VOLUME 7 NO. 02
LAARTNEWS.COM
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MAY 2019
Gwen Freeman
INSIDE THIS ISSUE DEBRA J.T. PADILLA ON ARTS AND EQUITY • NIPSEY HU$$LE TRIBUTE • CITY FUNDS THEATRES, ART CLASSES, HERITAGE CELBRATIONS, EMPHASIZES NEIGHBORHOODS; COUNCIL TALKS FUTURE OF ARTS IN L.A. • JUDITH BACA MURAL WHITEWASHED
NIPSEY HUSSLE 1985-2019 Hip-hop Artist, Entrepreneur, and Empowerment Activist
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When Ermias “Nipsey Hussle” Asghedom was murdered outside his Marathon Clothing store at Slauson and Crenshaw on March 31, the neighborhood and the City erupted in an outpouring of tributes, including many art murals, including pieces by some of L.A.’s finest street artists.
Billboard Olympic and 4th Avenue Enkone Fat Burger, Crenshaw near Slauson
110 Freeway onramp El Segundo Boulevard, Athens Danny Mateo Alley near Marathon Store, Crenshaw and Slauson LA Commons (lead artist Moses Ball, assistant artist Dezmond Crockett, local youth) Crenshaw and Slauson
by @biganti_26 @misteralek & @hufr365 Violet and Mateo, Arts District
Levi Ponce (w/ Orteck, Mike Rivera, GR818, Osek, Eli, Wsaner, Gosik, K35) Estudillo Avenue, Boyle Heights
Archer One At exit to the memorial on Slauson
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Z the Art Alley near Marathon Store, Crenshaw and Slauson
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Veniceball: Gustavo Zermaño and volunteersBasketball CourtCrete Academy, Hyde Park(photo: Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s office)
Jonas Never, based on a photo by Estevan Oriol Washington Boulevard, east of 10 frwy
Aiseborn South Figueroa Street, Downtown
Demi Lauren Earle’s on Crenshaw Leimert Park
Sloe 88 & Oldie Slauson near Crenshaw
Downtown Daniel The Container Yard, Arts District
Gift Davis South Broadway, Downtown
Make Glass that Must Be Touched
SHOP ART +
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EAGLE ROCK
& ONLINE! 5024 EAGLE ROCK BLVD, LOS ANGELES, CA 90041
LeannaLinsWonderland.com
The Upper Crust: Magnificent Surfaces and Compelling Layers for Kiln-Glass, with Kari Minnick May 16–20, Thursday–Sunday 10am–6pm, Monday 10am–1pm Bullseye Glass Resource Center Bay Area 4514 Hollis Street, Emeryville 510.595.1318 bullseyeglass.com/bayarea
MON - THUR: 12 -7PM FRI - SUN: 11AM -6PM
LA ART NEWS
ARTISTS AND RESEARCHERS
COLLABORATE AT KECK SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
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Charles Y. Liu, PhD, MD USC Neurorestoration Center Diane Cockerill Six Degrees of Restoration Digital photographs
Artist and Researcher 3, at the Keck School of Medicine’s Hoyt Gallery, pairs 16 local artist with 16 USC medical researchers. The artists met with the researchers, learned about their work, and then conveyed the research through artwork. The results work on many levels. Arts convey complex concepts that can be hard for untrained lay people to grasp, thereby allowing patients to better understand their situations and empower their decision-making. Arts may be used to illustrate vast quantities of data in a realistic way. They may be used to illustrate social situations that swirl around textbook data. They may even serve as biography, conveying the beauty of the human body amidst the most trying of circumstances. Photographer Diane Cockerill presents images that represent the goals of Dr. Charles Liu’s research and practice of restoring function to injured or diseased nervous systems. Disconnected wires and chaotic patterns are challenged to reconnect. Artist Armando Duran Cepeda uses mixed media to present the work of researcher Albert J. Farias into racial disparities that exist in healthcare access. “It was most interesting to learn that while certain segments of our society have unlimited access to some of the world’s best medical professionals and facilities, others, living within blocks of these fine institutions as if in a third world country, struggle just to find the most basics of healthcare services,” says the artist. Artist Stevie Love, in learning about Dr. W. Martin Kast’s research with Hela cells, a line cancer cells that keep growing and supply material for research around the world, was struck by the beauty and movement of the cells. Her piece serves as a tribute to Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman from whom the cells were originally harvested, without compensation or her consent, in 1951. The series of exhibits is part of the Keck School of Medicine’s HEAL (Humanities, Ethics, Art, and Law) Program. It is curated by Ted Meyer, HEAL’s artist in residence, working with Pamela Schaff, MD, HEAL’s director. The Hoyt Gallery is located at 1975 Zonal Avenue, in the basement of the Keith Albert J. Farias, PhD, MPH Administration Building on Keck’s Health Sciences Campus. Farias lab Armando Duran Cepeda Closing the Racial Disparity Gap in Cancer Treatment Mixed media: wood, plexiglass, LED lighting
