Shaping LA at the Los Angeles Convention Center

A Portraits of Hope Project

The LA City skyline has a vibrant new look as Portraits of Hope’s latest civic and public art project is on display at and showcases the LA Convention Center. The 31-ART panel installation on the 4-football field long curved South Hall wall now enhances one of LA’s most dramatic vistas as a burst of color fronts the new downtown skyline. 650,000 vehicles entering and exiting downtown go by the curved wall everyday – or nearly 20 million vehicles a month.  The project also extends to multiple areas at the LACC and has involved nearly 7,000 children and adults throughout Los Angeles who have participated in the initiative’s program activities that included painting the art panels and art discs now on site.

For 20 years, Portraits of Hope has served and engaged children and adults in schools, hospitals, social service programs, and community groups in large-scale civic collaborations that transform public environments and iconic settings.  Portraits of Hope works with a variety of populations in its initiatives, reflecting the program’s integrated themes of public art, civic education, creative therapy, community-building, and teamwork.  This Portraits of Hope project is a continuation of the program’s large-scale, national projects which have brightened and visually transformed public settings and symbols raging from the NYC taxi fleet, blimps, planes, lakes and buildings to LA’s costal lifeguard towers, urban laundromats, animal shelters, and frontline fire and rescue vehicles by working with organizations from NASA to NASCAR.

Founded by brothers Ed Massey and Bernie Massey, Portraits of Hope has involved tens of thousands of children and adults and more than 1,000 schools, hospitals, and social service programs in its large-scale civic collaborations and initiatives.

Shaping LAincludes artwork created during sessions with the Braille Institute, Special Olympics, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitative Center, and the Advantage program. Many children and adults involved in Portraits of Hope have experienced an array of medical or physical challenges. To meet the individual needs of persons with disabilities, the program has developed specialized painting brushes and techniques including telescope paint brushes for those in wheel chairs or attached to IVs, the shoe brushTM for individuals unable to manipulate a brush with their hands, and fruit flavored mouth brushes for kids and adults with limited movement in their limbs. For persons visually impaired, POH texturizes art panels or utilizes other techniques.

In schools, Portraits of Hope engages students in grades 3-12 in interdisciplinary education sessions in which they assess, discuss, and communicate their thoughts on social issues affecting their communities and the world.  On site at the Los Angeles Convention Center are examples of program activities depicting efforts to achieve model community resource allocations and persuasion statements by students who identified issues they believe should be prioritized.  The large art collaboration – painting the panels and discs – is a group effort to demonstrate tangibly the power of community teamwork and civic engagement.

Geometric shapes are the core design elements of the project, as the young participants will be responsible for “shaping” the future.  The flower is also core to the program as the universal symbol of joy, hope, beauty, life and renewal.

After six months, the artwork will be donated primarily to social service institutions to beautify their environments.

Portraits of Hope graciously acknowledges the City of Los Angeles Department of Convention and Tourism Development which championed the effort throughout.

Traditional to Portraits of Hope Shaping LA at the Los Angeles Convention Center is privately funded.

Most sincere gratitude and deserved recognition is extended to all the civic-spirited partners, businesses, foundations and individuals who share the program’s themes and goals and made the project possible.

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