Public Art in Inglewood, CA-Kaleb McKinney

Public Art in Inglewood

April 05, 2026
ART 3170
McKinney, Kaleb


Site:

The site I chose is Inglewood, more specifically the public art along Crenshaw Boulevard and the community spaces nearby that are connected to that street. I chose this area because it's a big part of my daily life and it has a lot of public art that shows the culture, identity, and people of the neighborhood.

Fieldwork:


Location #1:



Name: Community 2025 & 2026
Artist: Maxx Gramajo (Maxx242)
Located: Crenshaw Imperial Plaza Inglewood, CA
Created: 2025 & 2026
Materials: Unknown
Sponsor: NewMark Merrill Company
Theme: Community Pride, Inspiration & Unity
Representation: This artwork represents everyone instead of focusing on just one.
Community Reaction: The people of Inglewood view this as positive and uplifting public art because it challenges the way outsiders have talked about the city for years.

Location #2





Name: Dream Together
Artist: Alfonso Garcia
Location: Crenshaw Imperial Plaza Inglewood, CA
Created: 2021
Materials: Unknown
Sponsor: NewMark Merrill Company
Theme: Unity, Justice, Hope
Representation: Racial Inclusion, Civil Rights Legacy & Collective Identity
Community Reaction: This is uplifting art for the Inglewood community because it represents the city as a place of pride, unity and progress instead of the stereotypes people pushed onto it.

Location #3


Name: The Utility Box Project
Artist: Patrick Henry Johnson
Location: Imperial at Crenshaw
Created: 2024
Materials: Vinyl Wraps
Sponsor: The Creative House Gallery
Theme: Everyday Black Life, Pride, Community
Representation: All Age Black, Emotion, and Personality
Community Reaction: Outsiders have viewed Inglewood as "run down" or "hood", so having quality art that depicts black people in a healthy light is refreshing.

Location #4



Name: Parks Make Life Better
Artist: Wayne Healy, David Botello, and Michelle Glass
Location: Darby Park 3400 West Arbor Vitae Street Inglewood CA 90305
Created: 2015
Material: Acrylic on treated cinderblock
Sponsors: Wayne Healy and Michelle Glass
Theme: Community Parks, Health, Sports, Belonging
Representation: Multi-generational, Community diversity through activities, Neighborhood identity
Community Reaction: Since the mural is in a public place where families and kids actually spend time, it can feel like art that's truly for the community, not just something made for visitors.

Critical Analysis

The public art I documented is mostly located in the Crenshaw Imperial Plaza and nearby community spaces like Darby Park. There's a clear pattern that artwork is meant to build pride and reflect the people of this community and of the people who live in Inglewood. A lot of the art centers around the identity of being Black in a positive light, with the "COMMUNITY" being the basis of the pieces. Through the use of civil rights messaging, such as the Martin Luther King Jr. quote in the Dream Together piece, and through visual representation, such as the utility box pictures that feature Black faces from different generations, the artwork reinforces a sense of a historical shared identity, connecting past struggles for justice to present day community pride. Instead of feeling like this art is made for outsiders, these pieces feel connected to the neighborhood and communicate values like unity, respect, and belonging.

The audience also shifts depending on the setting. At Darby Park, who is most visible depends on the day and time of year. During the summer you see more kids because the mural is near the basketball and tennis courts, while during the school year it becomes more adults and elderly people walking, running, and doing daily routines. On Crenshaw, the audience is more constant since it's a busy street with drivers, pedestrians, kids coming from school, etc., so the bold text and simple visuals make the messages easy to understand quickly. Overall, these artworks push back against older narratives of Inglewood being "run down" by putting respectable, beautiful public art in everyday spaces, which helps locals feel seen and gives the community something to be proud of.

Proposal

I chose Inglewood, specifically public art along Crenshaw, because Crenshaw has always been part of everyday life. No matter which house I lived in, I was always living near Crenshaw, so my roots feel connected to this street. As a Black person, it also matters to me that much of the public art here centers Black people, Black culture, and Black community life, which makes the artwork feel personal and relevant. I also have a strong connection to fitness and sports, and a community themed piece is located right by the gym I go to, so I see it often and it sticks with me. On top of that, I used to play baseball at Darby Park, so the spaces I documented reflect different parts on my life, where I'm from and the environments that helped shape me. Overall, I think the art I documented is uplifting and important because it gives locals pride and pushes back against stereotypes, however, I also think some pieces could be improved to be more impactful and representative: the "COMMUNITY" mural near Planet Fitness should be visually louder with more color or design behind the lettering so it stands out, the MLK quote wall is meaningful and clean, but I personally liked the older version with the different race handshake because it communicated unity more directly, the utility box portrait is one of my favorite pieces, but it deserves a much larger surface or a more visible location so more people can actually see it, and while Darby park mural works well, I would recommend adding more surrounding art or a bigger designated art wall so the park becomes more of a community art zone. Finally, I think Inglewood especially needs more public art closer to Century/stadium areas that depicts both Black and Latinx communities, so as the city grows and attracts visitors, the public artwork still reflects the people who live here and the cultures that built the neighborhood.












Location: Inglewood, CA, USA

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