Great Wall of Los Angeles Expansion

Green Space, Park Access, and Trees

County of Los Angeles

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

SPARC's work and the Great Wall of Los Angeles provide a visual narrative of the struggle for equity among indigenous people and communities of color. The public mural offers a single site for residents and visitors to view a history of the challenges communities have faced in California. SPARC's engaging and empowering artwork fosters the understanding and need for greater social, racial and economic justice. Acknowledging historic discrimination, marginalization, and violence towards BIPOC communities will promote dialogue with California stakeholders to inform future policymaking and implementation. As it stands, the Great Wall of Los Angeles is comprised of 86 titled segments that end with the "Olympic Champions: Breaking Barriers 1964-1984." The proposed half-mile extension will be completed in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, coming full circle to reflect on recent and current events.

SPARC is the steward of the Great Wall of Los Angeles, a half-mile long mural depicting the history of California through the lens of diverse and traditional marginalized populations. Created in 1976, the colorful images display significant figures and events, from prehistory to the 1950s, to amplify the voices of indigenous, Latino, and African American communities. The art depicts the struggle against inequities and stimulates conversation to break down barriers -real and perceived - between communities. Through the Great Wall of LA, SPARC encapsulates the history of working-class immigrant neighborhoods and communities of color in Los Angeles County. The vibrant murals create sites of "public memory," that are educational, informative, and engaging in response to major social justice issues, including immigrant rights, gendered violence, voter suppression, white supremacy and racial violence. SPARC's programming is driven by the belief that art can have a significant transformative impact, is for everyone regardless of their status in society, and should be empowering to communities who face marginalization and discrimination. As SPARC works to expand the Great Wall of LA to capture the 1960s through 2020, a culturally and socioeconomically diverse group of artists, students, community members and social justice organizations will create an additional half-mile of public murals by the year 2028.

Rooted in social justice and equity building, SPARC utilizes public art to memorialize and bring attention to myriad issues facing immigrant and working-class communities to stimulate intercultural and intergenerational dialogue. Many critical historical events remain unmarked in Los Angeles except for their inclusion in the Great Wall. A total of 86 scenes emphasizes the role of Native Americans, Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Jewish Americans in creating California's culture. The Great Wall imagery highlights issues of immigration, exploitation of people and land, women's rights, class distinctions, racism and racial equality, and the struggle for gay and lesbian rights. SPARC values that innovation is important only while nurturing the significant traditions in which various ethnic groups preserve their cultures.

SPARC will assess the effectiveness of its efforts through community engagement and response, timeliness, and milestones for completing the Great Wall of Los Angeles extension, as follows: 1) Develop the content for a visual narrative on mural panel segments to represent the struggles of marginalized communities between the 1960s-2020. 2) Engage diverse artists, youth, community members, social justice organizations and community stakeholders for an inclusive process of creating and implementing the artwork. 3) Work with colleges and universities, museums, community-based and social justice focused organizations, and government agencies to leverage the successful completion of the one-mile-long public mural. SPARC believes that the process, not only the product, is the measure of the value of an art work; and that the arts can have transformative impact on the most significant social problems of our time.