200 N Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012
USA
In celebration of Grand Park’s fifth anniversary, the park will give thanks to the most important element its success: Angelenos themselves who have embraced the park and made it their own. The park will project nightly between August 19th and September 4th, the Big LA Portrait Gallery onto the south wall of the mid-century L.A. County Hall of Records. This photographic exhibition will contain 100 images of Angelenos of all kinds, photographed by ten L.A. photographers. The images range from parishioners of the Trinity Baptist Church in South L.A. to the cowboys and girls of Sunset ranch, giving us a glimpse into a few unique and beautiful L.A. worlds. The images will be projected 150ft high and 100 ft wide. And the exhibit will run from sundown to midnight (for sundown times please check local listings).
All are welcome to the Big L.A. Portrait Gallery Launch Party, where music and activities will open the nightly series.
Sunday Best at First Baptist Church
-Joe Pugliese
Congregants of the Trinity Baptist Church in South Los Angeles bring their personal style to Sunday service. The church dates back to 1917 and sees hundreds of parishioners on Sunday Mornings. This portrait series first appeared as part of Los Angeles Magazine’s Pray L.A. portfolio.
Follow Joe: joepug.com
Central Avenue
-Sam Comen
Central Avenue was once one of the United States’ most culturally and politically significant districts— home of West Coast Jazz, crucible of civil rights activism, and an inspiring case of economic prosperity in the face of racial prejudice. Yet in only a decade, it became a national symbol of urban decay: crime, physical blight, unemployment and poverty, tragically punctuated not once but twice by devastating riots in 1965 and 1992. As the vivid memories of the 1992 civil unrest resurfaced in April 2012, it was a salient moment for Angelenos to take a closer look at this storied place.
Follow Sam: samcomen.com
A Lifetime of Service
-Jessica Pons
A Lifetime of Service is an ongoing portrait and interview series about the men and women who have worked for decades in some of the most iconic restaurants in Los Angeles.
Follow Jessica: jessicapons.com
Portraits of Japanese American Activism
-Zen Sekizawa
Zen Sekizawa has chosen to depict Japanese American activists and organizers in Los Angeles. Her portrait series coincides with a documentary project about Sekizawa’s personal ties to generations of Asian American activists and their underrepresented contributions (past and present) to the civil rights and social justice struggle.
Follow Zen: zensekizawa.com
Sunset Ranch
-Jessica Sample
Nestled high up in the Hollywood Hills at the base of the Hollywood Sign, The Sunset Ranch is a hidden cowboy enclave in the middle of Los Angeles. If you get to know the guys well enough, they might even let you in on one of their rides though urban LA, like their favorite jaunt to the In-N-Out on Sunset.
Follow Jessica: jessicasample.com
Super Heroes at Home
-Gregg Segal
In Super Heroes at Home, Gregg Segal shows a world where costumed performers work Hollywood Boulevard posing for tips as Superman, Spiderman and other hero icons.
Masquerading for tourists from all over the world gives the performers an illusory sense of stardom. Seeing these characters at home helps define contemporary Hollywood, conveying the community’s aspirations and fringe level reality.
Follow Gregg: greggsegal.com
Sanctuary: LA as Home to Global Refugees
-Elena Dorfman
Los Angeles is known as a melting pot, but most think of the “usual” immigrants – Mexican or Central American – or the ones who came from places we’ve named neighborhoods after: Korea, Ethiopia and Armenia. What’s not known so much is that L.A. and San Diego combined take in more refugees than any other state by far. These refugees are coming to Southern California from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, Central American women and minors, and other regions in crisis.
Follow Elena: elenadorfman.com
That Eastside Gaze
-Rafael Cardenas
Rafael Cardenas was born in Jalicso, Mexico and raised in East Los Angeles. His pictures of young adults from this Los Angeles neighborhood have a timeless quality to them, harkening back to traditions of the past and hope for the future.
Follow Rafael: Rafael Cardenas
Genderqueer
-Chloe Aftel
In her Genderqueer project she makes each photograph into a one-frame movie still. Each person has a story to tell about their experience as a person who does not subscribe to conventional gender distinctions.
Follow Chloe: chloeaftel.com
West Side Kids
-Sean Murphy
Sean Murphy is a water-bug, a surfer, a paddle boarder and a fisherman, originally from Florida’s panhandle. During his roughly 20 years in Los Angeles he has photographed all aspects of the coast. This portrait series is a collection of his imagery, specifically focused on variety of Angelenos enjoying the beautiful beaches of Los Angeles County.
Follow Sean: seanmurphyphoto.com
Information subject to change
METRO RED or PURPLE LINE TO CIVIC CENTER/GRAND PARK STATION, GOLD LINE TO LITTLE TOKYO/ARTS DISTRICT STATION
Grand Park is an LA County park powered by The Music Center.
