The Baroda Wall

Artist: Howe, Brad

Date: 2005

Medium: Stainless steel

County Department: Health Services

Artwork Site: Los Angeles General Medical Center

Supervisorial District: 1

Current Status: On view

About the Artwork: The Baroda Wall is an abstract sculpture by artist Brad Howe, originally commissioned in 2005 by David Bohnett, a Los Angeles entrepreneur and philanthropist, for a 200 ft. outdoor wall at his residence. In 2015, Mr. Bohnett donated the artwork to LA County for the benefit and enjoyment of the public. The artwork is installed at the Los Angeles General Medical Center in the exterior plaza, a high traffic area for patients and staff going between buildings with seating and landscaping, and at the exterior of the Rand Schrader Clinic. Rand Schrader was the longtime partner of the donor of the artwork until his passing in 1993. Schrader was an AIDS and gay rights activist and a Los Angeles Municipal Court judge.

“If we are to engage in the project of self-edification, the evolution of self, the enterprise is tied to our imagination. As Richard Rorty indicates, imagination is bound by our vocabulary, and it is in the growth of vocabulary we should focus. Vocabulary is tied to experience, and it is in energized moments of exposure to strangeness that our vocabulary expands. Encountering strangeness stretches and expands our self-image and seeds the rich potential for our collective conversations.”

About the Artist: Brad Howe is an American sculptor born in Riverside, California in 1959 who currently resides in Los Angeles. He started his career as a sculptor in Brazil, using stainless steel, aluminum and polyurethane. He has exhibited his art in over eighteen countries with his work being placed in art collections in more than 32 countries, including Brazil, Mexico, France, Germany, South Korea and the United States. In 2014, Brad Howe completed a large-scale sculpture at the High Desert Regional Health Center in Lancaster, commissioned by the LA County’s Civic Art Program. His work presents the influence of inquiry into the aesthetics of various cultures and distinct movements in the continuum of art history. Howe’s work continues to connect with international communities, exhibiting and completing site-specific commissions both in the US and abroad. Known for his sculpture practice, Howe’s focus also includes the representation of objects through diverse means, including photography. To learn more, visit: www.bradhowe.com