Phase 1: The site
Whittier, CA
I chose my home city of Whittier where I was born and raised. This city has a variety of public artworks like bronze sculptures, murals and statues. While researching I found that that city of Whittier has a program titled Art in Public Places Program (AIPP) which is found on the parks and recreation website. Just on this website there are about twenty five public art pieces listed with a description and there locations. The City of Whittier's Art in Public Places Program also has a link to a map with all twenty five locations to each public art work which is very neat. This program was started in 1993 and was responsible for creating public art all over the city, from statues to murals and so much more. Even though there were many art pieces listed on the Art in Public Places Program, I also included three other pieces that were not listed on the Program but are still seen in this city. These three art pieces that I found include an art mural on a wall outside of amazon fresh, an art mural located outside of Rodeo 72 and the other art mural was located on the wall of the Whittier Museum.
Phase 2: Field Work
Title: The History Lesson
Location: Northeast corner of La Serna Dr. and Whittier Blvd
15801 Whittier Blvd, Whittier, CA, 90603
Artist: Art Mortimer
This art mural was that painted on Stucco in February of 2017 and showcases historic views of Whittier. This beautiful mural shows a Spanish dancer and guitar player in the foreground, a house and orange trees in the center and city and fields in the background. It is vibrant with color and has a beautiful landscape. There is another important part in the art piece that I would like to mention, the man sitting in the blue holding a large stick appears to be a quaker. This showcases the history seen from 1887 when the quakers came to Whittier.
Title: Whittier Museum Mural
Location: Whittier Art Museum
8035 Painter Avenue, Whittier, CA 90602
Artist: Tyler Kinnaman and Dennis McGonagle
This mural was created in November of 2006 and showcases the first 100 years of Whittier. There are many aspects to this mural, on the top there are four bricks which represent the first commercial buildings in this city. There are also portraits that include known figures from Whittier such as Pio Pico who was surrounded by orange trees. He was the last governor of Alta California under Mexican rule he was also an Afro-Latino who became one of the most wealthy land owners in the region. There was also a portrait of Jonathan and Rebecca Bailey holding a dog. They were the very first settlers part of the quaker colony that is now Whittier. Harriet Russel Strong was also seen next to a small road, she is very little in the mural as well. She was known for buying 320 acers of land from Pio Pico and she became the country's leading walnut grower. She also helped prevent Pio Pico's home from demolition.
Title: A love story
Location: Rodeo 72
7012 Walnut Grove Dr Whittier, CA 90602
Artist: David Flores and James Haunt
In this public art piece the artist used spray paint to create a mural of orange and red flowers outside Rodeo 72 which is a new public market that recently opened in 2025. The artist David Flores is known for creating street art and murals. What I found interesting is that Rodeo 72 was a correctional facility before it opened its doors as a public market where family and friends can go to eat. This bright art work celebrates the Chicano culture and has a lowrider on one of the sides of the building while the other has two faces of a man and woman with the flowers in the background. The artist was able to create a site to celebrate Chicano heritage in a place where community can be fostered.
Title: Welcome Friends
Location: Southeast Corner of Painter Ave. and Whittier Blvd.
The Quad at Whittier 13420 Whittier Blvd. 90605
Artist: Jill Casty
This public art piece is located near a very popular shopping mall called the quad. The art piece was created in 1996 to welcome guests to Whittier. It is made from steel and has numerous colors to it. It's shapes symbolize the sun rising over Whittier's hills and leaves from the trees that are native to Whittier. It was stated on the AIPP website that the artist Jill Casty got inspiration from Whittier's flag which is a rainbow W so she wanted to keep the color vibrant to reflect the city.
Title: Barefoot Boy
Location: Whittier Public Library
7344 Washington Ave, Whittier, CA 90602
Artist: Tita Hupp
This bronze sculpture is found near the entrance of the Whittier Public Library and was created in 1998 and rededicated in June of 2014. The statue is of a little boy holding a stick while sitting on a rock next to a pond which represents a stream. This was created to pay homage to John Greenleaf Whittier who was an abolitionist, meaning he was against slavery and he was also a poet. This is who the city was also named after. Through community donations and fundraising Tita Hupp was able to create a sculpture that celebrates the free spirit and community of Whittier. On my visit I also saw some kids playing around the pound and with the water.
Title: From the Tree
Location: 618 Greenleaf Ave, Whittier, CA 90601
Artist: Kevin Box
On Greenleaf Avenue of Whittier there is a bronze sculpture of a huge leaf that was created in 2009 by Kevin Box. This 6x6 sculpture has color and texture to it. The leaf appears to resemble a leaf from a maple tree. This particular art piece is part of the artist's nature gallery since it has details that highlight nature through shapes and textures. It is made from bronze and has green paint with some gold on it as well and it is mounted on a pedestal. It pays homage to the beautiful scenery and trees in Whittier.
