Academy Visual Art students Javier Diaz, Ahin Ju, Max Malsich, Simone Miller and Azalie Welsh of Culver City High School have finished their visual theatre installation, entitled, “The Garden,” on the property of the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Downtown.
[img]1346|left|||no_popup[/img]
Art students Ahin Ju and Javier Diaz preparing their sculptural installation
[img]1347|left|||no_popup[/img]
From left, AVPA Art Students Max Malsich, Javier Diaz, Ahin Ju, Azalie Welsh installing their artwork at the Kirk Douglas Theatre
Sixteen students from the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts created four separate installations during a 14-week workshop with Janne Larsen, a professional set designer with Center Theatre Group.
The artwork consists of anthropomorphic galvanized steel wire sculptures, ivy, mulch and lights. “The Garden” will remain installed beside the front entrance to the theatre during the time the Kirk Douglas is showing their production of the play “A Raisin in the Sun.” The text of this play, written by Lorraine Hansberry, was the inspiration for creating the art piece.
At the conclusion of the run, The Garden will be reinstalled along with the other three installations at its original location on Culver City High's campus.
Presently, The Garden may be seen from the sidewalk or the street on Washington Boulevard at the entrance to the theatre (in the lot adjacent to the front entrance).
Downtown visitors during the evening are invited to stop by and observe in the nightlight the full effect of the lit-up sculptures.
The installation was featured in the Los Angeles Times’s Home & Garden section on Feb. 4. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2012/02/raisin-in-the-sun-garden.html
The new initiative Front and Center is a theatre collaborative including the Culver City Unified School District, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Center Theatre Group, the Actor's Gang, and We Tell Stories. It strives to support the District in providing a comprehensive theatre education for all K-12 Culver City students. Through this collaborative, Center Theatre Group, has provided the AVPA Visual Art program an in-depth master class called Visual Theatre.
See avpa.org
