Our Histories Future

Our Histories Future

Lead artist

Willie Middlebrook was born in Detroit Michigan, raised in Southern California and has been a professional artist for over 35 years. Throughout his career, Willie’s art has been showcased in over 200 solo and group exhibitions, receiving numerous awards & fellowships. He has also directed both the Watts Tower Arts Center and the Los Angeles Photography Centers . His work is in many of the most prestigious public and private art collections across the world including LACMA, Harvard University Fogg Museum, Fratelli Alinari Library, Florence, Italy and the Art Institute of Chicago.

“Working with the young people on the USC/LA Commons Light Pole Project has been an great experience; their willingness to try new things and openness to freely exchange ideas was very inspiring to me.”