Travelin' Local » Culver City

The Samitaur Tower in Culver City – a Tribute to Design

Lisa Newton — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:00:51 +0000

On Saturday, I took a 2010 Chevy Camaro for a spin and ended up at the corner of Hayden Avenue and National Boulevard in Culver City, to view a brand new “building.”

It looks unlike anything I’ve ever seen before!

Designed to be an “Information Tower,” the Samitaur Tower is the work of Culver City architect, Eric Moss.

At 72 feet high and 30 feet wide, the Tower, an important exception to the local height rule, is the highest building in this section of Culver City.

Made from translucent acrylic, the screens, when used, will utilize external displays to highlight upcoming events, culturally significant content, along with art and graphic presentations of all types.

As needed, all visual presentations from the white portion of the Tower will use 10 digital projectors hidden behind the screens.

Sitting atop its perch, the Information Tower overlooks the light-rail Metro Expo Line, which is expected to open in June 2011, and carry an estimated 30,000 passengers. Its visibility from the Metro and all the passing cars, is sure to be a city landmark–probably in the same way that the Disney Hall initially instilled both excitement and criticism. Now it’s one of our most iconic landmarks, and a reality for people to grasp.

Inside the screens, steel decks provide viewers fantastic views of the city. Keeping with the clean lines and open air feeling, the Tower has a glazed elevator in an enclosed glass shaft, and an open stairway to the top.

To be sure, the tower will have a captive audience.

The tower consists of five circular steel rings, approximately 30 feet in diameter. The rings are stacked vertically at 12 foot floor-to-floor intervals, and, as the height increases, the rings are staggered in plan, back and forth – to the north, east, south, and west – in order to establish proximity and viewing angles for various levels at various heights.

I can hardly wait to climb up to the top and see the view.

The Samitaur Tower will play host to a mixture of parties, art exhibits and openings, using the staging area at the bottom.

In February of 2009, I visited this location for an article entitled, Architecture as Art. Here’s what the Tower looked like then compared to now.

When you have time, be sure to stop by for a visit. Although the Samitaur Tower isn’t expected to open until early next year, it’s still a sight to see.

Mapping Los Angeles by Bike

Lisa Newton — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:07:47 +0000

When I first purchased my new bike last year, naturally I started looking for places to ride it. Instinctively I presumed that because Los Angeles is so large, there would be quite a few good bike trails to take advantage of, and I was right, there are several.

Because I live on the Westside, I started here. The first trail to get my attention was the Ballona Creek Bike Path, a dedicated, Class 1 bike trail. And what’s not to love about it–it’s a 6 mile long, segregated bike path that follows the Ballona Creek all the way to the beach–it’s perfect.

As soon as I had the first opportunity to ride the Ballona Creek bike path, I put my new folding bike in the back seat of my car and headed to Culver Blvd to find the entrance to the Ballona Creek bike trail, and thought it would be a “cake-walk” to find the trail’s entrance and exit points.

Wrong–I couldn’t find the entrance to the portion of the bike trail I was looking for. You got it, even though I was on Culver Boulevard, smack dab where I was "supposed to be," to make a long story short, I had no idea where the trail’s entrance was. No signs. No markers. No nothing. I looked and looked, but to no avail.

When I got back home, I looked online, and found one—yes, just one–site with some extremely basic information about its entrances and exits.

Subsequently, I’ve now ridden the trail several times, and every time I do, I enjoy it immensely as it’s just a really nice ride. But, I also couldn’t help but wonder if other people had the same issues I did in trying to find the same various entrance points that I was having so many problems locating.

My curiosity at the same time became piqued for other information about other nearby bike routes, so I looked online to find if there were more maps for other bike paths in Los Angeles.

Based on that, my original experience wasn’t unique.

I’ve soon come to learn that Mapping Los Angeles Bike Trails is literally in its infancy. I recently attended a meeting of like minded people, hosted by Alex Kenefick and John Tangenberg where we could all "brainstorm" to kick-start the process of taking this project to the next level by mapping more of LA’s bike trails, routes, and rides.

