2012 BloomfestLA Festival Guide by BloomfestLA

MUSIC + ART + COMMUNITY Downtown Arts District 800 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles 90013

Live Music Kool Kid Zone Artisan Vendors Green Scene Art Exhibitions on b y To

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Dog Friendly Illus

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Beer Garden Food Trucks Street Art Joel Bloom

JOEL BLOOM

Participate! Join in on live painting at the TAKE ((P))ART Village by S.O. Terik. Enjoy a beer in the Angel City Benefit Beer Garden under an innovative shade canopy designed by Alexis Rochas, a faculty member at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and installed with the help of the students. Check out our Gather Green Scene for environmental products and information. Sample snacks and beverages in our Whole Foods Market area. Help make a community mural with Arts District Healing Center. Create chalk art with SCI-Arc Supply Store on 3rd St. Be Square and buy from our curated selection of artisan vendors and local businesses. Stop by with your leashed friendly dog and hang out in our Doggie Lounge presented by Pussy & Pooch with Go Dog L.A. and The Lu Parker Project. Visit our Kool Kid Zone where children can sing, dance, and participate in nature crafts, gardening, face painting, mural making with Mobile Mural Lab, storytelling with We Tell Stories, and more. Take snapshots and enter the 2012 BloomfestLA Photo Contest sponsored by the Downtown News. Get grub from food trucks such as Coolhaus, Cousins Maine Lobster Truck, Crepe’n Around, India Jones Chow Truck, Mandoline Grill Truck, Palazzolo’s Artisan Gelato, Rock & Roll Pizza, and Slammin’ Sliders. For updates and more info, visit www.BloomfestLA.com.

Bloom was an energetic, colorful ambassador for the Arts District to the city at large. His persistent efforts on behalf of the neighborhood brought bus service, street lighting, and an enhanced perception of the Arts District as a true creative community that has made significant contributions to the cultural ecology of Los Angeles.

Joel Bloom was a playwright, a veteran of Chicago’s Second City, a devoted White Sox fan, and a beloved curmudgeonly community activist who worked tirelessly on behalf of his beleaguered Downtown Los Angeles neighborhood, the Arts District, until he passed away on July 13, 2007.

“We’ve always been dismissed as that industrial area east of downtown,” Bloom told The Los Angeles Times in 1997. “Well, we’re more than that. There’s a heart here. And a soul.”

Photo: Gary Leonard

What began as a neighborhood memorial has grown into one of the city’s most anticipated FREE art and music events of the summer in Los Angeles. An official “KCRW Presents” event, BloomfestLA offers indie bands curated by KCRW host Chris Douridas on Traction Stage and a punk rock lineup reminiscent of Al’s Bar heydays on Bloom’s Stage curated by artist/musician Alberto Miyares. The Jarritos DJ Stage produced by Downtown Lobby offers a mash-up of electronic beats and grooves in the Angel City Benefit Beer Garden.

The corner of Traction Ave. and Hewitt St., where Bloom presided over his crammed general store, became the heart of the community where Bloom was known to greet customers by bellowing, “Whaddaya want?” That block of Traction Ave. is now officially designated “Joel Bloom Square.”

Brewed downtown. PoUred downtown.

Los Angeles Downtown Arts District Space

angelcitybrewery.com @angelcitybeer /angelcitybrewery

Creating a Center for the Arts in the Arts District www.ladadspace.com

www.evfamusic.com

www.CauseConnect.net www.downtownmuse.com

Founded in 1991, the Los Angeles River Artists and Business Association (LARABA) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting artists and businesses in the Downtown Arts District. The acronym “LaRaBa” was created as an assonance by Drew Lesso, LARABA’s first president. Besides Lesso, representing local artists were Jon Peterson, Michael Tansey, Joel Bloom, and “TK” Nagano; representing local businesses were Norm Solomon, Al Taira, and former Los Angeles City Councilmember Art Snyder.

