LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE FY 2019 - 2020 CIVIC ART ANNUAL REPORT DIVISION Evelynn Bird, The Broad’s Diversity Apprenticeship Program intern, conserving The Wall That Speaks, Sings and Shouts by Paul Botello at Ruben F. Salazar Park with the Civic Art Collections team. Photo by Kya Lou. 2 CIVIC ART DIVISION 77 Actively managed FY 2019 - 2020 34 Newly initiated PROJECTS SUMMARY 6 Completed 160 Completed since 2004 YEAR IN REVIEW 4 CIVIC ART HIRING IMPACT STUDY 6 CAPITAL PROJECTS 8 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 15 COUNTY COLLECTION PROJECTS 18 CROSS-SECTOR PROJECTS 22 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION 27 CONTENTS PROJECTS LIST 31 3 Artwork by Star Montana In 2004, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted the County’s first Civic Art Policy, allocating one percent (1%) of design and construction costs of new County capital projects to a Civic Art Special Fund for the creation of civic artworks. The County’s Civic Art policy is managed by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, through its Civic Art Division, to commission socially engaged civic artworks, as well as support conservation efforts, artistic and cultural services, and an evolving array of programming throughout the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County in all five Supervisorial Districts. On July 1, 2019 the agency formally operating as the Arts Commission officially stepped into its new role as the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, ushering in exciting new potential for the Civic Art Division. Amid the division’s development of the Public Art in Private Development Ordi- nance, the planning and implementation of innovative new projects, and the reimagining of the County’s Civic Art Collection, the devastating impacts of the coronavirus pandemic began to surface and the gallant efforts of the Black Lives Matter movement reshaped our focus. YEAR IN REVIEW 4 We were inspired by how we readiness of artists to success- a deep connection to place no might better align our work fully undertake projects big matter the circumstances. to serve our Black and Brown and small, and creates oppor- The cover image of this year’s communities and continue to tunities for artists to partici- report features the mural The advance our work implement- pate in the program’s design Wall That Speaks, Sings and ing the Cultural Equity and and advise on policies shaping Shouts by Paul Botello, which Inclusion Initiative and cen- the field. recently underwent extensive tering cultural equity, racial Over the past few years, the conservation treatment to equity, and antiracism across Civic Art Division has aligned preserve its vibrancy. Located all department divisions and its work with the fight to end outside Ruben F. Salazar Park, programs. homelessness in LA County. In the mural was first commis- As Department Director Kristin 2019, we completed the Ac- sioned by Los Tigres del Norte, Sakoda affirmed, “Our role is cessory Dwelling Unit project, a popular norteño band whose to catalyze and invest in the an architectural design com- members’ portraits are fea- transformational power of petition to reimagine housing. tured on the wall’s left side. arts, culture and creative ex- This year, we initiated four According to Botello, Los pression to bridge difference, new projects at the Coun- Tigres del Norte “write about advance narrative and social ty’s Restorative Care Villag- the struggles and strength of change, support equitable and es, currently being built at the everyday man and woman resilient communities, inspire LAC+USC Medical Center, Olive and share my philosophy of local identity and belonging, View-UCLA Medical Center, speaking out for those with reflect our shared humanity, Rancho Los Amigos Nation- no voice.” Amidst various and help us reimagine a bet- al Rehabilitation Center, and complex symbols, the artist ter future. In a moment where High Desert Regional Health depicts groups of marching there can be no going back Center. These villages reflect men, women and children who to ‘normal,’ the arts have an the County’s recent embrace refuse detainment by police important role to play.” of a more holistic approach officers. The park’s namesake, to providing care for vulnera- journalist and activist Ruben With this vision in mind, the ble populations experiencing F. Salazar, whose portrait is Civic Art Division is imple- homelessness. included on the right side of menting a new program called the mural, died in the service Public Artists in Development LAC+USC Medical Center’s of that truth — a truth which (PAiD). It is intended to pro- community representation or- resonates louder today than mote the career growth and ganization, Health Innovation ever before. economic empowerment of Community Partnership (HICP), underrepresented artists played an essential role in the This annual report is dedicat- across LA County (defined as selection and design devel- ed to the past decade of civil BIPOC artists, LGTBQ+ art- opment of the four civic art and human rights movements, ists, artists