Meeting_Body
REVISED
2028 OLYMPICS COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 14, 2022
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS SOLIS AND GARCETTI AS AMENDED BY BUTTS AND NAJARIAN
Uplifting Arts, Culture, and Recreation during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games Motion
In 2028, Los Angeles will host the Paralympic Games for the first time and the Summer Olympic Games for the third time. The Paralympic Games, set for Tuesday, August 22, 2028, through Sunday, September 3, 2028, and the Summer Olympic Games, set for Friday, July 21, 2028, through Sunday, August 6, 2028, present a unique opportunity to welcome the world and expose a global audience to Los Angeles’ arts and culture. The Olympic Movement has a rich history of engaging and working with Los Angeles’ arts community. For ten weeks prior to the 1984 Olympics, Los Angeles hosted the Olympics Arts Festival. Reports show that over 1.25 million people attended the Festival which included dance, music, and theater performances as well as visual arts commissions, exhibits, and events. The legacy of the Festival can still be seen today, including along key transportation arteries like the 101 Freeway in Downtown LA which remain decorated with murals commissioned for the Festival.
Metro also has a pronounced history of supporting the arts and integrating artwork into Metro projects and initiatives through the Metro Art Program. Transit stations and TAP cards are regularly designed with pieces from local artists. Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, Union Station commonly presented cultural events, including music performances. Even more so, Metro’s dedication to the arts and culture also includes bringing events to neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles. Through grant programs, Metro sponsors initiatives for arts, culture, and recreation, especially in Equity Focused Communities. Examples include festivals and pop-up events related to arts and culture at mobility hubs and Metro stations/stops. Another example is Play Streets, which temporarily close streets to automobile traffic and transforms them into playgrounds, with programming, play structures, and shade for recreational purposes. With the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the horizon, Metro is uniquely situated to leverage and expand its existing programs to ensure all Angelenos have equitable access to Olympic and Paralympic-inspired arts and cultural events. The 2028 Mobility Concept Plan (MCP), currently being developed, can be used to identify specific programs and/or corridor opportunities for such events.
Subject
SUBJECT: UPLIFTING ARTS, CULTURE, AND RECREATION DURING THE 2028 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES MOTION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE Motion by Directors Solis and Garcetti as amended by Butts and Najarian that the Board of Directors direct the Chief Executive Officer to:
A. As part of the 2028 MCP, identify funding and develop recommendations to launch a special grant program dedicated to transforming our streets and transportation facilities into temporary centers of art, culture, and recreation to engage the local communities in the spirit of the Olympic Games before and/or during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games;
B. Collaborate with the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, the City of Los Angeles (including the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and Department of Cultural Affairs), and LA28 to design the new grant program guidelines; to provide input to Metro on the development of guidelines for the new grant program;
C. Engage with the California Department of Transportation related to opportunities for new and restored murals on the State Highway System;
D. Consider how to uplift local and community-based arts organizations as part of the above directives; and
E. Report back on the above directives in January March 2023.