CREATEPrayer for the Earth: Murals of Intention Across Los Angeles
Prayer for the Earth is a series of five public murals created across Los Angeles in partnership with LA Climate Week and the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles. Each mural invites residents to write intentions and wishes for their environment, connecting people to nature and community through collaborative art, storytelling, and reflection.
What is the primary issue area that your application will impact?
Access to tech and creative industry employment
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
East LA Central LA San Gabriel Valley South LA County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)
In what stage of innovation is this project, program, or initiative?
Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)
What is your understanding of the issue that you are seeking to address?
Los Angeles faces deep inequities in green space access and creative career opportunities—especially for low-income and BIPOC communities. These gaps impact mental health, environmental engagement, and economic resilience. Compounding this is a scarcity of public art that reflects local values and stories. Youth in these areas often lack access to the tools, mentors, and platforms needed to enter the growing creative tech sector. This project addresses these challenges with a hands-on model rooted in community participation, ecological literacy, and art-as-voice.
Describe the project, program, or initiative this grant will support to address the issue.
Impact Art Initiatives will produce five large-scale Prayer For The Earth murals in high-need areas of Los Angeles, combining visual prayer, intention writing, and AR/audio storytelling. The project includes hands-on workshops where community members inscribe their hopes for the planet, which are then embedded into the murals with gold leaf. Youth will receive paid creative training in digital media and environmental storytelling. The murals will be installed in partnership with local schools, parks, and cultural centers. Collaborations with Seeds of Hope and Roots & Shoots will link murals to neighborhood greening efforts, making each site a place of ecological beauty and civic expression.
Describe how Los Angeles County will be different if your work is successful.
Five immersive murals will become neighborhood landmarks and learning hubs, training at least 25 youth in digital storytelling and visual art. Over 1,500 people will directly participate in mural creation, with over 15,000 more reached through exhibitions, AR scans, and social media. The project will foster community ownership, bridge gaps in green space access, and inspire other cities to use intention-based public art for ecological and civic engagement. Long-term, the model can be scaled to other cities and used in schools or civic campaigns as a tool for inclusive creative empowerment.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this project, program, or initiative?
Direct Impact: 1,500
Indirect Impact: 15,000