LACMA has expanded its Local Access initiative by adding three new museum partners: the California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) University Art Gallery, the Millard Sheets Art Center at the L.A. County Fair, and the Ontario Museum of History & Art. Supported by the Art Bridges Cohort Program, these institutions join four existing partners in creating exhibitions sourced from LACMA’s permanent collection. The program’s latest exhibition, "Act on It! Artists, Community, and the Brockman Gallery in Los Angeles," will open at the Vincent Price Art Museum on September 27. Local Access, launched in 2021, was the first Art Bridges Cohort Program in the Western United States.
This expansion matters because it establishes a new model for accessible and inclusive community engagement across Southern California, bringing art from LACMA’s collection to diverse local audiences. The program emphasizes California’s unique artistic heritage and tradition of arts-based activism, fostering collaboration between museum staff and tailoring exhibitions to each community’s needs. By sharing resources and interpretation, Local Access deepens public engagement with American art and challenges traditional definitions of it, reinforcing LACMA’s long-standing commitment to neighborhood-based outreach.