Culver City Artist Laureate Application
Submission date:
10 October 2022, 11:48AM
Receipt number:
10 Related form version:
5 Introduction and Information
With the Artist Laureate Program, Culver City continues to expand its recognition of the importance of the arts and the many creative artists who are committed to developing their art forms, enriching our community with their exhibits, performances, presentations, and service. The program is a collaboration between the City of Culver City -- the City Council and Cultural Affairs Commission -- and Culver City Arts Foundation. Funding is made possible by the City’s percent for art program and a grant from the Culver City Arts Foundation, dedicated to supporting the arts in Culver City.
EXPECTATIONS OF THE ARTIST LAUREATE
Advocate for the arts across disciplines within the community, including artistic equity, cultural diversity and access
Create original artwork, exhibit/perform/engage with the public Foster opportunities for arts learning
Develop a workplan that addresses the goals of the program and make presentations Plan events/programs, engage in activities that promote the arts in Culver City, and attend community events
Liaise and partner with City staff, Cultural Affairs Commission, Culver City Arts Foundation, Culver City Unified School District, community groups, non-profit organizations, and the business community
ARTIST ELIGIBILITY
Before you begin, please be sure that you meet all of the following eligibility requirements.
Work in one of three arts disciplines:
- Fine and Visual Arts: including 2-Dimensional, 3-Dimensional, and Digital Art - Performing Arts: including Dance, Theatre, Spoken Word, and Music - Literary Arts: including Poetry, Novels, Essays, Stage Plays, and Screenplays 1 of 14
Reside or work in Culver City for a minimum of 5 years at time of application deadline Is at least 18 years old at the time of the application deadline Have publicly exhibited, performed, presented, or published artistic work within the last 3 years Not be enrolled as an undergraduate student or graduate student in a degree program related to the arts discipline of the application
CULTURAL EQUITY
The City of Culver City is dedicated to achieving cultural equity through its programs. Cultural equity embodies the values, policies, and practices that ensure that all people—including but not limited to those who have been historically underrepresented based on race/ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, citizenship status, or religion—are represented in the development of arts policy; the support of artists; the nurturing of accessible, thriving venues for expression; and the fair distribution of programmatic, financial, and informational resources.
Application deadline is October 10, 2022 at 5:00 PM.
REVIEW PROCESS
Applications will be reviewed by an independent peer panel comprising distinguished professionals in the relevant artistic disciplines. The CAC Artist Laureate Subcommittee will make a recommendation based on the peer panel’s comments to the Cultural Affairs Commission who will forward a recommendation to the City Council. The City Council appoints the next Artist Laureate.
Contact the City of Culver City’s Cultural Affairs staff at [email protected]
or (310) 253-5772 with
questions.
Primary Artistic Discipline
Fine and Visual Arts (May include: 2
Dimensional, 3
Dimensional and Digital Art)
Eligibility (choose all that apply)
Artist currently lives in Culver City (5 years or longer).
Artist is at least 18 years old at time of application
deadline.
Artist has publicly exhibited, performed, presented, or published artistic work within the last 3 years.
Artist is not enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate
student in a degree program related to an arts
discipline at time of application deadline.
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Artist Information
Legal Name Katherine KrantzPreferred or DBA Name (if different from legal name)Katy KrantzEmailPhone NumberStreet AddressCityState CAZip CodeWebsite (optional)www.katykrantz.comSocial Media - Instagram, Vimeo, Twitter, etc. (optional)@kckrantz Employer Information
Company/Employer information is required if artist works, but does not reside, in Culver City. If artist lives inCulver City, then this information is optional. Provide the name and contact information of artist’s employer.Include the name of artist’s supervisor and phone number where they can most easily be reached. Employmentwill be verified for artists living outside of Culver City.Company/Employer NameKaty KrantzProfessional TitleArtistStreet AddressCityStateZip CodeCompany Website (optional)Supervisor NameN/ASupervisor EmailN/ASupervisor Phone NumberN/A 3 of 14
Artist Statement
We recommend that you write answers to the following four questions in another format such as MS Word and paste it in this section to avoid losing any unsaved work. Limit of 2000 characters for each answer.
