Via SacBee: ARTISTIC MASTERPIECE AT RISK
Watts Towers endangered by cuts in funding, scarcity of visitors
LOS ANGELES – The Watts Towers rose up against a clear blue sky as James Janisse unlocked the 10-foothigh gate that surrounds the soaring outdoor sculpture. “Behold the work of the man,” said Janisse, a tour guide, and his audience took it in: the mashup of towers, cathedrals, fountains and ships, constructed from pipes, broken bottles, seashells and cracked ceramic, climbing 100 feet into the air.
The towers are an iconic work of folk art with a back story – built by an eccentric Italian immigrant working alone in his yard between 1921 and 1955 – that is nearly as captivating as the installation itself. But they are endangered, threatened by budget cuts that are crushing governments across the nation. And they are struggling to draw crowds to this neighborhood that is far off the tourist track and is still identified, despite the passage of time, with some of the worst urban riots in U.S. history.
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Michal Czerwonka New York Times Mike Hagerty, left, Mary Walsh, and Jim Hennigan take in the Watts Towers in Los Angeles last week. The iconic work of folk art was built by an Italian immigrant out of pipes, broken bottles, seashells and cracked ceramic.
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