Bo Bridges Mural Unveiled at Manhattan Beach City Hall
Apr 19, 2023 08:05AM ● By Jeanne Fratello
Manhattan Beach city leaders joined local photographer Bo Bridges on Wednesday to unveil his new mural "Midnight Blues" on the side of City Hall.
(Bridges poses with Manhattan Beach City Council members. From left: David Lesser, Steve Napolitano, Amy Howorth, Bo Bridges, Mayor Richard Montgomery, Mayor Pro Tem Joe Franklin.)Bridges' monumental photograph of the Manhattan Beach Pier before dawn spans the
majority of the two-story south-facing wall, casting a mosaic reflection onto the
mirrored glass of the Manhattan Beach Library next door.
"I am beside myself to be standing here," said Bridges as he and city leaders prepared to cut the ceremonial ribbon in front of the mural. "If anyone had
ever asked me 25 years ago what I was going to be doing with my
photography career, I would have never described something like this. What
a massive honor, and I'm humbled by the support of the entire community
that surrounds us and has supported us since day one... I couldn't have picked a better, more supportive city to share my work with."
Bridges added that he was dedicating the mural to families and kids who will "question, modify, and learn to navigate this wild world. Keep growing, learning, and being creative in everything you do in life. Work hard at what you love, and you will be greatly rewarded; but don't
take everything so seriously. Keep your priorities in line with what
makes you happy."
"A Long Time in the Making"
The mural has been in the works for several years.
Bridges originally took the photo in March 2010 and began talks with the city about the project concept in 2018. The COVID-19 pandemic caused delays; and then when the project was finally ready for installation this winter, the weather created further complications.
"There were all of these different scenarios that were against us. Then when it was time to install iit, we needed five consecutive days with no wind and no rain," said Bridges, adding "It's been a long time in the making."
The mural began with a massive photo file (20 gigabytes at half size). The final 2200-square-foot display was created with 5-foot by 10-foot panels of DIEBOND. (DIEBOND is the brand name of an aluminum composite sheet product made up of two 0.3 mm thick
aluminum cover layers and a polyethylene or mineral core. The material is
lightweight, extremely rigid and strong, and waterproof.)
There had been an option to cover over the visible seams between the panels, said Bridges, but minor shifts in the building over time could cause the seams to become exposed. He added that the current version - with separate panels and seams visible - should last longer.
Bridges' Largest Mural to Date
Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery, wearing a custom "midnight blue" suit for the ribbon-cutting occasion, noted that the City Hall building was built in 1975 and expanded in the early 1990s, and this mural was the first modification to the building in decades.
"It's the perfect location," declared Montgomery, adding that the mural is the largest of its kind that Bridges has done to date ("even bigger than Hermosa," he said).
The mural was authorized with funding from the city's Public Art Trust Fund.
The Public Art Trust Fund is funded by a a dedicated 1% fee for developers, and does not impact the city's General Fund.