Please answer the following questions:
1. What is your art form and how do you describe your creative process?
2. Who is your primary audience, how do you reach them, and how do you hope they respond?
3. How do you envision your role as Culver City’s Artist Laureate furthering your development as an artist?
4. How will you use your tenure as Artist Laureate, and your art, to serve as an ambassador for the arts in Culver City and the surrounding area? How would you advocate for the arts across disciplines? How would you address cultural equity and inclusion as Artist Laureate? Please keep in mind that any proposed public activities must be available for free or at an affordable price, and must take place in an ADA-compliant building or location that is in Culver City.
What is your art form and how do you describe your
creative process?
I am a public artist. I make murals out of handmade
ceramic tile that involve the direct participation of the communities in which the murals are located. I
consider my best works to be collaborations between
myself and the community with which I’m working.
After I receive a commission, I research the history of the location, spending time there and and getting to
know the community that will be interacting the most
with the finished mural. The research stage can entail
taking photos, making drawings, using library and
historical society archives and connecting with local
community groups.
From there, I create a design that connects to
elements of the research I’ve conducted and
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complements the surrounding architecture and
natural elements. I studied painting in graduate
school, and it is during the design stage that my
painting background comes most into play.
When the preliminary design is completed, I can move
on to making the ceramic tile. With most of my
projects, community made tiles are a vital part of the
project.
Community participation has taken different
forms. For example, in “Circle Song,” located in Santa
Clarita, I conducted workshops in parks and near
hiking trailheads. Participants took small slabs of wet clay and went on a self-guided walk. They used the
clay to make an impression of a texture they
encountered along the way. After their walk, they
returned the clay to me to be trimmed and fired.
Community involvement might also take the form of a
sit down workshop or even an ongoing class.
With the community tiles completed, I then work in my
studio to make the remaining tiles. This stage reminds
me of making a collage or a patchwork quilt. I am
inspired by the community tiles and make
complementary tiles that highlight their individuality
and uniqueness. While my preliminary design is an
important reference, there usually room to shift the
design as the process unfolds.
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Who is your primary audience, how do you reach them,
and how do you hope they respond?
My primary audience is the community of people who
live, work, attend school or recreate near my murals.
Community participation is integral to my work and it
is important that I be proactive in reaching out and
connecting to local groups.
I love this part of the work
because I get to interact with so many people I would
ordinarily never meet.
It has been an amazing way to
begin to understand the vast and complex universe
that is Los Angeles County. I am especially excited by
the Culver City Artist Laureate opportunity because, if selected, my primary audience would be my own
community!
My goal is for the people who engage with the murals
to actually have had a hand in their making. I want
them to remember the process of making their tile
and to feel a sense of community pride and belonging
when they see the finished work.
Of course, it’s not
possible for everyone who passes by to have
participated in the project.
However, my hope is that
the murals resonate with the process in which they
were made, and that they strike people seeing them
for the first time as dynamic symbols of community
and inclusivity.
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How do you envision your role as Culver City’s Artist
Laureate furthering your development as an artist?
Acting as Culver City’s Artist Laureate would be an
incredible honor and opportunity.
The primary way I
imagine the role will further my development as an
artist is that it will offer a platform to undertake an ambitious socially engaged public project right here in Culver City. Specifically, I am interested in using the opportunity to create a large scale tile mural for the
community that I live in.
I am interested in the way public art intersects with
transportation and street walkability.
Everyone
despises traffic and we now have several new bike
paths that run through our city.
It would be an exciting
challenge to create a project that encourages
residents and stakeholders to get out of their cars and try other forms of transportation like walking, biking
or taking the bus.
I have actually been in touch with
the California Department of Transportation to
discuss the feasibility of using freeway underpasses
as locations for tile mural work.
Because such a
project would entail coordinating with many different
city and state agencies, it is likely to be a complicated process, though one worth exploring.
I would love to
talk this idea over with other local interested parties and see if there is appetite in the community for a
project along these lines.
Another avenue to explore is
the La Ballona bike path, a spot that seems ripe for a
community art project.
Whatever project unfolds, it
would be exciting to partner with local groups such as
CCUSD, the Senior Center, the Teen Center, and the
Culver City Historical Society.
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How will you use your tenure as Artist Laureate, and
your art, to serve as an ambassador for the arts in
Culver City and the surrounding area? How will you
advocate for the arts across disciplines? How will you
address cultural equity and inclusion as Artist Laureate? My hope is that by leading a community mural project
in Culver City, I will meet and engage with a large
cross section of Culver City stakeholders.