LOS ANGELES RIVER ARTISTS & BUSINESS ASSOCIATION In 2003, some LARABA board members created a separate arts entity called the Downtown Arts District Association (DADA), which mounted art exhibitions and organized cultural events designed to establish Downtown Los Angeles as a vigorous and vital center of artistic activity. In 2004, other LARABA board members founded the Los Angeles Downtown Arts District Space (LADADspace), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused in creating a community arts center in the neighborhood.

Early on, LARABA established itself as an effective and feisty advocate for preserving the character of Downtown’s quirkiest community by keeping massive CRA plans at bay, squelching a DWP sewage reclamation plant, and prodding city agencies to improve lighting, repair streets, and bring in DASH service. LARABA organized street cleaning and created one of the first and now longest surviving neighborhood watch walks in the city (it still meets every Wednesday evening at 6:30 at the corner of Traction and Hewitt).

“Uncommon Ground” community planning charrettes have been organized by LARABA past-president Tim Keating, resulting conceptual goals for future community development. Keating also organized a planting program, resulting in 100 new trees along local streets. LARABA also created and helps maintain the community dog park and supports a host of new initiatives such as the L.A. Freewalls mural project that preserves and promotes the neighborhood as a vital and thriving Arts District.

A decade ago, LARABA board member Joel Bloom organized a massive effort to block construction of a huge LAUSD food storage and preparation facility on the property adjacent to SCI-Arc. Bloom also worked with city agencies to officially identify the community as the Arts District. In 2005, board members waged a successful campaign to keep the new LAPD headquarters building off the Mangrove site next to the Metro Gold Line station at 1st and Alameda.

Current LARABA President Joseph Pitruzzelli of Wurstküche has reinvigorated the organization by expanding the board with a broader spectrum of stakeholders, including property owners, business owners, artists, employees, and residents. All continue to work together with elected officials and city agencies to make the Downtown Arts District an intriguing place to visit and the best place to live and die in L.A. ~ contributed by Jonathan Jerald

The Arts District Healing Center is once again sponsoring the Arts District's traditional annual street celebration of art, music, and food - Bloomfest! LOS ANGELES RIVER ARTISTS & BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

Celebrating over 20 years of supporting the Arts District www.laraba.org

In 2011, thousands of people collaborated with local artist John Park to create the mural at left, which now lives adjacent to the entrance of the Healing Center. In accord with our mission of "healing through community," we will be reprising this collaborative community-creativity project again in 2012, and invite you to join in!

We are supplying the brushes and paint, you bring the creativity and talent. Let's make some art! 620 E. 1st Street Los Angeles Downtown Arts District | www.artsdistricthealingcenter.org Arts District Healing Center is a proud member of the Union of Medical Marijuana Patients

www. D owntown A rtist S pace .com

rent workshop w/ tools woodshop, metalshop, painting studio

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1247 East 6th St . Los Angeles, CA 90021

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ARTS DISTRICT HISTORY Vignes Street winds through the northern edge of the Downtown Arts District, parallel to the broad cement trench that memorializes the Los Angeles River. It is named for JeanLouis Vignes who arrived in Los Angeles in 1831 and planted grapes on 104 acres. Hardy Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc vines imported from the south of France thrived and by 1849, the Vignes vineyard was California’s largest wine producer.

Photo: DowntownMuse.com

By the late 19th century, oranges and grapefruit had replaced the grapevines and the property west of the riverbank was thick with the Wolfskill citrus groves. There, D.W. Griffith filmed parts of Hollywood’s first feature-length film, In Old California, in 1909. Today, the Downtown Arts District is one of the most filmed locations in the world, hosting as many as 800 filming days a year. Somewhere near 3rd St. and Alameda, the area’s first arts enterprise was born -- a print shop that designed colorful labels for shipping boxes of citrus fruit across the country. The idealized images of Southern California landscapes cultivated the myth of utopian California. The Santa Fe freight depots and warehouses created to serve the citrus industry’s shipping needs are responsible for the architectural flavor of the Arts District today. After World War II, the citrus groves were replaced by factories, and the area took on an industrial character that was already fraying around the edges. In the 1960s-1970s, artists saw opportunity in the empty warehouses and began colonizing the area, renting space for as little as a nickel per sq. ft. and carving out studios and living quarters. The City of Los Angeles eventually acknowledged the reality of the situation

