Featured Events

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.

America’s suburbs are undergoing significant transformation. The traditional view of suburbs as predominantly white, middle-class areas no longer reflects reality. Today, they encompass a diverse mix of residents—rich and poor, Black, Latino, Asian, immigrants, and the unhoused. This shift is especially evident in Los Angeles, where many suburbs have become majority-minority. The New Suburbia explores the experiences of Asian Americans, Black Americans, and Latinos who moved into formerly exclusive neighborhoods.

This December, the William Grant Still Arts Center proudly presents its 44th Annual Black Doll Show, titled “in need of good folk… ‘MAGIC FOLK LIKE US’,” curated by the visionary Aiysha Sinclair. This year’s theme invites visitors to journey through a magical world where Black folklore and fairytales are celebrated, woven together through the power of storytelling and art. The show is an homage to the oral tradition and its limitless possibilities, seen through the lens of Black artists and doll makers.

Several artists and staff, who have been essential in producing the William Grant Still Arts Center Black Doll Show, were recently featured in Netflix’s acclaimed documentary, “Black Barbie.” Monica Bailey shared her inspiring personal journey toward self-love through dolls, while Amitis Motevalli and Billie Green conveyed significant historical Black doll moments. Also included in the documentary was Stacy McBride-Irby, who participated in our 2018 Black Doll Show, reflecting on her time at Barbie and her decision to develop her own Black doll line. These powerful voices underscore the deep connection between Black dolls, identity, and self-empowerment. In this 44th year, the Black Doll Show remains as relevant as ever.

This year’s theme, “in need of good folk… MAGIC FOLK LIKE US,” taps into that same empowering spirit, reminding us that within the realm of imagination, we are limitless. Aiysha Sinclair, the Los Angeles-based Children’s Book Author, Performer, and Doll Artist curating this year’s show, is known for her exploration of the magic and wonder within the African diaspora. Her work, which spans across folk tales, fairy tales, and folklore, invites visitors to reconnect with their roots and explore the cultural richness that Black storytelling has offered the world.

“These stories are haunting as well as uplifting,” says Sinclair. “I don’t think I’ll ever tire of learning from them. It is an honor to share my stories, and those of my ancestors, whether through writing, mixed media, or creating dolls.”

Celebrating Black Folklore and Tradition

At the heart of this year’s exhibit is a celebration of the countless stories that Black people have passed down through the ages—stories of tricksters, supernatural beings, heroic women, and enslaved ancestors. This is a space where imagination and memory collide, and where dolls become more than just objects—they become storytellers, sharing the influences of villages, families, and community dynamics. Like a griot passing tales from one generation to the next, the artists in this year’s Black Doll Show continue a tradition of storytelling that transcends time and place. The exhibit will showcase dolls and mixed media pieces that bring to life Black folklore, reflecting the joy, resilience, and spirit of Black culture.

The Legacy of the Black Doll Show and Its Connection to Civil Rights

The Black Doll Show began in response to the 1940s doll tests conducted by Mamie and Kenneth Clark, which revealed how systemic racism impacted Black children’s self-esteem and led them to prefer white dolls. This became pivotal evidence in civil rights lawsuits, including the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. To counteract these negative self-images, artists Cecil and Miriam Fergerson started the Black Doll Show in the 1980s, bringing together handmade Black dolls to celebrate the beauty and cultural significance of Black identity.

Through this tradition, the William Grant Still Arts Center has continued to create a space for Black artists to reshape narratives and redefine self-worth. The presence of doll artists like Monica Bailey, Amitis Motevalli, and Billie Green in “Black Barbie” speaks to the deep importance of this work. Their reflections in the documentary on how Black dolls have shaped their own lives are echoed in this year’s show, where the tradition of using dolls to convey cultural and personal stories continues.

An Invitation to Experience Magic and History

We invite all who believe in the power of storytelling and Black cultural heritage to join us for this year’s Black Doll Show. Whether you are a longtime fan of the exhibit or newly inspired by the stories shared in “Black Barbie,” the magic of this year’s theme, “in need of good folk… MAGIC FOLK LIKE US,” will speak to your heart.

This is a celebration not just of art, but of identity, history, and community—an affirmation that the stories of Black people, whether told through dolls, folklore, or film, have the power to inspire, uplift, and transform.

Event Details:

Opening Reception: December 14, 2024, from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Exhibition Dates: December 14, 2024 – February 15th, 2025

Doll Workshops

• December 21, 2024
• January 11, 2025
• February 8, 2025

Additional Events During the Black Doll Show Run:

• Panel Discussion Jan 18
• Stories & Books (Zine Making Workshop) Feb 1
• Tea Time (drink tea with your dolls) closing Feb 15

Together, let us celebrate the magic of our stories and the good folk who continue to tell them.

Commissioned on the occasion of Hollyhock House’s centennial, Janna Ireland: Even by Proxy presents twenty-one photographs by the artist that introduce new perspectives on Los Angeles’ only World Heritage site. Ireland’s photographs privilege the quiet, subtle details of Hollyhock House and make visible the care and conservation that sustain the site over time.

The title of the exhibition comes from Frank Lloyd Wright’s autobiography, in which he describes the process of realizing Hollyhock House. For Ireland, Wright’s phrase “even by proxy” points to the fraught relationship between client and architect in building the house as well as the ongoing project of preservation.

Even by Proxy is presented in partnership with Project Restore and the Julius Shulman Institute at Woodbury University.

Janna Ireland lives in Los Angeles, where she is an assistant professor in the Department of Art and Art History at Occidental College. Her photographic work is primarily concerned with the themes of family and domestic life, the built environment, and interactions between humans and the natural world.

Her 2024 mid-career survey, Janna Ireland: True Story Index, was jointly hosted by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara. In 2016, she began photographing structures designed by legendary Black architect Paul R. Williams. A collection of 250 of these photographs was published in a monograph entitled Regarding Paul R. Williams: A Photographer’s View, in 2020. In 2021, Ireland was awarded a Peter E. Pool Research Fellowship by the Nevada Museum of Art to photograph Williams’ work in Nevada. The resulting solo exhibition traveled from the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno to the Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas and the AIA Center for Architecture in New York.

Ireland’s photographs are held in the permanent collections of institutions including LACMA, SFMOMA, the Nevada Museum of Art, the California African American Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago. Janna Ireland is the 2024 recipient of the Julius Shulman Institute Excellence in Photography Award, which is presented to a photographer who honors Shulman’s legacy by challenging the way we look at physical space. She is the recipient of the 2023 Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation Art Prize, a 2023 City of Los Angeles Independent Master Artist Program (COLA-IMAP) grant, and is a 2024 runner-up for the Aperture Portfolio Prize. Her work has been the subject of articles in publications including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Financial Times, Harvard Design Magazine, and Aperture. She holds an MFA from the UCLA Department of Art and a BFA from the Department of Photography and Imaging at NYU.

Advance reservations recommended. To book a self-guided tour ticket, CLICK HERE.

A one-woman show highlighting the cumulative work of Robin Strayhorn using various mediums. Strayhorn is a multidisciplinary artist residing in Los Angeles for the past 40 years. Some other most recent work reflects time spent living and studying in India. There will be an Artist Talk/Reception on February 9, check the website for details.