New art coming to Palmdale Auto Mall
Stainless steel sculpture will be installed in roundabout
PALMDALE — A distinctive new public art installation is coming to the Palmdale Auto Mall, after the City Council approved the contract and its share of funding for the project, Tuesday.
The stainless steel sculpture is called “Revolution,” and is meant to evoke spinning, gears and hexagonal bolt heads, according to artist Heath Satow in his project proposal.
The sculpture’s curves are meant to mirror curves in vehicle bodies and the mirror-polished stainless steel is reminiscent of the chrome so often associated with cars.
It will be installed on a concrete pedestal rising above the center of the roundabout at Auto Vista Drive and Carriage Way, just south of the entrance off Technology Drive.
The artwork will be “one of those places people can stop to do selfies,” Mayor Steve Hofbauer said.
The installation is a public-private partnership between the city and the Palmdale Auto Mall Dealer Association, with each entity covering half the costs, according to City Manager J.J. Murphy.
“This is a great example of what we can do in collaboration with the Public Art Commission, the community, business community, and
so on,” Councilmember Richard Loa said.
The city’s $185,000 share is budgeted through the Public Art and Economic Development funds.
Gus Camacho, of Camacho Auto Sales and Camacho Mitsubishi and representing the Palmdale Auto Mall, thanked the Council and city for their support of the auto mall.
“I’ve been in many, many auto malls, and by far, this is something that I’ve never seen before. I’ve never seen something so beautiful that’s going to be in one place like that,” he said of the sculpture.
Camacho, whose dealerships face the roundabout where the sculpture will stand, was part of the art selection team.
Satow’s design was chosen from four received; all four proposals were from artists on the Los Angeles County Arts and Culture Prequalified Civic Artists list.
The Ogden, Utah, artist has significant experience creating public art pieces in Southern California and has worked with a range of materials that have been exposed to harsh outdoor environments, according to the staff report.
The Palmdale Auto Mall Dealer Association will be responsible for maintaining the sculpture and roundabout.