Access! Outdoor Sculpture in West LA

Green space, park access, and trees

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

The problem we are seeking to address is the significant lack of engagement and inclusive initiatives for public art in Los Angeles. Despite the presence of numerous outdoor sculpture parks and public art installations throughout LA county, these cultural assets remain under-utilized and largely overlooked by the wider community. This under-utilization stems from a lack of accessible information and engaging, guided experiences that connect the public with the art, its history, and the artists behind it.

We are seeking to address the under-utilization of public art in Los Angeles, beginning with three outdoor sculpture parks in West LA's neighborhoods, Murphy Sculpture Garden at UCLA, Beverly Gardens Park, and Century City. Despite offering free access to fine art, these spaces are rarely visited by anyone other than nearby residents. AMA’s art historians have already developed much of the research for these guides. The guides are currently available as PDFs on our website as a free download. With the support of the grant, we aim to make the design of the PDF more dynamic, establish a more cohesive approach to laying out the information with the intention of scalability for future sites, and finally focus on the distribution and inclusive access of these self-guided tours through strategic social media marketing and working with the cultural institutions that house these collections. With our Access! guides, Angelenos, and visitors will have engaging ways to experience public art while also providing a repository of information for the county.

LA will experience a vibrant transformation in its engagement with public art. The currently under-utilized public art installations will become dynamic cultural hubs, accessible to a broader and more diverse audience. Residents and visitors alike will embark on self-guided tours that enhance their understanding and appreciation of the artworks and educate them about the history and diverse artists behind these pieces. This increased interaction will foster a deeper sense of community and cultural pride, promoting inclusivity and cultural awareness. Institutions housing these artworks will benefit from enhanced archiving, elevating their educational value. Increased appreciation of public art will spur further interest in these cultural assets, enhancing LA's cultural landscape. Our scalable guides will create a database of public art information, compiled by respected historians, artists, and educators, serving as a valuable resource for public projects, researchers, and archivists.

For our early-stage initiative, increased engagement will be tracked by measuring the number of participants utilizing the self-guided tours through app downloads, website visits, and physical guidebook distributions. The creation and accessibility of comprehensive archives and educational materials will be a strong aspect of the project, ensuring sustained impact. Additionally, we will focus on outreach and distribution, using analytics from social media campaigns, website traffic, and other marketing efforts to measure the reach and effectiveness of our outreach campaigns. Community feedback through surveys and focus groups will provide qualitative insights to refine our approach. A successful program will lead to the expansion of our pilot program, identifying the extensive public art spaces throughout Los Angeles County and creating guilds to build upon the collective educational archive database.