SCULPTURE MAY GET OVERLAY; CITY SEAL PROPOSED ATOP RIDICULED COPPER CURTAIN AT ARTS PLAZA.

Byline: Cecilia Chan Daily News Staff Writer

Motorists driving on the Ventura Freeway by the Civic Arts Plaza may soon see a new face on the often-mocked Copper Curtain sculpture: a $210,000 overlay of the city's oak tree seal.

A subcommittee of Mayor Linda Parks and Councilman Andy Fox on Monday selected the design, which will be forwarded to the City Council for approval.

``We went out and did a survey of residents, and it was definitely the No. 1 choice of residents, and that is what we are pursuing now,'' Parks said.

Almost since its unveiling in 1994, the $150,000 Copper Curtain sculpture, 50 feet by 60 feet, has been derided by the public.

``I am glad they have come to some resolve,'' said Jane Brooks, chairwoman of the Arts Commission, who spent four years trying to come up with ideas for enhancing the sculpture. ``I get stopped a lot and called a lot,'' she said, by Thousand Oaks resident who wonder what will be done.

Brooks said she has no opinion about the selection.

``I think for the most part it doesn't matter to me at this point,'' she said. ``I just think it's time to put it behind us and deal with more productive things.''

The sculpture was intended to represent a fluttering curtain, but the original design was changed by city officials who feared the 2,000 loose-hanging strips would bang against the building and disrupt performances or fly off during strong winds and hit nearby motorists.

The copper strips were then secured to the side of the Civic Arts Plaza, prompting derisive comments that architect Antoine Predock's art looks like an oversize air vent or a refrigerator grill.

The $210,000 proposed for an overlay doesn't include the $50,000 cost of shining lights on the art, said Tom Mitze, city theater director.

Mitze said the council will take up the issue in about two weeks and decide then how to raise the money.

Rami Designs of Orange County was the only bidder that responded in December to the city's request for proposals. The cost for the firm's consulting service was $19,050.

In September, the council directed the city staff to research the cost of three designs, including the city's logo, picked in a public telephone poll.

Rami Designs also submitted designs for a muse, which would have cost $160,000, and ballet dancers, $275,000.

Mitze said the two-member council committee also recommended putting the name of the city and the building atop the Copper Curtain.

The two also have scheduled meetings with developers who have ideas on developing 11 acres at the east end of the Civic Arts Plaza.

``They've asked the two potential developers to come in and make verbal presentations to the committee,'' Mitze said.

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PHOTO (Color) Riveted for safety, copper strips designed to look like floating curtains have been ridiculed at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, where an overlay is planned.

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