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W. Martin Kast, Ph.D Henrietta Lacks and Help Cells Artist Stevie Love
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STAFF Publisher/ Creative Director Cathi Milligan Managing Editor Margaret Arnold Contributors: Margaret Arnold, Cornelius Peter, Brian Mallman, Amy Inouye, Stuart Rapeport, Cathi Milligan, Jennifer Hitchcock, Harvey Slater, Madame X, Larisa Code, Tomas Benitez, Ted Meyer, Peter Hess, Debra J.T. Padilla LA Art News is published monthly at the beginning of each month. LA Art News is available free of charge. No person may, without prior written permission from LA Art News, take more than one copy of each monthly issue. Additional copies of the current issue are available for $1, payable in advance, at LA Art News office. Only authorized LA Art News distributors may distribute the LA Art News.
ALMOST SUMMER! It’s almost summer. You can tell because June gloom has arrived a month early. Ah, climate change is keeping us on our toes. But it is still spring and what happens in springtime? Art shows and other cool events around the city. Every weekend until the end of time there is some cool event taking place across this vast city. Art openings and craft fairs and Lummis Day and MOTA Day and good times for all. We try to list as much of this in this fine publication as we can. With all of the art and music and good times that happen this time of year, we can’t too distracted from the clusterf@ck happening in the nation’s capital. It’s time to get out there and make sure that person serves more time in prison than time in the white house. Just had to put that out there... Thanks, Cathi Milligan Publisher LA Art News
Copyright No news stories, illustrations, editorial matter or advertisements herein can be reproduced without written consent of copyright owner. How to reach us LA Art News 5668 York Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90042 323-387-9705
On the cover: Gwen Freeman. For more information please go to page 18.
Contributions cathi@laartnews.com Calendar information margaretnelaart@gmail.com Sales - cathi@laartnews.com sign up for our newsletter at laartnews.com Where’s Monica?
HIGHLAND PARK INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL ACCEPTING ENTRIES The Highland Park Independent Film Festival is accepting entries for its sixth season. Both emerging and established filmmakers are welcome to apply. Rooted in the historic arts neighborhood of Highland Park and based at the 1925 Highland Theatre, the festival is produced by local filmmakers who value their local community as well as high-quality independent cinema. The festival attracts applicants from around the world. Submission deadline is July 9. The festival will take place October 3-5. Application information is available at www. hpifilmfest.com.
Photo: Tim Karau
CARDBORIGAMI The traditional Japanese art form of Origami has practical as well as aesthetic applications. A Los Angeles organization, Cardborigami, has developed a treated cardboard, origami-inspired structure that provides protection from the elements for homeless people or victims of disasters. The shelters require no assembly and may be folded away when not in use. They are made out of sustainable materials, are water-resistant, and provide natural thermal insulation. www.cardborigami.org
A Cardborigami shelter at Homeless Connect Day, May 2 in Lincoln Park
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ARTS IN A CHANGING AMERICA LA Cultural Equity Summit Remarks Debra J.T. Padilla April 17, 2019 Our LA
The LA 11 is based on those agencies who for 35+ years have been about perseverance, sustainability and longevity. Their value is not based on the bottom line monetarily, but rather the inherent value of what they have provided to this city as a whole. But, parity is possible. These agencies have lived in a parallel universe of existence. They are the OG’s who have been kicking it in the horizontal sphere. Roberta [Roberta Uno, theater director and the Director of Arts in a Changing America] talks about shifting the vertical paradigm into a horizontal one. That time is now.
