Back in 2001, Los Angeles featured 400 gorgeous fiberglass statues of angels by various artists, which were installed in public spaces throughout the city. The project—A Community of Angels—was conceived after 9/11 as a symbol of hope and reminder of the good around us, as a joint venture of the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau and the mayor’s Volunteer Bureau. Sponsorships were sold starting at $3,500, and the sponsors chose how their angels would be decorated, either from a portfolio of submitted designs, or by commissioning an artist of their choice.
The angels were auctioned off to benefit Volunteers of America and Catholic Big Brothers youth programs in 2001, and the following year, tens of additional angels were created and also auctioned off.
At the time, the project’s executive director, Cal Winslow, said, “The program celebrates the city’s namesakes with angels that can represent every one of us living in Southern California.” You can see
photos of a number of the angels here, but the only place to see them all together is here.
