The Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation and the City of Monterey are happy to announce the installation of three bronze sculptural plaques in honor of poet Robinson Jeffers (1887 – 1962) in the Monterey Conference Center’s Jeffers Plaza.
These bronze plaques were made in honor of Jeffers by two local artists, Monterey sculptor Will Pettee and Pacific Grove artist Carol Matranga Courtney.
Sculptor Will Pettee created a large bronze portrait of Jeffers in the bas relief technique for the wall adjacent to the 2nd floor entry of the Conference Center. Below the Jeffers portrait in a profile pose is a bronze plaque of Jeffers signature, carefully sculpted while following Jeffers’ actual signature from a book of his poetry.
Artist Carol Courtney sculpted a different portrait view of Jeffers in bas relief for a large text plaque installed in the central garden planter of Jeffers Plaza. This plaque contains a timeless phrase from Jeffers’ poem “The Answer.” Courtney also sculpted a naturalistic Red-Tailed Hawk in clay that was cast in bronze to perch on top of the text plaque. The background texture of this plaque is similar to an old leather book, offering the viewer a sense of opening up a volume of the poet’s verse.
Both artists were inspired by Edward Weston’s photographs of Jeffers standing in front of Hawk Tower at Tor House in 1929.
Monterey Conference Center General Manager Doug Phillips commented on the installation, “The new bronzes at Jeffers Plaza bring life to this stark architectural setting. It gives this area a sense of place. The garden plaque, with its textured background reminds me of an old leather book, inviting the viewer in to read the poem".
These tribute bronzes are a gift to the City of Monterey’s Pubic Art Collection from the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation.
