Vote on Proposed Bruce’s Beach Park Artwork
Oct 28, 2025 10:06PM ● By Jeanne Fratello
(The "Building Paradise" artwork submission for Bruce's Beach Park, by April Banks.)
As Manhattan Beach prepares to memorialize the history of Bruce’s Beach, community members are being invited to weigh in on sculptural designs for Bruce’s Beach Park.
(Austen Brantley)
(Hana Ward)
(Nekisha Durrett)
(Toni Scott)
(Xaviera Simmons)
According to the city, the artwork is being commissioned “to honor the site’s history as a Black-owned resort and to promote racial justice and healing” through “a large-scale, durable sculpture that will serve as a space for community connection and education.”
To see the full descriptions of the artwork, and to vote on the artwork, visit the Bruce' Beach Public Art Commission Proposals Page. Voting will close on November 3.
The request for proposals for the Bruce's Beach Park artwork was initially begun in February 2023 and was extended twice. Ultimately, six artists were shortlisted for the project. The total budget for the project is not to exceed $350,000
(all inclusive), which will come from the city's Public Art Trust Fund. The Public Arts Trust Fund was established through a dedicated 1% development fee and does not impact
the general fund.
A Quick Look at the Proposals
The submissions include:
Building Paradise, an abstraction of a beach cottage honoring the Bruces and the Black homeowners and entrepreneurs who were building their lives and dreams along the coast. (Artist: April Banks)
Building Paradise, an abstraction of a beach cottage honoring the Bruces and the Black homeowners and entrepreneurs who were building their lives and dreams along the coast. (Artist: April Banks)
(April Banks)
Untitled, a family day at the beach, meant to evoke a sense of peace and resilience. (Artist: Austen Brantley)
(Austen Brantley)Untitled, a figurative work depicting two figures lounging together on the shore—one soaking in the sunshine and peace, the other absorbed in a book. (Artist: Hana Ward)
(Hana Ward)When Two or Three Are Gathered, three vertical boards, each ten feet tall, gathered in a half circle like ancestors in communion. (Artist: Nekisha Durrett)
(Nekisha Durrett)Unity: Circle of Memory, a figure that stands in stillness, lifting a circular form above her head—a gesture of collective memory held to the light. (Artist: Toni Scott)
(Toni Scott)Untitled, a timelessly styled contemporary family appreciating the beauty of the landscape (Artist: Xaviera Simmons)
(Xaviera Simmons)Bruce's Beach Background
Manhattan Beach News has covered Bruce's Beach extensively, beginning even before present-day debates, with a 2019 obituary of early Bruce's Beach historian Bob Brigham.
More recently, our 2023 story on Manhattan Beach's apology to the Bruce family gives a more comprehensive description of Bruce's Beach history, and the city's grappling with the issue since 2020.
