Portraits of Hope in Final Phases of LA Convention Center Public Art and Civic Initiative
LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) February 21, 2019 -- Portraits of Hope is preparing to add lots of color to the LA Convention Center. And this Friday, February 22, 5th graders will head from their classes east of downtown to the Westside Pavilion where they will participate in civic education and public art sessions during which they will paint art panels that will soon be installed on the 4-football field long curved wall at the LA Convention Center fronting the freeways and thoroughfares into downtown LA. The project titled, Shaping LA, is Portraits of Hope’s first major project within the city of LA since The Spheres at MacArthur Park. Children and broad swaths of the LA Community have been participating at the POH HQ at the South Bay Galleria and recently at the Westside Pavilion for the largest panels. The artwork will be installed on the curved wall and other areas of the convention center beginning in mid-March and be on display for a minimum of 6 months; LACC will determine its concluding date.
The majority of the colorful artwork is being painted by children taking part in Portraits of Hope creative therapy and civic leadership sessions in schools, youth programs, and hospitals. Social service and community groups are also participating reflecting the projects integrated themes of public art, civic education, community-building, creative therapy, and teamwork.
This Portraits of Hope initiative is a continuation of the program’s large-scale, national projects which have brightened and visually transformed public settings and symbols ranging from the NYC taxi fleet, blimps, planes, lakes, and buildings to LA’s coastal lifeguard towers, urban laundromats, animal shelters, and frontline fire and rescue vehicles by working with organizations from NASA to NASCAR.
This Friday’s Info:
When: February 22; 9:30a – 12p.
Where: Westside Pavilion, West Los Angeles
What: 5th grade students will participate in the civic program and paint long art panels for the large curved wall at the LA Convention Center.
Info: [email protected]
Shaping LA Project Background:
Portraits of Hope founders and brothers Ed Massey and Bernie Massey introduced the civic idea to the LA Department of Convention and Tourism Development in 2018, although POH conceived the idea 13 years earlier but were involved with other projects.
The downtown project will culminate in the installation and exhibition of a one-of-a-kind visual artwork that will be up for a minimum of 6 months with the final exhibit time frame to be determined by the LA Dept of Convention and Tourism. Elements of the Convention Center that have been approved for the project include the premier, ultra-visible outer curved wall, the heavily trafficked pedestrian thoroughfare between Staples Center and the Convention Center, and if POH choses, even the 200,000 sq. ft rooftop next to Staples Center and LA Live.
The large, vibrant, hand-painted art panels will give the LA Convention Center and central LA, an upbeat, inviting, and very identifiable look. The major art motif will be geometric shapes for the principal curved section of the convention center as children and youth will “shape” the future. This major public asset and highly trafficked thoroughfare will become a signature of the city beginning in mid-March 2019 and become one of the most recognizable views in the heart of LA, literally transforming views of the downtown cityscape.
The initiative has all the traditional and beneficial elements of Portraits of Hope: Civic Education and Public Policy sessions in schools; Creative Therapy sessions for children in hospitals and persons with disabilities; and Community Opportunities for the public at large.
As in other Portraits of Hope projects, the Shaping LA effort is a privately funded initiative supported and led by civic-spirited foundations, businesses and individuals who share the program’s themes and goals. Supporters and partners who spearhead Portraits of Hope’s activities are Niagara Cares, Vista Paint, Image Options, Helen and Peter Bing, The Goldrich Family Foundation, Maddie’s Fund, South Bay Galleria, EFI Vutek, Hudson Pacific Properties, GES, Cooley Group, Samy’s Camera, The Wooster Brush Company, Louis A. Green Corporation, Federal Realty, Nancy and Bruce Newberg Fund, Tim Bennet, The Davidow Charitable Fund, Debby and Hal Jacobs, Annenberg Foundation, Deborah Ricketts, Andrea and Barry Cayton, Melinda Goldrich, Denise Berube, Vincent Lucido, Melrose PR, Peter Best, Carol Detrick, Karen and Alan Grossman, Stephanie Graverson, Paul Valenzuela, Vesta Sung, The Nagle Family, Ed Kao, Reba Rosenthal, Stephen Ricci, Linda and Steve Kingdon, Sandy Nitchuk, Maureen Stuart, Ewing Irrigation, among others. Those interested in playing a role in support can contact [email protected].
For media inquiries, please contact Sarah Cohen at Melrose PR: Sarah(at)melrosepr(dot)com or call (310) 260-7901.
About Portraits of Hope:
Portraits of Hope, a 501 (c)(3) program, develops high-profile motivational art and civic projects that merge the production and exhibition of dynamic public art with creative therapy for hospitalized children, civic education for students in schools, and community engagement opportunities for people of all ages. Founded by brothers Ed Massey and Bernie Massey, the Portraits of Hope program is aimed at enriching the lives of children and adults - many who may be coping with serious illness, disabilities, adversity, or socio-economic challenges - through their participation in creative, educational, high-profile, one-of-a-kind projects. Portraits of Hope has involved tens of thousands of children and adults in huge civic collaborations - in the U.S. and abroad – that have visually transformed everything from airplanes, lakes, buildings, tugboats, animal shelters, and the New York City taxi fleet to LA’s coastal lifeguard towers, race cars, blimps, laundromats, and frontline fire and rescue vehicles, by working with organizations from NASA to NASCAR. More than 1,000 hospitals, schools, and social service agencies have directly participated in Portraits of Hope projects in addition to a broad array of adult civic groups.
Sarah Cohen, Melrose PR, http://www.melrosepr.com, (310) 260-7901, [email protected]
Share this article