Photos by Edward Lin/Daily Bruin As part of the Los
Angeles art project “A Community of Angels,” six angel
statues were placed in Westwood, two of which were vandalized and
one of which was removed. Many other angels can be seen throughout
the Los Angeles area.
By Barbara McGuire
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The City of Angels’ reputation hasn’t always
actually been completely angelic.
Hoping to change Los Angeles’ somewhat unfriendly image,
however, is a public art project known as “A Community of
Angels.” Dotting the cityscape with approximately 100
6-foot-4-inch fiberglass angel sculptures, the project seeks to let
tourists and native city-dwellers know that Los Angeles has a
softer side as well.
“There’s a lot of negative thought often times about
Los Angeles, and it’s hard to think negative about
angels,” said Cal Winslow, founder of the project and vice
president of Volunteers of America. “You don’t have to
be religious or anything else, but people don’t think that
way ““ negative about angels.”
Though the project encountered many challenges, such as the
recent vandalism of two of the angels, according to Winslow,
nothing came as too much of a surprise. Of all the angels spread
over Los Angeles county (six of which are in Westwood), the only
ones that suffered any damage were two in Westwood ““ one in
front of the restaurant, Eurochow, and the other located in front
of Bel-Air Camera.
 Photos by Edward Lin/Daily Bruin “I just think
it’s unbelievable that we’ve only had that; other
cities have had many more problems,” Winslow said.
“Most cities have something like that, and so we were
prepared for it."
“From our standpoint it’s really too bad because the
angels were both beautiful angels, but we managed to fix them up
and they’re both back out,” Winslow added. “That
just comes with the territory; there are some people that will do
things like that.”
Though both angels are back out on the streets for public
viewing, only the angel sponsored by Bel-Air Camera has returned to
Westwood. According to Winslow, the sponsor of the Eurochow angel
felt that the location was just too risky and opted to have it
placed next to another angel they had sponsored.
Frank Ponder, manager of Bel-Air Camera, expressed his joy at
having the angel returned to the storefront on March 27. However,
he mentioned that he still felt slightly disheartened that someone
could commit such an act.
“It was upsetting,” he said. “Here, an angel
that was protecting us gets vandalized.”
Phoebe Beasley, the artist who created the angel placed in front
of the Palomino restaurant in Westwood, said that she wanted to be
involved in the project just to break this sort of attitude ““
the expectation that, if you put something beautiful out in public,
people will destroy it.
While photographing the angel at her home before the angel was
placed, Beasley met two 12-year-old boys who said the angel was the
most beautiful thing they had ever seen. As they walked away,
however, she heard the boys whispering to each other that they
hoped no one would spray graffiti on any of the angels.
 Photos by Edward Lin/Daily Bruin
“I think that was one of the reasons I wanted to be
involved in this project, because when you have that attitude at
such a young age, it’s almost as though it’s all too
familiar,” she said. “They have this dread of doom and
gloom, and we have to get involved in doing things that are
positive and uplifting and good, even if it takes that chance that
somebody wants to deface it.”
Overall, the vandalism, as well as other problems, such as
finding locations for the angels and the three weeks of heavy rain,
have not put a damper on the Community of Angels project. The
angels are still being placed around the city, and people are
enjoying the spirituality they project. The angels can be viewed
around the city, from Santa Monica to Long Beach, and Pasadena to
the Valley through mid-May. They will be auctioned off on May 17 at
the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and over the Internet, with all
proceeds going to various charities.
“It’s been a real logistic challenge,” Winslow
said. “But, they’re out and people are loving them. I
wish I had a percentage of all the Kodak film that’s getting
snapped.”
ANGELS: For more information, locations of the
angels and to view a photo album of the angels, visit http://www.acommunityofangels.com.