Elizabeth Garrison & Victor Henderson 2

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Elizabeth Garrison and Victor Henderson
Pico Blvd. Concrete Stamp
2008

Project Area: Pico Union II
Project: Pico Blvd. Streetscape Improvement Project
Project Location: Pico Blvd. between Hoover Street and the 110 Harbor Freeway
Project Type: CRA/LA Initiated

Description:

The Pico Boulevard Streetscape Improvement Project encompasses a 17-block stretch of Pico Boulevard between Hoover Street on the western end, and the Harbor Freeway (California State Highway 110) on the eastern end. The project goal was to improve pedestrian safety and access; create and reinforce neighborhood identity; and create streetscape features that are durable, meet city standards, and need little maintenance. Single-family residences dominate much of the streetscape, reflecting the needs and tastes of both wealthy and working class residents. They range in size from modest, one-story cottages, to the mansions on Alvarado Terrace. Homes were built in a variety of styles including Queen Anne, Craftsman, and Mission and Colonial period revivals. Many of these are National Register-listed or eligible. As a salute to this heritage, the artists conducted a photographic essay of architecturally significant homes in the neighborhood, and had these translated into decorative concrete stamps. While the project appeals to historic preservationists, the artwork has developed a new audience, as neighborhood children occasionally color the houses in with chalk, or use the pavers in games of hopscotch.

For other projects, please see:

Fifty-One Bees

Artist Profiles

Born in Ohio and raised in Pasadena, California, Elizabeth Garrison received her BFA from California State University, Long Beach and her MFA from the California State University, Los Angeles. The artist has been collaborating with Victor Henderson on public art projects since 1988. In 2002, Garrison was granted an Artist-in-Residency at the Armory for the Arts in Pasadena. The artist lives and works in Los Angeles.
Victor Henderson was born in Ohio and raised in Pasadena, California. He received formal training and a BFA from San Francisco State College. In 1969, Henderson began collaborating with Terry Schoonhoven to create the Los Angeles Fine Arts Squad, a group of artists that included Jim Frazen and Leonard Koren. Rather than participate in an elitist gallery scene, this group chose to take their art to the streets. The Squad was more interested in the immediate effect their murals had on the community and cared less about how long their paintings lasted. The group disbanded in 1974. Henderson lives in Los Angeles.
Artists Elizabeth Garrison and Victor Henderson have been collaborating with one another on public art projects since 1988. Together they have received a range of public art commissions including Cahuenga Library in Hollywood, El Monte Metro Link Station, City of Montebello Transportation Center and Exposition Park Intergenerational Community Center.