Los Angeles Rewrites the Story of American Democracy at the Autry

Life, Liberty, and Los Angeles
Courtesy of the Autry Museum of the American West

See Lee, Hmong story quilt, c1980, cotton, Museum Purchase.

Join us as we explore the meanings behind some of the most powerful words in the Declaration of Independence from the Autry’s signature perspective: “The View From Here.” Los Angeles, from its beginnings, has been a place of competing claims to life, liberty, and happiness. This exhibition shares the stories of diverse Angelenos and how their ideas of life, liberty, and happiness inspired the city’s growth and amplified the opportunities and contradictions expressed in the nation’s founding principles. Historical and contemporary objects, media, and art combine with community collaborations to bring this history to life. Life, Liberty, and Los Angeles invites you to step into a conversation that has been shaping Los Angeles for more than two hundred years and to see the United States—its past and its future—in a new way.

Event Information
Start Date: May 30, 2026
End Date: January 3, 2027
Venue: Autry Museum of the American West

Life, Liberty, and Los Angeles