Uptown Whittier public art - M.F
Phase 2: Fieldwork
Location: Bailey Street in Uptown Whittier, between Comstock Avenue and Greenleaf Avenue
Date when created: 2016
Date removed: 2022
Artist: Cosmin Lucaciu
Theme: It was created to pay tribute to the former president that had a long-standing tie to the community. The image shows former President Richard Nixon answering questions from the press.
Represented: The person represented is former president Richard Nixon
Materials: Spray can
Sponsors: The funding for this artwork was commissioned by Gio Alonso and Leeba Lessin who are owners of local business in Uptown Whittier.
Inscriptions: No inscriptions on the artwork
Community reactions: The community's reaction from the start of the creation of the mural was mixed. Some view it as a valuable part of the community's artistic history. Others view it as discriminatory for minority students. In which many called for its removal. The mural in the present has now been painted over due to many incidences involving vandalism because a major portion of the community was finding it controversial.
The name of this artwork is called the "John Greenleaf Whittier Statue"
Location: Central Park at 6352 Friends Ave, Whittier, CA 90601
Date when created: 1987
Artist: Christoph Rittershausen
Theme: The statue was created to honor John Greenleaf and as the namesake of the city of Whittier.
Represented: A quaker poet, author, and abolitionist named John Greenleaf.
Materials: Made of styrofoam and then cast in concrete
Sponsors: The statue of John Greenleaf was funded by donations of small investors, after Christoph Rittershausen was denied the funding by the city.
Inscriptions: The statue does have inscriptions listing all the names of the people and organizations that helped donate to the creation of the statue.
Community reactions: A major portion of the community accept the statue in their community because of its meaning of who the person was. However, there are people who disagree with the work due to a few incidence in the past that involved vandalism.
The name of this artwork is called "Freedom"
Location: York Field, 9110 Santa Fe Springs Rd
Date when created: 2021
Artist: Jane DeDecker
Theme: The artwork is portraying children running at the park with a dog to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Represented: Children that are in the Little League Baseball
Materials: Jane DeDecker created these bronze statues using the Lost-wax casting method to complete this artwork.
Sponsors: The City of Whittier's Arts in Public Places program
Inscriptions: The artwork has a concrete plaque that contains the name of the artwork and the artist.
Community reactions: When I went to go visit the site there were two parents with their child sitting on the concrete bench that goes around the artwork. I asked them what they think of the artwork. They both had similar answers saying that they find it captivating because the artwork seems to be specifically made for a children's little league baseball field.
Location: 12206 Philadelphia Street at the Whittier Dog Park and Greenway Trail entrance
Date when created: December 2019
Artist: Created by artist team Calderon and Delgado
Theme: It's a way to get people to become one with nature.
Represented: This public artwork does not represent or exclude a certain person
Materials: This artwork is a hand-carved stone sculpture made from basalt. This artwork also has a glazed ceramic tile and a 4-foot translucent travertine onyx.
Sponsors: The City of Whittier's Public Art Commission
Inscriptions: The artwork has a concrete plaque that contains the name of the artwork and the artists.
Community reactions: When I went to go visit the site, I asked a few people that were around with their pets on what their reactions were when they first seen the artwork for the first time. One person said that they believe it represents the outdoors because the artwork is a tree. Another person said that it represents nature and that the artwork looks like a mushroom.
The name of this artwork is called "Stronger Together"
Location: 7733 Greenleaf Ave., Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 28
Date when created: 2019
Artist: Alanna Roth
Theme: This artwork is paying tribute to the community's firefighters
Represented: The public artwork represents the community's public servants who share the commitment to the well-being of the residents of Whittier.
Materials: Bronze statue
Sponsors: The City of Whittier and private donors
Inscriptions: The artwork has a concrete plaque that contains the name of the artwork and the artist.
Community reactions: When I went to go visit the site, I asked a few people that were walking by the fire station on what their reaction was when they had seen the artwork for the first time. All of the reactions were positive due to the community's appreciation of its public servants. They mentioned that it was a great way for the community to show its appreciation to those who serve to protect the people.
