After Clara Shortridge Foltz

Artist: Mann, Elana b.1980

Date: 2023

Medium: Mirrored glass and printed aluminum

Artwork Dimensions: 55 x 27 in.

County Department: Public Defender

Artwork Site: Hall of Records - Office of the Public Defender

Supervisorial District: 1

Current Status: On view

About the Artwork: This artwork pays tribute to Clara Shortridge Foltz, the founder of the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office. Among her accomplishments, Foltz was California's first female attorney, a powerful suffragist, and a single mother of five. Like many historical figures, Foltz has a complicated legacy - she was part of a coalition that passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. However, much of her later work sought to protect disadvantaged populations. At the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, Foltz introduced the concept of a Public Defender, an agency designed to provide free court representation for those without means. In 1914, the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office was founded, the first in the nation. Foltz then worked to duplicate this effort through legislation in 30 states. By including a mirror in the design, the artwork also honors the many people working to further the values of the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office. During the development of this artwork, artist Elana Mann observed how Foltz's original vision for the Public Defender's Office has evolved to include rehabilitation, restoration, healing, and harm reduction. Foltz's aspirations are intricately woven and reimagined through the perspectives of the people who are reshaping the judicial system even now.

About the Artist: Elana Mann is an artist and activist who explores the power of the collective voice and the mutability of language through sculpture, sound, works on paper, and public performances. Mann has presented her work in museums, galleries, and public spaces in the U.S. and globally.