About This Project

This experience is provided by The Broad, a contemporary art museum on Grand Ave. in Downtown Los Angeles, as part of PST: Art + Science Collide, Southern California’s landmark arts event, presented by The Getty, in partnership with museums and institutions across the region.

Social Forest: Oaks of Tovaangar is a reforestation art project inspired by Joseph Beuys's 7000 Oaks, which involved planting 7000 trees in post-World War II Germany as a form of reconciliation after the traumas of war. Four decades later, Social Forest adapts this concept to Los Angeles, centering on the region's unique historical context and its need for reconciliation. Partnering with Tongva leaders, the project centers on Tongva people's deep history and thrivance, aiming to plant 100 native oak trees in Elysian Park and five at the sacred Kuruvungna Village Springs, in collaboration with North East Trees and the Gabrielino Tongva Springs Foundation.

As part of the development of this learning experience, The Broad worked alongside two Tongva authors for this experience.