CULTURAL LANDMARKS
OVERVIEW
The City of Glendale is on the path to becoming an arts and culture destination in the Los Angeles metropolitan region. Reflecting on its diverse population, history and innovation in public spaces, the City seeks to further enrich the day-to-day experiences of the community with its emphasis on the importance of arts and culture.
The City of Glendale is in the process of commissioning a series of cultural landmarks that will be strategically placed throughout the City in locations that focus on public accessibility and engagement.
Color Everywhere
Artist: Erin Miller Wray
Project: Verdugo Park Building Mural
Installed Fall 2023
Erin Miller Wray's (EMW) design expands beyond a mural to create an experiential piece that turns a building into a vibrant sculpture in an outdoor park setting. With paint covering the building from top to bottom, the structure now exists as a fully immersive piece of art, challenging how we look at painted designs and murals. The vibrant hues and shapes that wrap the building are representative of Glendale's diverse population aligning together with a playful and unique cohesiveness. EMW's hope for this piece is to surprise people with a bold punch of color that serves as a pillar for community and engagement, drawing people in and evoking a sense of exciting playfulness with its vibrancy and size.
EMW is an artist and designer specializing in hand painted visual branding. She partners directly with clients to develop unique murals and artwork designs for branded content, commercial use, outdoor advertisement, public art, and private collections. Her pieces are inspired by the history and people of the area around the mural site through an exploration of modern, energetic shapes and colors.
See EMW's mural featured in the first issue of Evoke Magazine created by the City of Glendale's Economic Development Division.
Hahamongna
Artist: Forma Studio
Project: Glenoaks Blvd. Median Sculpture
In Progress; Anticipated Installation Winter 2026
Hahamongna - translating to "fruitful valley" in Tongva - pays homage to the Verdugo Mountains and is inspired by their natural beauty to create a remarkable marker for the City of Glendale. The overall form of the artwork is derived from the elevation change across the longest traversing path through the Verdugo Mountains. The laser cut pattern that covers the piece is an abstraction of topographical lines extracted from the terrain of the Verdugo Mountains, projected onto the surface of the artwork. During the day, the pattern creates a texture that, when seen from below, allows rays of sunlight to shine through; at night, these openings create a dazzling display illuminated by LED lights.
Forma Studio was founded in 2013 by MIT alumni, Karen Kitayama and Sixto Cordero. Together they share an interest and a passion for public art and collectively have many years of experience. Their practice is interested in a contextual approach to the spaces and objects they design and build. forma studio strives to create elements that elicit an emotional response from the public and engage it on many levels.
Belonging
Artist: Cara Lynch
Project: Fremont Park Columns Tile Artwork
In Progress; Anticipated Installation Spring 2026
Belonging celebrates community and local landscape through an abstract vocabulary of pattern, color, and form. The variety of patterns in Cara Lynch's design come together in cohesive compositions, speaking to notions of diversity, belonging, and community. Deliberate references to quilting, textile, and decoration call to mind notions of community, family, and home. The palette and flora featured in the design are inspired by regional plants that speak to ideas of belonging and place.
Cara Lynch is an artist based between New York and Nashville. She is a 2020 graduate of the MFA program at Columbia University and received her BFA from Adelphi University in 2012. In addition to her studio work, she has created many commissioned public works including permanent installations for NYC MTA Arts and Design and NYC Health and Hospitals. She has created several temporary large-scale installations including projects for Nashville International Airport and NYC Department of Transportation. Her work has been featured in publications including Hyperallergic, Architectural Digest, and the Wall Street Journal.
Our Garden Spot
Artist: Kassia Rico
Project: Montrose Circular Benches (Honolulu Ave.)
In Progress; Anticipated Installation Summer 2026
Nestled between the Verdugo Mountains and San Rafael Hills, the project themes highlight the natural beauty of Montrose and a serene vantage point overlooking the historic Glendale & Montrose Railway site. The three circular benches are a fusion of art and history - a portal - where the past is woven in the present. Each element, from the smalti glass to the stainless steel edges, is carefully chosen to compliment the natural beauty and cultural richness of the site. Together, they form a cohesive narrative that invites discovery, wholeness, and connection. Kassia Rico's goal is to craft an immersive experience that honors the legacy of Honolulu Avenue in a single open voice while inspiring a new generation of stories and connections.
Rico lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. She received her Bachelors of Arts degree from Rhode Island School of Design in 2015. She develops projects in graphic applications and paintings, offering new visions to explore the body and selfhood, while embracing multiplicity and upliftment. Her work is included in the permanent collection of The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles, CA; and in the private collections in California, New York, Taiwan, and Seoul.
Basketball
Artist: Tanner Goldbeck
Project: Palmer Park Basketball Court Mural
In Progress; Anticipated Installation Fall 2026
Basketball aims to be the largest illustrated basketball in town. The concept is perfect in its simplicity yet still makes use of an illustration style that adds character and incorporates an array of bold colors.
Tanner Goldbeck has been living and working in Los Angeles for the past twenty years. His professional career has become a blend of commercial illustration, design, street art and gallery exhibitions. All aspects of his art have evolved and been enhanced by this unique mix of cross platform experiences. Goldbeck draws inspiration from a wider perspective that he believes can be most beneficial for public art projects. He is familiar with balances between the street level desire for public expression and the need to address everyone equally in a positive light while still connecting with youth and an energy that engages neighborhoods.
