Los Angeles Skyline, detail, Susan Logoreci.

On December 9, 1947, a motion introduced by Supervisor John Anson Ford was adopted by the Board of Supervisors, and the Los Angeles County Music Commission—the forebearer of the Department of Arts and Culture—was born.

To kick off our anniversary celebration, Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell authored a motion to commemorate 75 years of arts and culture in LA County, which the Board unanimously passed. And to continue the celebration, we've created a special 75 Years of Arts and Culture report.

Inside is a snapshot of LA County’s local arts and culture landscape as it grew through the years, and how our role and impacts grew along with it. You’ll see how our programs evolved, how policies like the Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative and the Countywide Cultural Policy guide our work, and how we build equity into everything we do.

Most of all, we hope, you’ll explore the voices of our cultural community included in the report. Though we couldn’t talk to everyone, we wanted to highlight some of the incredible arts leaders, Commissioners, grantee partners, staff, and alumni that make up our Los Angeles County cultural sector—because none of this work would be possible without you. 

Explore the Report