[ArtChangeUS: Arts in a Changing America is a five year initiative based out of the California Institute of the Arts. Its mission is to reframe the national arts conversation by embracing the cultural assets of demographic change. ArtChangeUS is creating a vast network of artists, idea producers, and organizations that serves as an urgently needed catalyst to bring unheard leadership voices to the forefront of social discourse, arts production, and community change As part of this initiative, ArtChangeUS REMAP LA, a Cultural Equity Summit, was held in Los Angeles in April. This is Ms. Padilla’s keynote address at the event.] Hello, I’m Debra J.T. Padilla, and for the past 32 years I have been a steward of organizations rooted in art, community, education and social justice as Managing Director Borderlands Theater in Tucson and up until last June, 25 years as Executive Director of the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC). For all my years at SPARC, I lived by this motto: “inherent in the land is memory and if you excavate it, it will reveal itself. And as it reveals itself, it will hopefully teach you something about where you are standing and to always remember that history does not begin when you walk in the door, that you are always walking into historical precedence.” This motto still holds true. I’m delighted to share this space and platform with my colleagues, representing some of the most vital and necessary cultural anchor organizations in LA; together they embody 164 cumulative years of existence and cultural offerings to Los Angeles. Alison De La Cruz said in one of our prep calls for today, why can’t people say our name? She was referring to a news article in which JACCC’s Aratani Theatre was noted as “a theatre in Little Tokyo” or sometimes Self Help Graphics is referred to as that Chicano arts center in Boyle Heights. I must give a call out to what I’m calling the LA 11 as a whole and say their name.
FandangObon, led by Quetzal Flores, ACTA, and Nobuko Miyamoto, Great Leap. REMAP: LA Cultural Equity Summit, JACCC’s Aratani Theatre. The LA 11 could very well be the LA 20, with Cornerstone Theater, LA Commons, Ave 50 Studio, TeAda Productions, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, CASA 0101, Heidi Duckler Dance, etc. A side note: I think it’s safe to say that half of the Getty PST LA/LA would not have been possible without the existence of Self Help Graphics and the many artists it nurtured in their 46 years. For the past few years, I’ve been part of the advisory committee for the Los Angeles County Arts Commission Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative (CEII), CoChaired by Helen Hernandez, Tim Dang and Maria Rosario Jackson. CEII ignited a critical conversation for LA, it’s arts agencies, communities, funders and politicians. Laura Zucker [arts leader and former executive director of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission] said the 21st century will be about the democratization of culture. I believe that the 21st century is also about representation. CEII was possible because in 2015 two LA County Board of Supervisors, both people of color, Hilda Solis and Mark Ridley Thomas, asked the LA County Arts Commission team “to embark on how to ensure that arts organizations appropriately reflect the diversity of our communities.” Could it be possible that finally in a city as diverse as LA we could be empathic listeners and have a real dialogue about cultural equity and propose real solutions and opportunities for how this concept could authentically flourish? Especially with a gaze and tangible investment towards the LA 11? I believe we cannot talk about equity without talking about access to resources, existing or new. I love that Los Angeles has THE theatre, THE opera, THE museum, etc., but after reciting THE 492 cumulative years of offerings by the LA 11, shouldn’t we also ask how to support these organizations as well? Wouldn’t we be making an inequity equitable? The County of LA investment in the arts (based on figures from a year ago) breaks down to $88 million to 4 organizations and $4.3 million to over 200 organizations. Again, $88 million to 4 organizations and $4.3 million to over 200 organizations. Key things to keep in mind based on last week’s
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LA County Board of Supervisors decision to invest in LACMA. Which is a good thing, but it needs a context, a framework. Per the LA Times: -County’s contribution to the rebuilding is $117.5 million. -County plans to issue a $300 million bond to loan money to LACMA. -LACMA... [gets] 25% of its operating costs from the county. -LACMA already carries a $343 million debt. We must shift or modify the status quo of how agreements have been brokered. LACMA has a 99 year funding agreement with the County. I think it’s safe to say that the LA 11 would be happy to start even with a 5 or 3 year funding agreement. Thank God for Dorothy Chandler who gave us The Music Center, my question is who is the Dorothy Chandler of our time? The answer lies in both a private and public sphere. And it lies in the bravery to think outside the box. Look at what the great philanthropist Agnes Gund did by selling 1 Lichtenstein artwork. With the $100 million she and Darren Walker at the Ford Foundation began The Art Justice Fund. I’m not advocating for taking anything away from any existing agency, but imploring us to think expansively and imagine possibilities. The uncharted land of cultural equity in LA