ART EXHIBITS : Works of art that have messages carved in stone.

Lucy Bradanovic Agid has a handshake than could turn a lump of coal into a diamond.

But Agid, a sculptor, doesn’t work with coal. Marble is her stone of choice, she says--but not just any old slab.

“I like a marble that gives me more of a challenge,” said the South Bay native who lives in Rolling Hills. Agid, who has been sculpting for nearly a decade, likes harder stones but says, “If you let the stone fight you, you’ll never get anything done.”

Agid sculpts abstract human figures, each with a powerful social message. Social acceptance, the importance of youth and the joy of being alive are some recurring themes of her work.

“I love body forms,” she said.

Forty of Agid’s works, and a series of photographs showing how she works, is on display through Nov. 25 at Joslyn Center of the Arts, 3320 Civic Center Drive in Torrance. Admission is free.

The show is one of several across the South Bay over the next week that promotes local artists.

Agid began working with bronze and clay more than 20 years ago, but since 1983 she has worked primarily with marble.

One of her recent works, “Lifting of the Children,” shows two children, each sitting on the shoulders of an adult. Agid says she put the children higher than the adults because she wanted to represent children’s importance to society.

“We, as adults, have to help these kids,” she said. “They are our future.”

Movement is another critical part of Agid’s work. The lanky human figures appear to come to life. Agid says her elongated creations are more graceful and lend themselves to the concept of movement. They are also more realistic, she says, in that they are not “perfect people. . . . Who’d want everyone to look like Marilyn Monroe?”

Agid has a casual attitude toward her work.

“I observe people all the time, . . . “ she said. “When the right time comes (to sculpt), you do it.”

And selecting the type of marble to use is just as important as deciding what to sculpt. Agid says black Belgium marble is the toughest to work with because every chisel mark can be seen. In addition, it can take up to six months to sand. “Most artists prefer not to work with it,” she said. “It’s amazing what you can do with that stone.”

‘Out of Stone’--Sculptures by Lucy Bradanovic Agid; Torrance Joslyn Fine Arts Gallery, 3320 Civic Center Drive, Torrance; exhibit through Nov. 25; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, also 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Friday; information: (310) 618-6341 (free).

Ceramic Sculpture--Works by Patrick Shia Crabb; Los Angeles Harbor College, 1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington; through Nov. 25; presentation by Crabb in Recital Hall 6:30 p.m. Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday; information: (310) 522-8474 (free).

‘Light Magic’--Four South Bay artists: Mina Tang Kan, Gloria D. Lee, Aloha M. Logue and Gay Stodder; Artists’ Studio Gallery, affiliated with Palos Verdes Art Center, Shops at Palos, 550 Deep Valley Drive, Rolling Hills Estates; noon to 5 p.m. daily, through Nov. 22; information: (310) 544-0274 (free admission).