The Great Wall of Los Angeles is a 1978 mural designed by Judith Baca and executed with the help of over 400 community youth and artists coordinated by the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC).

[1][9] The Great Wall of Los Angeles depicts the history of California "as seen through the eyes of women and minorities" in many connected panels.

[8] The Great Wall of Los Angeles places emphasis on the often overlooked history of Native Americans, ethnic and religious minorities, LGBTQ people, and those fighting for civil rights.

[10] Baca recalls that at the time, there was a lack of public art that represented the diverse heritage of Los Angeles.

[2] Most of the following panels deal with events of the 20th century, including Chinese labor contributions to the United States, the arrival of Jewish refugees (fleeing oppression and the Holocaust) and their contributions to the culture and history of Los Angeles, refugees from the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, the Japanese-American internment of World War II, the Zoot Suit Riots,[13] the Freedom Bus rides, the disappearance of Rosie the Riveter,[9] gay rights activism, the story of Biddy Mason,[11] deportations of Mexican Americans, the birth of rock and roll, and the development of suburbia.

[14] The subject matter of the Great Wall of Los Angeles doesn't shy away from uncomfortable aspects of current and past social practices.

[11] Because the Great Wall of Los Angeles depicts historical events, the mural is part of Grant High School and Valley College's curriculum.

[4][9] While Baca was working as a consultant for the Tujunga Wash Greenbelt Project, she was offered the chance to beautify the flood-control channel.

[2] Funding from the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) enabled her to assemble an artist workforce to begin the mural.

[11] The project, named Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), converted an abandoned Venice police station into mural headquarters.

In addition to the many experts in various academic fields,[2] Baca recruited a team of artists to help with the project, including Isabel Castro, Yreina Cervantez, Judithe Hernández, Olga Munoz, Patssi Valdez, Margaret Garcia, Christina Schlesinger,[8] Judy Chicago, and Gary Tokumoto.

[2] The process includes research, inviting experts in various fields relating to the content, and members of the group working collectively to decide important cultural, political, artistic, and historical stories.

[2] In addition, the people who lived in the middle-class neighborhood of Tujunga Wash were skeptical that this "invasion of juvenile delinquents" would behave themselves.

[9] The names of the young people who worked on the Great Wall of Los Angeles are recorded in various places on the mural.

[8] In addition, the work of 40 historians and 40 different artists helped make the Great Wall of Los Angeles a reality.

[26] The project is estimated to cost around $1.3 million and will be funded by the county, the city, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and the California Cultural Historical Endowment.