Past Due: 100 Years of Central Library - Episode 4: Public Art
Episode Details
Past Due: 100 Years of Central Library - Episode 4: Public Art
In this episode of Past Due, we talk with Stephen Gee, author of Los Angeles Central Library: A History of Its Art, to discuss the artwork of the Central Library, past and present.
We also explore the mystery of the missing Well of Scribes and highlight the tremendous work done by our Shipping Department.
Resources Mentioned:
- Los Angeles Central Library: A History of Its Art and Architecture by Stephen Gee
- Sculptor Jud Fine Reflects on the Maguire Gardens’ Spine
- Spine: An Account of the Jud Fine Plan at the Maguire Gardens Central Library, Los Angeles by Jud Fine
- Ann Preston's Lamps Illuminate the Bradley Wing
- Alta Journal
- Central 100 Community Oral History
Participant(s) Bio
Stephen Gee is an award-winning writer and television producer, and the author of five books. His works include Iconic Vision: John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles; Los Angeles Central Library: A History of Its Art and Architecture; Los Angeles City Hall: An American Icon; Paul R. Williams: Master Architects of Southern California, 1920–1940; and Driving Force: Automobiles and the New American City, 1900–1930. Gee was awarded the 2025/2026 Elizabeth B. Motika and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship in Architectural History at The Huntington. He began his career as a newspaper reporter in Norfolk, England.
Melissa Ortiz started with the Los Angeles Public Library as an Administrative Clerk for the Outreach Department and currently serves as a clerk for the Children’s Literature Department at Central Library and producer for Past Due.
Mark Garbutt has been with the Los Angeles Public Library for the past four years and is currently the Acting Senior Storekeeper in Central Library’s Shipping Department. During his time, he has learned about the various departments at the Central Library and the branch routes our delivery drivers use to reach all the 72 branches.
Moderator: Sheridan Jay Cazarez is a librarian in the Exploration & Creativity Department at the Los Angeles Public Library. He's presented on bilingual early literacy programming, translation practices, and labor advocacy at the REFORMA National, California Library Association, Seguimos Creando Enlaces, and American Library Association conferences. Find his original translations of songs and rhymes for young children on his website, Bibliocuentos.com.
