New Photo Mural Depicts Growth of Santa Monica

Anew photo mural designed by artist Jeff Weiss and depicting the chronology of Santa Monica’s growth, as seen from the air, has been unveiled by the SMARTS Festival and is on permanent exhibit in the lobby of Santa Monica’s Main Library.

Composed of photographs from government archives and text describing Santa Monica’s original inhabitants, the Gabrielino Indians, the mural also includes pictures of aluminum figures of Muscle Beach acrobats, derived from photos in the library’s collection. The piece is 5 feet by 22 feet and is made of wood, Formica, aluminum and granite.

Titled “Santa Monica Time Line,” the mural was selected from 41 proposals submitted at the time of the library’s renovation and remodeling project.

The mural’s unveiling was part of SMARTS’ (Santa Monica Arts Partnership) celebration of the 150th anniversary of photography.

Santa Monica Main Library, 1343 Sixth St., Santa Monica (213) 458-8603.

CLOSING FAIR: Today is the final day of the fifth annual Los Angeles Fine Print Fair, in the exhibition hall of Butterfield & Butterfield Auctioneers from noon to 6 p.m.

Twenty print dealers from the United States and Canada are exhibiting original woodcuts, engravings, etchings, lithographs and drawings from the 15th through the 20th Centuries. Among the artists represented are Durer, Whistler, Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec, and the works include Old Masters, German Expressionism, American prints, Japanese woodblocks and Indian miniatures. Admission is $2.

Butterfield & Butterfield Auctioneers, 7610 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles.

DUAL EXHIBIT: Saturday, the Koplin Gallery in Los Angeles will open exhibits of works by artists Stephen Rubin and David Settino Scott.

Scott’s still lifes, which he claims were inspired by Rousseau and Gauguin, involve images with no narrative significance of their own. Instead, Scott, a native Californian, manipulates them to experiment with color, space and composition. Also on display will be cast and painted bronze renditions in the same genre.

Somewhat related are the paintings of Rubin, a New York artist who also departs from traditional still life by exploring the aesthetics of arranging various forms on the canvas and the process of painting itself. The results are strongly intuitive forms and autonomous shapes; in Rubin’s words, “the shape painted actually belongs to itself.”

A reception for Scott and Rubin will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday. The exhibitions continue through March 11.

Koplin Gallery, 8225 1/2 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles (213) 656-3378. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.