The Praying Mantis - Jerry Presley

The Praying Mantis Sculpture

The Covid pandemic changed my life and you’ll find a link to my four Covid stories elsewhere on this website. The second story was about my visits to city parks. In a park, I could be alone with my thoughts, while watching the vibrancy of life all around me. City parks became my haven at a difficult time.

In Westlands Park, I discovered a huge sculpture of a Praying Mantis, but it is hidden from common view. It can only be seen if one is open-minded and willing to see things from a different perspective. It is a giant Easter Egg, so to speak, hidden in plain sight. I produced the video shown below, so others could discover this magnificent sculpture. But it really needs to be seen in person. The experience is far better than a picture.

A few months ago, the city called and told me they wanted to install a park bench to honor my service as a former city councilmember. (That’s another story.) They wanted to know where I wanted it placed and what message I wanted on the plaque.

My message is to future councilmembers. I want elected officials to show some empathy and look at things from different points of view before making a decision. The QR code on the bench links to the Praying Mantis video seen below.

There’s more to the story, however. The sculpture is the last remaining high-power pole in a stretch of maybe 15 poles that bisected the city more than a decade ago.

The previous high-power transmission lines were an eyesore that went directly through a residential community. They dominated back yards. Undergrounding those lines took a lot of effort by lot of people, driven primarily by the city council at the time.

We don’t think about that project now because there’s nothing to see. All the other power poles are underground… EXCEPT for the sculpture in Westlands Park.

When I see the big tower in Westlands, I see the vision of previous councils to make our community better. The Council may not have succeeded in taking down the Westlands tower, but they removed the other fifteen or so going north. I think the sculpture honors those efforts. That’s what I think about when I look at it.

The Praying Mantis is about seeing things from a different perspective.

The park bench itself, is a conceptual art piece. Suzanne Moore is the Parks Director and the crew who installed the bench are seen in the photo, sitting on the bench, admiring the Praying Mantis sculpture. From L to R: Anthony Martinez, Kevin Bertrand, and Troy Dussart. Photo by crew chief Craig Reichard. Thanks guys. It’s placed at exactly the right spot. You are artists!