Sculpture in downtown Clearwater turns heads

A trio of bright orange, red and yellow larger-than-life female faces is turning heads in downtown Clearwater.

Called Diversity, the sculpture by St. Petersburg artist Cecilia Lueza is one of three pieces of public art recently erected on Cleveland Street.

"It's definitely getting a lot of attention," said Christopher Hubbard, public art specialist for Clearwater. "When I run into people, that's the one that caught their eye — the colors, the vibrancy to it, how real the faces look."

The public art is part of a city initiative called "Sculpture 360."

Each year three sculptures are rented and exhibited in the Cleveland Street medians. A city-appointed panel chooses the works.

This year the project is costing $9,000, most of it coming from Clearwater's Downtown Development Board.

Diversity is made of urethane and aluminum, with coatings of acrylic paint.

"My main idea was three generations of women — the daughter, the mother and the grandmother," said Lueza, an Argentina-born artist who lives near downtown St. Petersburg. "The message is diversity of beliefs, of generations. Diversity in life."

The other two sculptures on display are Opposing Forces by North Carolina artist Hanna Jubran and Sun-Catcher, a 15-foot-tall aluminum work by Deedee Morrison of Alabama.