Last of a five-part series exploring public art sculpture in the city of Santa Clarita.

In 2009 the Santa Clarita City Council demonstrated its commitment to public art when it founded the Santa Clarita Arts Commission.

In a further vote of commitment to the arts the Santa Clarita City Council approved the Arts Master Plan in 2016 which has become the Arts Commission’s guiding document to provide arts, entertainment and cultural development throughout the city.

As part of the plan the following vision statement was issued:

“The city of Santa Clarita will be recognized as a ‘city of the arts,’ where the lives of residents, artists and visitors are enriched through artistic and cultural experiences.”

The plan mandated that public art planning and selection utilize peer review and community input to ensure that public art pieces meet the goals of providing enjoyable and attractive public spaces that reflect the character of the community.

Susan Shapiro, a member of the Arts Commission, said the implementation of an Arts Master Plan was a milestone for the commission.
“The Master Plan made it possible to show the city’s commitment to public art,” she said. “In addition, the Arts Master Plan is an important way to show support for artists in the community.”

Focusing on Sculpture
This five-part series will mostly focus on public art sculptures which reside within the city limits of Santa Clarita. Many of the sculptures are located in city parks.

Public art sculpture in Santa Clarita includes 46 installations, some include more than one sculpture piece, listed on the city of Santa Clarita Public Art Tour, of which five are temporary sculpture installations.

To see the full tour visit https://scpublicart.goodbarber.app/art-pieces/c/4.

Canyon Country Community Center

The last installment of this five-part Public Art Sculpture in Santa Clarita series begins at Plum Canyon Park and ends in Fair Oaks Park.

However, most of the sculpture in this article can be found in and around the Canyon Country Community Center.

The newest community center in Santa Clarita opened Oct. 30, 2021. The Canyon Country Community Center is the location of more than a third of the public art sculptures on display in Santa Clarita. It is home to 10 maintenance hole cover art pieces, (featured in the first article of this series), located in the adjacent Mercado parking lot and six sculptures on the grounds of the center.

The “Friends” sculpture placed in Canyon Country Park in 2011 is less than a mile away from the center.

To learn more about the public art installations on display at the Canyon Country Community Center watch this video from SCVTV:

https://scvtv.com/2021/11/10/scvtvs-community-corner-canyon-country-community-center-public-art/

To watch the grand opening ceremony of the Canyon Country Community Center held on Oct. 30, 2021 view this video from SCVTV:

https://scvtv.com/2021/11/01/canyon-country-community-center-grand-opening-october-30-2021/

To view a special on-location episode of SCVTV Community Corner at the Canyon Country Community Center watch this SCVTV video:

https://scvtv.com/2021/11/05/special-on-location-episode-canyon-country-community-center-grand-opening/

To begin the last in this series of public art sculpture tours in Santa Clarita visit:

Astral Projection Yellow

18819 Skyline Ranch Road,

Santa Clarita, CA 91351

Artist: Ray Katz

Date: 2023

Material: Steel

Placement: Trailhead Temporary Public Artwork installed at Plum Canyon Park.

Katz taught sculpture, drawing and design at Oakland Community College in Auburn Hills, Mich. for 48 years where he was responsible for developing the entire curriculum.

Katz’s passion for sculpture started during his seminal development as an artist. He is best known for his large-scale metal sculptures and has exhibited sculpture publicly and privately throughout the Mid-West, Mid- South, West and overseas in Paris and Tokyo.

Watch this SCVTV video of artist Ray Katz as he installs his sculpture and talk about the importance of public art:

https://scvtv.com/2023/09/22/ray-katzs-astral-projection-yellow-installed-at-plum-canyon-park/

Circle Song

18410 Sierra Highway,

Canyon Country, CA 91351

Artist: Katy Krantz

Date: 2021

Type: Ceramic Tile Mural

Material: Glazed Ceramic Tile

Placement: Canyon Country Community Center

This courtyard wall will serve as a backdrop for weddings and special events hosted at the Canyon Country Community Center. The wall is 4′ tall by 50′ long and was inspired by the local natural landscape.

The mural is completely comprised of handmade glazed ceramic tiles. The project includes tiles created at multiple community engagement projects by Santa Clarita residents.

Meet artist Katy Krantz and watch the creation of Circle Song in this video from SCVTV:

https://scvtv.com/2021/12/16/finding-art-circle-song-community-tile-wall/#:~:text=The%20art%20piece%2C%20titled%20%E2%80%9CCircle,Towsley%20Canyon%2C%20and%20Discovery%20Park.

Amongst the Wildflowers

18410 Sierra Highway,

Canyon Country, CA 91351

Artists: Hiromi Takizawa and Elijah Wooldridge

Placement: Canyon Country Community Center Sculpture Garden

Each piece, Amongst the Wildflowers, Santa Clarita Sunrise and In the Wind is inspired by Santa Clarita’s surroundings and inhabitants including the Western Scrub-Jay, Vasquez rocks and wildflowers.

