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.
The mission style architecture of the Belvedere Aquatic Center informed artist Sonia Romero’s approach and material choice for They Fly Through Water. To develop the imagery, Romero conducted a public engagement activity where she worked with a photographer to take images of local residents swimming underwater. The images were then laser cut from mild steel and painted to create individual figures. The figures were incorporated into six different vignettes. The vignettes can be found at the building entrance and poolside. A large mural filling the entire wall of the reception lobby features a 12-foot male swimmer wearing a Talavera-style dove of peace.
Artist Biography
Sonia Romero has exhibited widely in Southern California and nationally. Public works include a mural commission and award at the Autry National Center and the Metro Neighborhood Poster Award. She received her education at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, with an emphasis in printmaking. http://www.soniaromero.net/
About the Artist:
Sonia Romero is currently creating art full-time and exhibiting widely in Southern California and beyond, including her recent self-titled debut solo show at the Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park. Public works include a mural commission and award at the Gene Autry Museum and the Metro Neighborhood Poster Award. She received her education at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, with an emphasis in printmaking. She is the daughter of renowned artists Nancy and Frank Romero, and the granddaughter of Frank and Edith Wyle, founders of the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles, California.