with disabilities, mural projects. Their involve- which have engaged unprece- emerging and self-taught ment supported community dented numbers of Americans artists, and artists working in cohesion and belonging for in support of social and racial nontraditional mediums) — for patients and staff by ensuring justice and helped define the which the Civic Art Division that the community’s cultur- decade and shape our future. was awarded a $1.75 million al heritage and priorities will These voices remind us that grant from the Andrew W. be reflected in the project. we must never be compla- Mellon Foundation in Decem- Although much of this pro- cent. They remind us that ber 2019. By expanding edu- cess took place virtually and persistence and unrestrained cational resources, training, in physically distanced condi- enthusiasm for justice reform mentorship, and new project tions because of the pandem- can bring change. The arts opportunities, PAiD supports ic, its success was a reminder have a role to play. And so, skill-building and professional- that the best public art brings our work continues. people together and reflects 5 What are the employment impacts of Civic Art projects beyond the artists we directly hire? In 2015, the Civic Art Division worked with people Arts and Culture’s Research and Evaluation 443 team to develop a system to collect data from civic artists to answer this question. working in 55 We wanted to know the number of people different working in different occupations commonly hired to complete a project. As part of a occupations project’s closeout process, artists were asked to complete a form indicating the number of were hired people they hired in each occupation category. We used the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ across 24 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) to categorize occupations. This allowed us to use SOC data to analyze characteristics of those art projects occupations. Data was analyzed for 24 Civic Art projects completed between 2015 and 2019, on artist contracts totaling $3.04M. 51% of projects employed people on average, working in 5 or more occupations each project created employment for 18 people in addition to the artist(s) directly hired Civic Art projects > $50,000 averaged 24.8 people hired per project < $50,000 averaged 15.5 people hired per project 6 70 % of people hired worked in occupations that typically require less than a four-year college degree Nearly 50 % worked in jobs requiring only a high school diploma or GED 72 % hired work in jobs that pay less than a living wage for a HIRING IMPACT typical family in LA County Glass fabrication and installation of Civic artworks performed by Judson Studios. Photos by Judson Studios and Civic Art. 7 Art in our public spaces is the result of thoughtful coordination among local communities, design team members and County staff. From inception to design development, fabrication and installation, civic art CAPITAL projects generally require one to three years to complete permanent artworks but may also include temporary artworks and artist residencies of a shorter duration. The following pages highlight a few of the many active and completed projects managed PROJECTS across the County within the past fiscal year. 8 Previous page: artist Anne-Elizabeth Sobieski fabricating artworks at FIRE STATION 104 Judson Studios; photo by Robiee Ziegler. Above: Fire Station 104. A fire station is both a place of work and a home of water onto flames. These works represent the Fire for the men and women who dedicate their lives to Department’s values of teamwork and camaraderie which fighting fires. A confluence of duty, kinship and passion are imbued at all scales of operation. Further inside the helped inform artist Anne-Elizabeth Sobieski’s process building, another triptych depicts a dramatic night scene in creating a series of artworks entitled The Art of with a smoldering yucca plant blazing across the windows Firefighting for Fire Station 104 in Santa Clarita. Through of the firefighters’ day room, a space that is often kept ongoing conversations with staff at the station and in- dark for the screening of training videos. The fiery yucca, depth content research, Sobieski carefully vetted color or “hot pineapple,” as firefighters affectionately refer palettes and material details while creating a more to it, is an image that firefighters regularly encounter intimate glimpse into the world of firefighting than in the arid climate of Santa Clarita, where these plants what is usually seen by those outside the field. Sobieski can retain embers for days and must therefore be dug began developing this content as a series of sketches and out of the earth to prevent further spread of a wildfire. acrylic paintings, eventually working with Judson Studios Lastly, in the fire station’s tower, three windows on the to translate the finalized images into 12 large-scale fused north facade and three windows on the east display the glass artworks, installed along the interior and exterior station’s location number against a Santa Clarita sunset windows of the station.