The original competition for this project called for the creation of Great Blue Herons sculptures to honor the rare birds seen along the water’s edge of Coronado. Slatoff chose to expand the concept with a story: Sheltering Wings. His vision was of one bird with open wings gently embracing another with wings folded. It became a symbol of protection: the great bay of San Diego cradling the island of Coronado, as well as the protection of the fragile natural environment. The sculpture’s plinth was inspired by the concrete slabs laid by the Army Corps of Engineers, which now serve as perches for herons along the shore.

The metaphor of shelter extends beyond place—it speaks to anyone who has felt cast upon the rocks. Like the birds, they are held, embraced, and protected.

Sheltering Wings was the first public sculpture commissioned by the City of Coronado—and Slatoff’s first public art piece as well. Twenty-five years later, the city celebrated the work with a rededication. Shortly thereafter, the city awarded another project to Slatoff with Frederickson as a collaborator—the commission of The League of Wives Memorial for Star Park.