There was no way we were going to let news of a giant metallic sculpture of a bull in Herrick Park go without comment. But it is not the sculpture by Enrique Cabrera that bothers us so much as the way in which the village board decided to accept the offer.
Mr. Cabrera was born in Mexico but apparently stays in Bridgehampton from time to time. While he may not be a well-known name in art circles here, a smaller golden-hued metal bull sculpture by him spent the summer on the corner of 18th Street in Manhattan's Meatpacking District. A limited-edition run of black fiberglass bulls like the one in New York City but a bit less than three feet tall are for sale on Artsy.com.
East Hampton Village Trustee Sandra Melendez met the artist at a party, she said during a village board discussion last week. Based on that encounter, she suggested that this other bull, silver-colored and nine feet tall, be displayed on the Village Hall lawn for a time. That site wouldn't do, the board thought -- though not because the house was built for the Rev. Lyman Beecher, an early East Hampton religious leader who rose to national prominence. Instead, Trustee Chris Minardi suggested it be installed on James Lane, near where the village runs an art gallery.
Trustee Carrie Doyle raised the question of why now, why there, and why the big bull in the first place. She suggested that a selection committee for public art might be preferable and that, at any rate, they should ask the neighbors. James Lane is named for East Hampton's first minister and is in the heart of a historic district with nationally recognized structures, including two windmills and Home, Sweet Home. One of the windmills has been tarted up with colored uplighting and Christmas lights left on year round, and Ms. Melendez said the lack of complaints indicated that residents did not mind a little flash in the area. Nonetheless, the pro-bull faction of the board persevered, proposing next that it go in Herrick Park off Newtown Lane.
Like Ms. Doyle, Trustee Sarah Amaden also bristled a little at the "bulldozing," wishing for more of a formal process. "We are the process," Ms. Melendez declared.
And with that, it was decided. Herrick Park would get its bull.