Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Announces Three New Public Art Installations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2025

Library, Arts & Culture Media: Maryl Fleisher Email: [email protected] Phone: (818) 937-7806

City Media Contact: Communications and Community Relations Email: [email protected] Phone: (818) 548-3342

Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Announces Three New Public Art Installations

These unique art projects celebrate community, culture, and creative expression across the City

GLENDALE, CA -- The City of Glendale's Library, Arts & Culture is pleased to announce progress on three significant public art projects taking shape throughout the City, where each work uniquely reflects the diversity, history and creativity of the Glendale community. These projects have been selected for locations throughout Glendale as a part of the City's ongoing Cultural Landmarks initiative, sponsored by the Glendale Arts & Culture Commission, including Montrose Circular Benches, Glenoaks Boulevard Median Sculpture, and Fremont Park Columns Tile Artwork.

Created by Glendale-based artist Kassia Rico, "Our Garden Spot" (rendering above) reflects the neighborhood's unique spirit and invites public interactivity through three artistically designed circular benches. Nestled between the Verdugo Mountains and San Rafael Hills, the benches located on Honolulu Avenue highlight Montrose's natural beauty and cultural heritage, offering a serene vantage point overlooking the historic Glendale & Montrose Railway site. Each bench is crafted with smalti glass mosaics and designed to evoke a sensory experience, incorporating light, history, and storytelling. The Moo Moo Mia Bench celebrates nature and pollinators with a rose-toned palette inspired by Sparr Heights' orchards; the Village Square Bench pays tribute to the Montrose peacock and local life with citrus hues and calming blues; and the Star Cafe Bench honors the area's water heritage, native Tongva history and railway legacy in stillwater blue tones. With stainless steel details, preserved analog clocks and typographic elements, these works of art encourage exploration, connection and reflection, serving as both a historical portal and a heartfelt tribute to the community that shaped them.

"Hahamongna" by Forma Studio will transform a portion of Glenoaks Boulevard, the median between Brand Blvd. and Central Ave., into an illuminated tribute to Glendale's geography and Indigenous history. Inspired by the Verdugo Mountains' elevation contours, the sculpture's textured metal form will feature intricate cutouts derived from local topography. The name "Hahamongna" comes from the Tongva language and translates to "fruitful valley," honoring the First Nations people who once called Glendale home. The artwork is expected to be installed by late 2025 and will glow at night, creating a striking landmark for drivers and pedestrians alike.

As part of the Fremont Park Renovation Project, artist Cara Lynch has been commissioned to design and install a vibrant tile artwork titled "Belonging" on the park's columns, contributing a meaningful and permanent artistic element to the newly reimagined space. Inspired by native wildflower fields, "Belonging" celebrates community and the local landscape through a rich visual vocabulary of pattern, color, and form. The tilework draws on the diverse flora of California, incorporating references to species such as the California Poppy, the state flower, Wishbone Bush, Beach Evening Primrose, Red Catchfly, and California Aster in both coastal and desert varieties. These plants were selected not only for their beauty and regional relevance but also for the ideas of diversity, place, and connection they evoke.

Lynch's design includes deliberate nods to quilting, textiles and decorative traditions, invoking themes of home, family, and belonging. Some tile elements repeat, flip or rotate, while others are rendered in varying colorways or stand alone. Large-scale floral motifs punctuate the pattern playfully, introducing moments of surprise and visual interest when viewed at a distance. Together, these elements create a cohesive yet dynamic artwork that mirrors the vibrant and layered identity of the Glendale community.

For more information about the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture's public art programs, please visit GlendaleArtsandCulture.org/CulturalLandmarks

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About Library, Arts & Culture

Founded in 1907, the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department includes eight neighborhood libraries including the Brand Library & Art Center, a regional visual arts and music library and performance venue housed in the historic 1904 mansion of Glendale pioneer Leslie C. Brand, and the Central Library, a 93,000 square foot center for individuals and groups to convene, collaborate and create. The department also serves as the chief liaison to the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission which works to continually transform Glendale into an ever-evolving arts destination. Glendale Library Arts & Culture is supported in part through the efforts of the Glendale Library Arts & Culture Trust (GLACT). For more information visit GlendaleLAC.org, or contact Library, Arts & Culture at 818-548-2021 or via email at [email protected].

About the City of Glendale

Known as the "Jewel City," Glendale is the fourth largest city of Los Angeles County. With a population of almost 200,000, Glendale is a thriving cosmopolitan city that is rich in history, culturally diverse, and offers nearly 50 public parks & facilities, with easy access to a municipal airport. It is the home to a vibrant business community, with major companies in healthcare, entertainment, manufacturing, retail, and banking. Visit GlendaleCA.gov for more information and follow us on social media @MyGlendale.

About the Arts and Culture Commission

The mission of the Glendale Arts & Culture Commission is to enrich the human experience, reinforce Glendale's identity and civic pride through arts and culture, and to recognize the importance of arts to our quality of life and to the local economy. This is accomplished by consciously integrating arts and culture into the daily life of the people of Glendale through urban design, planning, economic development, and education. For more information about the Glendale Arts & Culture Commission see the website: GlendaleArtsAndCulture.org

@MyglendaleLAC #MyglendaleLAC https://www.GlendaleLAC.org