Public Art of San Gabriel - Flor Hermosillo


PUBLIC ART OF SAN GABRIEL 

By: Flor Hermosillo


THE SITE:


For my site I had chosen to do San Gabriel because I had lived here my whole life. The reason why I had chosen my own community was because I rarely see any public artwork in my area compared to the near by communities, so this made me want to show the public artwork in my community even more and not let it go unknown. 


FIELD WORK:




La Laguna de San Gabriel, 1965 
Benjamin Dominguez 
1305 Prospect Ave, San Gabriel, CA 91776

Theme: Ocean life and maritime imagination.
Representation: 14 concrete play structures.
Materials: Steel-reinforced colored concrete, steel frames covered with hand-sculpted concrete. 
Sponsors: Friends of La Laguna, City of San Gabriel and Annenberg Foundation. 
Community Reaction: I can say that this brings many family together and children to enjoy this playful sea creatures sculpted playground. Even myself when I was a child I would play in this playground without knowing this was art landmark one of my favorites to this day. It's a very positive unique playground for families to love. 

La Laguna de San Gabriel is located in Vincent Lugo Park. This was created and opened in 1965 by a Mexican-born artist and craftsman who is Benjamin Dominguez, the purpose of La Laguna playground was designed for enjoyment and adventures for generations to come for children to be able to play on fantastical friendly sea creatures' sculpted playground. La Laguna playground can also be called Monster Park and is listed to be one California Register of Historic Places and landmark for the city of San Gabriel. 



















San Gabriel Library Mural, 1984
Robert Freeman 
500 S Del Mar Ava, San Gabriel, CA 91776

Theme: focusing on between Spanish and Gabrielino-Tongve people, building construction, cattle handling and agriculture.  
Representation: The interaction between Mission life and indigenous Gabrielino-Tonga people.
Materials: acrylic paint.
Sponsors: The friends of the San Gabriel Library.
Community Reaction: Since it's indoors those who see this art piece get to knowledge the painting and historical it carries. 

The Mural is located in San Gabriel Library which is over the children's section. This was designed in 1892 by Robert Freeman who was born on the Rincon Indian Reservation that was self-taught. The placement is inside the library (building) that is a mural painting (visual works) created of material acrylic paint. The purpose of this mural is the early history of San Gabriel showing women grind corn, a vaquero rounds up cattle, and a padre helps Gabrielinos build a stone wall and can even be said "on the far left, grapes signify the wine that was produced at the mission, and on the far right a wickiup, a type of Gabrielino grass house". 














Together We Are Stronger, Stop Anti-Asian Hate!, 2021
MariNaomi
Asian Youth Center, 300 S. San Marino Ave., San Gabriel, CA 91776

Theme: combat discrimination and promote unity. 
Representation: Represent resilience, unity, and firm stance against discrimination, reflecting community solidarity and strengthen through art. 
Materials: Mural, digital illustration 
Sponsors: Pasadena Community Foundation, CSArts-SGV 
Community Reaction: The community sees this artwork to receive positive feedback reactions and help promote unity bring the community together to address social issues. 

This Mural is located at the Asian Youth Center in San Gabriel outside of the administrative office. This was created during the year 2021 by MariNaomi who is an American graphic artist and cartoonist. The purpose of this artwork is to raise awareness towards the Asian American experience of hate violence and also discrimination in the community even so Pacific Islanders. The goal for this design is to bring communities together against hate through art to strengthen the solidarity and healing what they had faced. It's been said that there are three murals or more total of this art piece installed around communities. 




Early California, 2001
Donald "Putt" Putman 
609 W Santa Anita St, San Gabriel, CA 91776

Theme: Life in early California (emotional, historical)
Representation: Scenes of Native Americans, Franciscan padres, and senoritas of the regions history. 
Materials: Paint projected, Ac 
Sponsors: Mission art centers events. 
Community Reaction: This artwork collects positive unique view from individual that come cross from this mural and the historical of early California landmark. 

The Early California outdoors mural can be located outside of the wall of Mission Art Centers. This was designed in 2001 June by Donald "Putt" Putman. This artwork is a 72 foot mural depicting life during early California with Native Americans, Franciscan Padres and Senoritas. It can be said the image projected against the wall at night in order to complete the painting's basic outline. This is a Morden day landmark in the historic San Gabriel Mission. 


CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
 
The public artwork throughout San Gabriel there can be shown patterns of the artworks in the community represented that have unique and similarities sharing cultural such as San Gabriel Library showing the historical of the Spanish and Gabrielino-Tongve people in the early ages of San Gabriel but even the community of Asian Youth Center sharing experience of combat discrimination and reflecting. The histories are centered to strengthen the community throughout San Gabriel and learn what we can do for future gentians. The funds come from sponsors and partnerships. Most San Gabriel artwork are located in one area which is the San Gabriel Mission that collects the cultural and historical of the past and community. 


PROPOSAL:

I really liked that the public artwork in the community of San Gabriel talks about the historical and emotional past. Some of my favorites are the La Laguna located in Vincent Lugo Park because I got to play there when I was a child with friends. Kids now still enjoy that playground but even families which make this public artwork stand out due to the sea creatures sculpted and that everyone can view and play with enjoyment making it unique. Another is Together we are stronger, stop anti-Asian hate! located Asian Youth Center by using art to strengthen the community together in order to address social issues as well as stance against discrimination. I believe that most public artwork is in the San Gabriel Mission and even hidden areas. I would recommend putting more new art placements more spread in San Gabriel parks such as Smith Park is a huge park and a lot of space. There is an area with sea animals with color fading away near the parking lot. I think they can add and create that area with more newer sea animals sculpted similar to Vincent Lugo Park and add some new ideas in Marshall community park making all the San Gabriel parks unique. I would suggest adding murals sharing more culture in the community in the San Gabriel Square that can be seen shopping hubs and restaurants adding them on the walls near the boba ave 8090. Overall, San Gabriel is an amazing community. 









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