Before museums existed online, there were physical press releases. Like today's PDF versions, these unassuming documents—printed on simple letterhead, circulated among staff, and mailed out to local newspapers and radio stations—announced upcoming exhibitions, public programming, and institutional milestones. However, looking at historical press releases from LACMA, as with other museums, we see not just announcements, but a record of the voice of a museum continually defining itself and shaping its own identity.
Over the past several months as a museum archives intern at LACMA’s Balch Art Research Library, I’ve had the opportunity to work on processing a collection of press releases spanning from 1951 to 1993. Named “Press Information Office press releases and other material,” this collection contains over four decades of LACMA’s history, from its early days as part of the Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science, and Art to its emergence as an independent art museum in 1965, and through its continued growth and evolution in the decades following.
I started processing the physical collection in fall of 2024, rehousing the records for long-term preservation into archival document boxes and arranged the materials while retaining “respect des fonds” (their original order). It took nearly two months to fully process the nine-box collection and create a DACS-compliant finding aid that is now publicly available through the Online Archive of California (OAC), providing researchers with detailed insight into the collection’s structure and content.
The work didn’t stop there. After completing the finding aid, I began laying the groundwork for digitizing the collection and setting up the LACMA Balch Art Research Library Digital Collections portal. For the first time, selected press releases are now available to the public digitally, searchable and browsable alongside artist files and other institutional materials.
The content in the press releases range from the monumental to the mundane, but together reveal the story of a museum deeply engaged with the city around it. There are announcements of groundbreaking exhibitions like Tut-Ankh-Amun Treasures (1962) and Women Artists: 1550–1950 (1977), as well as institutional milestones like 1960's “50th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the original Museum building.” Others document the many music and film series, educational lectures, and other programs that made LACMA a vibrant public space. Some include full screening schedules, details of family events, and programming such as accessible tours for blind and Deaf visitors in the 1970s. They reveal the institution’s evolving efforts to welcome diverse audiences and to support Los Angeles artists through initiatives like the Art Rental and Sales Gallery.
There are also the unexpected gems. One of my favorite finds was a 1960 press release warning L.A. residents not to eat mystery greens in their backyards. After several people fell ill from cooking and eating what they thought was spinach or chard, the Health Department sent the suspicious plants to LACMA, where the curator of botany identified them as tree tobacco. Her official verdict: absolutely not for consumption. Another press release details how LACMA became the first museum in the country to implement a trained guard dog security program, an initiative that caught the attention of Interpol! Another favorite is from the 1980s, when LACMA collaborated with NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on a conservation project using advanced imaging technology to analyze Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Hammer.
Perhaps most striking was a 1965 press release articulating LACMA’s vision as a newly independent institution. It describes the museum’s ambition to grow into a major cultural hub for Los Angeles, one that could support large-scale international exhibitions while also elevating the work of local artists. “The program of such a museum should reflect in a total sense the comprehensive nature of its collections and its educational policy for the benefit of the public,” it states. “Since this opportunity is unique it becomes an obligation.” The announcement proudly shared that over half of the post-1940 artwork on display in the permanent galleries was of Los Angeles–based artists.
That vision feels especially timely as LACMA prepares to open the transformative David Geffen Galleries in 2026. It’s a reminder that LACMA’s evolution has long been shaped by a commitment to serve Los Angeles not just as an art institution, but as a public and cultural anchor. LACMA’s vision has always been in motion, adapting to serve its public in new and evolving ways. I’m proud to have played a role in preserving this slice of LACMA’s history and am excited for these materials to continue informing how we understand the museum’s past, present, and future.