Airport authority commissioners express their opinions about transportation center art project
Members of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority made it clear Monday they want all three cities individually represented in the artwork that will mounted on the transportation center at Hollywood Burbank Airport.
They were briefed on the status of the project, which will feature six art panels, by Gail Goldman, an art consultant for the authority, and Fausto Fernandez, the artist selected in February to work on the artwork.
The authority is required to install art pieces onto the transportation center to fulfill Burbank’s Art in Public Places obligation when the building was finished.
Fernandez, who has done public-art projects for the city of Compton and Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, presented several initial designs he thinks represent Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and Hollywood Burbank Airport.
The artist said he photographed different events in each city and used those images as his source of inspiration for each piece. He went to a baseball game at John Burroughs High School and a “Madden 17” video-game championship in Burbank, attended a dance class at Sparr Heights Community Center in Glendale and went to Pasadena City College’s graduation.
“I use the photos in my concept design, and I mix these images on the paintings,” Fernandez said. “It’s part abstract and part photographic.”
However, commissioners expressed concern when Fernandez told them he would be incorporating images from all three cities and the airport into each of the six panels.
Commission President Terry Tornek said he was under the impression each city would be individually represented in a panel and not combined.
Fernandez said his approach was to use the best images he could find in each city and combine them in a way that would complement one another and tie them all together.
However, several commissioners wanted their respective cities represented on a panel individually, with possibly one panel that combines all three communities.
Zareh Sinanyan, the authority’s vice president, said Glendale is much more than just the Sparr Heights Community Center and suggested Fernandez go back to the city and find more diverse examples.
“You presented [the concepts] to us for our reaction and we’ve reacted, so I hope that this is a useful exchange,” Tornek said.
Fernandez said he will be going back to his studio to complete the project, which is expected to be finished by September 2018.
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
