Bartholomew (Bartolo) Mako Sites

Between 1942 and 1943, Bartholomew de Mako created the mural "Justice" for Burbank City Hall under the auspices of the Works Projects Administration (WPA) Art Program. The mural is now displayed in the lobby of the City Attorney's Office. "Set against the background of the capitol in Washington D.C., we see justice holding the scales in her left hand and an American flag in the right. Beneath her are six figures representing the diverse group of citizens who benefit from our impartial system of jurisprudence. Recently restored, the brilliant pallette jumps off the canvas. Burbank officials are to be commended for...

In 1943, Bartolo Mako sculpted a set of bas reliefs for City Hall in Burbank, CA. Two are located on the building's east and west wings, with another at the Third Street entrance. The project likely received funding from the Works Projects Administration (WPA) Art Project prior to its termination. The untitled panels on the east and west wings represent the body of peace, an eagle, soldiers, and mechanics at work on an airplane. The panel at the Third Street entrance, titled "A Tribute to Craftsmen," features workers in construction, metal working, and the aviation industry. Mako's other FAP works in the...

In 1938, artist Bartolo Mako created a bas-relief sculpture for Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, CA. The relief is located above the entrance to the liberal arts building, which was constructed with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding. Cast in concrete, the relief features historically important intellectuals—scientists, mathematicians, physicists, chemists, engineers, astronomers, and philosophers— including Euclid, Archemedes, Plato, Aristotle, (Luigi) Galviani, (Isaac) Newton, (Benjamin) Franklin, (Antoine) Lavoisier, (Leon) Foucault, and Galileo (Galilei). Mako was likely commissioned by the Federal Art Project (FAP), as sculptor Merrell Gage had been two years earlier to create a frieze and free-standing pylon for the south entrance...

The Hoover School of Fine Arts, previously known as the Lou Henry Hoover Elementary School, is graced with beautiful bas-reliefd frieze by Bartolo Mako over the entrance. The frieze depicts a scene of the early Quakers who founded the city of Whittier more than one hundred years ago. The frieze is part of the structure, which was designed by local architect William Harrison, and paid for as part of the building construction.

Bartholume Mako created two artworks for the auditorium foyer of Ventura High School in Ventura CA. One is a 12-foot high plaster sculpture titled "Roman Goddess" and the other is a 15 x 6-foot plaster frieze called "Roman Scene." They were paid for by the Federal Art Project of the Works Project Administration (WPA).