Alhambra Wall Artwork, Alhambra, CA
Client: City of Los Angeles Department of Public Art
Lead Artist: Kyungmi Shin
Porcelain tile, limestone tiles, glass mosaic
For the newly created walkway retaining wall, the artist created an artwork that evoked a walk in nature. Main inspiration for the artwork design is Arroyo Rosa Castilla which was a center of life for the Tongva tribe, Otsungna, and later for the Spanish, Mexican, and America Ranches. The artist imagined the fauna and animals that would have existed around the arroyo and wanted to create an experience for the pedestrians a glimpse of this natural landscape from the past. The artist researched the native plants and animals that would have existed around the Arroyo, and also researched the Tongva folktales involving animals and nature to incorporate into the artwork design.
Overall landscape image is composed of large sections of colorful curvy shapes that represent green hills, dry summer landscape, the arroyo and the sky and the sun. These big shapes are created with porcelain tiles and limestone tiles. Inserted into this colorful landscape are precious glass mosaic elements that depict the animals, birds, trees, and the wild roses that were abundant on the banks of the Arroyo Rosa Castilla. Howling Coyote stands next to the arroyo and the wild roses while in the distance, a wild rabbit runs away from coyote running towards the oak tree which produced the acorns which was an important part of the diet for the Otsungna. Soaring in the sky is an eagle which was revered as sacred by the Tongvas.