{"id":2167,"date":"2015-12-08T00:07:25","date_gmt":"2015-12-08T00:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/arts-culture\/key-to-the-city\/"},"modified":"2015-12-08T00:07:25","modified_gmt":"2015-12-08T00:07:25","slug":"key-to-the-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/art\/key-to-the-city","title":{"rendered":"Long Beach Makers Design New Keys to the City, Look to the Future For Inspiration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Photos by Asia Morris. Image of Sherry Ray-Von polishing an almost-finished key inside her new studio on Pine Avenue.<\/em><\/p>\n

Five local creatives will make history on Tuesday, December 8 when the newly-designed key to the city is bestowed upon three honorees by Mayor Robert Garcia. Former Governor George Deukmejian and his wife, philanthropist Gloria Deukmejian, and former LBUSD Board President Bobbie Smith will each hold in their hands a coveted object that accounts for nearly a year\u2019s worth of brainstorming, collaborating, creating and refining a design that seeks to represent the present state of the city, and also where it\u2019s headed.<\/p>\n

DW Ferrell, who runs MADE in Long Beach and sits on the city\u2019s Technology and Innovation Commission, was approached by the mayor in mid-January to gather a team of local artists and innovators to design the new key. Ferrell told the Post<\/em> that the goal was to stray away from the typical \u201ctrophy keys made with cheap metal by low-wage workers overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n

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David Hedden in the Main Library’s makerspace, called The Studio, pointing out the key’s smallest details.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWith our thrust for innovation and increasing local skilled jobs, this did not represent the ethic we stand for in Long Beach,\u201d said Ferrell. \u201c[The mayor] wanted [to] honor local leaders and international leaders alike with a symbol that embodies Long Beach, and the city already had trophy keys from a previous administration, but they were not made in the U.S. and did not reflect our focus on local innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two local designers were pulled onto the project. David Hedden, a 3D Printing Faculty Lecturer at CSULB who launched and currently works as a Studio Guide at the Long Beach Public Library\u2019s MakerSpace at the Main Branch (called The Studio<\/a>) and Gabriel Gaete, a freelance Graphic Designer with over ten years of experience, who also works at The Studio, designed the key from start to finish. Ferrell\u2019s role was to offer creative direction and remind the team that the key had to be an emblem of the city\u2019s past, present and future.<\/p>\n

\"david1\"<\/p>\n

One of the many initial sketches drawn by Hedden during the brainstorming process.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a high challenge and the great results of their efforts are obvious in the new Key to Long Beach,\u201d said Ferrell.<\/p>\n

After several rounds of rough sketching, Hedden brought Gaete onto the project because their two design aesthetics complemented each other so well and the two had already experienced working closely with each other at the library. Hedden\u2019s drawings tended to be rougher and more gestural, while Gaete worked in a cleaner, more stylized manner. And when it came to conceptualizing and bouncing ideas off of each other, the two had a synergy you can\u2019t always replicate. For two months, they would meet for coffee at Makai before going into work, to essentially figure out a way to incorporate the city\u2019s entire personality into a drawing smaller than the palm of your hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to make [the design] symbolic of the diversity of Long Beach, some of the things that have built us up to where we are, but then also the vision of where we might be going,\u201d Hedden told the Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"gabe1\"<\/p>\n

A section of the concept grid courtesy of Gabriel Gaete.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the exercises was we [drew] a grid of concepts, so we would combine concepts together and create a pattern based on keywords that we chose,\u201d Gaete explained. \u201cSo [words] like \u2018city\u2019 and \u2018ocean.\u2019 So what does \u2018city\u2019 and \u2018ocean\u2019 combined look like together in a symbolic form and what kind of pattern would that be?\u201d<\/p>\n

The concept the team arrived at was \u201ca vision of our future opportunity, viewed through the lense of our past achievements.” The key references Long Beach\u2019s history, major landmarks, and its vast industrial persona as a port-centric, eco and health-aware, shipping and aerospace driven city, according to Ferrell.<\/p>\n

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Several of the 3D Printed prototypes made in the library’s The Studio.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMy first thought was that civic symbols such as flags, emblems, keys to the city, are often taken for granted,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if they are designed with intent and skill they can become emblematic of a civic drive for good. My next thought was to highlight the mix of technology and art by 3D printing the master, then [cast] the keys in metal with traditional lost-wax casting.\u201d<\/p>\n

The inscription \u201cLong Beach 1897\u201d describes the year Long Beach was founded, while the emblem in its entirety is arranged as a \u201clens,\u201d as if the holder can \u201csee the future through the lens of our past,\u201d said Ferrell. The sun\u2019s nine rays represent the city\u2019s nine districts and its push for sustainable energy, while CSULB\u2019s iconic pyramid, a port crane, The Queen Mary and the Villa Riviera are all included. The sun is the largest element, inspired by the city\u2019s official seal, along with the biplane which was fashioned as a jet.<\/p>\n

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A finished and polished key resting on local artist and metalsmith Sherry Ray-Von’s work space.<\/em><\/p>\n

Several idea-conducive exercises later, and a lot more sketching, it was time to print. You can only create so many sketches without needing to hold the work-in-progress in your hand, so it got to a point where the team decided it was appropriate to utilize The Studio\u2019s 3D Printer. Hedden printed over eight different proposed ideas as unrefined 3D models before the final design was decided upon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe actually used three different CAD software[s] to make this key because SketchUp got us the concepts and then Gabe took it into 3D Studio Max to make the refined version. When we needed to work with the jeweler who would 3D print it in the castable resin we had to use a different software, so we built it three times, once [using] each software,\u201d said Hedden.<\/p>\n

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The key was made locally at all levels. The final model, or the \u201cwax master,\u201d was 3D printed by Mark Schneider Design with guidance from Steve Chandler and was sent to local artist Sherry Ray-Von of Ray-Von Designs<\/a> to cast in bronze and finish at her new studio on Pine Avenue.<\/p>\n

Ray-Von, who was personally asked by the mayor to cast the keys, told the Post<\/em> that this project has meant the world to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a footprint, I think, and it\u2019s a good footprint,” she said. “And for me, just landing in this space and being able to utilize it in this way, the first big project, means so much to me. Because leasing this space has meant that I\u2019m staying. It meant that Long Beach is my home. And so I\u2019m digging my feet in. And [casting this key] is digging my feet in, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Local artist and\u00a0metalsmith\u00a0Sherry Ray-Von cleans up a wax model soon to be cast in bronze.<\/em><\/p>\n

Gaete, who assists Hedden in running the library\u2019s community-oriented makerspace as a safe place to fail and make mistakes, so eventually you can succeed, mirrored Ray-Von\u2019s sentiments of being able to leave a footprint, so to speak, in Long Beach\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is going to last for a long time, in a way we\u2019re going to be a part of the city for a while,” he said. “And even when this is on display in the future, it could be something that starts something, like an idea that sparks other cities to do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

“I’m incredibly proud these keys were designed and crafted by local Long Beach artists and designers,” said Garcia, as quoted in the initial press release. “It was important to me that the keys reflect the creativity of our city and that each key was special enough to reflect the amazing people receiving them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five local creatives will make history on Tuesday, December 8 when the newly-designed key to the city is bestowed by Mayor Robert Garcia upon three honorees,\u00a0who will each hold in their hands an object that accounts for\u00a0nearly a year\u2019s worth of brainstorming, collaborating, creating and refining a design that seeks to represent the present state of the city, and also where it\u2019s headed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":67529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1033],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-2167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","tag-key-to-the-city","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2167"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=2167"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}