and in 1981, passed the Artist-in-Residence Ordinance, allowing artists to legally live and work in the Downtown Arts District. Art galleries, cafes, and performance venues opened as the population grew, and although several were transient phenomena, many assumed mythical status. Al’s Bar served up groundbreaking punk rock and introduced Angelenos to such groups as Pearl Jam. The Wolfskill Theater was a pioneering theatrical troupe whose veterans have spread throughout the L.A. theater community. Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions

(LACE) created pioneering post-modern exhibitions. Bedlam created one of the most successful and long-lived salons on the Left Coast, featuring drawing workshops, art installations, theater, live music, and a much-celebrated speakeasy. Dangerous Curve offered exhibitions of artists whose work was often difficult to categorize. The Spanish Kitchen was home to happenings and exhibitions. Cornerstone Theater Company is a nationally celebrated enterprise that brings community performances to locations all around the country. Art Share Los Angeles offers lessons in art, dance, theater and music to urban youth and features a small theater often used by Padua Playwrights, the latter of which regularly stages groundbreaking plays and hosts workshops that continue to nurture and new talent. The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCIArc) now occupies the 110-year-old, quarter-mile-long former railway freight depot along Santa Fe -- its reputation as an experimental, anti-establishment school of architecture is a perfect fit with the community’s somewhat rebellious selfimage and its student population is helping to preserve the area’s youthful character.

Many challenges face the Arts District today, not least of which is the loss of inexpensive lofts by artists to developers who have converted former loft and studio buildings into condos. Community leaders are struggling to balance the economic opportunities offered by gentrification with the need to preserve the essential tone and character of the Arts District as a true creative community. Early in the new century, the internationally acclaimed Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein moved into the Arts District. When he was asked why he chose to live and work here he said, “Because this is the image capital of the world.” ~ contributed by Jonathan Jerald

ART & ARCHITECTURE SUPPLIES

RECEIVE 10% OFF YOUR PURCHASE WHEN YOU BRING IN THIS AD! VISIT OUR NEW LOCATION ON THE CORNER OF 3RD & SANTA FE. ENTRANCE ON 3RD ST.

Photo: DowntownMuse.com

Socialize with us at

www.BloomfestLA.com

BloomfestLA MAP & INFO CURRENT AS OF 7/9/12. SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Metro Gold LIne (Little Tokyo / Arts District Station)

Los Angeles River

Vendor Booths

First Aid

Beer Garden

Info Booth

ATM

Food Truck

Music

Vendor Entrance

Bike Valet

Street Art

Sing along to music, dance to your own tune, and listen to storytellers. Make recyclable pots with master gardeners. Learn about nature. Make sock puppets. Paint a mural. Color your world!

BLOOMFESTLA DOGGIE LOUNGE

Bring your leashed dog and visit Pussy & Pooch and Go Dog LA in our Doggie Lounge at Traction & Hewitt for free treats. Hang out in the shade, get water, and rest in our puppy beds. Spin the wheel for prizes! Visit `www.pussyandpooch.com and www.godogla.com.

Sunday, August 5

BLOOMFESTLA STAGE SCHEDULES

Set times and artists as of 7/9/12 subject to change without notice

TRACTION STAGE

BLOOM’S STAGE

curated by Chris Douridas • produced by EVFA Music 2:00 PM Yellow Alex & The Feelings 2:30 PM Deejay set by Vealchop (also 3:15 PM and 4:00 PM) 2:45 PM Light FM 3:30 PM Robotanists 4:15 PM Helena 4:45 PM KCRW DJ set 5:15 PM NO 6:30 PM Buzz Bands LA DJ set 7:00 PM Grace Woodroofe 7:45 PM KCRW DJ set 8:15 PM The Neighbourhood 9:00 PM KCRW DJ set 9:30 PM Superhumanoids

curated and produced by Alberto Miyares 2:00 PM Tawny Ellis 2:30 PM Third Grade Teacher 3:15 PM Swords of Fatima 4:00 PM Lightnin’ Woodcock 4:45 PM Size Queen (Betty Blowtorch members) 5:30 PM Carnage Asada 6:15 PM Saccharine Trust with Joe Baiza 7:00 PM Mike Watt and the Missingmen 8:00 PM The Gears 8:45 PM Downtown Devil Dogs 9:30 PM Sukia

3rd St. at Traction Ave.

