by
Friends of Atwater Village
Atwater Griffith Park Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles Library Photo Archives
immediately come to mind. One of Los Angeles' oldest
neighborhoods - Atwater Village - is changing that, celebrating
local history by festooning concrete trash receptacles with
decorative tiles featuring photos of local landmarks.
"We think something as mundane as a sidewalk trash bin can in
fact create a sense of civic pride and celebration of our history
through art," said Sandra Caravella, local resident and founding
member of Friends of Atwater Village (FAV), a local organization
formed to improve the neighborhood through such projects.
"Atwater Village was once home to LA's great tile factories,
including Franciscan Tile and others," said Sandra. "So when we
looked for a solution to all the trash that accumulates on Glendale
Boulevard - one of our main business strips - we thought about
our neighborhood having created so much beauty through tile,
and tying it back to those roots."
to create tile inserts on eight concrete receptacles that feature black-and-white photos from the 1920's through the
1950's celebrating well-known local landmarks such as the Van de Kamp's Bakery and the Tam O'Shanter Restaurant,
as well as neighborhood jewels like Vince's Market and Luis Lopez Automotive. White tiles feature black & white
photographs of historic sites, and are surrounded by decorative tiles that harkens back to a bygone era when Atwater
played a major role in the arts & crafts tile movement.
Portillo (FAV President)
Carolyn Cole
Los Angeles Public Library Photo Archives
Liz Rosen
Mila Tiles
Joey Ranieri
Mortarless Building Supply
Katrina Alexy was born and raised in LA. She has been working as an artist for over fifteen years both in the theatrical
arts and the visual arts exhibiting at galleries throughout Los Angeles. Katrina has received art grants locally and state
wide, her most recent grant being from the California Arts Council as an artist in residence creating public artworks for
the city of Los Angeles and the Fowler Art Museum. Her mosaic work can be seen at Disney Concert Hall where she
worked on the massive Rose Sculpture in the garden. Her latest permanent public artworks can be seen hanging at the
new Edendale Library and at the corner of Sunset and Echo Park Ave where she designed a bus stop. Katrina has been
an artist in residence at Metropolitan State Mental Hospital for 8 years. She is currently working on a public art piece for
Palm Desert using over a 1000 recycled golf balls. She enjoys working with the public on projects that enhance their
communities. Katrina can be reached at kalexy@juno.com
Security Pacific Collection/ Los Angeles Public Library
Herald Examiner Collecton/ Los Angeles Public Library
The Caravella Family
Luis Lopez Automotive
webmaster@friendsofatwatervillage.org
