For Mental Health Awareness Month, the Los Angeles County Department of Health has organized a series of art events with the belief that art can help us heal. Personally, I’ve probably never been more conscious of that fact than now. We’ve gathered some of the highlights from the WE RISE program in our art guide, as well as exciting exhibitions from newly reopened museums, including the Getty Villa, Craft Contemporary, and more.

Anyone interested in the history of murals in Los Angeles — including how they became powerful forces for social justice, and their fight for legalization — should read Rachel Heidenry’s feature on Judy Baca and the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC). Baca and the center just won a grant to expand one of the most important murals in the city, “The Great Wall of Los Angeles.”

Happy reading!