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.
Department(s):
Chief Executive Office - Real Estate
Supervisorial District:
2
About the Artwork:
In 2019, the Board of Supervisors introduced a motion directing the Women and Girls Initiative to collaborate with the Department of Arts and Culture to commission artists to create commemorative artworks for the Centennial Celebration of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Six artists, including Andrea Monroe, Amy Smith, Clarence J. Williams III, Laura Vasquez Rodriguez, Moses X Ball, and Ragni Agarwal, were selected to design artwork for this project. The resulting artworks reflect a diversity of women and perspectives and highlight themes such as empowerment, civic engagement, resiliency, and the right to vote. Each artwork will be installed at various facilities throughout LA County for the public to enjoy and inspire residents to vote. The artworks were also reproduced as a limited run of posters available to the public and County departments and three designs were selected to be reproduced as limited-edition library cards and bookmarks.
Moses X Ball depicts five important Black women suffragists who fought for an intersectional vision linking race, class, and gender. Moses’ work declares that Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell, Nannie H. Burroughs, Mary B. Talbert, and Frances E.W. Harper deserve proper recognition for their accomplishments with improving the lives of all women.
About the Artist:
Moses X Ball's work deals with important issues from history as well as the present day. He recently worked with Metro to create the Heart of Hyde Park mural on the US Bank at Crenshaw Blvd. and Slauson Ave. This mural is of particular importance to South LA as it depicts community activists and local business owners alongside neighborhood youth. He worked with Angelique Smith to include her son Ermias “Nipsey Hussle” Asghedom in the mural. Previous projects include Gateway to Greatness for the Expo Center at Exposition Park, featuring Olympians and Paralympians of Color. as well as Promise a collaboration with Blue Shield to create an art therapy/public art program, focused on helping South LA youth and youth in the foster system cope with obstacles and problems, using art to express and work through those issues. Throughout his career, Moses has sought to work with community groups and residents on the murals he creates, reflecting and inspiring the people who live in the areas he seeks to beautify.
