Alta / A Human Atlas of a City of Angels | Los Angeles Public Library

“Scarlett & Ocean - Alta," 2023, Marcus Lyon. Photograph. Marcus Lyon / A Human Atlas. ©2023 Marcus Lyon.

Alta is a social-impact art project that showcases 100 extraordinary individuals creating positive change across Los Angeles County. Each participant is represented through photographic portraits, ancestral DNA, and interviews that reveal how their lives intersect with the region—past, present, and future—creating a legacy work that documents and conserves a deeper narrative for generations to come about the city, its people, and its communities.

Each of them will tell you some of their stories if you download the free, interactive App. Storytelling is a powerful tool for preserving historical perspectives, and can often offer a more nuanced understanding of our complicated past. In a sprawling metropolis like Los Angeles, storytelling can also emerge as a potent tool to bridge divides, cultivating a sense of belonging that can transcend cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic differences.

Alta / A Human Atlas of a City of Angels is presented by the Getty Conservation Institute in collaboration with Marcus Lyon at the Los Angeles Public Library, Central Library as part of PST ART: Art & Science Collide. PST ART is presented by Getty. Lead partners are Bank of America, Alicia Miñana & Rob Lovelace, and the Getty Patron Program. Principal partners are Simons Foundation; Eva and Ming Hsieh, Co-Founders of Fulgent Genetics; and Peggy and Andrew Cherng, Co-Chairs and Co-CEOs of Panda Express. Additional support for Alta / a Human Atlas of a City of Angels is provided by John E. and Louise Bryson.

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