But so far, nothing much has been done; and not for lack of enthusiasm among the group.

Thus I was thrust into a unique position. As the publisher of Travelin’ Local, we do a lot of mapping and geo-tagging to accompany our stories. Therefore, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and get the ball rolling to launch this mapping project:

Los Angeles by Bike

First, I started a new website called Los Angeles by Bike.

In its current initial form and concept, it hosts some of the Map my Ride routes in and around Los Angeles, with more to be inserted as time goes by. As bike riders are a close knit community–where valuable input is important among the group–Map my Ride already had several thousand Los Angeles routes; so it seemed redundant to try and reinvent the wheel.

By using actual rider generated routes, I’m taking the Map my Ride maps to a new level–by putting them into both location and distance categories.

Second, I’ll be adding more and more of my own–and others–Los Angeles Bike Routes, Trails, and Rides, with detailed mapping, including pictures; just like this one I did of Ballona Creek:

As of now, the first entrance to the Ballona Creek Bike Trail is closed due to construction until June 2010. This date has been pushed back several times, so it might happen again. If you want to be sure about an open entrance, here’s a list with the exact location mapped on Google:

1. Duquesne Avenue – Accessible from either Culver or Jefferson, this first entrance is on the downstream side across from Culver City’s Transportation Facility. Look for the giant urn sculpture.

Also at this entrance is the “Rivers of the World” mural, created by the Ballona Creek Renaissance. It’s wonderfully colorful and a great way to start the trail.

2. Overland Avenue - Accessible from either Culver or Jefferson, this entrance is next to the Culver City Julian Dixon Library, where you’ll see the “Postcards from Ballona” mural at the entrance to the trail. There is a second entrance on the upstream side of Overland Avenue.

3. Ocean Drive – This entrance is located at the corner of Ocean Drive and Westwood Blvd., which is immediately south of the creek west of Overland Avenue, and crosses the creek to the bike path via the pedestrian bridge.

4. Farragut Elementary School – Located in the far right hand corner of the parking lot to Farragut Elementary School is an entrance used mostly by students from both the elementary school and Culver City Middle School, which borders the bike path.

5. Sepulveda Boulevard – Located on both sides of Sepulveda, one side of which is an unadorned entrance and the other side is wonderful decorated metal gate with a park bench, greenery, and a garbage can. Close up photos of the gate can be seen in the map above.

6. Culver Drive and Purdue Avenue – This entrance is located on tiny Culver Drive on the north side of the creek, a block west of Sawtelle Blvd.

7. Slauson Avenue – This entrance is located where Slauson Avenue dead-ends into the creek. Bordered on one side by the Culver Slauson Recreation Center and on the other, by the Mar Vista Family Center, this entrance is great place to pack a picnic.

8. Inglewood Avenue – Even though Inglewood Ave. only has an entrance on one side, it’s has a wonderfully embellished gate featuring rocks taken from the Ballona Creek. Located at Culver Dr., it dead ends at Inglewood Blvd., a perfect location to start your ride.

9. Culver Drive – Close to the intersection of Marshall Drive and just east of Centinela Avenue, there is an entrance to Ballona. Off street parking is available if you need it.

10. Centinela Avenue – Using a similar gate featured at Inglewood, Centinela Ave. has only one entrance on the west side of the road.

11. McConnell Avenue – This entrance is located where McConnell Ave dead ends at the creek.

12. Lincoln Boulevard – There are unassuming entrances are on both sides of Lincoln Boulevard for easy access. And if you’re thinking about driving to this entrance, don’t. There’s no parking here.

13. Fiji Way – This is where the Ballona Creek Bike Path and the South Bay Bike Path meet. With paid parking available at Fisherman’s Village, this is a popular entrance for both bike paths.

