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This summer, the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles transforms literature into a sprawling contemporary art experience with “We’re Very Well Read, It’s Well Known,” an extraordinary group exhibition bringing together more than 450 contemporary artists in a celebration of books, storytelling, and visual imagination.
Opening Saturday, May 23, 2026, at 260 South Main Street, Downtown Los Angeles, the ambitious exhibition invites each participating artist to reinterpret a favorite literary work onto a single 9” x 6” fine art panel — the dimensions of a traditional book. The result is a monumental “visual library” where novels, poems, manifestos, memoirs, and cultural touchstones are reimagined through painting, drawing, sculpture, abstraction, muralism, pop surrealism, and conceptual art.
Intimate in scale yet vast in scope, the exhibition offers audiences a rare glimpse into the literary influences behind some of the most celebrated and provocative voices working in contemporary art today. From personal tributes to iconic texts to playful, political, and deeply emotional interpretations, the exhibition reveals the enduring power of literature to inspire visual culture.
Among the participating artists are legendary Los Angeles muralist Kent Twitchell; award-winning animator and painter Jorge R. Gutierrez; contemporary figurative artist Donna Isham; acclaimed draftsman Abel Alejandre; pioneering muralist and musician Willie Herrón III; subversive painter Kim Dingle; Emmy-nominated character designer and sculptor Dave Pressler; surrealist master Laurie Lipton; celebrated painter and cultural provocateur Mark Steven Greenfield; street art icon Ron English; minimalist artist Roy Thurston; renowned public sculptor Peter Shelton; groundbreaking performance artist Karen Finley; Los Angeles expressionist Gronk; painter and poet Marjorie Welish; abstract painter Andy Moses; narrative-driven visual chronicler Sandow Birk; and painter Salomon Huerta, alongside hundreds of established and emerging artists from across the contemporary art landscape.
Curated by Mat Gleason, the exhibition blurs the boundaries between reader and artist, asking viewers to consider how literature shapes memory, identity, politics, fantasy, and creative expression.
“This exhibit rewards curiosity,” says Gleason. “Each piece is a window into the imagination of the artist and the accomplishment of the writer who inspired them. You’ll see artists exalting literature in ways that are humorous, personal, emotional, intellectual, and visually unforgettable.”
Opening Reception
The public is invited to attend the opening celebration for this unprecedented exhibition.
Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location: Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles
Address: 260 South Main Street, Downtown Los Angeles
Exhibition Dates & Public Hours
“We’re Very Well Read, It’s Well Known” will remain on view throughout the summer.
Exhibition Dates: May 23 – September 6, 2026
Public Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, Noon – 6:00 p.m.
About the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles
The Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles is dedicated to preserving, restoring, and documenting the city’s rich mural heritage while supporting contemporary artistic dialogue through exhibitions, public programming, and cultural initiatives in the heart of Historic Downtown Los Angeles.
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