Access! Outdoor Sculpture Guide

Adult literacy

West LA City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit)

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

Los Angeles is home to an extraordinary wealth of public art, yet much of it goes unnoticed and underappreciated. Outdoor sculpture parks and public installations across the county remain under-utilized, primarily due to a lack of accessible, engaging resources that connect people to the art, its context, and its creators. This gap disproportionately affects communities without access to arts education or cultural programming, limiting opportunities for meaningful public engagement and cultural inclusion. Without intentional efforts to make public art more visible and approachable, these works risk becoming invisible in the landscape. At a time when fostering community connection, cultural pride, and inclusive access to the arts is more important than ever, we must act to transform these passive spaces into active cultural touchpoints for all Angelenos.

This grant will support the development of Access!, a public art engagement initiative designed to address the under-utilization of outdoor sculpture parks in Los Angeles. We will pilot the project at three significant sites in West LA: the Murphy Sculpture Garden at UCLA, Beverly Gardens Park, and Century City. Although these spaces offer free access to world-class public art, they are often overlooked by the broader public. To change this, we will transform our existing research—developed by AMA’s team of art historians—into dynamic, accessible self-guided digital and print tours. Currently available as basic PDFs, these guides will be redesigned for clarity, visual appeal, and scalability. Distribution will be a key focus: we’ll partner with local schools, community colleges, libraries, Boys & Girls Clubs, senior centers, and city offices to share these resources widely and equitably. Strategic social media outreach and collaborations with cultural institutions will further expand reach. What sets Access! apart is its dual function: empowering Angelenos and visitors to actively engage with public art while building a community-driven archive of cultural knowledge. With this grant, we’ll create a replicable model for making public art more visible, valued, and inclusive—starting in West LA and growing citywide.

With the success of Access!, Los Angeles County will experience a vibrant shift in how communities engage with public art. Underutilized installations will be reimagined as accessible cultural landmarks, activated through self-guided tours that share the stories, histories, and diverse voices behind each piece. Residents and visitors will not only gain deeper cultural insight but also learn how to engage with art—skills that will enrich experiences throughout the county and beyond. Over the grant year, we’ll launch these tours and a scalable digital guide—curated by historians, artists, and educators—that preserves and elevates public art. This archive will serve as a lasting resource for educators, researchers, and public agencies. With a model designed for replication, the project has strong potential to expand into additional neighborhoods across Los Angeles County, amplifying its impact and inspiring long-term investment in public art.