Second 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 Sculptures
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.
This second exploration of public art sculptures in Santa Clarita starts in north Valencia at the northwest corner of West Creek Park and ends on Newhall Ranch Road at Heritage Park. You will visit seven public art sculptures on your journey.
Along the way you will visit two of the six “art bears” that grace sites around Santa Clarita.
The California Bear Project, developed in August 2004 by the city, installed life-sized fiberglass representations of the famed California Grizzly Bear from 2005 to 2018 throughout Santa Clarita.
Each life-sized replica is more than 10 feet in length and more than 5 feet tall.
Many Santa Claria residents have heard stories of a large grizzly bear killed in the Santa Clarita Valley in the 1800s.
The grizzly was reportedly killed by John Lang in 1875 near Lang Station in Canyon Country.
The model for the bear on the California state flag was a bear named Monarch, a grizzly, captured in an 1889 publicity stunt orchestrated by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. The 1,100-pound bear was captured in Ventura County, or the San Gabriel Valley, according to conflicting reports. He spent his remaining 22 years in captivity on display for thousands of Californians to see in Woodward Gardens, Golden Gate Park and the San Francisco Zoo.
Monarch is the model used not only for the bear appearing on the state flag of California, but also the blank model used for all the bear sculptures in the California Bear Project.
To begin the second public art tour visit:
Endangered Fossils
24247 Village Circle Drive
Valencia, CA 91354
Artist: Judith Modrak
Date: 2022
Material: Aqua-Resin Cast
Placement: Northwest Corner of West Creek Park
Endangered Fossils represent an imagined archaeological excavation and the discovery of a new organism. The sculpture pays homage to our beloved mother earth at a critical time requiring everyone’s involvement.
Meet artist Judith Modrak in this video from SCVTV:
Street Gates is located at Fire Station 156. The artist currently resides and works in Berkeley, where he was commissioned by the Berkeley Arts Commission to create the Mandala Gates for the city of Berkeley Corporation Yard. His work has been featured in various museums and galleries and he is well known for his metal gates which he says “are among the most noted and public aspects of my work. I have made gates for cities including Madison, Wisconsin, Oakland and Berkeley, California and also for many historical buildings and private homeowners.”
Fire Pit
24525 Copper Hill Drive,
Valencia, CA 91354
Artist: Matt Dehaemers
Date: 2011
Material: Concrete, glass (material), stone (rock)
Placement: Fire Station 156
“Fire Pit” is located at Fire Station 156. The fire pit is placed in the station’s exterior courtyard. The surface is richly colored and patterned in lithocrete and the “pit” is a carved-out boulder. Dehaemers projects were recognized four consecutive years (2004-2007) by the Public Art Network’s “Year in Review,” a prestigious, annual selection of the best new public artworks in the nation.
Transit Bear
28250 Constellation Road,
Valencia, CA 91355
Artist: Mike Burton
Date: 2007
Material: Fiberglass
Placement: Transit Maintenance Facility
The Transit Bear depicts the various forms of transportation that can be found in the Santa Clarita Valley.
This trailside art piece by local sculptors Idelle Tyzbir and Dianne Foderaro serves as the focal point of the entrance to the trail, greeting trail-goers as they enter the area.
The 15-foot-tall monument showcases three vertical steel beams, each with two arms pointing in the general direction of an assortment of historical landmarks around the Santa Clarita Valley, including The Oak of the Golden Dream, Newhall Ranch, Mentryville, Lyons Station and the Golden Spike.
Basics #56
San Francisquito Creek Trail
Parking and restrooms for the San Francisquito Creek Trail are available at Valencia Heritage Park, 24155 Newhall Ranch Road, Valencia, CA 91355 and West Creek Park, 24247 Village Circle Drive, Valencia, CA 91354.
Artist: Matthias Neumann
Date: 2022
Material: 2×4 Wood
“Basics #56” is part of an ongoing series of temporary public art installations realized throughout the country over the past nine years.
While each sculpture within this series is unique to its site, all installations share certain features, such that they are made from 2×4 dimensional lumber, that they are located within a public setting and that they are conceived to be temporary.
Beyond its formal beauty, the work may ask: What does it mean to live in time? To participate in public space? And to be part of the most basic material culture that surrounds us?
Birds of Valencia
24061 Newhall Ranch Road,
Valencia, CA 91355
Artist: Douwe Bloomberg
Date: 2008
Material: Aluminum
Location: Bridgeport Marketplace
Featuring 65 cast aluminum birds, each with a wingspan of more than five feet, this sculpture rises above a lake surface to over 17 feet in the air. Set amongst several sails, the piece was a unique engineering challenge.