Here’s the map of all these entrances with pictures of each one included:

View Ballona Creek Bike Path in a larger map

And there you have it–The Ballona Creek Bike Path with both pictures and maps.

Now, let’s grab our bikes and go for a ride.

The Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook

Lisa Newton — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:19:39 +0000

At the suggestion of Will over at [sic], today I finally ventured to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, and I wasn’t disappointed.

From where I was standing, the snow-topped mountains are more than 40 miles away. The long distance view was stunning and amazing.

But that’s only one of the many views to see from there.

If you look closely, you can see the Hollywood sign in the background. In the far background between the mountain ranges is the San Fernando Valley, and on the far side, the Angeles National Forest, over 20 miles away. Toward the right is the Los Angeles River.

But its scenic overlooks, panoramic views and the Hollywood Sign aren’t all you’ll find while here—it’s made for those that want a “little” exercise.

The people who’ve reached the top of these stairs climbed over 300 steps. And I don’t mean just any steps–these steps are both high and deeply inset.

Here’s what the steps look like from the top:

If you see the large orange construction equipment at the bottom that’s where I have to go. Hopefully going down should be easier than going up.

The myriad of features of the Baldwin Hills Overlook still aren’t over yet:

The bold green line in the map above represents the snaking trail that goes around and around the hill. If by chance you get tired going up—and or down–the steps, you can walk or run the trail; and meet back up with the steps later on.

Once you reach the top, or if you started at the top, there’s the parking lot next to the beautiful Visitors Center pictured above.

If you’re interested in the Visitors Center, you need to go on the weekends. Due to budget cuts, that’s the only time it’s open. They have a lot of interactive and information about the area’s history and development.

In case you’re wondering, that’s the Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica in the horizon, a distance of about 15 miles away.

So the next time you’re Travelin’ Local, and want to find a place that has a beautiful vista, panoramic views, and provides an opportunity to stretch your muscles and get some exercise to get your “Ya Ya’s Out,” be sure to visit the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, a treasured gem in the heart of Culver City.

Public Art lives in Culver City

Lisa Newton — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:44:43 +0000

Unlike yesterday’s article–which featured art on architecture– today I’m showing where and how the city of Culver City decided to use Public Art to help enhance the quality of life for its residents and business’.

Subsequently, during the last decade, most people wouldn’t assume that Culver City has crossed the line into becoming a progressive city. Long known as a sleepy blue collar enclave, Culver City has undergone a total revamp. Part of that remodel was the formation of the Cultural Affairs Commission in 2001. Meanwhile appreciation and endurance of public art in Culver City, started with the establishment of a special Ordinance 2004–more commonly referred to as “Art in Public Places Program” or “Public Art Program.”

Regardless of its name, Ordinance 2004 requires:

New residential development projects of five (5) or more units, and all commercial, industrial and public building development projects (with certain exceptions) with building valuations exceeding $500,000, and rehabilitations exceeding $250,000, are subject to the City’s public art requirement.

The art requirement can be met in one of four ways:

By placing an approved art work with a minimum value of one percent of the total building cost on the site; or
By having the building architecture (or component thereof) be considered art for purposes of fulfilling the City’s public art requirement; or
By paying one percent of the total building cost into the Art Fund; or
By donating art work which values at least one percent of the total building cost to the City. Source: CulverCity.org.

With nearly 80 public art pieces as a result of this Ordinance, so far, Culver City is a great place to relax and enjoy the surroundings.

In my short story, I’ve included three works of art; all within a block of each other.

First is the remarkable sculptured tower entitled “High Ground,” by Culver City artist Robert Toll. Made “from steel strips in order to create the appearance of motion,” it stands 15’. It’s located at 12101 W. Washington Boulevard.

Combining a tile mosaic and stainless steel, “Reach for the Stars” by Gary Soszynski is a mixture of traditional and contemporary materials. Standing 24’ high, this sculpture extends above, and in front of the building’s entry, spiraling skyward. It’s located at 12202 W. Washington Boulevard.

