The County of Los Angeles and many of the cities in the Los Angeles metropolitan area carry on activities for the promotion of cultural pursuits. They frequently take the form of art exhibits, arts and crafts centers, musical programs, historic and scientific collections, and displays. Community centers and auditoriums serve as meeting places in which local groups may engage in leisure-time undertakings. Many are operated jointly by two or more governmental jurisdictions, while others are leased to private organizations for operation.
The county maintains several noteworthy cultural centers for the use of all its residents. Such undertakings come under the general control of the Board of Supervisors, with boards or commissions appointed by this body providing specific supervision. Funds usually are appropriated directly by the board, although in some cases the institutions or programs are partially or wholly self-supporting.
The County Museum in Exposition Park, operated by a Board of Governors of fifteen, is a wealthy source of historic, scientific, and artistic material. Hancock Park in the Wilshire district, as part of the museum, constitutes the largest known source of late Ice Age flora and fauna. Many of these ancient plants and animals, in their preserved form, are on view at the museum. This institution serves an educational function by maintaining an education division for acquainting both young people and adults with its various displays.
The County Art Institute, under an Advisory Council of five, is a cultural center of a different nature. It offers to those desiring instruction in graphic and plastic arts a four-year program under noted professional instructors at moderate tuition rates.
The county has a Citizens Music Commission, which advises the Board of Supervisors on all musical matters with which it is concerned. Under recent State legislation the county is permitted to present operas, pageants, symphonies, and band concerts for admission fees and may make contracts with private groups to provide entertainment. The commission advises the board on the frequency and type of musical programs sponsored, the use of the county band, the underwriting of concerts and operas, and the operation of the Hollywood Bowl.
This county-owned amphitheatre is leased to the Hollywood Bowl Association, an independent, nonprofit organization, which supervises maintenance and operation of the Bowl. Additional local musical presentations and activities are put on by the Music Supervisor of the County Parks and Recreation Department, usually in county parks in central areas.
The 350-acre County Fairgrounds at Pomona, under the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors, is administered by another independent, nonprofit corporation, the County Fair Association. The State aids the county in the operation of the fairgrounds and buildings through annual appropriations derived almost wholly from its portion of the receipts of betting at horse racing tracks.
Many cities carry on programs of a cultural nature through city departments or through sponsorship of outside groups and organizations devoted to this work. For example, Los Angeles has a Board of Municipal Art Commissioners, appointed by the Mayor with the confirmation of the council. The charter function of this body is to approve the architectural design of all municipal buildings and structures or works of art. It also maintains an art gallery in the City Hall.
In addition, annual art exhibits, sponsored by the board, are presented in the Greek Theatre in Griffith Park. A bureau of music recently was created under this body to coordinate public interest in all phases of music. Such municipal activities, financed by the city, are the result of public desire for art and music as a necessary part of any community program or plan.
Nine cities within the county own municipal auditoriums in which cultural and educational presentations are made by community groups. Outstanding examples are the auditoriums in Long Beach and Pasadena. The county maintains Patriotic Hall for the use of veterans’ organizations. Revenue is derived from the rental of space to these groups and to the general public.
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