has many roads, many maps. If we can figure it out, we might very well become the model for the country. Because every major city in these United States has the same challenge. Here’s an example of how cultural equity has played out in my 25 years in LA. SPARC was getting ready to negotiate a new lease agreement with the City (General Services) for the Old Venice Police Station which at that point SPARC was 25 years old and the City policy was those nonprofits in city owned facilities had to be renewed every 5 years. At the time of negotiation, an LA Times headline read “MOCA gets 99 year lease for the Geffen Contemporary.” I thought how can this be fair? Why for them and not for us? I called up MOCA, asked to speak with the person in charge of government affairs, asked who their attorney was and who was their city liaison? I invited them over to SPARC to meet with the founder and myself and got pointers on the how of it all. I didn’t get 99 years but I got 55 years – good until 2055. The first ever for a multiethnic arts agency in the city of LA. My colleague and friend Pete Galindo so beautifully and poignantly says: “People often decry LA’s lack of an official center, a heart that feeds the arteries that run throughout its neighborhoods, but it is this lack of center that creates the opportunity for democratic process that is multiethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-faith, multihistorical, in essence multi-centered. It is not that the City of Los Angeles lacks heart but that it has many hearts, beating simultaneously and inexhaustibly.” Debra J.T. Padilla is a board member of Arts for LA. She served as the executive director of the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) from 1993 to 2018. Prior to being at SPARC, Ms. Padilla was the managing director of Borderlands Theater in Tucson, Arizona, for seven years. More information about Arts in a Changing America may be found at www.artsinachangingamerica.org. A problem solver, thought partner, doer, strategist, planner and a roll-up-your-sleeves leader.
Debra CAPDebra J.T. PadillaPhoto: Jared Cowan
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GOVERNMENT NOTES HOUSE PROPOSAL INCREASES FUNDING FOR NEA The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee has released a draft federal budget for fiscal year 2020. Counter to the White House proposal to eliminate funding for the
Courtesy of Arts Action Fund National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the subcommittee is recommending a significant increase. The subcommittee draft budget includes $167.5 million for the NEA, up from the current level of $155 million. ARTS MONTH IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY April was officially Arts Month throughout the County of Los Angeles. At a proclamation during the April 2 County Board of
Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas said that the arts, “embody who we are as a people and have long helped to drive the success of this extraordinary region that we call Los Angeles County.” In 2017, the creative economy supported one-fifth of all jobs in the County and generated more that $207 billion in economic output. “This is huge,” said Supervisor Ridley-Thomas. “$60 billion in wages earned and more that $10 billion in taxes… By investing in the arts, we can chart a course for the future in which the threads of our common humanity are bound together with creative empathy and openness, helping to address the County’s most pressing social challenges.” Arts for L.A. Executive Director Gustavo Herrera noted that there are challenges facing arts advocates, saying, “LA. County is the creative capital of the world. But we know that less than 15% of schools across L.A. County offer year-round arts instruction for every student. We recognize that one out of every five jobs here in Los Angeles are in the arts-related fields. And because of this high concentration of creative industries in L.A., it is so important that we prioritize efforts to young people, such as pipeline programs, workforce pathways, in order to get younger folks thinking about these opportunities, and to target those specific opportunities to underrepresented communities across L.A. County.“
of a public process to envision how county residents can create and support thriving children, healthy families, and stronger communities through the arts. Information on dates, locations and rsvp’ing may be found at /www.lacountyartsedcollective.org. OBAMA BOULEVARD Los Angeles has officially renamed what was Rodeo Road in South Los Angeles after President Barack Obama. The 3.7-mile President Barack Obama Boulevard stretches from Jefferson Boulevard to Arlington Avenue. And Los Angeles can now boast of having an intersection of President Barack Obama Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Dignitaries and thousands of members of the public gathered May 4 to celebrate the renaming. “With this change, we are publicly documenting what Obama’s legacy as our nation’s first black President means to our city and our South Los Angeles community,” said City Council President Herb Wesson, who spearheaded the name change. Among those participating in the unveiling of the new signage were Mayor Eric Garcetti, County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, State Senator Maria Elena Durazo, Council President Wesson, and Urban League President Michael Lawson. Among the noted performers through the course of the day were Sheila E., Stevie Wonder, and Doug E. Fresh.