The name of the artwork is called "Welcome Friends"
Location: Southeast corner of Painter Ave. and Whittier Blvd
Date when created: 2011
Artist: Jill Casty
Theme: This artwork is welcoming all individuals who are passing by the site.
Represented: This public artwork does not represent or exclude a certain person.
Materials: Multi-colored steel sculpture
Sponsors: Sponsored by the Quad at Whittier shopping center and the City of Whittier's Art in Public Places Committee
Inscriptions: There are inscriptions on the sculptures pedestal that says, "Welcome Friends".
Community reactions: In my opinion, most of the community are accepting of the artwork because there is not much that makes it controversial. It can be seen as welcoming.
The name of this artwork is called "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Memorial"
Location: Central Park, 6532 Friends Ave, Whittier, CA 90601
Date when created: August 2022
Artist: Wayne Healy
Theme: This artwork was created to honor a Vietnam veteran named Jose Ramos
Represented: This public artwork represents Jose Ramos and all other Vietnam veterans.
Materials: The materials used to create this monument were steel-reinforced concrete and ceramic tile.
Sponsors: The City of Whittier's Art in Public Places Program and donations
Inscriptions: On the side of the monument there is a cement plaque that has Jose Ramos name and his achievement in recognizing Vietnam Veterans Day.
Community reactions: When I went to go visit the site, I asked a few people on what their initial reaction was when they have first seen the monument for the first time. Many of them mentioned that they liked the location of the monument because it is located in the same park as the John Greenleaf statue.
Phase 3: Critical Analysis
A few of the artworks that I selected have a significant impact in the city of Whittier. For example, the mural of former President Richard Nixon had major backlash when the community heard that the city would approve of allowing the artwork to be created. Although, there were people in the community that supported the creation of the mural of the former president because of his deep ties to the city of Whittier. This public artwork can be seen as political and a subject of controversy.
The Jose Ramos monument can be seen as sight specific because it is in the same location where his cross-country rides began. Jose was a Vietnam veteran that was determined to petition for the creation of a national Vietnam veterans holiday. Jose did this by organizing a cross-country bicycle ride to Washington D.C. on two different occasions. In this case, the Jose Ramos memorial can be seen as a way to raise awareness of a social issue.
The bronze statue of the firemen can be seen as a good gesture to thank the city's public servants for their hard work in the community. The work can be seen as sight specific because it is located near a fire station. One thing to note about the artwork is that it was created to thank all public servants, even though it only shows firemen.
The artwork called "Freedom" can be seen to represent children joyfully running with a dog that has a baseball mitt in his mouth. The artwork can be seen as sight specific because the location of the artwork is at a baseball field and the bronze statues are of children wearing and utilizing baseball gear. This artwork can also be seen as a series because the artist Jane DeDecker has created similar artwork in different cities.
The artworks "Welcome Friends" and "Solar Tree" can be seen as non-site-specific because the artwork seems to be largely independent of its location. The"Welcome Friends" message can be understood as welcoming people to the city of Whittier because right next to the artwork, there is a concrete sign that says, "Welcome to Whittier".
Phase 4: Proposal
The reason why I choose these sites for my project is because I see them often when I am running. I have always wondered the significance many of these artworks, but never really took the time to look at it to try and get a better understanding of it. Also, in high school after class, my friends and I would pass by some of these artworks when we would go get food or head to the movies. It was interesting to see how the business owners finally made the decision to paint over the Richard Nixon mural due to the number of times it got vandalized.
One thing that I really liked about some of these artworks is that their location is in popular areas in the city for many people to see. For example, the "John Greenleaf" and "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Memorial" are in a public park, where many people visit the location every day. Another thing that I like about the artwork that I documented was that was that some of these artworks hold some significant value for its history. The artworks documented were created over a span of years.
Much of the public artworks that were around the city consisted of sculptures, murals, and statues. I would like to see more public artworks like digital based art or murals of some of the athletes that have some association to Whittier. For example, a mural of former baseball player Nomar Garciaparra or actor Eric Stoltz. I believe that it would be good to see notable famous faces that were at one point part of the community. Like in the monument of Jose Ramos for example that many people enjoy visiting the site because of it.
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