Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 10
Adam Matano Casts P-22 Bronze for 4,200-Acre Griffith Park Memorial
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 10

Adam Matano Casts P-22 Bronze for 4,200-Acre Griffith Park Memorial

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 10

Summary

  • Next week, Los Angeles artist Adam Matano will begin the weeks-long foundry process to cast a larger-than-life bronze sculpture of P-22 for placement near Griffith Park’s visitor center.
  • P-22’s 2022 death triggered an unusually broad public mourning in Los Angeles, with a Greek Theatre memorial, murals, a classical composition and tributes from politicians and celebrities.
  • Biologists said the mountain lion likely crossed at least 10 freeway lanes from the Santa Monica Mountains to reach Griffith Park, where he became the park’s most famous wild resident.
  • The monument gives P-22 a rare permanent place in a city known for reinvention, joining high-profile Griffith Park memorials such as James Dean’s bust and Kobe Bryant’s bronze statue.

Insights

Will the new Griffith Park bronze monument elevate a wild predator to the same legendary cultural status as Kobe Bryant?
How did a solitary mountain lion's tragic death spark a $114 million revolution in Los Angeles urban planning?
As the massive wildlife crossing nears its late 2026 opening, can it truly reverse the ecological damage that isolated P-22?