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O'Hanlon Center for the Arts Welcomes Return of 12-Foot Sculpture By Gallery's Founder

The bright red 1,000-pound Mobian by Dick O'Hanlon has been on loan to the City of Walnut Creek for nearly 30 years, and its now been restored and returned to its original setting in Mill Valley.

After thousands of dollars in donations, meticulous restorations efforts, and some maneuvering of a large forklift, the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts is celebrating the return of 12-foot steel sculpture by Dick O’Hanlon, one of the founders of the center.

“It’s wonderful,” said Executive Director Megan Wilkinson. “We’re so pleased to have it back.”

Since 1985 the Mobian, a bright red 1,000-pound steel sculpture, has been on a long-term loan to the City of Walnut Creek.  On display in the downtown plaza for nearly three decades, the natural elements and graffiti did some damage, and in 2007 the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts began an effort to restore it and relocate it to Mill Valley.

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“A lot of fundraising is wrapped around this,” Wilkinson said. The community raised approximately $5,000 for the restoration and transportation of the statue, which was led by sculptor John Libberton of Sausalito. Organizers used a forklift to load the artwork onto a flatbed truck, drove it to a local restoration shop, and then used a large crane to place it on a new pedestal outside the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts.

The sculpture has been there since November 2012, but Wilkinson said they were waiting for the warmer springtime weather to host a public unveiling. 

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The sculpture will be showcased the from 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. on May 4-5 and May 11-12, to coincide with Marin Open Studios – an event where artists across Marin open their doors to the public for a free, self-guided tour of local studios during the first two weekends in May. This is Marin Open Studio’s 20th anniversary.

Marin Open Studios visitors will be among the first to view the sculpture in its new – albeit original – setting, Wilkinson said. The center also has about 20 other pieces by O’Hanlon, whose sculptures are made from stone, wood, ceramic and more.

“He was so prolific and worked in so many different mediums,” Wilkinson said.

In addition to Mobian, O’Hanlon Center for the Arts is showcasing work by six local artists for the month of May: Virginia Fauvre, Esther Munger, Willow Older, Gail Robertson, Cayen Roberston, and Barry Toranto, and they will be on hand during the Marin Open Studios tour.

The gallery includes a broad range of artwork – from figurative and abstract to contemporary, folk and more - and everything from drawings and paintings to photography, mono-prints, and three-dimensional works.

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