Last week, the Culver CIty Cultural Arts Commission approved a new piece of public art to be located on the exterior of the Help Group's building at xxx Washington Blvd. in West Culver City. THe sculpture, by Robert S. Toll, is entitled, "The Doors"

The piece fulfill's Culver City's Art in Public Places requirement, which mandates that one percent of the budget for commercial development projects over $250,000 in valuation must be put toward public art. The Help Group was issued two Culver City Building Permits in the fall of 2012 for the conversion of an existing two-story office building into classrooms and construction of a bridge between the parking structure and another building at the site. The valuation as appeared on these permits totaled $3.82 million.

Here's what the artist himself had to say about what the piece means to him:

"The Help Group’s schools serve the lives of special needs children, helping them to reach their full potential and to lead positive, productive and rewarding lives. The concept of "open doors", as referenced by Ms. Firestone, resonated with me and resulted in the idea of using geometric shapes to give the suggestion of doors. These doors will be positioned within a frame with various degrees of openings to suggest that as the children learn, The Help Group can aid in opening doors as wide as they can go.

"It was important that the sculpture appeal to the children and the public. I wanted the art to relate to a school, so I will use bright colors on perforated panels to bring back memories of childhood and colored building blocks. The sculpture becomes fun and playful while informing on a conceptual level. Public visibility and the creation of an interesting and aesthetic piece of artwork were also major considerations.

The manifesto continued: "Abstractly, I positioned the panels to create an interesting moving form. The division of the sculpture into three uneven sections creates a minimal yet energetic design which enhances the building. The front of the building on Washington Blvd is basically rectangular with vertical and horizontal lines. By the use of color and off-set vertical and horizontal lines in the sculpture, there is a contradiction to the straight lines of the facade thereby creating an exciting juxtaposition.

"The existing sculpture on the adjacent school site entitled, "Higher Ground" is a representational piece dealing the with relationship of the children and the school. The proposed artwork, "The Doors" is a conceptual piece, which deals with the same subject matter: children, their potential and reaching for a successful future."