LACMA's First Art Parade Celebrates New David Geffen Galleries

On June 20, tens of thousands lined Wilshire Boulevard for LACMA's inaugural Art Parade, part of the grand-opening weekend of the David Geffen Galleries. The procession began across from Chris Burden's Urban Light, winding east under the museum to Curson Avenue, then looping back west to Fairfax Avenue. Conceived by director Michael Govan and gallerist Jeffrey Deitch—who organized a similar parade in New York in the mid-2000s—the event was part of a larger block party with dance, music, food trucks, and free admission. Over 1,000 participants from around 150 entries, including solo marchers and groups of up to 70, were selected by a committee led by Naima J. Keith, LACMA's vice president of education and public programmes, along with curators and Deitch. Criteria included mobile, human-powered works like sculptures, costumes, banners, and performances suitable for all ages. Notable participants included Gary Baseman in a cat-man costume with his 'Peace thru Purr' group, and La Muerte Maria, who led eight women in politically charged costumes condemning war and ICE. Artist Kelsey Kuykendall dressed as an usherette with a table of psychological-themed desserts, while art writer Chela Vain Simón-Trench created a papier-mâché version of Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass, carried by four people. Govan, who acquired the original boulder, photographed the mini-Mass and hinted the parade might return despite the effort.