Artist Lori “Welderado” Powers Soon a collection of 29 scrap sculptures will be scattered across the front of their home. It will be the full circle of a seven-year project: combining recycled materials and donated knick-knacks into whimsical sculptures with uplifting messages.
Since 2017, brightly colored, smiling characters have greeted drivers and pedestrians along Palms Boulevard and Marco Place in Mar Vista, perched 10 feet high on city utility poles.
“The whole purpose is to create a character to look at traffic, slow down drivers and help them get through the neighborhood more easily,” Powers said.
Now the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is considering removing the artwork, which officials say is dangerous to work crews and pedestrians.
Sculptures by artist Lori Powers, mounted on utility poles on Palms Boulevard in Mar Vista.
(Michael Owen Baker/For The Times)
Some neighbours, such as the former LA City Council Member Ruth Galanterhas expressed dismay at the potential removal and relocation of the artworks – which he says brings him joy.
“Why are they in such a rush? They’ve let this thing go on for seven years,” said Galanter, who represented the area from 1987 to 2003. “All of a sudden today it had to end.”
Powers first began installing his sculptures late at night in 2017 so that he could remain anonymous. He later wore a mustache and wig purchased from Amazon to remain unrecognizable while reinstalling the characters. He formally introduced himself as an artist to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That was pretty funny to me,” Powers said. “It was almost like Banksy, you don’t know who it is. It got the whole community talking.”
She gives each piece a name and personality: Bike Dude is an 80-year-old toolbox with two bike handles and a seat as its hair and nose. Bird Jam has a Cadillac hubcap and nitrogen tank as its body, with wings attached to a miniature banjo. Ribbit is a frog musician made of two metal bowls and its face is an omelet maker.
“I’m a three-on-three basketball player, too,” she said. “I take my gold medals and put them on all the characters. I hide them in there. It’s a message of friendship, love and teamwork. So, when people see them, all the energy shines down.”
Powers strips the statues once a year, gives them a fresh coat of paint and adds new features to account for wear and tear. The surgery is done in his backyard workshop.
Mar Vista resident Paul Von Blum (center) questions DWP Supervisor Dan Grout about the removal of a sculpture by Lori Powers that was mounted on a light pole.
(Michael Owen Baker/For The Times)
“Now that I’ve taken the BG down, I’m going to repaint the bees here and add some shine before I put it back up on the pole,” she said.
About two weeks ago, Powers received a notice from the DWP that his artwork would be removed from the light poles on Tuesday. He says the agency has removed different artworks before.
“Sometimes someone from the DWP would come and say someone has complained about this character so they will take it down,” she said. “He would take it down, then I would put it back up.”
Powers says he has developed a mutual understanding with city staff — one employee volunteered to restore “Big Hugs,” a sculpture made from an outdoor light fixture found in the rubble of a burned home in Malibu.
But now this expulsion may become permanent.
Galanter said he received a memo from the DWP, sent to Councilwoman Tracy Park’s office, stating that city attorneys don’t consider the sculptures to be art.
UCLA senior lecturer Paul von Blum says he disagrees.
“I point my students to his work, especially when I’m teaching art history,” said von Blum, who has written books on art, culture and politics. “I do a whole course on social and political topics, and I start with something very contemporary, like Lowry’s work. It’s a valuable thing. The placement makes sense.”
Von Blum says Powers’ work contributes to the Los Angeles art scene, which features street artists with a similar style. Watts Towers Arts Center,
Lori Powers (second from right), speaking to fellow Mar Vista residents at her home.
(Michael Owen Baker/For The Times)
“They took trash and turned it into these extraordinary works. Some of them were so spectacular, they did installations, assembled and actually created it,” he said. “It’s obviously not that grand, but it’s the model. It enhances the aesthetic dimension, and aesthetics are a part of our lives.”
The problem, Galanter says, is that The rigid bureaucracy of the DWP,
“It takes a huge bureaucracy to deliver water and electricity. I don’t disagree with that, but a huge bureaucracy doesn’t allow for much flexibility,” Galanter said. “It’s probably illegal to put anything on a power pole, but if DWP employees are happy to put things back up themselves, they can’t be that big a threat.”
A DWP spokesperson said it was essential to keep power poles clear of all obstructions. general order 95 According to the California Public Utilities Commission.
“No permit was sought to allow the installation of artworks on these pillars, nor would any permit have been issued. For the safety of the public and our staff, these installations must be removed,” DWP said via email. “We have since been in direct contact with the artist and are working with them to remove and return these installations.”
Powers says he installed the artwork well below power lines to avoid any danger.
“I design safety gear because I want them to last a long time,” she said. “And I’m a mom. So, moms make sure everything is extra safe.”
A series of emails gathering support to keep the statues in place began circulating just days before the DWP workers’ scheduled arrival. Powers says some of the messages brought her to tears.
Another sculpture by Lori Powers.
(Michael Owen Baker/For The Times)
“Each piece is made from potential trash, and has been transformed into a lovely, quirky, colorful sculpture that sends a loving and positive message to passersby,” resident Beth Edelstein wrote via email to Councilwoman Parks’ office. “Why would anyone want to get rid of joy and positive messages?”
Staff members in Parks’ office said the eviction would be put on hold until the councilwoman returned from a work trip.
“My office is working closely with the artist and DWP to find a solution that respects the wishes of the community,” Park said in an emailed statement. “In the meantime, DWP will not move forward with its planned removal, giving us more time to explore our available options.”
However, DWP workers arrived on Tuesday morning and removed two of the pieces. A group of neighbours and supporters prevented workers from completing the work.
DWP supervisor Dan Grout said he had not heard from anyone about pressure from the park to postpone the eviction.
A DWP worker removes a sculpture by Lori Powers that was mounted on a light pole in Mar Vista.
(Michael Owen Baker/For The Times)
“We had to come down to try,” Grout said.
Powers says she would like to keep the statues in place, and possibly organize a walking tour. Mosaic Tile House of VeniceWhich is co-owned by his friend Gonzalo Duran, who taught him how to weld. He said the tour could potentially become a destination, boosting local foot traffic and business.
“We have soccer and the Olympics coming up, and L.A. is considered a place where there’s art and music,” he said. “So, between the characters and the neighborhood getting a lot more murals, this could be the place to go.”
