A Touch of Classic Works Can Be Viewed in Many Places

In the ‘80s, art has moved beyond museum walls and into the communities as never before.

Today, the public can enjoy accessible artworks in settings that range from county courthouses to community parks, from airports to shopping malls.

Following are 10 self-guided art tours around the Southland. Many of these are free or low-cost, and several sites have brochures, guidebooks or maps of suggested routes:

Santa Barbara County Courthouse, 1100 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara, (805) 962-6464. Built in 1929, this structure with its turrets and towers is considered one of Southern California’s best examples of Spanish-Moorish architecture. Artworks inside the building include a variety of ornamental tiles and carvings; huge murals by artist Dan Sayre Groesbeck that depict Santa Barbara’s history; large, decorative maps in the Law Library that show the county and the legendary “Island of California,” and inside the entrance tower a ceiling that is a replica of a 14th-Century synagogue in Toledo, Spain. You can take a self-guided tour through the building and grounds; free guided tours are given Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:30 a.m., Thursdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m. A 25-cent brochure is available from the information desk in the lobby. The courthouse is open seven days a week, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

MacArthur Park, 2230 West 6th St., Los Angeles. Through the combined efforts of the MacArthur Park Community Council and the Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design, this park has undergone a beautification program, consisting of better maintenance and the installation of a number of public art forms. The murals on the band shell and on a park maintenance building were created by teen-agers from the surrounding neighborhood; those at the entrances to the Wilshire Boulevard pedestrian tunnels were done by Bob Zoell and Robert Williams. On the path next to the lake are three pieces of sidewalk art by Alexis Smith--two terrazzo-and-bronze pictures embedded in the sidewalk and a small bronze sculpture next to a bench. The clock tower in the southwest section of the park was created by George Herms; two ceramic-tiled pyramids are the work of Judith Simonian.

Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 1712 S. Glendale Ave., Glendale, (213) 254-3131. The 300 landscaped acres here include a major collection of large white Carrara marble statuary, plus one of the world’s largest religious oil paintings: Jan Styka’s 45-by-195-foot “Crucifixion.” This painting, along with a companion piece, “Resurrection” (51 by 70 feet), is shown daily on the hour, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. A $1 donation is suggested. In the Memorial Court of Honor is a stained-glass re-creation of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” The Forest Lawn Museum has American bronze statuary and a Michelangelo exhibit. The park is open daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

City of Long Beach Murals. Since 1985, the Cultural Services Division of the Long Beach Parks and Recreation Department has commissioned 19 murals for installation at various sites throughout the city. Some of the murals are: “Bay of Smokes” by Patrick Mohr and Sue Ann Robinson, at Long Beach Municipal Airport; Jane Boyd’s “Days of Leisure” and John Sanders’ “Seven Flyers,” both at Bixby Park, 1st Street and Cherry Avenue and Slater Barron’s “Home Run,” at Blair Field, Wilson High School, corner of Park Avenue and 7th streets. “Mosaic Mural,” created in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration art project, has been permanently relocated to a parking structure (Promenade at West 3rd Street, west of Long Beach Boulevard). The third annual Long Beach Art Expedition, a self-guided tour of artists’ studios, museums, galleries and public art works, will be held June 26; it is sponsored by the Public Corp. for the Arts. During the week preceding the art expedition, there will be art openings every night throughout the city in honor of the Long Beach Centennial celebration. Contact Mary Sullivan at (213) 432-8708 for details.

Historic Art on the Queen Mary, Pier J, Long Beach, (213) 435-5671. Many paintings, sculptures and other artworks on board date back to 1936, when the ship first sailed. According to archives administrator Bill Winberg, the following works are among those that may be viewed on a ship’s tour: Kenneth Shoesmith’s paintings “Flower Market” and “Madonna of the Tall Ships”; a large gesso panel entitled “Unicorns in Battle” by Gilbert Bayes and Alfred Oakley; Dame Laura Knight’s painting, “The Mill’s Circus,” and a bronze statuette, “Jupiter and the Princess of Phoenicia,” by S. Nicholson Babb. In the Grand Salon, where the ship serves Sunday brunch, are a number of paintings: “Map of the North Atlantic” by MacDonald Gill, “Merrie England” by Philip Connard and “Birds of the Old World” and “Birds of the New World” by A. Duncan Carse. This room also has 14 panels of pinewood carvings by Bainbridge Copnall that depict the history of ship building. The cost of a self-guided shipwalk tour is $14.50 for adults, $8.50 for ages 5 to 11. (The price includes admission to the Spruce Goose, which is located next to the ship.)

