Smith: Many layers to the tale of the dragons

Santa Rosa City Hall is arranging a face-to-face for folks on either side of a dispute over the Prince Memorial Greenway mural of two dragons that was revised after a vandal or vandals repeatedly savaged the eyes and heads.

As I mentioned Sunday, Nancy Wang of the Redwood Empire Chinese Association is among the critics who contend it was insensitive of the Artstart program and the city to remove the heads of creatures so important to Asian culture.

Artstart co-founder Mario Uribe and others in Artstart respond that the dragons were never envisioned as Asian. And the heads are not gone, Uribe said, “You just don’t see them.”

The redesign, made after a psychologist suggested that the way to halt the vandalism was to hide the heads, makes it appear the heads extend beyond the plane of the mural.

Uribe said he suspects the criticism of the redesign has more to do, really, with ill will that fellow Santa Rosa public art creator Judy Kennedy feels toward him and Artstart.

Kennedy didn’t deny Monday that that’s part of it. Her view is that although the painted park benches and other Artstart works aren’t fresh or original, “Artstart has had the leg up on every artist in town. You can call it sour grapes.”

Still, she insists she truly believes that the dragons portrayed are not generic but are clearly Asian, and that to not include their heads is insulting.

Mayor John Sawyer said city staff will schedule a session at which interested parties can sit and talk. It may well be one of those meetings no one’s especially eager to attend.

‘TRIONE’ ADVANCES: The proposal to add the late Henry Trione’s name to that of Annadel State Park has taken a giant step forward.

A resolution by state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, was passed unanimously by the state senate. It urges the State Park and Recreation Commission to rename the park Trione-Annadel State Park.

The resolution moves now to the Assembly.

Trione, who did more than anyone to create the park, often shunned accolades but he did confide close to his death in February at age 94 that he’d be pleased for his name to be added to Annadel’s.

WONDER OF WHEELS: Seriously wounded Army vet Edwin Carter isn’t the sort to ask for help. Someone else nominated him to receive one of two refurbished older cars donated to deserving west county residents by Sebastopol’s K-Tech Automotive repair shop.

Carter, the father of a 10-year-old boy with autism, said he can’t believe how his life has changed since Kate Jonasse and her K-Tech crew gave him the keys to a Toyota Corolla.

“It feels so good to be able to stand on my own two feet and not have to trouble someone. I’ve got so much more freedom now it’s not even funny.”

For the past two years of its “Good Cars for Good Karma” program, K-Tech has awarded two cars to needy people who help others. The second car, a Honda CRV, went to Francine Waxman, who’s had her time with her children cut into deeply by the hours that she’s waited for buses.

“It feels pretty awesome,” she said. “I have a medical appointment, and I’m going to drive.”

A volunteer at the Sebastopol Area Senior Center, Waxman is gearing up to help get elders to where they need to go, too.

Chris Smith is at 521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @CJSPD.