Cultural

Cultural Playground is a joyous montage of the sights and sounds that make Los Angeles a destination. Artist Michael Massenburg captures the energy of the city through the diverse people and activities that characterize this place. Here, the memory keepers, dancers, musicians, and athletes converge to share their gifts with the world. A guitarist, drummer, and tuba player provide the beat and melody for the dynamic movement shown throughout the mural. Their innovation through improvisation is central to the lifeblood of the city. At the center, children run through a park. Above them, tennis, soccer, and basketball players cut through the air with their arms and legs. Their gestures are matched by the elegant poses of the dancers and singers around them. Massenburg believes that “the two most profound things that unite people are the arts and sports.” From the legendary Fox Theatre in Inglewood, to parks throughout the city, to the red lanterned plazas of Chinatown, Cultural Playground shows how arts and sports can create a harmonious and inspiring community.

—Bridget R. Cooks, Professor of Art History and African American Studies, UC Irvine

Michael Massenburg (b. 1959, San Diego) was raised in South Central Los Angeles and resides in Inglewood. He began his career at the nearby Watts Tower Art Center, an institution dedicated to promoting populist art and multiculturalism. Like the generations of artists influenced by the 1965 Watts Rebellion and the Rodney King riots of 1992, Massenburg has in turn pursued the connection between personal and historical narratives, especially within the African Diaspora, and developed a practice that is culturally and socially engaged. A boundless “sense of social purpose” has sustained him through the evolution of his work, from paintings and murals to public artworks, and propelled him into teaching, lecturing, activism, and community building.