The Art of Kathy Taslitz
- Jun 24, 2017
- 2 min read
When artist Kathy Taslitz was commissioned to create new public art for the Manhattan Beach Library, she knew immediately where to find her inspiration.
“To start, I spent time in Manhattan Beach getting familiar with its unique culture and community, talking with the residents and taking in the breathtaking natural environment to gather my ideations,” said Taslitz. “These observations helped to inform my design for both sculptures.”
Inspired by the strong sense of community and civic engagement she had uncovered, Taslitz set about creating her work.
Personal Archeology is a wall relief sculpture depicting a branch of kelp that spans 20 feet in length. Hidden within the undulating aluminum kelp leaves are significant words that residents and local historians had used to describe Manhattan Beach to Taslitz.
Prevailing Affinities represents a bloom of 18 jellyfish meant to embody individuals and families joining together to form a community. The white fiberglass domes are contrasted by colorful undersides – revealing different hues featured in the official city seal of Manhattan Beach.
Both sculptures are reflective of the overarching theme of Taslitz's work: the human need to be a part of something greater through interpersonal connection - linking organic nature and the natural world with human or anthropomorphic qualities.
Since the unveiling, Melissa McCollum, Community Library Manager of the Manhattan Beach Library, has noticed an increase in conversations regarding art in the library.
“The Manhattan Beach community seems to really like the library's new civic art,” said McCollum. “We had a large turnout for our artist reception (on November 2nd, 2016), and we're hearing many positive comments about both [sculptures],” “One of my favorite interactions so far is a young girl that went up and down the stairs pointing out the colors underneath the jellyfish - ‘pink jellyfish, yellow jellyfish,’” said McCollum. “I also loved witnessing a group of adults spending quite a long time searching for the Manhattan Beach words embedded in the kelp.”
Both sculptures were recently nominated by the County of Los Angeles for Americans For The Arts - Best In Public Art Projects Awards 2017.
Taslitz is pleased to see her works inspire dialogue among library visitors and art lovers in the community. “It’s fantastic to create something that moves people enough so that they want to think about it and take it in.” she said.
McCollum added: “We look forward to enjoying it along with our customers for many years.”
The project was sponsored by the City of Manhattan Beach Cultural Arts Commission, the LA County Arts Commission, and the LA County Library System.
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