In a festive dedication ceremony on May 10, 2008, the fifty-year old swimming facility at Ted Watkins Park in the heart of south Los Angeles was reopened after its renovation during summer 2007. In conjunction with over twenty local youth, artist Robin Strayhorn created an exterior tile mural at the entry to the Ted Watkins pool house. Strayhorn taught local residents how to create tiles in after-school programs and enabled community members’ involvement in the work of art. The title of the mural is Gifts from Mother and it depicts children diving into water surrounded by a decorative border of various natural motifs and figures.

Ted Watkins Park serves its local residents with swimming pools, ball fields, play and picnic areas, and after-school recreational activities. Ted Watkins Park is also home to the Promenade of Prominence Walk of Fame, which celebrates the accomplishments of community leaders.

About the Artist: Robin Strayhorn, who lives in downtown Los Angeles, graduated from UCLA and taught at Markham Middle School in Watts for several years. Strayhorn has completed public art commissions for the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, MTA Metro Art, and the Ontario International Airport. Her work is characterized by rich, colorful, sometimes abstracted human forms and designs rendered in ceramic tile. She is well-known for involving community members in her projects.