See Compton's historic art contributions at this museum

By Carren Jao

Sept. 22, 2023 3 AM PT

It felt like a block party, but it was really history in celebration. At the far corner of a Compton strip mall, more than 40 people gathered around a parking area as Curtis Jackson III (Not to be confused with rapper 50 Cent, whose name is also Curtis Jackson III) and his 3-year-old son helmed the music booth. High-energy beats swinging with rhythm and rhyme rolled out of two speakers set on a plastic folding table as the sun got ready to set. Teens, couples, and families with toddlers in tow all came out on a Friday night to witness the opening of “Sounds of the City,” Compton Art & History Museum’s third exhibition in a little less than six months.

Compared with the pace of Los Angeles’ larger cultural institutions, which can take years from concept to exhibition, the museum’s pace moves at a brisk clip. But for co-founders Abigail Lopez-Byrd and her husband, Marquell Byrd, there is a lot of catching up to do.

A Compton native, Lopez-Byrd acutely felt the lack of opportunities and access to art when she left the city to pursue her art degree from UC Santa Cruz. “I felt very, very unprepared being an art major. I hadn’t been exposed to things my peers had. I didn’t have access to the same materials. From that moment on, there was always something in me that wished I had something like [this museum] growing up.” The couple founded Color Compton, a nonprofit that works with the city’s youth to build a sense of themselves through history and art, in November 2019.

Years later, even as the couple worked long hours at Color Compton, they saw how important it was for the city’s youth and residents to have a physical space to create and learn together. On field trips with Color Compton youth, they would often talk about Compton’s rich history and creativity—the vacant buildings of Compton transformed by the artist collective Communicative Arts Academy in the 1960s and 1970s or Elliott Pinkney’s murals — but there was no place kids could actually see proof of it. Artistic experiments (or “living sculptures”) by CCA artists have all disappeared and the buildings turned into shopping plazas or apartment buildings. Pinkney’s murals are disappearing, in need of maintenance. “It would be a lot of just archives and conversations,” says Lopez-Byrd.

Clothing and artifacts as part of Compton Art Museum's "Sounds of the City" exhibit.

After having these conversations with Compton youth and residents who felt removed from exhibitions in larger institutions, the couple proposed building a museum to the Color Compton board. Despite a shoestring budget, the two forged ahead, bolstered by a sense of purpose. “It really was faith,” says Byrd. “We didn’t — still don’t — really have the necessary funding to operate.” But opportunities opened up anyway.

An expiring lease at the insurance and notary shop below Color Compton, close to City Hall and the library, gave them a location. To renovate the venue, the couple and their staff rolled their sleeves up and did as much of the work as they could themselves. They installed their own flooring. Consulting with friends, family and watching YouTube videos, they learned to build exhibit walls cleverly outfitted with wheels so every exhibition could change configurations quickly. Construction started in January, and the museum opened in February. It has since drawn locals, but also visitors from as far away as Scotland.

The museum has given the city’s young residents something to take pride in and even aspire to. Twenty-two-year-old Eli Young is a part of Color Compton’s archiving fellowship, which teaches youth the importance of preserving and telling their stories through photography. An aspiring art gallery owner, Young says the museum helps Compton show itself in a different light and inspires people “who might not think they can do these things.”

Marquell Byrd, left, and Abigail Lopez-Byrd, founders of Compton Art & History Museum.

Stories like Young’s are what motivates the husband-and-wife team to keep up the pace, which is why in less than half a year’s time, the museum has opened “Sounds of the City” a compact exhibition that touts the city’s catalytic contributions to the now multibillion-dollar hip-hop industry.

Gold and platinum plaques contributed by the Baka Boyz and Alonzo Williams, a central figure in West Coast hip-hop, share space with outfits worn by Westside Boogie and Williams in performances and events. Black-and-white photographs of Tupac Shakur, Eazy-E, and Snoop Dogg by West Coast hip-hop photographer Mike Miller are situated with relaxed, at-home images of Dr. Dre and concert images by Compton photographer 100kdai. Art by locals Mr. Wash, Anthony Lee Pittman, Vera Hughes, and wall graffiti by Yedidyah Butterfly give viewers a taste of the kaleidoscopic inspirations that all converge in Compton.

“Sounds of the City” follows more art-focused exhibitions like “Sons Like Me,” a solo exhibition by Pittman that explores representations of Black men in American society, and “Scenes of Liberation,” which highlights art from a Black and Brown artist’s gaze featuring works by Brittney S. Price, Rosalind McGary, Saidah Gray and Tayllor Johnson.

Works of art on display at the Compton Art Museum.

At first, many were drawn to this latest exhibition by simple curiosity. “I love my city. I’ve repped my city hard,” says third-generation Compton resident Victoria Gichohi, who came to see whether the new museum could capture the Compton she knew — and she says it has. On the museum’s walls, Gichohi says she not only saw art and artifacts but echoes of her everyday life, from her brother’s internship at Compton Entertainment Chamber of Commerce to her love for Kendrick Lamar.

With their 4-year-old and 10-year-old in tow, Guadalupe and Yoshawn Smith, who live in South Central and work in downtown Los Angeles and Compton respectively, say they felt it was important for their children to see reflections of themselves in a museum. “There really isn’t anything for the community in the community,” says Guadalupe. “We usually have to wait such a long time or travel far to see something like this,” adds Yoshawn. “Having it curated by people from the community also makes it a different experience.”

One day, the Compton Art & History Museum hopes to expand into a multi-level space with a floor spotlighting local history, another that showcases artists and entertainers from the region, and another to hold rotating exhibitions. Until then, its founders hope that this place — a beginning — lets people know by its existence that their story matters.

This museum wants to ensure that future generations can see Compton’s historic art contributions

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