How and where do we experience art during a pandemic? What is the role of art during a quarantine?

The Town of Fairfax has prominently displayed the work of local sculptor, Marguerite Elliot, to start to address some of those questions.

Her piece Fairfax Sentinel: Eco-Warrior is a 12’ welded and forged steel structure that’s part of a larger body of work made up of 6 sentinels. Elliot believes that sentinels, soldiers or guards whose job is to stand and keep watch, are the protectors of wild and beautiful places.

She has dedicated this piece to the town of Fairfax, to protect the town from the uncertainty, animosity and divisiveness that is overwhelming the world right now.

Mayor Renée Goddard agrees: “Your installation could not have been timelier and more well placed. I was standing at the Coffee Roastery looking out at our empty town and feeling that initial shock of the Shelter in Place order when I saw you putting the Sentinel in the Parkade. It was as if it were created to keep look out and remind us to have hope. We speak often of the healing power of art. Art reminds us to look below the surface and find the light in times of darkness. The Sentinel is that beacon in the Center of town that has stayed steady as life around us feels chaotic. I am constantly reminded that these dynamic times are transformative, just as the power of art is a steady guide forward.”

Marguerite’s inspiration for her sentinels are iconic images from ancient civilizations. “They keep watch over our sacred lands. Inspired by the ubiquitous cell phone towers now in our world, they symbolize the precarious interface between technology and the environment. Sentinels broadcast warnings about the destruction we now face, while sending out waves of healing energy,” explains Elliot. The “Fairfax Sentinel: Eco-Warrior” is adorned with a gold-leafed goddess figure, who turns in the wind, bearing delicate gold leaves hung on a copper wire.

The sculpture will be on display in the Fairfax Parkade until the end of September. It can be viewed by driving by the corner of Bolinas and Broadway, or on foot as you wander through town.