At the April 21th meeting, members and guests heard the presentation by Rowland Becerra Chair for the art and performance organization, Lynwood Union.  Rowland presented the public art at the Long Beach Blvd. Green Line Station.  In power point slides, he showed the artwork that is located both on the platform level, and at the plaza level of both sides of Long Beach Blvd.

The name of the art works is Celestial Chance.  The principal  artist is Sally Weber, whose other artworks include extensive work in the medium of holographic art.  Holographic art involves appearance of art through the dispersion of light against specific art objects.  As Rowland illustrated, at the top of the underside of the station canopies on the platform, there are reflective horizontal panels, which reflect light from the rays of the sun.  Depending on the angle of the sun, one can see refracted light on the panels on the station platform.

The theme of the station's art is traditional and contemporary visions of the sky. As Rowland portrayed in a beautiful slide, artist Weber states:  “The same sky is above us all, but we see it differently depending upon our traditions, beliefs, and the technology we have to explore it.”  Adjacent to McCaslin's ceramic tile work, is a native American Indian legend

 This theme includes the ceramic tile artwork on the plaza level on both sides of Long Beach Blvd., by the artist, selected by Sally Weber, Viqui McCaslin.  The artist McCaslin's  designs come from traditional paintings from a LA County cave near Simi Valley.   These native Americans used caves as sacred winter and summer solstice sites.

In the sky, all the rest of the stars appear to rotate around the North Pole Star.  In a Chumash legend, the North Star, Polaris, marked the place through which their benevolent god, Sky Coyote,   represented by the North Star, drops the bounty of heaven for the people below.  The wording of this legend appears on brick-colored panels adjacent to McCaslin's ceramic tile and also on inserts in the platform above.  From a photo of these panels, Rowland read the wording in Spanish and Daniel read the wording in English.  (copies were distributed as a memento).

“SEGUN LA LEYENDA CHUMASH, EL COYOTE DEL ,CIELO, TAMBIEN CONOCIDO COMO LA ESTRELLA DEL NORTE, SE JUGABA  EL DESTINO DE LA GENTE CONTRA EL SOL TODAS LA NOCHES.  LA LUNA LLEVABA LA CUENTA Y ANUNCIABA AL GANADOR DURANTE EL SOLISTICIO DEL INVIERNO.     SI GANABA EL SOL, LA GENTE SUFRIRIA.   PERO SI GANABA EL COYOTE DEL CIELO, ESTE LLENABA UNA CANASTA CON BENDICIONES PARA EL ANO NUEVO, Y LAS DERRAMABA SOBRE LA GENTE A TRAVES DE UN AGAJERO EN EL CIELO SITUADO SOBRE EL POLO NORTE.”

“IN CHUMASH LEGEND, SKY COYOTE ALSO KNOWN AS THE NORTH STAR , GAMBLED AGAINST THE SUN EACH NIGHT FOR THE FATE OF THE PEOPLE.   THE MOON KEPT SCORE AND AT WINTER SOLSTICE ANNOUNCED THE WINNER.   IF THE SUN WON THE PEOPLE WOULD SUFFER.   BUT IF SKY COYOTE WON, HE WOULD FILL A BASKET WITH BLESSINGS FOR THE NEW YEAR AND POUR THEM DOWN TO THE PEOPLE BELOW THROUGH THE HOLE IN THE TOP OF THE SKY AT THE NORTH POLE.”

As to a scientific means of observing the sky, on the platform floor there are several images in interlocking curved patterns inspired by a contemporary  instrument (called a “squid') used for measuring the infrared light from stars.

Daniel thanked Rowland for his presentation and noted that Rowland may prepare another presentation on the artwork at several other stations on the Green Line and the Blue Line.

After the presentation, President Martina Rodriguez mentioned the planned memorial service for Oliver Conner at Rose Hills Cemetery in Whittier On Sat. Apr 23, at 3:00 pm.            

Daniel Miller /  Omar Franco 

Public Relations and Community Outreach for the Lynwood Rotary Club