11:11 A CREATIVE COLLECTIVE
No Going Back LA
EMPOWERING OUR PEOPLE | OUR PLANET | OUR LEGACY
COMMISSIONED BY
COMMITTEE FOR GREATER LA
CANOGA PARK, CA
2021
“Art and rebellion often go hand-in-hand and redefinition is often accompanied by creation.”
Erin Stone, 11:11 ACC
When 11:11 was approached by No going Back LA, we quickly realized it was opportunity to not only continue our mission of ensuring that the arts are in the forefront of our communities and accessible to everyone, but to work with a group of people that share our values of equality, inclusion and a fight for systemic change. We believe that art is humanity’s loudest voice. It has the ability to not only tell the stories and create a visual dialogue, but also offer a platform to challenge the status quo. Art and rebellion often go hand-in-hand and redefinition is often accompanied by creation. NGBLA is a resistance to our current system. It may be slow, but history shows us that change is inevitable and if we band together, revolution is possible.
The Committee for Greater LA assembled civic leaders at the start of the COVID pandemic to prioritize the recovery of LA County’s most marginalized communities.
The Committee for Greater LA is a cross-sectoral group of Angelenos who share a vision that our region’s response to the COVID pandemic can advance systems change and dismantle the institutions and policies that have perpetuated institutional racism.
In September 2020, they released a comprehensive, landmark report, in partnership with UCLA and USC, No Going Back: Together for an Equitable and Inclusive Los Angeles.
No Going Back LA evolved from this report into an ongoing agenda for systems change powered by the Committee for Greater LA.
The goal is sweeping systems change to ensure vulnerable and marginalized communities will be better off than they were before the crisis – there is #NoGoingBackLA.
11:11 A Creative Collective was hired to curate this mural by LA County artist, Karina Vazquez, to honor to these vulnerable communities with a large scale public art piece.
Karina Vazquez is a Mexican born, contemporary artist living and working in Long Beach CA. Her affinity to making art came as a young adult when she began doodling to kill time. She quickly fell in love with the process and how liberating and therapeutic it was, so she embarked on a journey of self teaching. Sourcing inspirations from all aspects of life: current events, her own insecurities and in her most recent works, migrant struggles; Vazquez portrays these ideas with the female figure which is central in her work.
“NGBLA has provided me with the opportunity to be part of something that is bigger than me. It has given me a platform to share my work and my message in a public space where it can be accessed by anyone regardless of color, background, or economic status. I am happy to be part of a group that sees the value in art as a tool for change and that aligns with my own beliefs of equity and justice.”
Karina Vazquez