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  • CRA/LA’S commitment to public art began over 40 years ago.
  • Over 200 art projects in 21 redevelopment project areas have been completed to date.
  • California Plaza developers met their art requirement by building a $23 million facility for the Museum of Contemporary Art.

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 \\Commonspot\internet-site\images\bullet1 Art Projects
 

Jud Fine
Spine
1993

Project Area: CBD/Financial Core
Project: Central Library, Maguire Gardens
Project Location: 630 W. Fifth Street
Project Type: Developer

Description:

Leading to the library on the Flower Street entrance is a series of stairs flanking three raised pools titled "Bright," "Lucid," and "Clear." Lettering from nineteen languages, printed words in nine languages, and symbolic communications in higher math, art, and poetry are all etched into risers on the steps.

Commenting on the title of his work, Fine said, "Spine is a title which brings several confluent ideas to mind. The spine is the fundamental unit of a body that gives it the strength and support to stand on its own. The spine begins where the brain leaves off. The electricity of the body flows through it. Fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are all classified together due to the commonality of the spine. Structurally, the spine also refers to the anatomy of the book. A book is identified by the name running down its spine. The spine separates the front from the back, and at the same time it hinges them together. It is the central nervous system of the book."
Image of Fountain
 
Image of Pool
 

Artist Profile

Artist Jud Fine has completed a number of commissioned public art projects, the most significant including: Santa Barbara County Bowl Master Plan; Los Angeles Central Library’s Maguire Gardens; Metro Gold Line Highland Park Station; and designed integrated art plans with artist Barbara McCarren for the San Francisco Zoo and the Cesar Chavez Park in Long Beach, California.  His works can be found in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Pasadena Museum of Modern Art; Laguna Beach Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago; Guggenheim Museum, New York City.  The artist received his BA in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his MFA from Cornell University.  Jud Fine teaches sculpture at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.