8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY December 5-11, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com 831 In an old Army storage building at Presidio Park in Monterey, Library and Museums Director Brian Edwards is picking through a stack of near-life-sized angels painted on plywood. They are leaning up against one side of the garage-like interior lined with dozens of faux evergreen wreaths with fading red bows. These are some of the iconic Monterey angels from 1956, the first year the city began hanging the celestial beings on light poles around town during the holidays. “Look at the bottoms, see how it’s all broken off, look at the mounts, how much peeling is on here,” Edwards says, his hands protected by work gloves, pointing out the cracked wood and peeling paint of the dozen or so angels in the stack, the result of weather and excessive wear and tear from years of standing watch over the city. Several feet away from artist Erica Franke’s original angels is a stack of 12 bright, shiny new angels waiting for their debut this holiday season. The angels’ designs aren’t new, per se; they are digital copies of some of the original wooden angels. “With these heavier winters, the storms, I was really concerned, because these things are really susceptible to damage,” Edwards says. “They’re just plywood sheets with paint on them and the paint is just falling off.” He selected a dozen angels out of the city’s collection of about 92 in storage, and took high-resolution photos of each. SignWorks in Sand City took the images and transferred them onto aluminum composite panels, lightweight and weather-resistant. Each reproduced angel cost $1,000—Edwards set aside the money in his budget for the task. The new angels will be installed on tall light poles along roadways like Fremont Street with some wooden angels placed in more protected areas. More angels in the collection than in the past will get to see the light of day this year with plans to place some outside around Custom House Plaza as well as Colton Hall. In recent years the city has only installed around 14 angels as more and more have become damaged. There are three generations of angels—1956, 1973 and 1999—and angels from each era will hang inside Stanton Center in the lobby, with another set inside Colton Hall. “I want everybody to see the three generations and the progressions of them,” Edwards says. They should be up in time for the Downtown Monterey Tree Lighting on Friday, Dec. 6. The angel tradition began in 1956, when Franke was commissioned to create 88 angels for the city at a price of $12 per angel. They were all the same style, with a Native American look, influenced by the art of New Mexico, Edwards says. The angels proved controversial. Some people objected to the angels’ dark skin tone. One commentator in Game and Gossip argued that Christmas is a European holiday, thus angels should be white with golden hair. In addition, some complained the angels’ facial expressions were too mournful. Different attempts to replace the angels or change their expressions in the first 15 years or so failed. The city commissioned Franke to make 40 more angels in 1973. They were about a foot larger than the original angels, on very thin plywood. The angels were lighter-skinned with blonde hair. In 1999 Franke (now Haba) created more featuring tan or olive skin complexions combined with blond hair and blue eyes. Edwards believes switching to reproductions will save money in the long run. The wooden angels have to be restored about every 10 years, but the aluminum reproductions will last longer and if something happens to one, they have a digital image and can easily replace it. To raise money for future restoration efforts—and to satisfy the many people who have asked how they can have an angel of their own—Edwards used the digital images to create tree ornaments depicting two designs, available for sale inside the Colton Hall Museum gift shop for $20 each. Downtown Monterey Tree Lighting takes place 5-6pm Friday, Dec. 6 on the Colton Hall lawn, 570 Pacific St., Monterey. The Colton Hall Museum is open 10am-4pm Thursday-Sunday. 646-3799, monterey.gov. Angels On High Monterey’s iconic angels are restored to keep a nearly 70-year tradition alive. By Pam Marino Plywood angels have been displayed around Monterey every year since 1956. “Each one is unique, I see them as art,” says Library and Museums Director Brian Edwards. “Each one has its own personality.” “I want everybody to see the three generations.” TALeS FrOm THe AreA cODe DANIEL DREIFUSS GIVE THE GIFT OF GOOD HEALTH! 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