Across the street from “Reach for the Stars,” is Andrea Cohen Gehring’s “Three Sheets to the Wind.” With the use of metal mesh–representing the sails of a ship, and corrugated metal to represent ocean waves–Ms. Gehring takes the local passerby’s on an ocean voyage–from the top of a building located several miles from the beach.

Yes Virginia, there’s not only a busy Santa Claus when he passes by Culver City; while Travelin’ Local, he knows who’s been naughty, nice, and which buildings need a little more lovin’ because they’re full of Public Art.

Here’s some additional pictures of these wonderful sculptures:

[nggallery id=1]

A Review of West Coast Drawings VIII at the Koplin Del Rio Gallery

Tom Jones — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:36:16 +0000

I am pleased to announce that Travelin’ Local has a new arts, culture, essayist, and featured writer. Although he is using his pen name–Tom Jones–in the real world, his vast education and experience are in journalism, literature, law, and film. He is a writer, a thinker and above all, well admired for his ability to put pen to paper and create magic. As Travelin’ Local grows so too will our staff.

The photo above is Evelyn Woods, "Lost and Found", charcoal on paper, 48" x 75"

Saturday night’s opening at the Koplin Del Rio Gallery, was a multi-artist show to showcase figurative works on paper.

The show was guest curated by Normal Lundin, himself an exhibiting artist and Professor of Art, Emeritus at the University of Washington.

During my brief yet impressionable conversation with the curator, his comments provide context for further insight into the thinking behind the showing:

Before anything else, drawing is number one. Content is secondary to drawing. Realism can have an abstract component, and modernism is based on the here and now. Norman Lundin

The show accomplished its stated goals. The Koplin Del Rio gallery displayed venerable and impressive West Coast artists–and artists on the West Coast–which are fighting fit in more than basic aesthetics.

Elena Del Rio allows the viewer to copiously examine and purchase “state of the states” figurative and realistic based works on paper for any residential, commercial, or industrial space.

Fred Birchman, "Study for Puget Monument – Winter Solstice", 2006, charcoal on paper, 22 1/2” x 30”

The drawings covered a wide range–from nudes, to industrial motifs, to portraits, abstract realism, and frequently whimsical content; in a show like this one “there is creative process we call drawing and another we call painting, then there is that combination where those process overlap.” It was a successful dalliance.

I’m neither puerile nor militant in being an art critic; I expect a marked degree of quality and sparkle before I’m going to give it a thumb’s up.

Saturday night I came away with more than a couple of up-and-coming artists that I would highly recommend to collect and to appreciate.

To achieve good drawing, that’s the focus, and to achieve it—don’t push it. Norman Lundin, Curator

Eric Elliot, "Studio #15", 2008, ink on paper, 22” x 30”

Although some pictures used far too much charcoal on portions of their paper; –the shades and hues afforded by that enormous medium were never questioned, and was raised to a Raison d’Être—by the sketch drawn by Mark Kang-O’Higgins, entitled “Head of Nagle.” (top row, far right)

The figure reminisced of a Lucien Freud, Francis Bacon, or a David Hockney portrait.

The picture draws the viewer in to a marked degree, to conjecture what the person whose portrait was taken was thinking, who they are, and so on—-while the medium of charcoal, is accepted in both its heaviest tonality of all black and with its textures leave you wanting for more.

That’s the mystery and beauty of this show—it’s for us to find what we’re uniquely lured to in a drawing.

West Coast Drawings for both the Seattle Davidson Galleries and in Los Angeles at Koplin Del Rio Gallery

Drawings VIII

Exhibition Dates: July 11 – August 29, 2009

All artists are represented by several works, and a full list will be available at the exhibition or may be obtained by contacting the galleries.

