Artwork Detail
Revolutionary War Mural
Artist: Ackerman, Frank
Object Date: 1976
Medium: Acrylic
Department(s): Military and Veterans Affairs
About the Artwork:
About the Artist:
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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.
Bob Hope Patriotic Hall’s basement was extensively renovated in 1976 for the United States’ bicentennial. As part of the renovation, Frank Ackerman was commissioned to design a mural with a Revolutionary War motif. The mural depicts an 18th century harbor with several period ships, including one flying the United States flag. It completes a room filled with Revolutionary War artifacts and replicas. It was funded in part by the Military Order of the Purple Heart. The mural’s space serves as an anteroom to a large dining area, entitled the Purple Heart Inn.
Frank Ackerman (1933-1986) was a prominent watercolor artist who attended the Chouinard Art Institute and was President of the National Watercolor Society in the early 1970s. His designs have been exhibited at many galleries and museums including the Legion of Honor in San Francisco and the National Academy of Design, New York. Ackerman joined LA County’s Graphic Arts Department after working as a County architectural draftsman and illustrator. He headed the County Graphics Department between 1973 and 1980 and then became the Chief of Museum Exhibit Services at the Museum of Natural History. Ackerman also traveled to the South Pole as an official Navy artist in the 1960s.