Family Friendly

Join Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson; Mayor Karen Bass; the Los Angeles City Council; and the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) to officially celebrate the exhibition installation of the work of Los Angeles photographer, Leroy Hamilton in DCA’s Henry P. Rios Gallery at Los Angeles City Hall on display from Friday, January 31, 2025 to February 26, 2025.

The Story of Us displays Black Angelenos in several dimensions of their lives—at home with family, in the conference room, on the court, in government halls of power, on the mainstage, in the streets, and in places of worship. It captures the fullness of Black life. Mr. Hamilton seeks to restore the humanity behind Black faces that are often misrepresented. Visitors will experience the full spectrum of Black personhood through the lens of a local artist with strategic connections and expansive vision.

The Story of Us is Leroy Hamilton’s exhibit which he hopes will reverberate across the country. By capturing a collection of photos of Black Angelenos, the artist hopes to draw parallels between movement building in Black Los Angeles to national Black movements. Mr. Hamilton hopes to remind visitors that there is a community photographer in every community, and we must recommit ourselves to seeking them out and uplifting their work. The photography exhibit is an ode to Black Los Angeles and all we represent in the past, present, and future–from Crenshaw to the coast, this is The Story of Us.

The exhibition is curated and coordinated by Larry Earl.

Photography Exhibition: January 31, 2025 through February 26, 2025

The exhibition is free to visit and open to the public.

Ribbon Cutting: Friday, February 7, 2025, 9:30 a.m.

Stream films on Kanopy or Hoopla, both on-demand streaming film services. They both have an extensive library of African American cinema and documentaries that are free with your Los Angeles City or Los Angeles County library card.

kanopy.com/en/category/40898?frontend=kui

 hoopladigital.com

The Los Angeles Public Library and the Los Angeles County Library cards give you access to many resources, including two amazing online music collections. Freegal features unlimited songs, and Hoopla lets you check out full albums. These two databases have endless amounts of music from the African and African American diaspora to explore, from famous hits to underground sounds.

hoopladigital.com/search?q=African+American+music&scope=everything&type=direct&kindId=6

freegalmusic.com

The Crazy Superhero Vacation is a production by Ms. Neate’s class at Vena Avenue Elementary. Animation and editing are by Pieter Hardeman of Toy Story Lab. Southland Sings is a creative organization using the arts to unlock creative potential through live opera, musical theatre production, education assemblies, and music composition for all ages.

A double bill featuring two debuts! L.A.’s Yellowjackets bring four decades and headline status to open the evening. “The standout male vocalist of our time” (The New York Times), Kurt Elling reimagines Weather Report tunes with original band member Peter Erskine. Featuring works by Wayne Shorter, Weather Report is the defining modern jazz act of the 1970s and 1980s.

Black Hole —Trilogy and Triathlon is the final part of Shamel Pitts’ BLACK Series triptych, brought to life by the Brooklyn-based arts collective TRIBE. This multidisciplinary performance, enriched by Afrofuturism, weaves together dance, sound, video, and light into a narrative celebrating vitality, tenderness, and the power of unity and progress. Through the journey of three performers of African heritage, Black Hole explores themes of transformation and potential, transcending the darkness into a metaphorical space of empowerment.