Above Photo: Artist Barbara Syrenka puts the finishing touches on the Rainbow Cave installation at Hopscotch’s West Harbor location in San Pedro at the LA Waterfront.
Communities Unite Through Art, Culture and Entertainment
When it comes to integrating art into real estate development in the South Bay, for Jerico Development president Eric Johnson, it’s all about leveraging what’s already present in the environment.
“One thing that really makes the South Bay special is the bay. It’s all about proximity to the water, baby,” Johnson told the audience of nearly 400 attendees at the South Bay Cities Council of Government’s signature annual event—the 26th General Assembly.
The Exy Johnson is one of two tall ships that will greet West Harbor visitors, as a form of expansive art.
As visitors approach the new San Pedro waterfront development, West Harbor (being developed by Jerico and The Ratkovich Company), they are greeted with a palm-tree lined colonade view of what he calls the development’s “two true primary pieces of art.” The twin brigantines, named the Irving Johnson and the Exy Johnson, are traditional wooden sailing ships built in 2003 and operated by the nonprofit Los Angeles Maritime Institute.
The tall ships serve as a classroom for teaching more than 6,000 inner-city youth annually to learn about teamwork and discipline through sailing. Johnson describes this “nautical eye candy” as the “expansive definition of art.”
The 42-acre West Harbor development is a waterfront dining, shopping, recreation and entertainment destination. It reimagines San Pedro’s iconic Ports O’ Call Village, which closed in 2018. Parts of West Harbor’s development are already open and welcoming visitors, including the San Pedro Fish Market Landing, Harbor Breeze Cruises, San Pedro Ocean Sports, Berth 84 Waterfront Park and a waterfront promenade. Future additions will encompass dining, entertainment and recreation, including a highly anticipated 6,200-seat harbor-facing amphitheater and 175-foot observation wheel.
Johnson, a South Bay native whose family business traces its roots more than 100 years, was one of three speakers addressing the topic “Uniting Communities Through Art, Culture and Entertainment”—the first of the General Assembly’s four panel discussions. The panel dove into how the South Bay is shaping culture through its thriving arts scene.
Speaking to the 26th General Assembly audience, Eric Johnson, president, Jerico development (at podium) discusses the role art, culture and entertainment will play at West Harbor in San Pedro. Next from left: Mark Rogondino, local sports anchor and General Assembly emcee; Amy Eriksen, founder and executive director, Angels Gate Cultural Center, and founding partner, Arts United San Pedro; and Elizabeth Hause, community services director, City of Redondo Beach.
Art will play a pivotal role in West Harbor’s evolution as it partners with San Pedro’s Angels Gate Cultural Center to roll out a curated public art program. The center serves as a major South Bay and Los Angeles cultural hub, featuring artist studios, gallery exhibitions, community classes and arts education.
The collaboration between West Harbor and Angels Gate will bring permanent murals, large-scale sculptures, sound art and digital projects to the harborside community. The installations are designed to withstand marine environments and focus heavily on themes of harbor history, local industry and diversity.
West Harbor complements San Pedro’s trajectory in its art, culture and entertainment journey. The seaside community began seeing an influx of artists in ‘70s and ‘80s, leading to the Thursday Art Walk, founded by local artists including Johnson’s brother Alan, an artist and real estate developer. Now nearing its 30th year, the event draws tens of thousands of attendees annually.
“The reason I’m passionate about arts and have been working with all of the collaborators is we have almost 20 different art nonprofits—along with a large gamut of artists—in the middle of what is the largest creative economy in the world right in San Pedro,” said Amy Eriksen, founder and executive director of Angels Gate Cultural Center and founding partner and district supporter of Arts United San Pedro. “I love the arts because I love community and the arts embody community.”
Carol Hungerford, director/founder of Los Angeles Harbor Arts, discusses one of her latest oil works, “Coping,” on display in her LAHA studio/gallery space.
The San Pedro Arts & Cultural District was officially designated by the California Arts Council in July 2017 and is one of only 14 inaugural cultural districts statewide. The district extends from Point Fermin to the Vincent Thomas Bridge and includes the historical downtown core, waterfront, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and Angels Gate Cultural Center.
Los Angeles Harbor Arts (LAHA) is a creative, collaborative art space at 401 Mesa Street in the heart of the San Pedro Arts District. The historic three-story building serves as a home base to more than 20 working artists operating across 21 studios and galleries.
With the designation came an initial grant of $5,000, which the artists collectively decided to use for marketing to bring more people to San Pedro. Arts United San Pedro has since leveraged the designation to win and distribute nearly $300,000 in community arts grants over the last three years.
Art and Culture Takes Shape in Redondo Beach
On a smaller scale, the City of Redondo Beach recently embarked on its own public art enhancement, ARTesia Blvd, implemented through the Artesia and Aviation Corridor Area Plan to increase pedestrian presence and cultural vitality on Artesia Boulevard. Phase 1 of the project—expected to be completed in 2027—will include two large median art pieces, two welcome monuments, two crosswalk art paintings and improvements to five existing concrete benches, funded by the city’s John Parsons Public Art Fund.
“We needed to find a creative way to breathe identity into that space, bring color into that space and really activate it, and one of the best ways to do that is with public art,” Elizabeth Hause, community services director of the City of Redondo Beach, explained to the General Assembly audience.
For cities, Hause said, finding artistic opportunities can be more about becoming “creative with the resources you already have.” The key is finding partners who “understand your community, the culture in that community, and can align themselves with what that community can connect with.”
She cited South Bay native Allen Sanford, founder of BeachLife music festival as one such partner. Since 2019, the festival has drawn thousands of spectators to see headliners.
In-N-Out recently hosted the Cruisin’ 2 Freedom benefit festival featuring hundreds of classic cars at the Seaside Lagoon at the Redondo Beach Waterfront.
In January, Redondo Beach found another such partner in the In-N-Out burger chain, which hosted its Cruisin’ 2 Freedom benefit festival at Redondo Beach’s Seaside Lagoon. The event featured hundreds of classic cars, a charity auction and live music. It drew thousands of spectators to the city’s waterfront.
“I could not think of a better way to say, ‘This is Redondo Beach,’” Hause said. “If staff, council and community can get creative with what we have, we can create something pretty magical in those spaces.”
The 26th General Assembly focused on the potential impact of the South Bay’s transformation into a hub of state-of-the art sports and entertainment venues such as the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. •
To view recorded sessions of the 26th General Assembly visit bit.ly/26thGAPlaylist
Learn more about the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District at sanpedrowaterfrontartsdistrict.com and the district’s artists and organizations at artsunitedsp.org