SANTA CRUZ >> Until it is officially unveiled on Thursday, we won’t know exactly the dimensions of the sculpture of Ceil Cirillo to be dedicated at theTannery Arts Center. But if it were as big as the River Street sign, it still wouldn’t approximate the size of her influence in getting the Tannery built.
Without Cirillo, the artist housing and studio campus on the site of the former Salz Tannery would simply not be there. Of all those who worked to get the Tannery built, Cirillo is at the top of the pyramid.
It was around 15 years ago, said banker Harvey Nickelson, when Cirillo, who is a member of the Sentinel’s editorial board, approached him to say, “We have to do something about the Tannery.”