Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980 was a collaboration of over 60 cultural institutions across Southern California, coming together for six months from October 2011 to March 2012 to tell the story of the birth of the Los Angeles art scene and how it became a major new force in the art world. Each participating institution made its own unique contribution through a multitude of simultaneous exhibitions and programs, including an 11-day Performance and Public Art Festival in January 2012. In total, the Foundation provided more than $11 million in grants to support 68 linked exhibitions and produce more than 40 books featuring new research on the art and artists of the period.

Exploring the significance of the crucial years after World War II through the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, the collaboration encompassed developments from painting and sculpture to multi-media installation; from L.A. Pop to post-minimalism; from the films of the African American L.A. Rebellion to the feminist happenings of the Woman's Building; from ceramics to Chicano performance art; and from Japanese-American design to the pioneering work of artists' collectives.