The goal is to combine art, the local nature and the community to bring a sense of comfort and familiarity to the viewer while also allowing one to gaze and wonder.

Santa Clarita Sunrise

18410 Sierra Highway,

Canyon Country, CA 91351

Artists: Hiromi Takizawa and Elijah Wooldridge

Placement: Canyon Country Community Center Sculpture Garden

In The Wind

18410 Sierra Highway,

Canyon Country, CA 91351

Artists: Hiromi Takizawa and Elijah Wooldridge

Placement: Canyon Country Community Center Sculpture Garden

To meet Hiromi Takizawa and see the sculptures placed in the Canyon Country Sculpture Garden watch this video from SCVTV:

https://www.facebook.com/findingartsantaclarita/videos/999477901375607

Iconic Gas Pump Bike Rack

18410 Sierra Highway,

Canyon Country, CA 91351

Artist: Mike Burke

Date: 2021

Type: Sculpture

Material: Painted Steel

Placement: Canyon Country Community Center

Using an iconic gas station look as a bike rack shows our need to reduce our use of oil. Incorporated into the bike rack is a service station for minor bike repairs including a pump and tools. The rack accommodates up to 10 bikes with easy lockability.

Burke is a freelance artist living and working in the Reno/Tahoe area with a focus on functional metal sculptures. His bike rack art is also located at the Santa Clarita Trek Bike Park.

Meet the artist in this video from SCVTV:

https://scvtv.com/2021/10/29/finding-art-canyon-country-community-center-bike-rack/

Communitree

18410 Sierra Highway,

Canyon Country, CA 91351

Artist: C. J. Rench

Date: 2021

Type: Sculpture

Material: Stainless steel and kinetic leaves of steel and acrylic plexiglass.

Placement: Canyon Country Community Center

The Communitree was designed to be the iconic ‘Gateway’ for Santa Clarita’s new community center, and this unique, colorful tree will symbolize strength and unity. Forests are healthiest when they include various varieties at all levels of maturity. These varieties feed off and support each other in strength, stability, hardiness, and health, much how we envision a strong community.

The fluttering leaves are designed to look like one of the wonderful local oak trees with its many supporting branches. The Happy Human leaves represent all the people of Santa Clarita. While the designs are based on a tree, they are not meant to be a rendering of illustration, but rather a sculptural interpretation that uses the plant as a starting point, a kind of homage to the foliage of the area.

Rench is a professional sculptor specializing in large-scale abstract designs and fabricating unique works of art, which reflect the values and artistic vision of his customers. He started as a self-taught industrial engineer and senior project designer in the sporting goods industry.

He began designing and fabricating metal sculpture full time in 2004, and since then has installed over 30 large-scale public works through the United States.

For a closer look at Communitree and to meet the artist watch this video from SCVTV:

https://scvtv.com/2021/12/28/a-closer-look-at-communitree/

For an extended look at the installation of the Communitree watch this video from SCVTV:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1681515768897245

Friends

17615 Soledad Canyon Road,

Canyon Country, CA 91387

Artist: Madeline Wiener

Date: 2011

Type: Sculpture

Material: Stone

Placement: Canyon Country Park

This large-scale art project consists of two sculptures, a jogger and a dog, both carved out of limestone. The “Friends” are out for a jog in a park where the artist said she witnessed real people and dogs doing just that.

Her intention for the installation was to inspire folks to get out with a friend, get some exercise and enjoy a day in the park.

Prior to the formation of the Arts Commission, the City’s Arts Advisory Committee managed the selection process and chose Denver artist Madeline Weiner, founder and director of The Marble Institute of Colorado, out of more than 40 artists who submitted proposals.

California Scape

17468 Honey Maple St.,

Canyon Country, CA 91387

Artists: Sixto Cordero, Karen Kitayama, Luisel Zayas

Date: 2020

Type: Sculpture

Material: Ozark light sandstone

Placement: Fair Oaks Park

Inspiration for California Scape was drawn from the larger Santa Clarita landscape. The sculpture is made from smooth Ozark light sandstone and was designed to represent and reflect the natural landscapes of the Santa Clarita Valley.

A young Chinese Elm has been planted within the structure of the sculpture with room to grow and mature and expresses the theme of reflection and meditation.

To learn about California Scape view this video from SCVTV:

https://scvtv.com/2021/02/17/public-art-piece-california-scape-at-fair-oaks-park/

To view the unveiling ceremony of California Scape view this video from SCVTV:

https://scvtv.com/2020/10/15/california-scape-public-art-unveiling-ceremony/