Alexis Smith

$\\Commonspot\internet-site\images\bullet1$ Art Projects

Alexis Smith
Map of the Pacific Rim; Map of the Constellations
1993

Project Area: CBD/South Park
Project: Los Angeles Convention Center
Project Location: 1201 S. Figueroa Street
Project Type: Developer

Description:

The expansive surface of the terrazzo floors at the two entrances of the Convention Center were designed by artist Alexis Smith. The South Lobby design is an enlarged map of the Pacific Rim spread over 50,000 sq. ft. with inset medallions with cultural motifs from Pacific Rim cultures. The West Lobby floor maps out the night sky on its two levels. Each lobby map is abstract up close but readable as a whole from the level above.

Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Convention Center

Artist Profile

Alexis Smith’s artwork can be characterized as ironic and witty. She is recognized for her memorable public art commissions, most notably Taste (1997), a permanent wall installation at the J. Paul Getty Center in Los Angeles; a terrazzo floor for the Los Angeles Convention Center; the 560-foot-long Snake Path (1992) at the University of California, San Diego; and a terrazzo floor for the Schottenstein Sports Arena at Ohio State University, Columbus. The artist has received two National Endowment for the Arts awards and a residency at the Rockefeller Foundation Study Center. Smith, a Los Angeles native, received her BA from the University of California, Irvine in 1970. She has lectured and taught at the University of Hawaii, the J. Paul Getty Center, University of California, Los Angeles, and Carnegie Mellon University. The artist currently lives and works in Venice, California.