KOOL KID ZONE STAGE 3rd St. near Rose St.

curated and produced by Vanessa Acuna 2:00 PM Maryknoll Karate Club Kids 2:30 PM Children’s Yoga with Light Leaders 3:00 PM Little Divas Fashion Show 4:00 PM Storytelling with We Tell Stories 5:00 PM “Opera Girl” Golda Berkman & The Singing Policeman 6:00 PM Kindie Rock with Ellen & Matt 7:00 PM Plaza de la Raza Youth Rock Band

Hewitt St. at 4th Pl.

JARRITOS DJ STAGE

inside Angel City Benefit Beer Garden curated and produced by Marko Bacilio 2:00 PM Bass and Gently 3:00 PM Mastah Syphe 4:00 PM Justin Cornwall 5:00 PM Pony vs. Bear 6:00 PM Mike T. 7:00 PM Our Name Is Legion 8:00 PM ILL-A (Downtown Lobby.com) 9:00 PM DJ Joey Mojo

NEIGHBORHOOD ART EXHIBITIONS The Box Gallery

Warehouse Gallery at Art Share Los Angeles

805 Traction Ave., Los Angeles 90013 www.theboxla.com

801 E. 4th Pl., Los Angeles 90012 www.artsharela.org

Rebel Dabble Babble: Acclaimed artist Paul McCarthy has collaborated with his son Damon McCarthy in a new full-scale installation, including 11 videos playing in eight rooms and hallways among props, equipment, and sets. This exhibition hangs itself on the roots of the film Rebel Without a Cause and our culture’s fascination with celebrity and rumors. But this is just one piece of this immersive work, with explorations into contemporary performance art, complex family relationships and the dynamics of intimate relationships. The Box recently relocated to Traction Ave from Chinatown and is run by Paul’s daughter, Mara McCarthy. Extended through July 21 for BloomfestLA, 2-10 PM.

25¢ a Square Foot: Arts District Retrospective: This exhibition features works by over 50 artists who live or have lived in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles during the mid-70s to the 90s. Featured artists include Robbie Conal, Richard Duardo, Shepard Fairey, Paul McCarthy, and Dustin Shuler (who famously nailed an airplane to the side of the American Hotel in 1982). Also on display will be works and ephemera associated with Al’s Bar, Bedlam, the Clubhouse, DADA, deepriver, Fifty-Bucks Gallery, and LACE. Curated by Shaun Thyne. On view through September 30. Open during BloomfestLA, 2-10 PM.

La Compound Gallery

740 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles 90013 www.ladadspace.org

830 Traction Ave., #26, Los Angeles 90013 www.lacompound.com Instant: A Polaroid Exhibition: In a world where everything has gone digital, then mass produced via social media, the Instant or Polaroid format stays pure and analog, producing one-of-a-kind images. The term “unique photograph” seems like an oxymoron at first; yet the Polaroid process creates direct positive images without a negative, making each image completely unique. The show features Gonzo cartoonist Ralph Steadman, cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt, Midwest icon Radeo, and photographer Vandal Sawa as well as a group installation. On view through August 11. Open during BloomfestLA, 2-10 PM.

Lili Lakich Neon Art Studio

704 Traction Ave., Los Angeles 90013 www.lakich.com Neon Art by Lili Lakich: View 75 neon sculptures on display in the artist’s studio and gallery typically only open by appointment. Her work brings expressiveness and a human dimension to a uniquely American art medium. Lakich Studio serves as a design and production facility for neon art projects and is a place where the artist conducts workshops in neon design and fabrication. Open during BloomfestLA, 4-8 PM.

