‘Destination Crenshaw’ Sculpture Park Will Open For Black Artists In Fall

Sankofa Park, the crowning element of Destination Crenshaw—the largest Black-focused public art program in the world—is finally opening its doors to visitors in Los Angeles this fall. In total, the project will commission over 100 works by Black artists from the region.

Since its launch in 2017, the initiative has received US$100 million in funding towards its cause, from public and private organizations including the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, The Getty Foundation, and actress Issa Rae. 

The park will be located at the northernmost end of the Destination Crenshaw site, and is designed by the architects over at Perkins & Will to center on the Sankofa bird—a traditional African symbol that flies forward while trailing an eye backwards on its past. 

According to The Art Newspaper, the structure will reflect the motif’s metaphor in its sloping design, along with site-specific sculptures popping up throughout the space by artists Charles Dickson, Maren Hassinger, Artis Lane, and Kehinde Wiley. 

Jason W Foster, President of Destination Crenshaw, says the site is a response to the local community “designing a vibrant, green urban corridor that, when completed, will be bursting with storytelling and magnificent public artworks.”

Once Sanfoka Park officially opens, more outdoor works by Melvin Edwards, Alison Saar, and Brenna Youngblood and murals by Patrick Henry Johnson, Anthony “Toons One” Martin, and Kissai Ramsess will be added to the space. 

[via The Art Newspaper and Perkins & Will, images via Perkins & Will]