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Regional
Nature Works with Valerie Salatino and Nancy Moran
by Sydney L. Murray
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
– Pablo Picasso
Public art is so important, more so now than ever. Recently opened at the San Diego Bay waterfront is Parque del Sol, a tribute to the tuna cannery workers who were a vital part of the history of San Diego. I was surprised to find out that San Diego’s economy was once driven by the canneries; the area was even known as the tuna capital of the world.
The Port of San Diego has reported that the canneries were the lifeblood of the San Diego region from 1911 to 1984. At its height in the early 1950s, this industry generated $65 million annually for the local economy and employed more than 17,000 workers.
A joint project between the Port of San Diego and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding/Continental Maritime, the artwork created by Valerie Salatino and Nancy Moran incorporates elements that illustrate the lives of the cannery workers.
For example, a gorgeous geometric mosaic sun encircles a coral tree that was dedicated by the employees of Sun Harbor Industries years ago. This area was where the cannery workers took their sunrise lunch breaks. It was an oasis of tranquility that the workers enjoyed in an otherwise physically challenging day.
“The artists captured what the tuna industry was all about,” said Robert “Dukie” Valderrama, vice-chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners, at the recent dedication ceremony.
There are four bronze plaques embossed with stories of the workers and the history of the canneries. The plaques also honor the diverse cultures of the Italian, Portuguese, Hispanic and Japanese employees.
“This artwork will educate future generations about the importance the tuna industry played in the development of San Diego,” said former port commissioner Frank Urtasun.
Not only is this small park and its incredible art important historically, it is valuable aesthetically. Recently I had the opportunity to speak to the artists about their tribute to the cannery workers.
Vision Magazine: What did you learn about the culture in San Diego while doing the project?
Nancy Moran: I really wasn’t aware of how many different ethnicities moved to San Diego specifically to work at the canneries. There were all sorts of people from Portuguese and Italian, to Polish, Spanish, Japanese, and Mexican.
Valerie Salatino: Prior to World War II, it was primarily the Portuguese, the Italians, and the Japanese. When WWII hit, a lot of migrant workers who didn’t necessarily have citizenship were needed in the canneries. That’s why there was an influx of Mexicans at that time.
NM: The cannery industry actually brought in the revenue that built Point Loma and all the surrounding neighborhoods, such as Little Italy and Ocean Beach. Without that industry, those neighborhoods wouldn’t have grown like they did.
The cannery workers apparently made a really good living, according to the interviews we conducted and the transcripts we read. We also learned that it was very family oriented. If people think of the cannery workers as sweating away and working for basically nothing—that was not the case. For the times, the wages were good. It was hard work but it was dependable.
VM: What was your inspiration for the bronze sculptures?
NM: Basically, we decided to honor the cannery workers. We did a lot of research about these people and how much they actually enjoyed working there. We wanted to celebrate them.
Our work is focused on multi-medium sculpture. We were just waiting for the right project to come along to express ourselves in this medium and this was it. A lot of the time, if you go to a park that has bronzes, often, there tends to be this lifelessness—obviously there are a lot of qualified artists out there—I just mean that sometimes bronze sculptures look like what they are: a memorial. Even though they are three dimensional, they read very two dimensionally. We wanted movement. We wanted action. I think that the standing man on one side of the fish really looks like he’s moving and the 15 fish in the air have a lot of movement as well.
VM: How were you inspired to create the mosaic?
NM: I water colored the tiles to depict the colors of a very vibrant sunrise that I saw one morning outside my front yard.
VS: In the actual stage of the design, there were two references to the sun. The park is called Parque del Sol, or Park of the Sun, and the employees of Sun Harbor Industries actually planted the tree in 1978. It seemed fitting to have a sun in the design to refer to this.
NM: When fishing boats returned from sea a bell would ring sometimes after 1:00 a.m. to alert the cannery workers that it was time to get up and go to work. And they apparently went really willingly. I pictured them sitting at 5:00 a.m. out in the park taking their breaks, with the sky above just alive with color. And that’s how the sunrise pattern came about.
VM: How do you feel that public art benefits people?
NM: I think that it gives people a sense of pride and ownership in their neighborhood. Val and I worked out there for a few months and we literally met hundreds of people in the community. They kept telling us, “Thank you, thank you, it’s so beautiful.” They couldn’t wait for it to open. And it really belongs to them—not only the former cannery workers, but to the people that live there. Anytime you put something beautiful into a community, you’re giving it value and showing the community that it matters.
VS: It’s a part of history. It’s a reminder of where we’ve been and what was significant to an area at a certain time. It’s like a quick history lesson and then you get to enjoy the art. We also wanted to make sure that whoever comes to visit this park in the future would be uplifted when they see the project.
VM: How did you begin Nature Works?
VS: Our business started by just having the raw, bold attitude that we were going to make it happen. Now, Nature Works has been around for 13 years. Basically we decided that it would be a line of work that was both commercial and very creative. We saw a need for creating trees and other elements that looked real. We wanted to take the time to do that, rather than mass-produce rock walls or something. We really wanted to dial in on the details.
NM: It gave me the opportunity to go large. Not all artists have the opportunity to do that and to have it out there in the public. When I was a little kid, we would go into New York City. I remember staring at the big sculptures in front of the buildings and thinking how I wanted to make large things, too. So this is a wonderful opportunity for me, as well as for public art. We’ve built 42-foot tall trees that are probably 10,000 to 15,000 pounds [at the San Diego Zoo].
VM: In the state of world that we’re in, do you have hope for humanity?
VS: Absolutely. I’ll never give up on humanity. This is a rare moment where I’ll quote the Bible, which says that the smallest spark of light always conquers a great amount of darkness.
For more information on Valerie Salatino, Nancy Moran, and Nature Works Inc, which designs and hand crafts realistic nature sculptures, visit natureworksinc.net or call 760.747.2604. Learn more about Parque del Sol at portofsandiego.org.