Because
my project’s strength lies in representing a wide range of Culver City voices, it naturally speaks to the city’s cultural equity goals. The more residents and
stakeholders that are included, the stronger the work
becomes, with participants of all ages, races,
economic statuses, religions and abilities represented
in the work.
In a time when politics are increasingly
toxic and divisive, I believe my project has the
potential to bring community members together,
encouraging civic pride and engagement.
In addition to being an artist, I am an arts educator
and I strongly believe that arts education should be
available and accessible to all.
I would relish the
opportunity to provide more hands-on art activities to
the community.
These activities could be in
conjunction with a mural project, but they could also
entail partnering with artists across disciplines.
In
2020, I was a Los Angeles Department of Cultural
Affairs Artist-in-Residence, and I had the opportunity
to organize a six week online class entitled “The Art of Self Care for Parents and Caregivers.”
For the class, I
partnered with a writer and a movement teacher to
offer participants fun and relaxing arts based
activities that they could do from home at the height
of the Covid-19 pandemic.
I love connecting across
disciplines and would welcome another opportunity,
as Culver City's Artist Laureate, to organize a
workshop series or symposium that includes artists
from different areas of expertise.
Artistic Documentation (Minimum 5 Samples)
Artistic documentation is crucial for evaluating the artistic quality of the applicant. Panelists will review the artistic samples independently and may review one or more samples again at the panel meeting and/or during the artist 8 of 14
interview. The Cultural Affairs Commission and/or the City Council may also choose to review one or more of the artistic samples.
Identify and describe each of the artistic samples that you upload with your application.
Samples should
be recent, of high quality, and as relevant to the application as possible.
Reviewers prefer substantive
artistic excerpts rather than short edited clips with heavy narration, such as marketing/promotional materials.
Actual samples must be submitted. Weblinks (e.g. websites, Vimeo, YouTube) will not be accepted.
The application format groups the samples by format type: Images, Audio Excerpts, Video Excerpts, and Documents.
Artistic Sample Limits - Minimum of 5 required.
o Stills and Images: 15 images max
o Video excerpts: 2 samples max; 5 minutes max each
o Audio excerpts: 2 samples max; 5 minutes max each
o Excerpts of writing sample or music score: 6 samples max; 20 pages max combined Acceptable File Formats
o Images: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .tif, .tiff, .bmp, .tga o Videos: .m4v, .mov, .mp4, .wmv, .flv, .asf, .mpeg, .mpg, .mkv o Audio: .mp3, .wma, .ogg, .flac
o Documents: .pdf
Label each file as follows:
File Name: YourLastName_ArtisticSample-FormatType#
(e.g. Smith_AristicSample-Image1, Smith_AristicSample-Audio2) Identify artwork samples as follows:
o Provide all relevant bibliographic information as appropriate for each artwork. o For visual art images: include title of work, media, dimension, and date of completion. 9 of 14
o For performances: include title of work, performance date, venue, performance group, and names of other artists featured.
o For documents: include title of work, publisher (if any), and publication date or date of completion.
Briefly introduce how your chosen artistic samples are
related to your application and why you selected them to represent your work as an artist.
For my work sample, I have selected fifteen images
that represent the last six ceramic tile murals I've
completed. The images span the last seven years of
my practice. For each project , I have included at least one image of the overall work.
I have also included
details and alternate views of many of the works so
that you can gain a better understanding of each
project.
Image 5 depicts a workshop participant
making their tile on a self guided hike in Santa Clarita.
It is important to note that for each of these projects (except "Headwaters"- image 11), tiles made by
community members are an integral part of the piece.
Stills and Images (maximum of 15 uploads)
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image2.jpg
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image3.jpeg
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image1.jpeg
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image5.jpg
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image4.jpg
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image7.jpeg
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image8.jpeg
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image6.jpeg
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image9.jpeg
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image10.jpeg
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image15.JPG
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image12.JPG
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image11.jpeg
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image14.jpg
Krantz_ArtisticSample-Image13.jpg
Identify and describe any STILLS and IMAGES that you
have uploaded as artistic samples. Include title of work, media, dimension, and date of completion for each.
1.“Circle Song,” Canyon Country Community Center,
Santa Clarita, CA, 2021. Handmade ceramic tile on
concrete wall, 5’ x 50’
2.“Circle Song,” (Alternate View) Canyon Country
Community Center, Santa Clarita, CA, 2021.
