Illuminate LA

Illuminate graphics designed by David Hernández, Taller Para Nosotros.

Artists whose lives and art practices intersect with Downtown Los Angeles will convene to discuss forgotten histories and recent transformations in Downtown’s landscape. They will draw on this research and their personal stories for a virtual panel on Thursday, October 27, and a series of audio tours released in late Fall 2022 and Winter 2023.

Featuring: Carmen Argote, Sebastian Hernandez, Maryam Hosseinzadeh, Alan Nakagawa, Isaac Michael Ybarra

About Illuminate LA

Illuminate LA is a new initiative of the LA County Department of Arts and Culture to shed light on the collective and complex history and memory of LA County by exploring the County’s Civic Art Collection and public artworks across the region. With panel discussions, events, and artist engagements, Illuminate LA will uplift promising practices and examples of civic art that support greater cultural equity and inclusion, and expand opportunities for diverse artists diverse artists underrepresented in public art.

Illuminate graphics designed by David Hernandez, Taller Para Nosotros.

Across the US, it is increasingly acknowledged that artworks and monuments have the power to inspire or perpetuate harmful histories that exclude the rich and diverse history of communities. Interventions of civic artworks in Los Angeles and beyond have prompted conversations about the evolution and representation of cultural memory. This panel will include public art leaders and historians who will discuss their roles in the current dialogue about monuments, offer historical context to related artworks and monuments, and shine a light on approaches and programs that support equitable and inclusive futures of public art collections.

View a Recording of the Event

Learn More

About Illuminate LA

Illuminate LA is a new initiative of the LA County Department of Arts and Culture to shed light on the collective and complex history and memory of LA County by exploring the County’s Civic Art Collection and public artworks across the region. With panel discussions, events, and artist engagements, Illuminate LA will uplift promising practices and examples of civic art that support greater cultural equity and inclusion, and expand opportunities for diverse artists diverse artists underrepresented in public art.