Some Upper Valley residents at odds over ‘Unity’ sculpture

EL PASO, Texas -- Some ABC-7 viewers have complained about a new sculpture at a roundabout on Country Club Rd. and Memory Lane.

The sculpture, titled 'Unity,' was created by El Paso artist Laura Turon. Turon has said that it was inspired by water and its importance to the community.

Zachariah Dickey, who is an artist and an El Paso native, thinks there are better options for the roundabout.

"Our culture here is one of a kind. We could have put a big pick like they did on the freeway for UTEP. We could have incorporated Mexican American heritage. We could have done so much, I just feel they didn't play on those tunes after all," Dickey said.

ABC-7 approached Turon about the complaints surrounding her sculpture during a visit to the site, but she said she would not comment unless given a day's advance notice.

A sculpture installed at the same roundabout was abruptly removed by the City of El Paso in 2015.

Margarita Cabrera's sculpture 'Uplift' depicted hundreds of birds in flight. She used parts of firearms confiscated by the El Paso Sheriff's office for that installation.

According to ABC-7 archives, the city cited concerns that the piece was "structurally unsound" and deviated from the agreed-upon design. Cabrera denied that, saying the city was aware of the design and was told by city representatives someone in the area objected to the artwork.

Lead Public Affairs Coordinator with the City of El Paso, Rick Isaías issued a statement to ABC-7 about 'Unity." It read in part, "The artwork is inspired by both mapping coordinates and the Rio and canals that have supported the Upper Valley's agricultural past and current sense of place.  The project's funding was approved by City Council in 2019 and the artist's concept and design was presented to the public on September 3, 2020 with overall positive feedback."