Annual holiday street pole banners went up this week throughout the city of West Hollywood. The City’s WeHo Arsts unveiled the new holiday artwork by artist Sophie Morro along Santa Monica Boulevard, San Vicente Boulevard, and Melrose Avenue. A total of 29 of the new banners were produced this year and will become part of the annual collection of holiday street pole banners on display in WeHo to celebrate the holidays. Banners include past holiday artwork by Shag (Josh Agle) and Mosa Tanksley.
The city has also installed annual holiday lights on street poles and around trees lining Santa Monica Boulevard to make the city festive around the holiday and New Year’s celebrations.
Sophie Morro is an artist based in Los Angeles. Her oil paintings are largely informed by an autobiographical narrative with nods to spirituality, dreams and the otherworldly. Visit sophiemorro.com to learn more about the artist.
In April, 2022, the City of West Hollywood Arts Division made a call seeking a visual artist to provide artwork for the city’s annual winter / holiday card and street pole banner display. The deadline to submit their work to WeHo’s Performing Arts and Cultural Affairs Subcommittee was May, 2022.
Photo courtesy of the City of West Hollywood – Photo by Jon ViscottThe new artwork will also be used on the City’s annual end of year Winter / Holiday card, social media promotions along with the printed street pole banners. Artists were invited to submit existing work samples to demonstrate their style and technique.
The Request for Qualifications was open to artists who live in California. Artists who live in
West Hollywood and artists of color, women, artists with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ artists
were highly encouraged to apply. The artists who applied will remain eligible to be selected as semi-finalists for 3 calendar years without needing to reapply.
Photo courtesy of the City of West Hollywood – Photo by Jon ViscottThe City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division and Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission believe
that all people in the City of West Hollywood have the right to celebrate and engage in
meaningful and relevant arts and cultural experiences. Each member of the community
should have access to the arts which reflect and nurture individual identities, affirm
personal value, and foster belonging in the community. The right to participate freely in the cultural life of the community is
recognized as a basic human right.
The Division and Commission’s definition of diversity includes all ways in which people
differ, including but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status,
education, age, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ability,
geography, citizenship status, religion, language, physical appearance, and the
intersection of these various identities.
The City of West Hollywood delivers a broad array of arts programs including: Art on the
Outside (temporary public art), Summer Sounds, Winter Sounds, WeHo Reads, Free
Theatre in the Parks, Arts Grants for Nonprofit Arts Organizations, Library Exhibits and
Programming, WeHo Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival (formerly called the One City One Pride
LGBTQ Arts Festival), and Urban Art Program (permanent public art). www.weho.org/arts
(@wehoarts)