Title: The Garden Gate
Location: Lou Henry Hoover park
10839 Beverly Blvd, Whittier, CA 90601
Artist: Guy A. Wilson
The Garden Gate sculpture was created by Guy A. Wilson and consists of two bronze doors and a girl looking up at them on one side, on the other side of the doors is there are two women, one portraying Harriet Russel Strong and her four children and the other woman on the door is Florence Maple Thornburgh. Harriet Strong was an inventory of dry land irrigation and water conservation techniques in the 19th century and is in the National Women's Hall of Fame. Florence Maple Thornburgh was an early resident of Whittier who served her community. The side with the little girl looking up at the doors could symbolize the viewing of what these women did for their community.
Title: Whittier Comes to Whittier
Location: Central Park
13212 Park St. Whittier, CA
Artist: Christoph Rittershausen
This art work is is a concrete statue of John Greenleaf Whittier who known as a quaker poet and this was who Whittier was named after. This was created in 1987 in celebration of Whittier's 100th birthday on May 9th, 1987. Christoph Rittershausen was backed by several supporters that led to the approval for the statue establishment. The statue shows John sitting down reading with a book in his lap. It was stated that the artist took time to study Whittier's life and works which are now displayed in Whittier College. This statue pays tribute to one of the most influential quakers who was also a poet, journalist and abolitionist.
Phase 3: Critical Analysis
From doing the field work and seeing the art around my community I realized that the art from the Whittier Art in Public Places Program does not have every single art piece in the city on their website but the ones that they do have are historical to Whittier and represent the quaker community who was said that founded/started this city. While other art pieces such as the cultural mural titled "The History Lesson" that shows a Spanish dancer and guitar player in the foreground, a house and orange trees in the center and city and fields in the background is not mentioned on the website. There are also two other murals not mentioned, one is on the Whittier museum and showcases known figures from Whittier such as Pio Pico who was the last governor of Alta California, Jonathan and Rebecca Bailey who were the very first settlers part of the quaker colony, and Harriet Russel Strong who was known for becoming the country's leading walnut grower. The mural on Rodeo 72 was also not on the website. This is interesting because it shows that Whittier's public art reflects the historical narratives that the city leaders chose to emphasize.
I think that the city itself should defiantly recognize that there was more than one community that lived on the land that is now Whittier. From my research the city does not include all public art pieces on their website as there are many more that represent Latino and other communities but it does not mean that other communities should not be recognized. I think we should not omit the other communities from being recognized. Whittier's art only shows one aspect of history rather than a whole picture which is why I included art pieces outside Whittier's art program.
Phase 4: Proposal
Whittier has many public art pieces that reflect its history. One thing that stood out to me was that all of the public art pieces that I documented were kept in good condition and not vandalized which was good to see. The pieces can help people learn about the heritage and founding of the city. I also enjoyed seeing kids playing around one of the art pieces that was a statue next to a pound. This shows that community can be seen around these art pieces. The murals present in this city beautifully portrayed the history of Whittier.
Although I very much value the historical art works that I found, I think that this city can do better at showing the full history of Whittier. Many existing pieces that are on the Public Art in Places Program only showcase historical art from the Quaker community but they do not show any pieces that pay tribute to the Indigenous people who lived on this land for thousands of years before Whittier was established. Through research I found that Whittier was once inhabited by the Tongva people and their connection with the land runs deep but their history and culture is not acknowledged from the city's public art. I think it is important to include and acknowledge Indigenous communities that were here long before us.
Something I would do is suggest to see more public art that reflects the diversity of Whittier. Installing some murals, sculptures or other displays of art could create space for the Tongva people to be celebrated. By installing these art pieces in parks, near historical sites or in Uptown Whittier it can introduce the history of the Tongva people and their culture. By installing new artwork, without taring down old ones, this can help the community to see the people who first inhabited the land. This can give full perspective to the history of the city.
I think it is important to realize that this city is made up of people from many different backgrounds and it holds a large Latino/Latina community. By having art that shows perspectives from different communities this can help celebrate all traditions and cultures. Public art should show both the city's history and the people who currently reside there. I also think it is important that the city choses artists that have a connection to the community during the process of finding artist. By using local artist they can have a better understanding of the city's culture and history. Having artists from multiple backgrounds is also important so more communities are acknowledged.
Overall I found the history of Whittier and it's public art interesting because it creates a welcoming environment while showing some important parts of history. Although I do think that more communities could be recognized through public art. The city has a diverse population and it should be able to be reflected through public art. Including local artists would also be good to show the cultures that make up this city's community.
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