San Clemente Wyland Whaling Wall 2

History of the San Clemente Whaling Wall 2

-Young Gray Whale

After seeing Wyland’s first Whaling Wall in Laguna Beach, the director of the Orange County Marine Institute, Dr. Stan Cummings, asked Wyland if he would paint a mural at the institute in Dana Point, California. Upon visiting the facility in 1982, the artist was struck by the skeleton of a young gray whale suspended from the ceiling. It was a gray whale that had washed ashore in 1980 in Huntington Beach and had been reconstructed and placed on display.

“I immediately wanted to paint that whale as if it was living, and in its true size, so that one could look up at the wall and relate the bones to the exterior anatomy,”; Wyland recalls.” I think this is another idea where art and science can work together to achieve a higher purpose. Students at the institute can now study the living whale alongside the skeleton and gain a much better understanding of these mammals.”

Did You Know?

• Growing attention around Wyland’s life size art sparked a renewed interest in the power of public art to put focus on important community issues like the environment, public health, and other social issues.
• Once a renowned surfing area, the waters off Dana Point, Calif., have been named a Whale Heritage site by the World Cetacean Alliance and considered one of the top locations in the world to see one of the largest marine mammals in history – the Blue Whale.

WW2 “Young Gray Whale”
Ocean Institute, Dana Point, California (Relocated to R.H. Dana Elementary)
45 Feet Long x 10 Feet High
Dedicated March 20, 1982
By Bill Toomey, Olympic Decathlon Champion

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