Beginning Tuesday, September 8, 2026, installation will begin on Charles Gaines’ landmark public sculpture, A Frame for a Tree, at Washington and National Boulevards.
Created by world-renowned conceptual artist and composer Charles Gaines, A Frame for a Tree is a landmark public art installation that explores the intersection of systematic logic, natural forms, and public space. By enclosing a mature Ficus tree – itself a local landmark of long standing reknown – within an architectural grid structure, this monumental work invites viewers to engage with nature, urban history, and the surrounding streetscape through a new lens.
Charles Gaines is a globally recognized pioneer of Conceptual Art and longtime CalArts professor whose career spans over 50 years. His work is held in the permanent collections of major global institutions, including MoMA, the Whitney, and the Tate Modern. Having a public work by an artist of his stature elevates Culver City as a major cultural destination in Southern California. Since the mid-1970s (starting with the series Walnut Tree Orchard), Gaines has used trees as central subjects to explore how mathematical systems and organic nature interact. The sculpture acts as an architectural screen or ‘viewfinder’ that poetically frames the living Ficus tree and surrounding urban landscape from street level, nearby buildings, and passing Metro Expo Line trains.
The City of Culver City is proud to feature this transformative work as a signature visual gateway for our community.
Art consultants Dyson & Womack, who have managed over 60 public artworks and 350 public art programs, will oversee A Frame for a Tree during its final fabrication and installation phase. The consulting firm is known for its expertise and reputation in realizing world-class, contemporary public art projects.
The creation of the frame onsite is planned to take approximately six weeks, creating a new visual gateway for Culver City.
Roads will be open; no major street closures are planned. Expect minor, localized slowdowns during early morning equipment load-ins as material arrives on the site.
People driving through the intersection between 7 and 8:30 am are advised to allow at least an extra 5–10 minutes.
A Certified Master Arborist will be on-site continuously during all construction to ensure the complete health of the tree.
The project is funded entirely through the Culver City Cultural Arts Fund; developer impact fees earmarked by law for public art.
For more information on the project timeline, explore the history of the Washington/National TOD gateway on the Project Milestone Tracker at www.culvercity.gov/City-Projects/Charles-Gaines-Artwork
City of Culver City
Rendering by TOLO Architecture
