With Us: Walking the Road of LA Fire Recovery Together
As Los Angeles approaches one year since the January fires, recovery is far from complete.
More than 70% of displaced survivors are still not home. Many continue to navigate financial hardship, housing instability, and the emotional toll of prolonged uncertainty — even as public attention wanes.
This week, the Department of Angels and Extreme Weather Survivors are inviting Angelenos to pause, reflect, and recommit through With Us, an immersive art and storytelling installation designed to center survivors’ lived experience and remind our city what recovery truly asks of all of us.
Following a powerful opening gathering on Sunday, January 4, the free installation remains open daily for drop-in visits from noon - 8:00 pm through Wednesday, January 7.
The installation is at City Market Social House (1145 San Pedro St). The venue’s north parking lot is located at 633 E 11th Street, on the corner of 11th and San Pedro Streets. You can access the venue by going across 11th Street into the alley, going south (toward 12th). The venue entrance will be on your left. A map can be found here.
Why With Us
With Us is a multimedia installation of art made by, for, and with LA fire survivors.
As Los Angeles reaches the one-year mark since the January fires, this installation creates space to pause, reflect, and recommit to recovering as a community. Public attention has faded, even as survivors continue to navigate displacement, insurance barriers, housing uncertainty, and the emotional weight of a long road forward.
The artists featured in the exhibit translated the experience of loss and recovery into sound, visual, and immersive works that hold grief, resilience, love, community, and hope side by side. Some artists worked closely with families impacted by the fires, and many others are survivors themselves.
Together, their work reminds us that art is not only expression. It is a bridge between personal loss and collective grief, and between bearing witness and driving action.
One year after the fires, With Us asks:
What does it mean to truly stand with survivors?
What more can we do — as neighbors, as a city, as a community?
How do we transform grief into sustained action?
Inside the Installation
The Labyrinth of Recovery
The installation is intentionally designed as a labyrinth, symbolizing the nonlinear journey survivors are forced to navigate after disaster — a maze of loss and resilience, questions without answers, progress followed by setbacks.
As visitors move through shifting scrim panels, the space compresses and expands, evoking both the bureaucratic and emotional complexity of recovery. The translucent fabric serves as an ethereal nod to smoke and ash — a reminder that for many families, the fires are not a distant memory, but a daily presence.
Visual Art Rooted in Survivor Stories
The installation features 26 visual artists’ work, including painting, photography, sculpture, and assemblage, curated by Extreme Weather Survivors’ Ellie Forman.
16 artists are survivors of the Eaton and Palisades fires themselves.
10 additional artists created work inspired directly by survivor stories shared firsthand.
Several pieces originated through Stolen Summers, Extreme Weather Survivors’ national storytelling tour honoring the more than 30 million Americans displaced by extreme weather, and previously exhibited in New York City, Asheville, Phoenix, and Austin.
Altadena and the Palisades are widely regarded as creative powerhouses. To honor those legacies, the installation intentionally features artists across generations and disciplines — including Akiko Stehrenberger, Tami Outterbridge, Kevin Cooley, Asher Bingham, Evan Curtis, Charles Hall, Ben Tuna, and many others — reflecting the depth and diversity of Los Angeles’s artistic history.
Sight, Sound, and Story
At the center of the labyrinth is a reflection space housing a powerful soundscape of survivor voices — stories told in their own words.
The soundscape weaves together more than 25 testimonials from Eaton- and Palisades-impacted communities, with voices ranging from children under ten to elders over 100 years old. Survivors speak about what they had, what they lost, what they continue to endure, and the strength they draw from their community.
Wrapped around the soundscape are key findings from the Department of Angels’ one-year Community Voices: LA Fire Recovery Report. This one-of-a-kind research is the only statistically significant, consistent assessment of recovery needs following the January 2025 fires. Findings from the survey have informed philanthropic investments, shaped local and state policy discussions, and helped align recovery priorities across the region. Together, the data and the voices tell a shared story of survival, grounding the scale of the crisis in the lived experience of individuals.
Living portraits positioned at the entrance and exit remind us that behind every statistic are real people, from every age, race, and walk of life.
From Reflection to Action
With Us is not only about remembrance — it is about action.
“Too many families remain displaced, fighting every day just to regain a sense of home and stability,” said Miguel Santana, Co-Founder of the Department of Angels. “When we gather to witness their stories, we renew our responsibility as Angelenos to stand with them and ensure they are not forgotten.”
Evan Spiegel, Co-Founder of the Department of Angels, underscored that recovery is a shared obligation: “It will take all of us moving together to support survivors and rebuild stronger communities.”
Sierra Kos, Co-Founder of Extreme Weather Survivors, added: “The city we all love will not recover if we can’t help survivors navigate the overwhelming labyrinth that is recovery. This installation communicates how much work is still left — and how urgently our attention is needed.”
For survivors themselves, the experience has become part of healing:
“Seeing my story interpreted as one of strength and love reminded me of what really matters,” shared LA fire survivor Rosanna Valverde.
“Getting the chance to tell our story and watch our words come to life helped us make meaning out of our loss,” said survivor Mike Cohen.
Guests visiting the installation are encouraged to share how they pledge to support LA fire survivors in the year ahead.
Visit With Us
With Us: Walk with fire survivors through sight, sound, and story
Where: City Market Social House (1145 S. San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90015)
Parking: The venue’s north parking lot is located at 633 E 11th Street, on the corner of 11th and San Pedro Streets.
You can access the venue by going across 11th Street into the alley, going south (toward 12th). The venue entrance will be on your left. A map can be found here.
When: Open daily through January 7, 12:00 – 8:00 pm
Free and open to the public