The District [D] Gallery

Portrait of the Arts District: Over the course of several weeks, local artists constructed a remarkable and surprising portrait of one of the city’s quirkiest communities. Their plein air painting sessions of the Downtown Arts District were reminiscent of an industrial-style bohemian Montmartre on the Los Angeles River. Works on view are by Christian Hernandez, Jose L. de Juan, Catherine Kaleel, John Kilduff, Jennifer Korsen, Arpi Krikorian, Rikki Niehaus, Alan Reyes, Alex Schaefer, and Teod Thomlinson. On view through September 30. Open during BloomfestLA. 2-10 PM.

LALA Gallery

1335 Willow St., 2nd Fl., Los Angeles 90013 www.lalaarts.com LA Freewalls Inside: This inaugural group show features over 30 groundbreaking artists who helped make Downtown Los Angeles one of the most recognizable public art spaces in the world. Focusing on the Los Angeles street art movement, gallery owner Dan Lahoda is also the founder of the LA Freewalls Project, which helps foster the creation of outdoor artwork in the neighborhood by emerging and established artists, local and international. LALA Gallery is a space where artists integral to this and other communityendorsed projects can exhibit their studio work and connect with admirers of the street murals. Open during BloomfestLA, 2-10 PM.

www.evfamusic.com

LOS ANGELES RIVER ARTISTS & BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

Photo: © Carla Paola | BloomfestLA

www. DTLAFilm Locations .com

ENTER TO WIN COOL PRIZES! Take your BEST shot! Submit your favorite BloomfestLA photos to our Flickr group by Saturday, August 4 for consideration. Upload at www.flickr.com/groups/bloomfestla (tag entries #BFLA2012). Here are our 2011 winning photographs!

ART EAST OF THE “ALAMEDA CURTAIN”

and developing their product. For decades, the area was called the Warehouse District for lack of an official name, and formally named the Arts District in the 1990s. It was a marker that noted its current state, not a mere branding strategy for future development. It can be said this neighborhood’s artistic ethos goes further than the 1980s invasion of artists squatting for cheap spaces to paint and sculpt. At 600 E. 2nd, between Rose and Hewitt, stood Western Lithography Co., the printer firm that, at the peak of citrus industry in the late 19th century, had a staff of in-house artists. The average art staff numbered around 100 working anonymously, according to California Art Club. They illustrated the citrus box labels that shipped fruit across the nation, and gave California’s romantic mythology a visual reference. As industry dwindles in the 1960s and 1970s, the artists came in. By the 1980s, the work being developed in the warehouses was better suited for installations and early forms of pop-up galleries. The idea of the Arts District as a place where art, not goods, are manufactured and distributed continued. It now has more visibility, in part due to the L.A.

adorned with medallions by Arts District resident and artist Valerie Mitchell. Its three-dimensional design reflects the composition of trillium openings on the 4th St. Bridge. The Medallion Project has a narrative of the neighborhood’s history of Native American village, Yang Na, agricultural, the railroad, and the area as an artist haven. This project of the Arts District BID was fully funded by the Community Redevelopment Agency.

Freewalls project led by Daniel Lahoda. His curating and collaborating with international and local street artists, seemingly timed with 2011 “Art in the Streets” at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, has assembled wheatpasted and painted murals that attract media and public art fans. In May 2012, Lahoda opened LALA Gallery at 1335 Willow St., where street art can be seen on the nearby walls. Other pieces from LA Freewalls portfolio can be seen at 7th and Mateo.

