Eye on Design

Eye on Design Sites and Community Partners

Eye on Design at Thomas A. Edison Elementary School, 2004 - 2007

Eye on Design was piloted in Long Beach’s historic Willmore City neighborhood. The community just northwest of downtown was originally envisioned as an exclusive Long Beach neighborhood, but evolved into neglected, yet colorful, urban space. It seemed a perfect fit for a program that focused on changing neighborhoods through the creation of public art. The historic 1906 Bembridge Heritage Homesite, part of Long Beach Heritage, signed on as the primary partner and functioned as an educational and neighborhood gathering place. To support the artist residency, community partners and participants educated students about the importance of their historic neighborhood and their ability to create effective change in it. Students created four public art proposals for their neighborhood, one of which was carried forward and designed, fabricated and installed by local artist Steve Elicker.

Eye on Design at Luther Burbank Elementary School, 2006 - 2009

Long Beach’s historic Alamitos Beach Townsite will be the area explored by students from Luther Burbank Elementary School for Eye on Design’s second site. The Alamitos Beach Townsite encapsulates three historic neighborhoods: Carroll Park, Bluff Park and Rose Park. These three neighborhoods provide a rich patchwork of local history, public design, architecture and public art to learn about and discover. Beyond their historic and preserved beauty, these urban-centered communities also display blight and inner-city wear, providing an excellent opportunity for students to facilitate neighborhood change through the empowerment of public art and civic responsibility. The Long Beach Museum of Art located on the edge of the Bluff Park neighborhood will act as the program’s primary partner. Beyond its current designation as a museum, the Long Beach Museum of Art was originally built as a neighborhood home-site in the craftsman bungalow style. The transition from a home-site to public space provides a unique opportunity for students to relive the home’s historic past and see how spaces can be transformed for new uses.

Eye on Design at Dooley Elementary School, 2007 - 2010

The Rancho Los Cerritos area in North Long Beach will be Eye on Design’s third destination. During the residency, students from Dooley Elementary School will learn about the historic Rancho Los Cerritos and the neighborhood which surrounds their school. As primary partners, Dooley and the Rancho represent the oldest and newest structures in the students’ neighborhood. Rancho Los Cerritos will act as the portal for students to explore their neighborhood’s past, while their new school will teach them about design, architecture and sustainability. From these concepts students will develop the background knowledge required to imagine and create public art proposals for their community.

Current and Past Sponsors, Partners and Participants

Program Sponsors:

Earl B. and Loraine H. Miller Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Los Angeles County Arts Commission

National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts

Long Beach Redevelopment Agency

California Arts Council

National Endowment for the Arts

Arts Council Staff:

Kenton Haleem, Program Director and Curriculum Director/Co-Author

Leslie Markle, Consultant and Lecturer

Partners and Participants:

Julie Bartolotto, Executive Director, Long Beach Historical Society, Consultant and Lecturer

Bembridge Heritage Homesite

Adwin Brown, Performing Artist

Luther Burbank Elementary School

California State University, Long Beach, Art Department

Kendell Carter, Artist

City of Long Beach, Department of Planning and Building

City of Long Beach, Department of Parks, Recreation & Marine

Heather Clark, Graphic Designer and Curriculum Contributor

Karen Clements, Education Coordinator, Bembridge Heritage Homesite, Consultant and Lecturer

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Madeline Diaz, Youth Programs Coordinator, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Dooley Elementary School

Thomas A. Edison Elementary School

Steve Elicker, Resident and Public Artist

Elissa Ennis, Education Manager, Long Beach Museum of Art, Consultant and Lecturer

Candice Gawne, Artist

Karen Harper, Consultant and Community Historian

Rick Frausto, Artist

Historical Society of Long Beach

Long Beach Heritage

Long Beach Museum of Art

Long Beach Unified School District

Long Beach Unified School District, History/Social Science Curriculum Office

Long Beach Unified School District, Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Office

Councilmember Bonnie Lowenthal, First District

Councilmember Suja Lowenthal, Second District

Michael Massenburg, Public Artist

Ruth Meghiddo, Principal, Meghiddo Architects, AIA, Consultant and Lecturer

Meghiddo Architects, AIA

Catherine Morley, Chair, Bembridge Heritage Homesite

Lesa Neal, Public Artist

Greg Pickens, Public Artist

Rancho Los Cerritos

Bianca Roman, Field Deputy, First District Councilmember Bonnie Lowenthal’s Office

Angelica Sotiriou, Resident Artist, Curriculum Co-Author

Smithsonian Institution

Ernie Villa, Community Member

Willmore City Heritage Association

Willmore Community Members

Willmore Community Police Center

Eye On Design is made possible through the generous support of The Earl B. and Loraine H. Miller Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes “A Great Nation Deserves Great Art”; the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission; The MetLife Partners in Arts Education Program, which is funded by MetLife Foundation and administered by the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts; the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency; and the California Arts Council. (credit line as of August 23, 2007)