Public Art in Marina Del Rey, CA

Nicolas Calvo

Professor Allison Aziz

ART 3170: Visual Art in Urban Contexts


Civic Engagement - Public Art in Marina Del Rey, CA

PHASE 1: THE SITE

    I decided to complete this Civic Engagement Project in my neighboring city, where I have lived my entire life. Marina Del Rey, owned by Los Angeles County, is approximately 1.5 square miles and has around 12,000 residents. Marina Del Rey is known for being North America's largest boat harbor, with its bike/walking paths, birdwatching landscape, and restaurants on the waterfront. I live a couple of blocks away from Marina Del Rey and have made several memories going to different restaurants, riding my bike down the path, and paddleboarding in the harbor. 

    I passed through Marina Del Rey almost every day and wanted to truly see and comprehend the public art within this city. This city is known for its harbor, and based on my memory, I know a lot of the artwork includes themes about the ocean. The artwork within Marina Del Rey can have a positive message to remind tourists and residents to take care of the ocean and harbor for the environment and animals to thrive.


PHASE 2: FIELD WORK

1) 

By DUCE (2020)

This mural is located at 13448 Beach Ave, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, right by the main entrance of the parking garage. This mural is located below a newly constructed apartment complex that is just under two miles from the beach. The artist who created this piece is called DUCE, and he created this piece with spray paint. This piece displays a woman in a wetsuit carrying a surfboard with a colorful background. The colorful background likely represents the waves of the ocean crashing and washing away as the surfer walks to the shore. I believe DUCE utilized these vibrant colors to represent how beautiful the ocean and marine life really are to encourage residents and tourists to take care of it and make sure it remains beautiful. 

 2)

By Jules Muck (MuckRock) 

This mural is located on the side of Bartels' Harley-Davidson at 4141 Lincoln Ave, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292. This art piece can be seen by the thousands of travelers going northbound on Lincoln Ave every day. Jules Muck, also known as MuckRock, created this mural in 2024 with spray paint as well. This piece displays three motorcycles that represent Harley-Davidsons with the Santa Monica skyline in the background. This artwork shows how popular Marina Del Rey and the surrounding beaches are for tourists because of the movie-like setting and beautiful beaches. Additionally, this artwork shows how motorcyclist, especially Harley-Davidson riders, will ride through these beaches because of their attractive views. 

 3) 

By Patricia Cadenas (1997)

This mural is located by the front of the Marina Del Rey Toyota Dealership at 4636 Lincoln Ave, CA 90292. This art piece can also be seen by the thousands of travelers going down Lincoln Ave every day. Patricia Cadenas painted this mural in 1997 to create an 85-foot-long blue whale, 11 dolphins, and several other marine life. Cadenas used vibrant, cool colors to accurately display the mammals in the nearby oceans. Just recently, the Marina Del Rey Toyota signed a 25-year lease to keep the mural and be able to donate money to the Save the Whale program. This artwork was made to be visible to commuters and tourists and to enforce the need to preserve the environment and keep our wildlife healthy. 

4) 

The Helmsman by Carlo Romanelli (1931)

This sculpture is located in the corner of Burton W. Chace Park at 13650 Mindanao Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292. This sculpture can be seen by people walking through the park and by boats going in and out of the marina. Carlo Romanelli created this piece in 1931, and it was donated by the Helms family to the Los Angeles County Art Commission in 1971. The Helmsman stands 10 feet tall, has a determined expression, and is placed on a large granite stand. This artwork has been placed in a perfect site-specific location because it is surrounded by thousands of boats that are manned by brave sailors in the largest marina in North America. 


PHASE 3: CRITICAL ANALYSIS

It is clear that the artwork within this community has a common pattern of representing the ocean, beaches, and marine life. To emphasize, MUCE begins by showing a surfer with colorful waves, Muck shows the attractive sunset over Santa Monica's beach pier, Cadenas shows the wildlife in the ocean, and Romanelli shows a helmsman who sails over the ocean. MUCE utilizes bright and vibrant colors to represent the ocean in an attractive manner, which will cause the viewer to appreciate the ocean in the same manner. Similar to MUCE's piece, Cadenas' artwork aims to display the ocean and marine life in a positive manner to encourage the support of ocean clean-up and research. The Marina Del Rey Toyota actually does have a program where dealership customers can purchase a custom license plate, where proceeds go to environmental conservation programs. Since Marina Del Rey is responsible for a large chunk of the ocean and several marine life species, it is clear that the artwork within the community represents its need to take care of its marine life. 

PHASE 4: PROPOSAL

While walking and exploring more of Marina Del Rey, I was glad to see so many vibrant and colorful murals on local businesses. However, there have recently been newly constructed restaurants and stores right next to one of the bays in the marina that have boring white walls as their exterior design. I would recommend to Los Angeles County Arts Commission to encourage these businesses to accept artists to paint and design vibrant artwork that represents more marine life and the ocean.


 













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