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CAC - ACTION ITEM: Consideration of a Concept for a Permanent Art Installation, “Frameline” by Lawrence Scarpa, Towards Fulfillment of the City’s Art in Public Places Program Requirement for a Project by Rethink Culver, LLC. at 9810-9814 Washington Boulevard
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Meeting Date: August 18, 2026
Contact Person/Dept: Sally Unsworth / City Manager - Office of Economic and Cultural Development
Phone Number: (310) 253-6001
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Public Notification: Meetings and Agendas - Cultural Affairs Commission (08/14/2026)
Department Approval: Adam Troy, Assistant City Manager (08/13/2026)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommend that the Cultural Affairs Commission (CAC) consider the information provided, together with the recommendation of the CAC Public Art Subcommittee and approve a concept for a permanent art installation, “Frameline” by Lawrence Scarpa, toward fulfillment of Culver City’s Art in Public Places Program (APPP) requirement, for a development project by Rethink Culver, LLC. at 9810-9814 Washington Boulevard.
BACKGROUND
Rethink Culver, LLC. (Rethink) is the owner and developer of a mixed-use project at 9810-9814 Washington Boulevard, adjacent to Kirk Douglas Theatre, that will consist of ground floor commercial space and 34 residential units, including low-income and workforce units.
Pursuant to CCMC Section 15.06.120, new residential development projects of five or more units, and all commercial development projects with a building valuation of $500,000 or more and remodeling projects (tenant improvements) with a building valuation of $250,000 or more are subject to the City’s Art in Public Places Program (APPP) requirement. To date, the minimum 1% APPP allocation the Applicant is required to fulfill is $102,500.
This amount is based on the 1% APPP allocation associated with Building Permits issued for updating the existing buildings and adding commercial space and residential units, plus a public paseo. A final accounting of the cost for the art and the 1% APPP allocation is completed toward the end of the project and is also reflected in the covenant for the art. The applicant is choosing to commission site-specific permanent art in fulfillment of the APPP requirement and will be investing the minimum $75,000 required per CCMC Section 15.06.125 F. The anticipated budget for the artwork is estimated at $190,000, exceeding art fee allocation requirements.
Rethink has hired Brooks Scarpa Huber as architect for the project, currently named Culver Theater Apartments. Brooks Scarpa Huber, on behalf of Rethink, previously requested approval for an “Architecture as Art” designation for the project. See attached staff report of the April 21, 2026, Regular Meeting of the Cultural Affairs Commission for further details (Attachment 1). After a lengthy review process with staff, independent professionals, CAC’s Public Art Subcommittee, and the Cultural Affairs Commission, and considering advice from the City Attorney office, the proposal was denied and shifted to this permanent public art concept “Frameline” by artist Lawrence Scarpa.
DISCUSSION
Rethink has proposed a permanent art installation, “Frameline” by Lawrence Scarpa, consisting of louver and fin enclosure elements made of corrosion-resistant aluminum and steel that will enclose the 5-story residential stairwell and be visible to residents and passersby from multiple perspectives including the public paseo, Washington Blvd., Culver Blvd. and City Hall.
The artist describes the project as follows:
“The sculptural stair enclosures at the Culver Theater Apartments were conceived as a work of art, integral to the architecture. Their underlying concept derives from the image of a dynamic curtain: a diaphanous, cinematic veil whose visual qualities shift with movement, light, and time. While the stairs themselves are materially static functional elements, the shaped aluminum louvers are arranged to produce a sense of flowing drapery that modulates density, rhythm, and shadow. This interplay transforms the vertical circulation cores into expressive sculptural objects anchoring the public paseo, designed to express ideas, meaning, and conceptual complexity. Rooted in Culver City’s cultural and cinematic heritage, the piece draws on the language of film strips, sequential framing, and performance. As pedestrians move around the building or as occupants ascend within the stair, the louvers create a constantly shifting series of views and vignettes, revealing and reframing the city beyond. In daylight, the fins cast animated shadows that create a waterfall-like visual cascade; at night, internal illumination transforms the enclosure into an urban lantern, extending the performative qualities of the historic Kirk Douglas Theatre into the contemporary streetscape. This experiential richness allows the architecture to operate simultaneously as infrastructure and cultural artifact, contributing visual identity and symbolism to Washington Boulevard and the broader public realm. The louvers reflect a high level of craft and permanence. Their profiles were refined through iterative sketching, full-scale prototyping, and collaboration with specialty fabricators, ensuring the final work embodies both artistic precision and long-term civic durability."
The attached art plan includes more information on the artist, their portfolio, artist statement, proposed project budget which currently totals $190,000 and covers the artist’s fee, fabrication, installation, etc. (Attachment 2)
In accordance with CCMC Section 15.06.135, Application and Approval Procedures for Placing Artwork on Private Property, the proposal is considered sufficient to satisfy those requirements. (Attachment 3)
Given the familiarity with the project when it was reviewed previously as an “Architecture as Art” proposal, the CAC Public Art Subcommittee (Chair Mesghali and Commissioner Gupta) has recommended now directing the new “Frameline” proposal directly to the Cultural Affairs Commission.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The cost for design, fabrication and installation for this project is borne entirely by the Applicant. The responsibility and cost for future maintenance and restoration of the artwork is the responsibility of the property owner pursuant to Section 15.06.150 of the CCMC. There are, however, City staff costs associated with project coordination, preparation of a covenant, other documentation and outreach materials.
ATTACHMENTS
1. ATT 1_Staff Report of April 21, 2026 Cultural Affairs Commission Meeting
2. ATT 2_”Frameline” by Lawrence Scarpa Art Proposal
3. ATT 3_CCMC Section 15.06.135 Procedures for Placing Artwork on Private Property
RECOMMENDED MOTIONS
That the Cultural Affairs Commission:
1. Approve an art concept “Frameline” by Lawrence Scarpa toward fulfillment of the APPP requirement, for a development project at 9810-9814 Washington Boulevard by Rethink Culver, LLC.