Culver City unveiled a 94-foot-tall rainbow art installation this week, a giant homage to the Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer production of The Wizard of Oz" that made the sleepy town a little more exciting over 60 years ago. Weighing in at 100,000 pounds of steel, the multi-colored monument is a towering reminder that Dorothy first clicked her heels in California, not the Midwest.
Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures
The mayor of Culver City, Andy Weissman, has high hopes for the massive, $1.6 million rainbow, now stationed on the downtown-adjacent lot of Sony Pictures Entertainment. According to The Los Angeles Times, he wants the vivid addition to the city's skyline to become a landmark for visitors to southern California.
"We hope it captures imaginations and people want to come and see it," he stated. "It's going to be prominent. Not prominent like the Great Wall of China, where you can see it from space, but it will rise above the trees and landscaping and fencing [of the Sony lot]," Mayor Weissman explained.
The rainbow project, which was commissioned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and created by multimedia artist Tony Tasset, is part of the city's public art program. Established in 1988, the series of public art projects is intended "to enhance the quality of life within the city, increase property values and stimulate economic development."
Christine Byers, the city's public art coordinator, told The LA Times that this is one of around 90 projects that have been commissioned in the city. "This one is not only the newest, but in terms of physical size and in terms of dollars, it is the largest," she said.
Sony Pictures Co-Chairman Amy Pascal added in a press release, “Rainbow is big and fun; it makes you smile. We’re thrilled to celebrate the incredible history of entertainment, this city and our lot.”
Let us know what you think of Culver City's claim to fame in the comments section. And check out a slideshow below of another impressive rainbow endeavor, which we originally featured in May.
