Artwork Detail

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Building Community

Artist: Strayhorn, Robin

Date: 2009

Medium: Ceramic

Artwork Dimensions: 86 x 68 x 68 in.

County Department: Parks and Recreation

Artwork Site: Ted Watkins Memorial Park

Supervisorial District: 2

Location Status: Permanent

About the Artwork:

Located in the heart of South Los Angeles, Ted Watkins Memorial Park was renamed in 1995 to honor Ted Watkins, the founder of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC). Robin Strayhorn’s mosaic tile mural on the park’s flagpole is a memorial to Ted Watkins and his commitment to the Watts community. The other panels on the flagpole depict colorful images of garden tools which are symbolic of the Watts community’s constant growth.

About the Artist:

Robin Strayhorn, who lives in downtown Los Angeles, graduated from UCLA and taught at Markham Middle School in Watts for several years. Strayhorn has completed public art commissions for the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, MTA Metro Art, and the Ontario International Airport. Her work is characterized by rich, colorful, sometimes abstracted human forms and designs rendered in ceramic tile. She is recognized for involving community members in her projects.