The mission of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture is to advance arts, culture, and creativity throughout LA County. We fulfill our mission by providing services and support in areas including grants and technical assistance for nonprofit organizations; professional development opportunities; commissioning civic artworks and managing the County’s civic art collection; implementing countywide arts education initiatives; research and evaluation; career pathways in the creative economy; free community programs; and cross sector creative strategies that address civic issues. This work is framed by the County’s Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative and a longstanding commitment to fostering access to the arts.
Desert Creatures is comprised of 57 artist designed, hand-made tiles on each side of the main entrance of the gymnasium. They are created from different colored bodies of high-fire stoneware and glazes. Many of the details and textures are the result of casting patterns from the soles of old tennis shoes and pinecones. The artwork features fauna and flora indigenous to the area, including road runners, owls, California quails, bob cats, tortoises, lizards, and Lupine flowers.
About the Artist:
Los Angeles based artists Victor Henderson and Elizabeth Garrison have collaborated on creating public art since 1988. Their work often reflects historical aspects of the community in which they work and can be found in the collections of Los Angeles County MTA, the City of Los Angeles, and the City of Burbank. Both artists have lectured extensively at visual art colleges throughout Los Angeles County including Cal State Long Beach, Claremont University, Otis College of Art and Design and UCLA.