The mission of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture is to advance arts, culture, and creativity throughout LA County. We fulfill our mission by providing services and support in areas including grants and technical assistance for nonprofit organizations; professional development opportunities; commissioning civic artworks and managing the County’s civic art collection; implementing countywide arts education initiatives; research and evaluation; career pathways in the creative economy; free community programs; and cross sector creative strategies that address civic issues. This work is framed by the County’s Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative and a longstanding commitment to fostering access to the arts.
County Department:
Chief Executive Office - Real Estate
Address Name:
Los Angeles County Administration Building
About the Artwork:
Ken Gonzales-Day's images of traditional California landscapes, mostly oak trees, are strategically placed throughout this building that houses four County departments: Social Services, Children and Family Services, Child Support Services and Mental Health. 1,200 staff work here serving over 1,400 daily visitors. These departments have the largest concentration of social service caseloads in the County. The artworks add a calming effect to a sometimes tense environment.
Gonzales-Day's photographic glazed tiles depict a pure unaltered landscape full of optimism and possibility. They might also suggest a dreamscape of quiet, calm and purity on which the viewer might play out his or her hopes for a better tomorrow.
About the Artist:
Ken Gonzales-Day is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Art and Art History, Scripps College. He was a Senior Fellow at the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum and participated in the Whitney’s Independent Study Program. Gonzales-Day received an MFA from UC Irvine and a BFA from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn.