Take a little piece of my art

Suzie Harrison

The Arts Commission is inviting Laguna residents to show their

artistic side by participating in the Festival of Mosaics mural

installation of “Memento” at the Lang Park Community Center

courtyard.

Starting Nov. 6, locals can aid inthe completion of the five

mosaic murals, which will become a permanent piece of public art.

“It gives the general public an opportunity to be involved in the

public art process,” arts commissioner Mike Tauber said. “For a lot

of the population there’s a mystery between a public art competition

and the final installation.”

Tauber said “Memento” would help answer the piece came and how it

got there.

Leading the creative endeavor is Laguna Beach artist Gerard Basil

Stripling, who won the artist design competition for the festival. He

said it was the community participation that initially drew him to

the project.

“The arts commission chose a project to have the public

participate and donate materials to apply to it [the murals],”

Stripling said. “I wanted to take it a little further and have people

donate things that are memorable to them.”

Tauber proposed the idea after being a part of a similar project

for the Queensland Art Council in Australia years ago.

“This project is a way for all the residents to claim ownership of

our public art collection,” Tauber said.

The goal of the project is for everyone to be able to say that

they created public art in Laguna Beach Tauber said. It will also be

added to the city’s public art brochure.

“This piece will be in there and all the residents will say, ‘I

did this piece,’ and point it out to friends and visitors,” Tauber

said. Participation days are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 6 and 7 and

Nov. 12, 13 and 14 at Lang Park Community Center, 21540 Wesley Drive.

People ages 14 and older can participate and the public is welcome to

watch. People can sign up to participate from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the farmers’ market in the Lumber Yard Parking Lot. For

information, call (949) 497-0722 or sign up using the form in the

fall recreation directory.