This utilization of outdoor creativity east of the “Alameda Curtain” is a living urban workshop that is directly shaping regional politics of social space, and in many ways complements SCI-Arc, the prominent architectural institution that has become an Arts District anchor. With the visits from international artists, insight from local artists, and theoreticians within the concrete walls of academia, reinventing public space has its participants, witnesses, and documentarians. ~ contributed by Ed Fuentes

The Arts District as a working lab for murals includes “Heartship” by How & Nosm on Traction near Merrick; JR’s “Wrinkles in the City” series on the south wall of 830 Traction Ave. and Angel City Brewery at 216 Alameda St.; Dabs Myla sharing the rear wall of the Neptune Building at 701 E. 3rd St. with How & Nosm; plus British street artist INSA using Art Share Los Angeles on Hewitt St. and 4th Pl. as a canvas. Overlooking Traction Ave. and 3rd St. is Shepard Fairey’s “Peace Goddess” wheat-paste, among other works by the artist around the neighborhood. Fairey, who is arguably the most visible American street artist, used the Arts District as an unofficial gallery for several years, and his iconic “Hope” poster from Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign made its debut on Arts District walls. Near Joel Bloom Square on Hewitt, 3rd and 2nd streets are the informally named Graffiti Walls, which is highlighted by Mr. Cartoon’s piece that began as a monochrome, since colorized. The revolving series of works by artists, while not without controversy of territorial entitlement, has been a vibrant attraction for arts students and graffiti enthusiasts for almost a decade. These outdoor works make the neighborhood an ad-hoc demonstration project, defying the City of Los Angeles moratorium that banned new murals, yet influenced the mural ordinance now entering its final stages of approval. South of Joel Bloom Square, street lightpoles between Alameda St., 4th Pl., 7th St., and Mesquit St. are

Photo: viewfromaloft.org

You are standing on the east side of downtown Los Angeles. Around you are clusters of industrial buildings, some dating back to the early years of the 20th Century. They were built to manufacture and distribute goods, and now used by creatives researching

www.wurstkuche.com ART

MUSIC STYLE FOOD

EVENTS www.LACANVAS.com

Special Events Venue 9

REDUCE

Your Waste at Bl oom fest LA

Reduce My Footprint! I will bike, carpool, or use public transportation. Bring My Reusable Bag! I will say no to disposable bags. Bring My Reusable Water Bottle! I will fill it up at home. Bring My Reusable Utensils and Napkins! I will use my own. Go Easy On Freebies! I will only take what I will use. Save Paper! I will scan business cards on my phone. Shop Smart! I will buy sustainable goods that are locally made, recycled, non-toxic, and/or minimally packaged. Say Thank You! I will thank vendors for doing their part to be green.

Together we can help create a healthier & greener Los Angeles

888-336-6100 www.athensservicesrecycling.com 10

Photos by Ed Fuentes/viewfromaloft.org

Joel Bloom + Bloomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s General Store

bloomfest_vfal.pdf

6/19/11

3:10 PM

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Thanks to our Partners for Supporting the Downtown Arts District

SPECIAL THANKS to everyone who knew, loved or honors Joel Bloom by helping with BloomfestLA, including, but not limited to (alpha order): Vanessa Acuna, Kelsy Avalos-Feehan, Dilip K. Bhavnani, Mary Chellamy, LAPD Officer Maria Crescenzo, California Senator Kevin de Leòn, Chris Douridas, Carly Evans, Christopher Fudurich, Michael D. Garcia, Ashley Gibbons, Christine Hale, Chris Hubbert, L.A. City Councilmember Jose Huizar, Jonathan Jerald, Tim Keating, Arsen Khachatrian, Raquel King-Beard, Melissa Krook, Amanda Leon, Gary Leonard, Drew Lesso, Estela Lopez, Paul Mackley, Ted Meyer, D Miller, Patricia R. Mitchell, Valerie Mitchell, Alberto Miyares, L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina, Alexandra Mora, Lilli Muller, Thomas “TK” Nagano, Raymond Y. Newton, Michelle O’Grady, Che Ortiz, California Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, Martha de Pérez, L.A. City Councilmember Jan Perry, Sue Pink, Joseph Pitruzzelli, Julie Rasmussen, Rachael Rendon, Melissa Richardson Banks, LAPD Officer Jack Richter, Rick Robinson, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, Kim Sharp, Surjit P. Soni, Emily Straubel, Shaun Thyne, Vivian Um, Bob Ujszaszi, Edgar Varela, Tyler Wilson, LARABA board members, BloomfestLA volunteers, and countless others.