The Participating artists include:

Koplin Del Rio

Juliette Aristides, Fred Birchman, David Brody, Sally Cleveland, Eric Elliott, Gary Faigin, Ann Gale, Philip Govedare, Michael Howard, Katina Huston, Etsuko Ichikawa, Mark Kang-O’Higgins, Philip Levine, Zhi Lin, Margie Livingston, Norman Lundin, Brian Murphy, Ed Musante, Linda Thomas, Kimberly Trowbridge, Evelyn Woods.

Davidson Galleries

David Bailin, Sandow Birk, Hilary Brace, Shay Bredimus, Wes Christensen, Melissa Cooke, Fred Dalkey, David Fertig, Kim Frohsin, Moira Hahn, D.J. Hall, Grant Hottle, Ira Korman, David Ligare, Tim Lowly, Robert Schultz, Fred Stonehouse, Bill Vuksanovich, Michelle Wiener

The Koplin Del Rio Gallery is located at 6031 Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 (310)836-9055

Culver City Downtown Walking Tour

Lisa Newton — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:21:30 +0000

Over the years, Culver City has gone through a metamorphosis. Gone are its days as a sleepy working class enclave. It’s now a modern, thriving intersection of the arts and motion pictures industries; a design, gallery, and artist retreat; and a sweeping paradox and panoply of businesses, schools, and a rich, cultural and historical infrastructure that includes a range and depth of endeavors that is befit for another story.

For some, if I mention Smashbox Studios, many people will say “What in the world are you talking about;” but others will nod accordingly and acknowledge out loud that “Culver City is hip and happening.”

With its modern and restored architecture, world class restaurants and redeveloped buildings for mixed use, physical beauty and parks, Culver City is now lookin’ like one of the cool and in places to be in Los Angeles.

Walking Tour

Although my walk yesterday was short, it was sweet—there were many interesting sights, from Sony Pictures Plaza, to Culver City’s City Hall. I took many pictures for this tour below. But I didn’t just stick to the main thoroughfares though; when you get off the beaten path, Culver City offers one of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in the Metro area.

With a history spanning three centuries, Culver City’s rich past is leading it to a vibrant future. If you can’t get to the heart of Culver City right this moment, or if you’d like a preview of what you can find there, take a walk with me now.

I promise you won’t be disappointed by the art filled and quaint family friendly streets of Culver City:

View Culver City Downtown Walking Tour in a larger map

The Culver City Art Walk

Lisa Newton — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:12:17 +0000

Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend my first Art Walk. Los Angeles has long been home to the Entertainment Industry; but lesser known is the fact of its existence as a long time home for printmaking, etching, seriographs, lithographs, and associated art movements.

With the explicit goal to “introduce a wider audience to the unique vitality of the artist spaces,” Art Walks have been a common place occurrence here. I haven’t been able to attend the Downtown ArtWalk yet, but based on how much I enjoyed the Culver City ArtWalk, I’m sure that they’ve designed a great tour as well.

Artist: Gary Paige – Diptich – Left Title: “Empty Singular Series” Right Title: “Magenta Blue Bias” – Inkjet Prints on Stonehenge Paper – Size 22” x 30” Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Culver City, California.

Early Background of Southern California Printmakers and Artists

Serious printmaking in Southern California grew out of the presence at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 of two American artists-etchers.

In 1913 the California Society of Etechers was founded; subsequently though the years the number of associations, art schools, art movements, and strictly Southern California artists started to shed their non-recognition status, and began to gain traction with the American modern art movements and markets, as its epicenters were up until then in New York, Paris, and Spain. Source: Los Angeles Prints, 1883-1980

Recent nationwide research has established that four qualities are necessary for any city or community to have cultural vitality: (1) the presence of a spectrum of artistic – cultural opportunities; (2) the capacity to foster multiple dimensions of participation; (3) support systems to present and validate the arts; and (4) planning to encourage greater impacts. At the recent Culver City Art Walk, all of these components were in healthy abundance, in accord with Los Angeles’ role in its global leadership position and significance.

