Redondo Beach unveils large scale public artwork at performing arts center

Redondo Beach officials craned their necks at the Performing Arts Center on Monday for the unveiling of the latest public piece of art in the city titled “Waves.”

The giant piece measuring 38 feet wide and 16 feet tall was erected at the entrance to the community theater, which also serves as a gateway to the city.

Created by artist Gordon Huether, who made the trip from his studio in Napa for the unveiling, the piece is made out of polished steel laid out in ribbons to resemble waves.

“I’m a big believer in giving the individual the intellectual and spiritual freedom to interpret it for themselves,” Huether said. “For me I was thinking about what happens in the Performing Arts Center in the form of sound waves and the proximity to the ocean.”

The art piece, which weighs 1,700 pounds, was created in Northern California before being shipped to Redondo Beach.

Selected by the Redondo Beach Public Art Commission out of 37 entries, the piece cost $200,000 and was the first funded by the John Parsons Public Art Fund, created in 2016, which assesses a 1 percent of the building permit value for development projects valued at more than $250,000.