CITY ARTS : Building Blocks

Architects typically get credit for shaping a city’s skyline, but an exhibition at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery suggests that the true architects of a city should be the people who live and work in it.

This is the message of the “Los Angeles Service Station Project,” organized by architects Christopher Jarrett and Norman Millar and consisting of the works of 11 architectural teams associated with an ongoing study at USC’s School of Architecture.

The teams interviewed residents and community organizations familiar with Cudahy, Downtown, East Los Angeles, Jefferson Park, Koreatown, Leimert Park, Menlo Avenue, Pico-Union, Skid Row and Watts. Each project focuses on a specific issue, such as jobs, education or shelter, and proposes small-scale, low-cost responses.

The exhibition includes miniature models of community service centers and mobile educational, training, recreation and tool-lending facilities.

Displayed in ways that suggest a bridge between art and architecture, the exhibition challenges professionals to collaborate with residents in redesigning an environment that puts people’s needs first.

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“Los Angeles Service Station Project,” Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., through June 26, 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; admission, $1; (213) 485-4581.