The Destination Crenshaw first phase of Sankofa Park is closing in quickly thanks to increased federal financing and nearly finished artwork. The first public space will open this autumn as part of the $100 million, 1.3-mile Crenshaw Boulevard public art corridor that celebrates and reflects Black Los Angeles.
At Crenshaw and Leimert Boulevards, the new Sankofa Park will have outdoor, permanent sculptures. These will be created by artists like Kehinde Wiley, Charles Dickson, Maren Hassinger, and Artis Lane. Furthermore, the project provides 4 acres of green space in the neighborhood. These include nine “pocket parks,” and were developed by the architectural design company Perkins&Will with landscape design by Studio-MLA.
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A number of these parks will have sculptures by Brenna Youngblood, Melvin Edwards, and Alison Saar. The first five pocket parks will open in December, and the last four will do so in 2024.
The Sankofa Circle support group, which is run by Chicago Bulls player DeMar DeRozan and “Insecure” actress Issa Rae, has raised $2.4 million for the project. Additionally, the federal government granted $3.4 million in community project funding to Destination Crenshaw, giving the initiative an extra $1 million in 2021.
The first seven artworks in the project were purchased, created, and installed with the help of $3 million from the Getty Foundation, along with preparations for their conservation. The public-private venture Destination Crenshaw is now funded to the tune of $72 million.
More on the Destination Crenshaw Sankofa Park project
$14.5 million was provided by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Since the project’s debut in 2017, more public and private support have been provided. The neighborhood’s visual elements will include the hardy African giant star grass, which was used as bedding on slave ships, and the Sankofa bird, a traditional African symbol that can bend its neck 180 degrees and look both backward and forward.
“The migration’s tale is really the story of all Black Angelenos. All of us have moved here from somewhere, but we want to establish roots here, according to Jason W. Foster, president, and chief operating officer of Destination Crenshaw.
