Our Pico

The Pico Improvement Organization (PIO) partnered with renowned Los Angeles photographer Sam Comen to create Our Pico, a portrait gallery celebrating the workers who invest their lives in the Pico neighborhood's economy and revealing the humanity behind the Pico storefronts. This collection of portraits highlight hands-on work, family entrepreneurship, artisan craft and gig economy jobs - workers who roll up their sleeves or who open the shop each day, investing in person-to-person civic engagement to keep Pico thriving. 

The Pico Improvement Organization was drawn to Sam Comen’s work, which focuses on immigrant experience, workers, and social justice. His photography shows great empathy and an engagingly intimate approach to capturing the everyday lives of working people. PIO's mission is to support the merchants and community of the Pico neighborhood.

Our Pico is on view indoors and visible outside the Pico Culture House, as well as in the windows and doors of twelve businesses along the Pico corridor, from October 26, 2023 to December 30, 2023.  The opening reception will be held on Thursday, October 26, from 5 - 7pm at the Pico Culture House Gallery

Sam Comen specializes in shooting environmental portraits of everyday heroes as well as leaders, actors, musicians and artists for national publications. Currently on tour across the United States are Comen’s exhibitions Working America: Portraits of immigrant and 1st-generation Americans at work, and The Newest Americans: Portraits of U.S. citizens before and after taking the oath of citizenship.

For more information visit OurPico.com.