It’s time for another fun Samy’s EDU photo excursion. This time we are taking the train down to Watts Towers to tour and photograph this amazing man made structures which are one of nine folk art sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
The sculptures’ armatures are constructed from steel pipes and rods, wrapped with wire mesh and coated with mortar. The main supports are embedded with pieces of porcelain, tile, and glass. They are decorated with found objects, including bed frames, bottles, ceramic tiles, scrap metal and sea shells. Rodia called the towers Nuestro Pueblo (which means “our town” in Spanish). He built them with no special equipment or predetermined design, working alone with hand tools and window-washer’s equipment. Neighborhood children brought pieces of broken glass and pottery to Rodia, some of which were added, but the majority of his material consisted of damaged pieces from the Malibu Pottery or CALCO (California Clay Products Company), located nearby. Green glass includes recognizable soft drink bottles from the 1930s through 1950s, some still bearing the former logos of 7 Up, Squirt, Bubble Up, and Canada Dry; blue glass appears to be from milk of magnesia bottles.
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Rodia bent much of the Towers’ framework from scrap rebar, using nearby railroad tracks as a makeshift vise. Other items came from alongside the Pacific Electric Railway right of way between Watts and Wilmington. Rodia often walked the right of way all the way to Wilmington in search of material, a distance of nearly 20 miles.
The Watts Towers are located near the 103rd Street-Kenneth Hahn Station of the Metro Rail LACMTA Blue Line so the group will be taking the train down for this workshop. Don’t miss this chance to visit this amazing structure while hanging out with other like minded photographers. Register Here.
