California Story Fund
Going for the Gold
Department of Contracts and Grants
University of Southern California
Los Angeles
Project Director: Michael Several
Documenting the creation of public art on Gold Line rail line in Los Angeles
This project will conduct oral histories of the artists, administrators and youth involved in creating the public art on the recently completed Los Angeles light-rail line: the Gold Line.
Among the questions asked will be the following. Why did the artists choose the stories they tell in their installation? How was the visual expression of that story shaped by public art administrators, the community and other design professionals? What was done, if anything to prevent the art from being controversial? What were the contributions of youth? Is the participation of youth reflected in the final installation?
“These stories will show how complex the process of creating public art is,” said Project Director Michael Several, a writer and historian of public art who has conducted more than 200 interviews with individuals involved in its creation.
At the conclusion of the project residents in communities along the Gold Line will be invited to take a tour of the public art on the line with some of the artists and youth who made the art and individuals involved in the administrative side of the work.
“Those on the tour will learn about the stories told in the art and how the creative process was affected and shaped by the requirements of the governing agency,” Several said. “They will also be able to explore with the producers of the art the effectiveness of the final work in telling the stories the artists wanted to tell. Four tours will take place between the beginning of January and the end of March 2009.
Tapes and transcripts of the interviews will be archived at the Helen Topping Architecture and Fine Arts Library at University of Southern California. The interviews will also be available on the Public Art in L.A. website.