Glendale mini park refuels with new art piece

The second exhibition of a yearlong series of art installations at Adams Square Mini Park will open to the public today and once again showcase artwork enclosed in an old gas station.

Artist Jane O’Neill’s piece titled “becoming a mountain cloud” is similar to her other works and was put together using found, donated and repurposed materials.

Her themes encompass the universal search for meaning and its entanglement with consumerism, escapism and leisure culture. O’Neill’s latest work was constructed inside the 1936 Richfield Oil Co. gas station building, the centerpiece of Adams Square Mini Park, an experience she said was a first for her.

“It was different than working in solitude, in your studio and having people respond as you’re doing it,” she said.

O’Neill added while the gas station can’t be used for pumping fuel anymore, it has a new purpose for those passing by.

“It’s become a site for intellectual and spiritual refueling,” she said. “People can take a moment from their daily lives and hang out there for a little bit.”

The opening reception will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. today. There will be food trucks and special programming for children and families.

The exhibit “becoming a mountain cloud” will run through Sep. 18. The following exhibition will be Marsha Perloff’s “The Foundling’s Guild,” which will open on Oct. 5.

The art series was made possible by the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission with funding from the Urban Arts Program.

Adams Square Mini Park is located at 1020 East Palmer Ave.