Project Description
Connectivity celebrates La Verne’s infrastructure, architecture, and connection to water. The design for each of the three sculptures is based on an orchard ladder, but with a repeating zig-zag pattern instead of traditional horizontal rungs. This pattern is an ancient symbol for water and appears in the ceramic tile ornamentation of the Metropolitan Water District’s Weymouth Tower and along the roofline of the former La Verne Orange and Lemon Grower’s Association building. The Arrow Highway, an important connector for La Verne, is represented with arrow-shaped concrete bases. Each “arrow” is oriented in a different direction and points towards one of three community assets: Downtown La Verne, the University of La Verne, and the Pomona Fairplex.
Artist Statement
“La Verne’s history—of water, citrus, and architecture—was the conceptual and formal basis for Connectivity, a suite of three stainless steel sculptures at the La Verne/Fairplex Station. Each sculpture points in a different direction, addressing three different communities that come together at the station.”
About the Artist
BLUE MCRIGHT (b. 1956) is a visual artist, scuba diver, and environmentalist whose practice encompasses public art, sculpture and installation. In ways that are more poetic than didactic, her works engage with ideas and issues about water. McRight’s work is held in numerous public and private collections including the Frederick R. Weisman Foundation, the New Mexico Fine Arts Museum, and the Delaware Art Museum. She has been awarded grants including a City of Los Angeles Master Artist Fellowship, the Los Angeles Downtown Cultural Trust Grant, and a Cultural Grant for Artist in Residence, Los Angeles. Her many public commissions include artwork at the State Capital, Sacramento, California; Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles; and the State Capital in Olympia, Washington. McRight studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and Evergreen State College.