Blue Rising was created in 2023 for the exhibition “Blue Hour: Above and Below” in the historic Berth 57 at Altasea at the Port of Los Angeles. It is inspired by the long tradition of triumphant arches erected to showcase the power of nation-states, many that are now in ruins since those civilizations have disappeared.
Blue Rising looks to the Phoenicians who once dominated trade in the Mediterranean. The design is based on the Roman Arch of Hadrian still standing on the Mediterranean coast in the ancient city of Tyre in Southern Lebanon. Conquered and reconquered by many civilizations over the last 2500 years, these ruins are designated as one of the UNESCO world heritage sites most in danger from rising sea levels.
The artwork presents a nuanced view of the ocean economy, impressive in size but delicate in materials and incorporating marine industry detritus found at the port. Suspended between steel pillars, it is dependent on the building for support. Simultaneously monumental and fragile, the woven piece moves in the breeze and changes with the light.
El Camino College, 2023
A sculpture, a place to hang out, and a miniature amphitheater to be used by the public. The 8-foot-tall structure is covered with a woven collage of rough drafts, rewrites, and sketches—the beginnings of stories, songs, essays, and artworks contributed by many people. A monument to the impulse, desire, and effort it takes to express and communicate an idea, even if no one is listening.
Los Angeles County Arboretum 2021-22
5’x6’x8’ Steel, acrylic on woven strips of muslin, canvas, vinyl banner, upcycled fabrics.
This temporary structure simultaneously provides shelter while appearing to hover above the ground as though ready for take-off, echoing the gesture of a migrating bird. Covered in a woven palette of blues, it suggests the borderless elements of water and air, as well as the temporary homes of unsheltered travelers.
Los Angeles International Airport, Terminal 3, 2013-16
Two swarms of paper airplanes imprinted with images of the Geneva Conventions spiral upwards towards the windows at the entry to security.
Estelle Van Meter Multipurpose Center, Los Angeles, 2014, Steel and mixed-media
Tribute to the founder of a community center in South Los Angeles. The piece incorporates a biography written by Tami Outerbridge, a thank you from the seniors who use the center, and artwork inspired by students of the neighboring MicKinley Avenue Elementary School, class of 2011.
Fairfax Branch Library, Los Angeles, California, 2005, 28’ x 15’, Acrylic mural with hand lettering. Windows of sandblasted, etched and carved glass.
Memories of library patrons are hand-lettered onto a historic image of the neighborhood. Windows are etched with images representing the past and present of the area.
Photos credit: Robert Wedemeyer
Los Feliz Branch Library, Los Angeles, California, 1999, Pyramid shaped dome, each wall 14’ (at base) x15’, Hand painted lettering on plywood, acoustical panels, painted mural at top, cherry and birch border at bottom, wood-framed stainless steel mirrors
Artwork incorporating designs from several cultures and wishes gathered from library patrons, juxtaposed with quotes from literary sources about the stars.
Photos credit: Robert Wedemeyer
Homesite is a collaborative art installation by Joyce Dallal and Lauren M. Kasmer consisting of cabinetry containing donated tableaus, items, and images contributed by the public. It is a public piece exploring ideas of home in relation to the city of Los Angeles. Homesite was originally funded by a Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Grant and has been exhibited at such diverse venues as a shopping mall, a cafe, a school, and a theater lobby, as well as galleries and museums. It is a continuing project to create a changing collective statement about the city.
In 2009, it was updated for the exhibition "Actions, Conversations, and Intersections" at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery with the addition of a clothing exchange and recipe exchange, extending the notion of home beyond location. The Recipe Exchange continues to expand it’s archive of vernacular recipes of the Los Angeles region, and to present the Culinary Performances, where participants have the opportunity to meet and share food together.
Culver City, 2011, mixed-media on panel, community project with 5th grade class
Overhead panels with folk sayings about education in English, Spanish and Japanese embellish the entryway to this language Immersion elementary school.