The Culver City Artwalk Turnout

If the huge turnout for Culver City’s Artwalk is any indication—people are extremely interested in viewing and participating in their neighborhood’s cultural infrastructure, its artists, galleries, and ancillary support and ecosystems.

All the galleries were full even at mid-day, the streets were festive, and the crowd’s mix was eclectic,

covering all age groups, including many families with their children. Scores of the artworks had already been sold, but many were also looking for a new home. I’m sure that when the economy turns, more people will be carrying out art from the galleries, than just their various personal paraphenelia.

If you’ve ever been to an Art Museum or Gallery opening, the air is always full of excitement, anticipation to see what is going to be shown, and of course, people watching.

With the growth in digital art, technologies, printmaking, and creative use of material and performance art—I expect that the future can only portend many more talented artists in Los Angeles, and Southern California, who will not just be surviving but thriving.

Although I can certainly say, like all would perhaps, that I didn’t like all the art that I saw; but enough to pique my interest in purchasing a piece or two and displaying it in my house.

This particular piece, featured at Lebasse Projects and entitled “Acceptable Losses,” I found very moving. It literally spoke to me on many different levels. The artist, Thomas Doyle, said:

“By sealing the works in this fashion [under glass], I hope to distill the debris of human experience down to single, fragile moments. Like blackboxes bobbing in the flotsam, these works wait for discovery, each an indelible record of human memory.”

As you can see–and I can see me–when Travelin’ Local, the foundation of your life is your neighborhood.

Mine is “Art Friendly.” What about yours?

Ocean View Farms, a Community Garden and City Oasis

Lisa Newton — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:59:35 +0000

On Saturday, I spent the morning learning how to grow tomatoes at Ocean View Farms (OVF).

What is Ocean View Farms?

It is among the largest of more than 70 community gardens in Los Angeles County, with over 300 gardeners, ranging in age from 18 to 90.

Working in 500 garden plots, OVF is a vibrant community spanning all races and income levels.

During the morning conference, I heard a discussion about DWP’s new watering restriction hours and in another, I listened intently about which current crops are now being grown.

What originally began as an open field which once only grew soy beans; today Ocean View Farms is the preeminent authority and haven for growing tomatoes in Los Angeles.

The 5^th Annual Tomato-bration

Presented by the esteemed tomato grower, Barbara Spencer, from the Windrose Farm in Paso Robles, it was an exciting class about tomato growing. She provided valuable tips, and how-to’s on her expertise. After giving a background on the various tomato plants she brought–both seedlings and plugs–she opened the floor for questions.

With an audience of over 50 aficionados, there was no shortage of questions–from how to deal with limited water access, how best to feed tomato plants, and the best ways to prune them.

Before the program started, I had a chance to walk through the various paths that intertwined through the garden plots.

Everyone has their own individual style for growing:

Mailboxes, scarecrows, flowers, vegetables, fruits, a chair to relax in, and various gardening paraphernalia decorated each plot.

Here are some examples:

If you didn’t guess, this last picture is a rhubarb plant. When I was a kid, we grew rhubarb in our backyard. And to this day I think that Strawberry Rhubarb is the best pie ever. After seeing this and several other rhubarb plants brought an incredible stream of memories for me.

The Ocean View Farms composting program

OVF also has a very active composting program.

In 2003, 180 tons of shredded soft green waste, 900 cubic yards of woody material and 80 tons of stable waste were combined by Ocean View Farms to produce a virtually unlimited supply of compost for their 300 members who tend about 500 garden plots.

The Ocean View Farms composting program has saved its garden approximately $10,000 per year in disposal fees for the last seven years.

In fact, OVF’s composting program is so successful; it’s won the Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) eleven years straight. WRAP provides an opportunity for California businesses to gain public recognition for their outstanding waste reduction efforts, and helps the business community to take waste reduction seriously.

Do you plant a garden? Have you ever thought about joining a community garden? What plants bring back memories for you?

I continue to be amazed at all the great places I find by Travelin’ Local.