SOUTH LA GETS NEW PUBLIC ART BY CLIFF GARTEN
By Marissa Gluck
South L.A. isn’t well known for its public art, with the exception of Watts Tower. But a site-specific work about to be unveiled at the Martin Luther King Center for Public Health, the first new building to open on the rehabbed Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center campus, may change that.
Sculptor Cliff Garten, who has more than fifty public art works under his belt in North America, recently completed “Elevations (1),” a seven-by-seven foot illuminated sculpture, with an adjacent 12×22 foot Venetian plaster wall in the lobby of the Willowbrook facility (located just north of Compton).
The facility officially opens to the public tomorrow, with a dedication that includes tours of the new building and fitness garden, designed by Taylor Architects.The 33,000 square foot facility will provide immunizations, as well as testing and treatment for tuberculosis.
In addition to the sculpture, Garten donated a series of 10 archival digital prints that are displayed throughout the building. “Elevations (1)” is Garten’s first commission for L.A. County through its Civic Art Program. Under the program, one percent of construction costs for capital projects over half a million dollars are earmarked for civic art. The grand opening tomorrow is at 9:30am and the facility is located at 11833 S. Wilmington Avenue, Los Angeels CA 90059.
