Art Imitates Life Imitates Art

I had a few comments about the lifeguard  tower in Friday’s post so I thought I would show you some of the other lifeguard stations along Venice Beach during my September trip. The towers in Venice were among 156 Los Angeles County towers that made up the most extensive public art display in the country from May through October this year.

 
 Summer of Color, a privately funded and supported initiative, was the culmination of the efforts of nearly 6,000 children in schools, hospitals, and social service programs – and more than 2,500 adult volunteers – who participated in the initiative’s program activities, which included the painting of the panels. The program was sponsored by Portraits of Hope, a non- profit organization which enriches the lives of children and adults who are coping with serious illness through participation in creative projects.

 
On the last day of our trip we were bemoaning the fact that the tower rails and cross beams were being painted over by volunteers from Starbucks and Greater Los Angeles along with UCLA’s freshman class when an organizer stopped to explain to us that at the projects end the colorful panels were going to be donated to the participating institutions and to social service agencies around the world for the beautification of interior and exterior settings. Many of the panels will be shipped to Haiti for transitional homes, temporary shelters, schools, hospitals, and senior centers.