Handmade ceramic tile on concrete wall, 5’ x 50’
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3. “Circle Song,” (Detail 1) Canyon Country
Community Center, Santa Clarita, CA, 2021.
Handmade ceramic tile on concrete wall, 5’ x 50’
4. “Circle Song,” (Detail 2) Canyon Country
Community Center, Santa Clarita, CA, 2021.
Handmade ceramic tile on concrete wall, 5’ x 50’
5. “Circle Song,” (image of process of making a tile at community tile making event) Santa Clarita, CA, 2021.
6. “Small World,” El Marino Language School, Culver
City, CA, 2022. Handmade ceramic tile on school
building wall.
Approximately 8’ x 30’
7. “Small World,” (Detail 1) El Marino Language
School, Culver City, CA, 2022. Handmade ceramic tile
on school building wall.
Approximately 8’ x 30’
8. “Small World,” (Detail 2) El Marino Language
School, Culver City, CA, 2022. Handmade ceramic tile
on school building wall.
Approximately 8’ x 30’
9. “Tree of Life,” (View Prior to Installation) Bell Creek Apartments, Canoga Park, CA, 2022, Handmade
ceramic tile on stucco wall, Approximately 8.5’ x 6.25’
10.“Tree of Life,” (Installation View) Bell Creek
Apartments, Canoga Park, CA, 2022. Handmade
ceramic tile on stucco wall, Approximately 8.5’ x 6.25’
11. “Headwaters,” Bell Creek Apartments, Canoga
Park, CA, 2022. Handmade ceramic tile on stucco
wall, Approximately 8.5’ x 6.25’
12. “Favorite Things,” University Parents Nursery
School, Los Angeles, CA, 2020.
Handmade tile on
stucco wall, 9” x 33”
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13. “Favorite Things,” (Detail) University Parents
Nursery School, Los Angeles, CA, 2020.
Handmade
tile on concrete backer board adhered to stucco wall,
9” x 33”
14. “The Garden,” University Parents Nursery School,
Los Angeles, CA, 2016.
Handmade tile on concrete
backer board adhered to stucco wall, 3.5” x 17”
15. “The Garden,” (Detail) University Parents Nursery
School, Los Angeles, CA, 2016.
Handmade tile on
concrete backer board adhered to stucco wall, 3.5” x
17”
Video (maximum of 2 uploads; 5 minutes each)
Identify and describe any VIDEOS that you have
uploaded as artistic samples. Include title of work,
performance date, venue, performance group, and
names of other artists featured for each.
Audio (maximum of 2 uploads; 5 minutes each)
Identify and describe any AUDIO files that you have
uploaded as artistic samples. Include title of work,
performance date, venue, performance group, and
names of other artists featured for each.
Documents - writing sample or music score (maximum
of 6 uploads; 20 pages total)
Identify and describe any DOCUMENTS that you have
uploaded as artistic samples. Include title of work,
publisher (if any), and publication or completion date for each.
Artist Resume or CV
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Artist Resume or CV
– Required
Label artist resume or CV file as follows:
File Name: YourLastName_ArtistResume (e.g. Smith_ArtistResume) Be sure to include in resume or CV:
Selected exhibitions, performances, presentations, programs, projects, and/or publications Selected community arts programming participation
Significant awards
Training and education
Artist and organizational partnerships
Professional memberships
Employment information related to application
Resume or CV
Krantz_ArtistResume.pdf
Letters of Recommendation
Letters of Recommendation -
Required
Label recommendation letter files as follows:
File Name: YourLastName_Letter# (e.g. Smith_Letter1)
Two letters of recommendation are required. You may submit up to three letters.
In addition to artistic quality, originality, and uniqueness of work, letters should address artist’s potential community impact in Culver City. Letters may be submitted with the application or may be sent separately to [email protected]
. The deadline for letters is the same as the application deadline. The email and letter must clearly state the name of the Artist Applicant.
Recommendation Letters (minimum of 2; maximum of
3)
Katy Letter.pdf
Katy Krantz - Letter of Rec vF.pdf
Katy Krantz - Parent Letter of Rec.docx.pdf
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By uploading artistic samples, the Artist Applicant grants license to City of Culver City to reproduce, exhibit, distribute, and otherwise use the works during the review process for the purpose of evaluating the artist’s application.
Applications cannot be revised after submission
. Once you hit the “Submit” button you will not be able to return to the application form. All required sections of the application form must be completed in full upon submission or your application will be incomplete.
