Westwood Village artwork in disrepair

One thing has consistently perplexed UCLA students about life in
Westwood Village. No, it’s not trying to understand how Diddy
Riese cookies are so delicious; it’s the interactive, board
game-style Weyburn Avenue art piece, “All Roads Lead To
Westwood.”

Vic Bamokian, who has owned Weyburn Avenue’s Campus Shoe
Repair for more than 10 years, claimed that the public artwork has
lined the sidewalks of the street for 10 years. In reality,
“All Roads” has only been there since 2001.

It just feels like it has been 10 years.

Without the necessary cleaning and upkeep it deserves, artist
Rod Baer’s “All Roads” looks to be at least 10
years old ““ and that’s the first of many problems
surrounding the art project ““ making it a cautionary tale for
proponents of public art in Westwood.

When I talked to students about the civic artwork, each knew
about the Monopoly-style game pieces and set of oversized dice that
line the north and south sidewalks of Weyburn Avenue between
Westwood Boulevard and Broxton Avenue, but not one person knew what
it was or why it was there.

Many students assumed “All Roads” was a project
designed to generate tourism; some thought it was meant to promote
the Monopoly board game. Yet no one thought it cost anything near
its $70,000 price tag (the money went to everything from
subcontracting to community meetings).

I bet you are thinking Los Angeles taxpayers had to foot the
bill ““ and wouldn’t that make for a nice segue into a
diatribe on the excesses of city government? But that’s
simply not the case.

Public funding was allocated for the artwork in compliance with
a Los Angeles city law that sets aside 1 percent of funds spent on
construction projects for public art. When the Broxton Avenue
parking structure was built, the money for “All Roads”
became available.

A panel of architects, curators and Westwood Village property
owners swiftly picked Baer’s design, but the creation and
installation of “All Roads” was mired by complication
from the its very beginning. Baer was forced to alter his initial
design at the request of Parker Brothers, which felt Baer’s
design was too reminiscent of the Monopoly board game.

Also, the artwork was slated for Broxton Avenue ““ where it
would be much more appropriate ““ given that street’s
wide promenade-style sidewalks. However, it was moved to Weyburn
Avenue due to construction complications and delays at the initial
site.

So how do Weyburn Avenue merchants feel about being the
second-choice for “All Roads”?

I spoke with several merchants with stores on that street
““ people who walk all over “All Roads” every day.
Each told me that the art project was stupid, and most did not give
me permission to use their names in this column (for fear of a
murderous cabal of artists?).

Art appreciation is a personal issue, and while some may not
enjoy “All Roads,” at least its creator is willing to
address the community’s disappointment with his work.

“I have heard people ask, “˜Whose brilliant ideas is
this?'” Baer said. “When I find someone who is
doing that I tell them it was my idea. They freeze in their tracks.
If they get critical I ask them, “˜Who is your favorite
contemporary artist?’ Anyone who complains about the artwork
can’t answer that question because they don’t have any
knowledge about art.”

The art installation consists of large blue tiles emblazoned
with famous Los Angeles streets, while smaller yellow tiles feature
directions from those places to Westwood Village. The artwork is
meant to be whimsical and interactive ““ Baer included subtle
references to everything from Randy Newman’s “I Love
LA” to the city’s reputation for poor public
transportation, and the actual locations of the streets Baer
included form an expanding networked lattice with Westwood Village
at the center, inviting viewers to consider Westwood as part of Los
Angeles’ unique tapestry of culture.

Say what you will about the piece, but discerning art mavens
can’t even give “All Roads” a fair chance when it
is covered in grime and trash. The cleaning and upkeep of the
artwork fell apart in late 2002 with the collapse of the Westwood
Village Business Improvement District. Though the district was
ended amid controversy, with funds unaccounted for, a lack of
cooperation and poor results, it did provide for proper, regular
maintenance of “All Roads” before it was suspended.

Now the art installation receives no extra care beyond normal
street cleaning. It has gotten so bad that William Pick, a property
owner on Weyburn Avenue and member of the panel that chose
Baer’s artwork, occasionally pays for cleaning of the artwork
out of his own pocket. “All Roads” was Pick’s pet
project and public art in Westwood Village is something he is very
passionate about.

“I think if Rod saw what it looked like he wouldn’t
speak to me,” Pick said.

In speaking to Baer, it quickly becomes apparent that he has not
been to Westwood Village recently, and has not checked up on the
state of his artwork.

Baer said he was disappointed to hear the artwork is so filthy,
but said he has known for some time that it has not been properly
maintained.

“We weren’t expecting for the sidewalks to get as
filthy as they do,” Baer said. “There has been an
enormous amount of gum and food dropping.”

Hopefully Baer and Pick are still speaking.

While Pick has been disappointed with the upkeep of “All
Roads” (he calls it “downkeep”) and Baer is
troubled by gum-dropping pedestrians, proponents of the project may
not realize that many UCLA students who frequent Westwood Village
don’t consider “All Roads” a piece of artwork and
therefore treat it with the same contempt that they reserve for
regular sidewalks. As Keri Connor, a fourth-year art student, said,
“People don’t think of it as an art piece.” It
doesn’t even have one of those tiny plaques commemorating the
artwork ““ maybe that would help.

Despite the failures of “All Roads,” there is a
chance for more public artwork in Westwood Village. Local
supporters of public art understand that it is vital in forging
this community’s identity at a time when any semblance of
Westwood’s unique identity is being destroyed by another
pharmacy or chain restaurant in place of an old barbershop or movie
theater.

“Public art enhances the value of the experience for
people coming to the Village for shopping and entertainment,”
Pick said. “It’s an upgrade emotionally,
psychologically and intellectually. … “˜All Roads Lead to
Westwood’ is supposed to make you skip and jump.”

Pick has preliminary plans for two more art projects, which he
says will be funded privately by the Westwood Village Art and
Sculpture Foundation, to which he has contributed money for future
civic art projects.

Pick’s most ambitious plan would call for an installation
on Gayley Avenue that would include hanging artwork above the
street. Pick described the project as a free-floating piece that
“dances, kind of a cloth that moves with the wind.”

Good luck, Mr. Pick.

While conducting an interview for this column, Miller was
approached by a man wearing a sign that read, “Women are not
nectarines.” E-mail Miller at
[email protected].