“There it is!” Magi Aguilar announced, moments before a truck transporting the “Angel de la Creatividad” crossed the Deception Pass Bridge on a sunny Monday afternoon, headed toward Oak Harbor.

Aguilar’s enthusiasm attracted the attention of a tourist who was just walking by the observation deck on Pass Island. “What’s going on?” she asked.

Aguilar, who is the city of Oak Harbor’s communications officer, had been waiting for the truck for a little less than an hour, hoping to immortalize the moment with the help of an expert drone pilot.

She explained to the tourist that the truck was carrying a large sculpture by Sebastian, a Mexican sculptor whose art pieces can be found in many cities around the world, such as Mexico City, Dublin, San Antonio, Jerusalem, Berlin and more. The tourist responded enthusiastically.

The 40-foot-tall “Angel of Creativity” will now remain in the Public Works facility until its installation on Oct. 9, just in time for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. the following day, according to Aguilar.

The sculpture was moved on Sept. 30 from Bellingham, where it was originally supposed to be installed. The process that led to the bridge crossing was long and dramatic, with many ups and downs and tons of meetings.

The city had already set its eyes on the angel in 2020, though at the time it had already been purchased by a man who supported outdoor sculptures and art, George Drake, who planned to gift it to the city of Bellingham. After his passing in 2020, the sculpture was instead gifted to Oak Harbor, where a survey revealed in 2021 that 70% of participants did not want it. Some of the criticism of the work of art originated from a misconception that it would replace the windmill that was torn down in Windjammer Park.

Despite the many frowns, the angel is set to land in Flintstone Park and keep an eye on boaters in the bay.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will feature speakers such as Mayor Ronnie Wright, local sculptor Richard Nash and poet Mary Elizabeth Himes, who will read a poem about looking forward, Aguilar said. Every attendee will also receive a sticker of the sculpture.

Since she landed the job earlier this year, Aguilar has known that the sculpture was a “hot button topic” among the community. But after researching Sebastian, she realized receiving a sculpture made by a world-famous artist was a big deal.

To her, the sculpture symbolizes “forward thinking” and a willingness to have difficult conversations. As the city works on a video montage of different community members sharing their perspective on the sculpture, Aguilar found that many do want it.

“The sculpture is literally going to become a landmark in Oak Harbor,” Aguilar said.

Photo by Luisa Loi On Sept. 30, a truck transported the 40-foot-tall “Angel de la Creatividad” sculpture from Bellingham.