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PUBLIC ART STATEMENT I have been a public artist for the past 15 years and a "studio" artist for more than 35. Because of these dual experiences, I understand the ways in which public art and studio art are different. Whereas one can create one's studio work completely alone and without regard for audience, public art is a collaboration between the community, designers, landscape architects, engineers, private or public developers and myself. I feel that it is extremely important to maintain my integrity as an artist, creating one-of-a-kind artworks that bear my signature, while simultaneously responding to the concerns of my collaborators, especially the community. While I present work that has been carefully researched and resolved in early stages of the project, I feel that it must remain completely open to changes as the process goes through public review. I am currently working with artist Craig Cree Stone on a large-scale project to create designs for art enhancements for the City of Long Beach Bluff Erosion & Enhancement Project, a 54-block area of beach, bluff and bike path. We are working with civil engineers, landscape architects, public works, and Parks and Marines, as well as the Long Beach community. I understand that it is necessary for the artist making public art to generate unique solutions that will amplify the meaning of a place and its surrounding activity in ways that other disciplines cannot. I come to each project with a site specific and context responsive approach. In my previous projects, I have even used the community within the pieces themselves. For instance, in my Anaheim Street Blue Line Metro Station, the 51 people pictured in these photomontages were selected from outstanding volunteers whose names were given to me by community leaders representing the four major ethnic groups in Long Beach. And I just recently completed the 50th Anniversary sculpture for the City of Cerritos, California. This project required considerable research, discussions with the community, and response to the desires of the Historical and Fine Arts Commission of the city. Each of my works has responded to the specific "architectural, historical and geographical" context in which it has been placed. Every project on which I have worked has been completed on schedule and within the allotted budget, and I am extremely aware of the importance of these issues to both public and private projects. I am also very appreciative of the importance of working with materials that require little or no maintenance, since ignoring this important aspect of the project can create enormous problems for the future of the work.