benke and his wife Tatyana emigrated from Kazakhstan to the United States and the mermaid statue is a symbol of their love for their new country.

The statue stands on a base created by Alec. With the base, the sculpture reaches more than 20 feet into the air.  The mermaid sculpture is meant to be a water fountain, but there is as of 2013 no water yet – although it is planned.

Soter Point is part of the Ventura harbor area, and Andy Soter dedicated time and funds to renovating and beautifying this area in memory of his daughter.

Samuel Povar has been actively involved in a number of public-private art collaborations in Ventura, and was instrumental in making this project possible.

The mermaid statue at Soter Point is rapidly becoming a major attraction for tourists and also gaining fame as an example of public-private collaboration in beautifying a city.

The plaque at the base of the sculpture reads:

The Russian Mermaid of Soter Point in Ventura, CA. Notice the detail by the eye. Photo by Sunny Oberto.

The Russian Mermaid of Soter Point in Ventura, CA. Photo by Sunny Oberto.

Many thanks to Samuel Povar for details on this project, and to Sunny Oberto for many stunning photos.

See more photos at the Soter Point Mermaid page.

The town of Cavalaire-sur-Mer on the French Riviera has a history reaching back to Phoenician times.   Today it is a busy beach town with a sizable harbor for all kinds of leisure sailing vessels.   A mermaid statue was unveiled here on July 4th 2013.  It is fitting in many ways, not least because the history or mythology of mermaids traces back to the Phoenicians and ancient Syrians and their goddess Atargatis, the earliest mermaid legend we know of.

Ama Cavalaire mermaid statue with sculptor Amaryllis.  Photo © by Amaryllis

She was sculpted by Amaryllis, and was placed here as part of the Amaryllis Art for Charity project, which aims to place about 100 of these statues in prominent and beautiful locations near water, with the goal of raising funds for local charities and promoting the message of this sculpture. The project was created by Thomas Noor, using the Ama statue created by Amaryllis.

There are unique touches to each of the statues, such as the patina chosen, the inscription with the name and the coordinates, and the item at at Ama’s feet, which often is a flower or a sea animal, or something representative of the location.

As to the message of the sculpture, I asked Amaryllis what the statue represents.   In her own words:

She left her underwater world to connect with mankind and alert us that we are damaging her environment.  She wants to explain that water is the cradle of life, the ultimate necessity to assure humanity’s own existence.  As she arrives on more and more shorelines, it is our belief that she will gain a louder voice and will help make the point that we must respect her home.

It is a great message.   It is a message of ocean conservation that is supported and furthered by many people involved with mermaids, whether as art, as a profession or as a city icon. 

See more photos and information on the Ama Cavalaire page.