Redondo Beach residents are pushing for a planned LGBTQ+-themed public art installation near the North Branch Library to reflect the city's own queer history, including early gathering spots and the South Bay's first Pride festival.
The installation is part of the broader Artesia Boulevard Strategic Art Plan, which the City Council unanimously advanced on Oct. 20 by approving a shortlist of artists to develop proposals, Patch reported. The full corridor project carries $485,000 in Phase I funding from the John Parsons Public Art Fund. The LGBTQ+ piece has its own $35,000 allocation.
Betty Leinen, a Redondo Beach resident, South Bay LGBTQ Center board member and professor of LGBTQIA+ studies, spoke at the Oct. 20 council meeting in support of the installation. Leinen pointed to the city's history as a gathering place for LGBTQ+ residents, citing the Artesia Bar, the South Bay LGBTQ Center's early presence along the boulevard and Redondo Beach's role in hosting the South Bay's first Pride festival in 1991, according to Patch.
That history runs deep. The South Bay Lesbian/Gay Community Center opened at 2009A Artesia Blvd. in 1989, founded by Dottie Wine and nine other women who wanted a local space so LGBTQ+ residents would not have to drive to Long Beach or Los Angeles, according to The Clio, a public history platform. The 1991 Pride festival, held at the Redondo Beach Community Resource Center, drew between 500 and 1,000 attendees.
Leinen urged officials to involve local LGBTQ+ residents and organizations in reviewing proposed designs, incorporate the community's history into the artwork and hold a public dedication when it is unveiled, Patch reported.
Councilmember Zein Obagi Jr., who represents District 4 in North Redondo Beach, also called for community feedback before a final design is selected, according to Patch.
As we reported Oct. 22, the broader Artesia Boulevard art plan drew objections from residents who questioned spending priorities and raised traffic safety concerns about median sculptures. Mickey Johnson, speaking for the North Redondo Beach Business Association, said nearly 68 percent of 171 survey respondents preferred functional artwork such as benches.
The Oct. 20 vote did not approve final designs or award contracts. Shortlisted artists will submit detailed concepts for further review by a community panel, the Cultural Arts Commission and the City Council. The city expects to issue its request for proposals in late October or early November.
Initial installations were originally targeted for summer 2027. A consulting amendment proposes extending the project agreement through March 31, 2028.