The Heritage Bear
24155 Newhall Ranch Road,
Santa Clarita
Artist: Scott Groller
Date: 2005
Material: Fiberglass
Placement: Heritage Park
The Heritage Bear features a photographic collage of Santa Clarita history and events. Half of the bear is covered with historic pictures, while the other half is covered with pictures depicting modern day Santa Clarita.
More than 400 photos were used to create the Heritage Bear.
Meet the artist Scott Groller and learn about the Heritage Bear in this video:
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The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office has released the list of four productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, Nov. 4 to Sunday, Nov. 10.
The Old Town Newhall Public Library will host a do it yourself Air Plant Holder Workshop Tuesday, Nov. 5 4-5 p.m. at 24500 Main St., Santa Clarita, CA 91321.
Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 30, crews will begin the construction of median modifications, paving, grinding and overlay operations along portions of McBean Parkway at Newhall Ranch Road that will add a left turn lane on northbound McBean Parkway, enhancing traffic circulation.
The city of Santa Clarita invites community members to join the Santa Clarita City Council for a special Veterans Day Ceremony to honor local veterans, currently serving military and their families, at 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, at Veterans Historical Plaza, located at 24275 North Walnut St., Old Town Newhall, CA 91321.
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office has released the list of 11 productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, Oct. 28 to Sunday, Nov. 3.
As the winter season approaches, that means one thing, the holidays are on their way. Here in Santa Clarita, our community comes alive with the festive spirit, making it the perfect time to discover and support our local businesses.
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office has released the list of four productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, Nov. 4 to Sunday, Nov. 10.
Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger was sworn in for her third and final term on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in a ceremony held Saturday, Nov. 2 in Pasadena.
The Meadow Collective is back in Santa Clarita for the Meadow Collective Christmas Market, bringing together a curated selection of unique and handmade items and small businesses, Sunday, Dec. 8 at Hart & Main, 24217 Main St., Santa Clarita, CA, 91321.
The regular meeting of the William S. Hart Union High School District’s Governing Board will be held Wednesday, Nov. 6, beginning with a closed session at 6:30 p.m., followed by an open session at 7 p.m.
Join Los Angels County Parks for some fall fun. The Harvest Festival returns this year Nov. 12-26 with cultural celebrations including food tasting, dancing, music, crafts, children’s story corner and family games.
Propositions, ballot measures, judges, City Councilmembers, state assembly, Congress, Senate and of course, the President—as Tuesday, Nov. 5 approaches, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
The Valencia Hills Wave Swim Team is hosting the annual “A Holiday Marketplace” fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 14, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Valencia Hills HOA Clubhouse.
California State Park’s Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park will celebrate Native American Heritage Month with exhibitions showcasing the compelling work of Indigenous artists.
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The Master's University men's basketball team continued their dominating start to the season with a 90-78 road win over Missouri Baptist University at Abe Lemon Arena in Oklahoma City.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating possible sources of H5 avian flu, which has been detected at low levels for the first time at one of the wastewater sampling sites in Los Angeles County.
The Saugus Union School District Measure EE Citizens Oversight Committee meeting will be held 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Saugus Union School District Office.
The Knights of Columbus Council 6016 in the Santa Clarita Valley has launched its annual Christmas Tree and Wreath Sale, with all proceeds benefiting local charitable programs.
The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation will be recognized by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation on Wednesday, Nov. 6 with a Strategic Engagement Award.
The Old Town Newhall Public Library will host a do it yourself Air Plant Holder Workshop Tuesday, Nov. 5 4-5 p.m. at 24500 Main St., Santa Clarita, CA 91321.
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan has announced that 526 additional Vote Centers will open on Saturday, Nov. 2, for the 2024 General Election.
Brian Leff and the GO Jazz Big Band, along with vocalist Steve Lively, present a unique evening of classic tunes and modern flair. Whether you’re a longtime fan of big band music or just love hearing inventive, cutting-edge arrangements, Classic/Remix promises a night of musical contrasts.
The Newhall Family Theatre of the Performing Arts and Raising the Curtain Foundation will host an afternoon of heartwarming tales with "The Golden Goose" and "Strega Nona" with Saturday's Kids, Saturday, Nov. 16 starting at 11 a.m. at 24607 Walnut St., Newhall, CA 91321.
The Child & Family Center has announced that Jamie Munoz, Program Manager of the Family Preservation Program, has been recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Inside the Valley Magazine as one of its 2024 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leaders of Influence.
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