Acknowledgement and Signature
Name of signatory: Katherine (Katy) Krantz
Link to signature
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Katy Krantz
Born , Lives in Culver City, CA
Education
2007 MFA, Painting, Hunter College, New York, NY
1998 BA, Studio Art, University of California, Santa Cruz 1998 BA, American Studies (honors), University of California, Santa Cruz Community Based Projects
2022 “Tree of Life,” “Headwaters” and “Chapparal Patchwork” three ceramic tile murals commissioned by Meta Housing for Bell Creek Apartments, Canoga Park, CA
2022 “Small World,” ceramic tile mural, El Marino Elementary School, Culver City CA 2021 Circle Song, ceramic tile mural, Canyon Country Community Center, Santa Clarita, CA
2021 The Art of Self Care for Parents and Caregivers during COVID, online workshop series conducted with support from the Los Angeles Public Library 2020 Favorite Things, ceramic tile mural, University Parents Nursery School, Los Angeles, CA
2020 Quarantine Quilt, fabric quilt made in collaboration with patrons and staff of Baldwin Hills Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library
2016 The Garden, ceramic tile mural, University Parents Nursery School, Los Angeles, CA
2016 Bullseye, shuttle bus stop signs, Mar Vista Art Walk, Los Angeles, CA 2010 Kumba Was Here, site specific installation, Former INS Building, Seattle WA Selected Solo and Two Person Exhibitions
2017 Mother Mother, Sunday Takeout, Brooklyn, NY
2013 Katy Krantz, Totokaelo, Seattle, WA
2013 Symbiosis, Seattle Design Center, Seattle WA
2010 The Centerpiece, Iko Iko Space, Los Angeles, CA
2010 Alchemy, Saffron, Brooklyn, NY
2006 New Paintings, Metaphor Contemporary Art, Brooklyn, NY 2003 Deep Decoration, Giorgi Gallery, Berkeley, CA
1998 Reckless La-La, Dancing Man Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA Selected Group Exhibitions
2022 On The Verge of Recognition, Well Well Projects, Portland, OR 2019 (Beyond) Redemption, Backspace Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2017 Wares: Ceramics Traditions in Contemporary Practice, East Side International, Los Angeles, CA
2016 Dressed Up Normal, Tappan Collective, Los Angeles, CA 2016 Drawing for Sculpture, TSA Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2011 DUG, Soil Gallery, Seattle, WA
2010 Pap Art, San Francisco College Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2009 Pap Art, Truman State University Art Gallery, Kirksville, MO 2008 Pollock-Krasner Fellows at Byrdcliffe, Kleinert/James Art Center, Woodstock, NY 2008 Annual Works on Paper, Long Beach Island Foundation, Loveladies, NJ 2003 Out of Line, Oakland Art Gallery, Oakland, CA
2003 Scenes and Zines, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA 2002 Turf: West Contra Costa County Artists, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA 2002 Visions of Peace, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Oakland, CA 2000 Laberinto de Las Culturas, SOMARTS Gallery, San Francisco CA 2000 La Flor y La Calavera, Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA (catalog) 2000 Accidentes Vivenciales, Museo de la Ciudad de Cuernavaca, Cuernavaca, Mexico
Selected Awards and Fellowships
2020-21 LA Department of Cultural Affairs Artist-in-Residence, Los Angeles, CA 2019-20 Baldwin Hills Library Artist-in-Residence, Project Art, Los Angeles, CA 2012 EDGE Professional Development Program, Artist Trust, Seattle, WA 2008 Pollock Krasner Fellow, Byrdcliffe Artist Colony, Woodstock NY 2007 Nancy Ashton Memorial Prize, Hunter College
2005 Lutz/Riedel Fellowship, Hunter College
2002 Full Scholarship, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass, CO 1998 Irwin Scholarship, UC Santa Cruz
Selected Bibliography
2021 Alvarenga, Emily. “Artist Calling for Community Help in Local Mural,” (image) The Santa Clarita Valley Signal, 4/21/21
2016 Singleton, Kate. “Ceramics: Contemporary Artists Working in Clay,”pp. 152-157, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA
2016 Garland, Heather Elizabeth. "Drawing for Sculpture at TSA New York,” paintingisdead.com 2/11/2016
2014 James, Emem. “Katy Krantz: Fire and Earth,” metalmagazine.com 10/1/14 2010 Davila, Florangela. “Artscape: New Arts Space in Old INS Building,” KPLU 88.5 (radio interview) 10/31/2010
2010 Lacitis, Erik. “Old INS Building gets new life as arts space,” (image) The Seattle Times, 10/17/2010
2009 Saint Anne’s Review, A Journal of Contemporary Arts and Letters (two Images) Fall 2009
2006 La Rocco, Ben. Art Review, Brooklyn Rail, 2/06
