A colorful new sculpture at the head of a Santa Clarita trail is giving local residents something new to look at while also telling a story about the community’s past, present and future.

Local artist Mary Elizabeth created the sculpture, which was installed near the South Fork River Trail after she applied through a public call for artists.

For Elizabeth, the project represents much more than simply having a piece of artwork displayed in Santa Clarita. It is the result of a journey that has taken her deeper into the arts over the past several years and given her a new sense of purpose as an artist.

Elizabeth said she learned about the city’s opportunity through her studies at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where she has been working to expand her artistic skills and explore new mediums.

She had always been interested in art. Elizabeth said she took art classes in high school and spent her senior year as a foreign exchange student in France, where she became especially inspired by the museums and art she encountered.

But after returning home, getting married and raising her family, art became something she largely shared with her children.

“I taught my kids painting, and we painted the walls, we painted canvases, anything we could get our hands on,” Elizabeth said.

After her divorce and the COVID-19 pandemic, Elizabeth said she began rethinking many parts of her life and decided it was time to pursue art more seriously.

She eventually applied to CalArts, was initially waitlisted and applied again before being accepted.

Over the past couple of years, she has immersed herself in different forms of art, learning everything from printmaking and screen printing to ceramics and fiberglass.

The city sculpture pushed that process even further.

Elizabeth had never worked with fiberglass before, but she taught herself the process through videos and other resources in order to bring her design to life.

“I had never worked with fiberglass before, but I needed to make my vision,” Elizabeth said.

The project also came with a number of challenges that she said she never expected, including insurance, engineering plans, welding and installation.

Much of the funding provided for the project went toward those requirements, leaving Elizabeth to put significant time and effort into the artwork and materials herself.

Still, she said the opportunity was worth it.

Elizabeth has lived in the Santa Clarita Valley for more than 30 years and raised her children in the community. Having the opportunity to create something that would remain in the city was important to her.

“I was compelled to do something for my city, to give back to my city,” Elizabeth said. “I love Santa Clarita. I’ve lived here for over 30 years. My children are here.”

A sculpture about where we are

The sculpture itself is filled with meaning.

Elizabeth said the brightly colored, stacked forms were designed around the idea of systems — including the solar system, human civilizations and the different systems that have existed throughout history.

The piece incorporates references to the Tataviam people, the Indigenous people who have called the Santa Clarita Valley home, while also representing the people who live in the area today and the generations that will come after them.

“I wanted to honor them and us as the people here now and kind of combine the past and not forget about the past, with the present and the hopes of the future,” Elizabeth said.

The sculpture stands approximately 6 feet, 7 inches tall and features bright colors that Elizabeth said are intended to bring a sense of joy and renewal to the piece.

One central idea behind the sculpture is that everyone shares the same planet and the same moment in time.

The piece includes the words “You are here,” along with the longitude and latitude of the sculpture’s location.

Elizabeth said the idea is meant to remind people that they are standing in a particular place at a particular moment while everyone is, in a sense, traveling together through space.

“It’s about showing beauty and joy in renewal,” she said.

The sculpture also reflects Elizabeth’s interest in the way systems change over time.

She said she is fascinated by systems that eventually fall apart and what replaces them, and wanted the artwork to recognize that change rather than present history as something static.

The references to the Tataviam people were particularly meaningful to her after taking a Chicano studies class at College of the Canyons and learning more about the history of the people who lived in the Santa Clarita Valley before the region was developed.

From the garage to the trail

The sculpture has also become something of a family project.

Elizabeth said her children watched the various pieces of the artwork take shape, with some of the colorful forms spending time in the family garage and home before eventually being transported to the trailhead.

When the sculpture was installed, her 6-year-old child was especially excited to see the pieces that had been around the house finally become part of a public work of art.

Elizabeth said she hopes the project can inspire her children to become involved in their community themselves. It has also changed how her children see her.

“I was always known as the mom, the wife, or something else,” Elizabeth said. “And now I’m known through my children as an artist. They see me now not just a mom who is the cook or cleaner, but I am an artist.”

For Elizabeth, being able to drive past the sculpture and see it standing in the community where she raised her children has been an emotional experience.

“Every time I look, I think, wow. That is there. It’s here,” she said. “I feel so honored I was able to do that.”

Continuing to build an art community

The sculpture is not the end of Elizabeth’s work in Santa Clarita.

She is currently working on a mural at CalArts with her instructor, River Garza, continuing to explore public art and collaborative projects.

She is also preparing to open White Horse Gallery, a juried gallery intended to give artists another opportunity to display their work in the community.

Elizabeth said the gallery’s first show is scheduled for Oct. 30, with plans for monthly displays featuring different artists. She also hopes to offer art classes and create additional opportunities for local artists.

Her experience with the city’s public art opportunity has reinforced her belief that other residents should consider putting themselves out there as well.

“Maybe this article will help more people in the community go, ‘I should apply for more city things,'” Elizabeth said.

Ultimately, Elizabeth hopes her work can encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to become involved in the local arts community.

“I would love to see more and more diverse art from everyone in the community,” she said.

For an artist who spent much of her life creating art at home with her children, seeing her work become part of Santa Clarita’s public landscape is a significant next step.

Now, as residents pass the colorful sculpture on their way onto the trail, Elizabeth hopes they see more than a collection of brightly colored shapes.

She hopes they see the community’s history, the people who live here today, and the possibility of what comes next.

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