One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Artists take over LA billboards with dreamy portraits and orange sunsets for annual show
'Venice, CA' by Karen Ballard is one of the pieces featured in The Billboard Creative's 2026 exhibition.
(
Courtesy The Billboard Creative
)
Topline:
You might catch a glimpse of some fine art as you drive and walk around L.A. this month. The Billboard Creative’s 2026 exhibition brings the work of 19 artists to billboards stretching from near MacArthur Park to West Hollywood.
The backstory: For 12 years, exhibition organizer Adam Santelli has given artists the chance to get their work on billboards, some of the most viewed spaces in L.A.
“We’re really trying to lean hard into making sure that there’s a space for everybody not only to put their work up ... but to enjoy that work and reflect on that work,” he told LAist.
How it works: Every year, Santelli works with outdoor advertising companies to secure the blank slates, which normally go for thousands of dollars a month.
The theme: This year, the central theme is community, with several dreamlike portraits and a photo of a meetup under an impossibly orange sunset.
How to find one: The Billboard Creative has put together a handy map of where you can find the art billboards around L.A.
Sponsored message
Those works will be floating just above our heads through May 4.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
