Partners and Resources | Los Angeles Conservancy
Photo by Adrian Scott Fine/L.A. Conservancy.

Organizations partnering with the Conservancy on the '70s Turn 50 initiative support us in many ways. Thank you to our friends and partners!

For more information on Los Angeles in the 1970s, explore the resources below, provided by  particpating partners. 

Resources from Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum

In 2020, the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum at Cal State University, Long Beach acquired a historic Millard Sheets mosaic mural from 1975--1977. This mini-documentary video shows the de-installation process and ongoing conservation efforts. The re-installation of the mural is slated for the newly expanded museum in 2022. 
 
This project is significant for the Southern California community
  • It shines a light on a distinctive Millard Sheets work that is unique in that it does not depict a characteristic historical figural scene
  • Its subject matter was inspired by a Latin American textile, showing a scene of birds and geometric abstraction "weaving," which was purchased by Sheets on one of his many trips to Mexico.
  • It was a part of the Ahmanson Home Savings and Loan bank commissions in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, which were meant to "celebrate community history," in this case perhaps a link to Guatemalan textiles acknowledges the largest population in Guatemala outside of the country in Southern California.
  • It highlights conservation processes that bring together science, engineering, art and history to inform, educate and inspire.

Resources from FIDM Museum

The following are links to FIDM Museum blog posts relating to 1970s designers and trends.

Designers
1970s Gunne Sax dresses
Betsey Johnson for Alley Cat
Diane von Furstenberg, c. 1976
Holly's Harp
Roberto Cavalli poncho c. 1970
Sant' Angelo chiffon dress, c. 1968-1972
Stephen Burrows

Trends
Color to the Max
Happy Earth Day!
Pierre Cardin Relax quilted jacket, 1979
Plaid platform shoes, c. 1972
Platform boots
Silk chiffon evening dress, 1975
Sonia Rykiel tunic and pants, 1970
What's New, Pussycat?

Resources from SCI-Arc’s Kappe Library

"Big Shed Syndrome" by Reyner Banham
Article written by Reyner Banham in 1972 for New Society. 

With and Without Walls: The Southern California Institute of Architecture and a New School of Los Angeles Architects in the 1970s and 1980s by Benjamin J. Smith
Doctoral dissertation on the formation of SCI-Arc and the impact it made on Los Angeles's emerging architectural culture.

Oral History with Ray Kappe
Transcript of an interview with Ray Kappe, conducted in 1995.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to view photographs from SCI-Arc's early years. 

If your organization is interested in partnering with the Conservancy on this initiative, please email Sarah Lann at slann@laconservancy.org.

Gallery: 
Photograph from SCI-Arc’s Kappe Library
The first SCI-Arc building at 1800 Berkeley Street, Santa Monica; 1970s