For nearly two decades, Mark di Suvero’s public sculpture “Declaration” has cut a welcoming shape in the skyline of Venice Beach. The “V” shaped arms reaching out from this 62-foot sculpture beckon out to the boardwalk, providing a rendezvous point for friends as well as a shady respite for those sun-drenched and foot weary.  And those uses are fitting, as fraternity among humankind is exactly what is at the heart of this massive steel giant. “Declaration,” Mark di Suvero said of the sculpture, was “named for the Declaration of Independence—particularly Martin Luther King, Jr.,’s version, with its emphasis on equality and its application to everyone.”  Read along to follow “Declaration” through some of the historical highlights of its nineteen years in the vibrant community of Venice Beach.

2019: On December 21, 2019, the sculpture was thronged by tens of thousands as a rally for Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders featuring U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took place at its base. 

While this event on Venice Beach buzzed with collective excitement, there is rarely an uneventful moment in the shadow of “Declaration.” Located between the Venice Beach Skate Park and the Venice Beach Basketball Court the sculpture can be seen fanning off yoga classes, skate videos, basketball games, dance classes, street performance and all varieties of outdoor public activities this unique beach neighborhood offers. Indeed, the sculpture welcomes over a million visitors to Venice Beach every year.

2004: On June 16, 2004, the Olympic torch landed in Los Angeles on its worldwide tour leading up to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Actor Sylvester Stallone began the historic torch relay on Venice Beach, flanked by onlookers and presided over by “Declaration.” 

2001: In the aftermath of the September 11, L.A. Louver banded together with Otis College, Beyond Baroque and Venice Family Clinic, to hold a night of poetry and elegiac protest in response to the attacks. Serving as a platform to share and elevate the voice of the community, the event “Where are the voices?,” took place on December 11, 2001, in the shelter of the enormous sculpture.

Some voices from that night:

Sammy Hoi, President of Otis College: 

“Tonight we stand beneath this magnificent sculpture by Mark di Suvero entitled “Declaration.” Like the sculpture’s feelers and hopeful form, we inspire to reach upward, higher, to understand, and to make our own declaration.”

Lewis MacAdams, poet: 

“Security?
None of us ever bargained for security. And none
of us ever got it either.
Responsibility?
Now we got to stand up here in the middle of the night
with the police looking at us like we were deadmen or dupes.
Nicaragua, Granada, Panama, El Salvador, Iraq, Afghanistan
We are a peace loving people. 
Is there anybody I’ve left out?
And no,
I am not a patriot, though I’m 
loyal to the Lakers
and the L.A. River.
I am a citizen of the earth.”

Hear a complete audio recording of this event here. 

In May of 2001, Mark di Suvero installed “Declaration” as part of the 22nd Venice Art Walk, a fundraising initiative of the Venice Family Clinic, a local organization that provides quality health care to low-income and uninsured individuals and families, even to this day. “Art is a gift which we give to others,” said the artist at the time of the installation. Little did anyone realize, the temporary loan would become a staple of the Venice Beach skyline for the next 19 years. In 2018 the artist commented on its decades of time on the beach, “The people of the city of Venice really respond to it. They understand that it’s a way of living in space, this open space that is California, with beaches, and health and craziness. That they enjoy it is the most important part of it.” You can see the rest of this interview here. 

1991: After 2 years of campaigning and letter writing to city officials, permission was finally granted to allow Mark di Suvero to install two of his large-scale sculptures on Venice Beach, “For Gerard Manley Hopkins” (1989) and “Letter to The World” (1989). This marked the first time public sculpture was permitted on Venice Beach. A decade later, “Declaration,” followed the bureaucratic path hewn by these two original public works on the boardwalk.

Now, Venice Beach may lose a landmark and this powerful legacy championing the spirit of this unique community.  For our ongoing archive of materials related to “Declaration,” you can visit: www.declaration.lalouver.com