Artists and creatives are invited to participate in The Art Parade, a large-scale public procession on Museum Row following the free, all-day Very LACMA Block Party on June 20, 2026, celebrating the David Geffen Galleries opening.
Conceived two decades ago by influential art dealer and curator Jeffrey Deitch, The Art Parade ran annually in New York's SoHo from 2005 to 2008, bringing together more than 1,000 participants each year in a creative procession that transformed the streets into a living gallery. Organized in partnership with Creative Time and Paper Magazine through Deitch Projects, the parade became a beloved community event where artists, performers, and designers created floats, placards, and spectacles that blurred the boundaries between art, performance, and public celebration.
This Los Angeles edition marks a pivotal moment in LACMA's history and for the city itself. The opening of the David Geffen Galleries culminates a two-decade campus transformation, with the new Peter Zumthor–designed building adding 110,000 square feet of gallery space and creating 3.5 acres of new outdoor public space at LACMA. This new exhibition space welcomes visitors to explore thousands of artworks on view. The Art Parade serves as both a celebration of this cultural moment and a means of bringing the museum directly to the community.
The parade invites participation from artists, musicians, performers, art students, and the city's entire dynamic creative community. Envisioned as a living extension of the museum’s programs, it will activate LACMA's campus and surrounding public space through artistic participation and shared experience, underlining LACMA's longstanding commitment to celebrating artists, presenting art in public spaces, and engaging broad and diverse audiences. This is not simply a revival but a reimagining: a collaboration that adapts Deitch's original vision for L.A.'s unique cultural landscape.
The Art Parade is open to emerging and established artists and creatives of all ages and backgrounds, including students. Individual artists, groups, and community-based organizations are welcome to apply. Apply by Sunday, April 5, 2026, 11:59 pm PDT.