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.
This Corten steel sculpture was installed in the South Coast Botanic Gardens in July 2003. It was the first artwork permanently placed in the Gardens and its installation involved cooperation between the donors, John and Marilyn Long, and the South Coast Botanic Gardens Foundation. The sculpture’s form, composed of paper-like folds, creates shapes that change as the viewer encounters and moves around the figure. The artwork’s title comes from Sóller, Spain, a village on the island of Mallorca where artist Betty Gold spends time each year. Sóller I stands near the main entrance to the Gardens and can be seen by visitors as they walk from the Administration Building into the Children’s garden.
About the Artist:
Betty Gold, born in Austin, Texas in 1935, received her BA from the University of Texas and later apprenticed under sculptor Octavio Medellin. Gold moved from Texas to the Los Angeles area in 1977 and opened her current studio in 1985. Her artworks are inspired by geometric and figurative forms and they reside in public and private collections in the United States and Europe. Gold’s other public works include sculptures in Vancouver, Canada, Chetumal, Mexico, and Mallorca, Spain. Betty Gold currently resides in Venice, California.