Brea Community Art, City of Brea. The city has had an “Art in Public Places” program since 1975 and claims to have one of the largest public sculpture collections in the nation. Of the more than 60 sculptures, many are large-scale outdoor works that may be viewed on a walking or driving tour. The collection is catalogued by title, artist and location in a $2 booklet, available at City Hall (Number 1 Civic Center Circle, (714) 990-7600. Included is a map with a suggested route for viewing the various pieces--fountains, a large bronze eagle, a trio of galloping mustangs, a concrete sunburst, a stainless-steel cactus garden and a number of abstracts. Well-known artists, such as Fletcher Benton, Gidon Graetz, Harold Pastorius and Seiji Kunishima, are represented in the collection. The self-guided tour begins at the civic cultural center and ends at Brea Mall.

South Coast Plaza Town Center, Interstate 405 at Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, (714) 241-1700. Interwoven among the center’s shops, banks, offices, restaurants and hotel are 13 works of art that range from a stained-glass wall to abstract sculptures. The largest is Isamu Noguchi’s “California Scenario,” a 1.6-acre sculpture garden located between the Central Bank Tower and Great Western Savings. The garden is open to the public, 8 a.m. to midnight daily. Other sculptures within the Town Center include Henry Moore’s “Reclining Figure,” Jim Huntington’s “Night Shift,” Joan Miro’s “Oiseau” and Jean Dubuffet’s “Tour Aux Jambes.” Also present are “Sun Ribbon” (a stained-glass wall) by Claire Falkenstein, “Pekin” (a metal sculpture) by Alexander Calder and “Un Deux Trois” (fiber art) by Sheila Hicks. A brochure showing locations of the artworks is available from the administrative offices or from brochure boxes throughout the complex.

Newport Beach City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd., Newport Beach, (714) 644-3017. In 1970, the city began making purchase awards to artists whose works were entered in the annual municipal art festival’s juried show. These purchased works are now part of a permanent collection of municipal art, on display in the city offices, hallways, lobby and other areas throughout the building. Many of the works depict local scenes: Eve Thompson’s watercolor of the Balboa Pavilion, Winifred Smith’s “8 A.M.” (an oil painting of a cannery) and Vincent Farrell’s drawing of Newport Bridge. In the courtyard of the main building is Rafe Affleck’s iron sculpture, “Horizons ’76.”

Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 33533 Ritz-Carlton Drive, Laguna Niguel, (714) 240-2000. The hotel has printed a catalogue (available for $2) with maps for self-guided tours of the 200 artworks found throughout the hotel’s dining rooms, reception lobby and other public areas. This $3.9-million collection, composed primarily of 18th- and 19th-Century European and American artworks, includes Belgian and French tapestries, English crystal chandeliers, a variety of paintings and bronzes, and a hand-carved limestone fireplace that once heated a German castle.

Hotel del Coronado, 1500 Orange Ave., Coronado, (619) 435-6611. You can rent a self-guided audio tape tour of the hotel and its art, decor and memorabilia for $3 from the lobby gift shop. The tour begins in the central lobby, which houses a hand-cut Bavarian crystal chandelier and a bird-cage electric elevator that has been in operation since 1888. In the Crown Room are crown-shaped chandeliers designed by L. Frank Baum (who wrote several of his Wizard of Oz books while staying at the hotel). A highlight of the tour is the “History Gallery” in the lower passageway that features many photos, paintings, architectural drawings of the hotel and such items as original electric lamps Thomas Edison helped install. Other items of memorabilia have been added for the hotel’s 100th birthday celebration on Feb. 19.