Our History
The ECF Art Centers has been a proud member of the greater Los Angeles community since 1968.
Learn about our growth and expansion over the years and how we continue to meet the changing needs of artists in the community.
(Screen shot from an ECF Art Centers class on zoom.)
2021 & 2022: Forward for the Future! The ECF Art Centers serve artists both in person and online. ArtECF.org website transforms to host online art shows with community organizations and local curators. ECF hosts artists talks online to continue to build our community of supporters.
2020: Due to the global pandemic the ECF Art Centers were forced to close their doors for in person services. A comprehensive remote services model was developed where artists could join their peers and Instructors online. April 2nd, 2020 marked the very first online class.
(Image of Bill Morales working in the ECF Art Center Whittier studio. Bill is one of the first artists to participate in the Whittier studio.)
2019: ECF opened it’s fifth Art Center in Whittier serving a new community and for the first time partnering with Eastern Los Angeles Regional Center.
(Image of ECF Artists Natalie Delgadillo and James Basilio at a rented community art studio in the Hawthorne Arts Complex. The opportunity was funded by a DDS Grant in 2017.)
2017 & 2018: ECF Art Centers are awarded grants from the Department of Developmental Services (DDS). The DDS Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) grants supported strengthening local partnerships, accessibility in the community and furthering individualized service initiatives.
(Image of ECF Art Center South LA renovated historic Engine House 18)
2014: ECF Art Center South LA moves into the renovated historic Los Angeles Fire Department Engine House No. 18. Through a competitive bid process, ECF was awarded the opportunity to purchase a historic landmark building to convert it into a permanent location for the South LA studio formerly on MLK Blvd.
(Image of “Horizon Lines” in 2013 to promote ECF’s partnership with Amazon.)
2014: ECF’s Downtown Art Center studio and (DAC) Gallery moved to a new location at 431 S. Broadway with improved studio space and proximity to hotels and restaurants in Downtown Los Angeles in May 2014.
2013: ECF partnered with online retailer Amazon.com as part of its Fine Art Sales Initiative. ECF’s Downtown Art Center Gallery (DAC), is one of a few galleries in the country selected to join the program. Over 1,000 pieces of artwork produced by ECF artists became available for sale on Amazon, which has over 200 million customers worldwide.
(Image of Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, ECF Board member Leslie Abell and ECF’s President and CEO Scott Bowling at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the ECF Art Center San Pedro in 2004.)
2010: ECF opens its fourth Art Center in Culver City - ECF Art Center Westside.
2008: ECF opened it’s third studio - ECF Art Center Downtown LA and ECF’s first gallery – DAC (Downtown Art Center) Gallery.
2004: ECF opened it’s second Art Center studio and its first program in San Pedro - ECF Art Center San Pedro.
(Image of Milton Davis at the studio on MLK Blvd. Milton is one of ECF’s most tenured artists and one of our original participating artists.)
1990s: ECF artists gained national attention when their work was featured at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.
1980s: Rockwell International commissions ECF artists to create art for its corporate headquarters.
1970s: ECF Headquarters and Art Center Program moved to a new facility on Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard.
(Image of the ECF Art Center in the 1970s at the MLK Blvd. studio)
1968: Working with the Otis Art Institute, ECF’s Director of Special Education, Frieda Chaikin and Master Art Teacher Wilmer James, began nurturing the talents of budding ECF artists who were featured in a film “Painting is Loving.” With SHARE’s financial support, ECF’s first art training program – the first of its kind in the nation – was established. Almost immediately the program gained international recognition. Several art pieces created by ECF artists were selected to represent “the best of America” and were displayed at the American Embassy in Paris, France.
1967: A second major art exhibit was held at the Otis Art Gallery.
1964: In cooperation with Otis Art Institute, a major art exhibit was sponsored with over 4,000 people in attendance.
1960s: SHARE sponsored the first of numerous art exhibits of ECF artists’ work.