2006 “Katy Krantz at Metaphor Contemporary Art, IN Brooklyn (cover image) 1/26/06 2005 “El Corazon de la Muerte: Altars and Offering for Days of the Dead,” Oakland Museum of California, (museum catalog)
2003 Kroth, Maya. "Out of Line: The Many Faces of Feminism at the Oakland Art Gallery," SF Station.com , 8/2003
2003 Westbrook, Lindsey. "Chicks Awry: Extra Spice at the Oakland Art Gallery," East Bay Express, 7/16/2003
2001 Cover Image and Interview, Oakland’s Urbanview, 10/24/01-10/30/01 2000 Santiago, Chiori. "Borderland," (image) The Museum of California Magazine, Fall 2000 "Exponen ‘Las Otras’ en El Museo de la Ciudad de Cuernavaca," (image) La Union de Morelos, 5/24/2000
October 2022,
To Whom It May Concern:
It is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation forKaty Krantz for the Culver City’s Artist Laureateposition. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Mrs.Krantz in her role as a PTA Artist Parent for the 2021-2022school year at El Marino Language School. I have been consistently impressed with her professionalism andthe amazing job she did at creating the 2021-22 mural for El Marino Language School.
Mrs. Krantz made the process of making the mural enjoyable and very collaborative for not only our 5th gradestudents but for our staff, teachers, and administration. She was able to coordinate and organize all the steps ofthe process with such ease that it allowed the outcome to be a positive community building activity in a timewhen it’s been hard to come together (COVID). The mural aside from being beautiful also represents each andone of us at El Marino that Mrs. Krantz was able to capture. The design and choice of colors are simplyexquisite.
Additionally, Mrs. Krantz will bring so much expertise and creativity to any organization that she gets theopportunity to work for and with.
It is for these reasons that I recommend Katy Krantz to your organization. I would be happy to answer anyquestions you may have.Please feel free to contactme via email,[email protected] (310) 842-4241.
Sincerely,
Mari O Torre
Mario TorresAssistant Principal, El Marino Language School
October 7, 2022
Dear Selection Committee,
It is my pleasure to recommend Katy Krantz for Culver City’s Artist Laureate position.
Meta Housing Corporation hired Katy in the spring of 2022 to complete three murals for Bell Creek Apartments in Canoga Park, which is a newly completed apartment complex providing affordable housing to low-income families and individuals as well as 41 units of permanent supportive housing. Meta Housing develops affordable apartment communities across the state of California. Our projects are distinguished for their award-winning designs, long-term stability, and customized onsite programs and services that promote a sense of well-being, resilience, and community among residents. Examples include the adaptive reuse of a nine- story bank building in Chinatown for senior housing, numerous arts colonies, and housing for veterans and formerly homeless individuals and families. Katy’s vision for Bell Creek and her passion for community engagement fit right in with Meta’s overall ethos.
Katy created three murals for Bell Creek: “Headwaters,” “Tree of Life,” and “Chaparral Patchwork.” Each one was themed around characteristics unique to the San Fernando Valley, incorporating thoughtful research into the local history of the area in the creative process. For the “Tree of Life” mural, Katy conducted tile making workshops with the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, where the youth attending were encouraged to make art pieces representing themselves. Katy also held a workshop withthe Guadalupe Community Center’s youth summer camp for children ages 6-10, where they went on a scavenger hunt in the neighborhood surrounding Bell Creek Apartments. After the new residents have moved into Bell Creek Apartments this fall, Katy will host tile making workshops to engage them in the completion of the Chaparral Patchwork mural in the courtyard, which is split into two panels. While the murals are partially installed, spaces have been left to insert tiles made by the new residents. We believe these workshops will build community within the new space and promote a sense of pride and belonging at the project.
It has been a pleasure to work with Katy. Her work adds beauty and energy to our spaces while highlighting the community in which it is located. I wholeheartedly recommend her for this position.
Sincerely,
Allison Chow
Associate Project Manager
Meta Housing Corporation