ARTS EDUCATION KOREAN AMERICAN photo: Mayor Garcetti’s office COMMUNITY FORUMS MUSEUM MOVES The LA County Arts Commission and the LA County Arts Ed FORWARD Collective are co-sponsoring a series of community forums to The establishment of a Korean American Museum in Los be held at venues across the County in May and June. “Create Angeles is moving forward. the Future: 2019 Arts Education Community Forums” are part “This will help us to highlight how important the Korean
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LA ART NEWS
CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS AND CALLS FOR ARTS EQUITY
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creativity, but have limited cultural infrastructure?” asked Mr. Herrera. Roberta Uno, theater director and director of Arts in a Changing America, told the Councilmembers that, “A landmark report by the National Committee on Responsive Philanthropy quantified that organizations with budgets over $5 million represent 2% ARTS DAY LA 2019 of the arts sector. And yet they receive over half of all arts dollars. And only 10% of arts funding goes to organizations that explicitly benefit communities of color.” Friday April 12 was officially “Arts Day LA 2019” in the City of Los Angeles. “So let me tell you what this means,” said Ms. Uno. “I visited José Luis Valenzuela, who City Councilmember David Ryu, who chairs the council’s Arts Committee, told runs the Latino Theater Company of the LATC, and behind him was a big sheet of his colleagues that, “The arts are central to Los Angeles, from visual art to dance and paper with names and amounts of money, one thousand dollars, two thousand dollars. He music, to the innovators and creators who push said to me, ‘I have to raise $300,000 every year the boundaries, creatives help define our city. for operations.’ Words can’t describe that magical moment when “And my question is, why should a 50-year old communities come together over local art. Whether Latino theater in a city and state where Latinos it’s a theater program at a local school, a utility art are the majority have to raise basic operating box program that adds unique color to our local costs year-to-year? This is one of our national streets, or a rap artist that builds his neighborhood, treasures of a theater. In L.A. there are at least artists don’t just add to their communities, but they eight similar, diverse arts organizations who help build their communities. “That’s why we have operate facilities. They are 30 years or older, like Arts Day LA, because when we lose the art, we Lula Washington Dance, JACCC, and Self Help lose the defining pillar of our humanity and our Graphics. These are the cultural anchors of this community. The arts help illustrate who we are and City. They are grounded in the beautiful, diverse where we’re going.” communities and demographics of our L.A.” Gustavo Herrera, Executive Director of Arts for Ms.Uno added to Mr.Herrera’s recommendations: LA, added, “We are living in a period of time in 1. Support the incredible cultural anchors of the our nation’s history that is filled with profound City, culturally rooted organizations, through political and economic change. The City of Los multi-year organizational funding. Angeles, despite it all, continues to lead by example, 2. Support efforts that support an ecology driven by values and committed to progress. And of equity. that don’t favor competition over City Councilmember David Ryu and Arts for LA Executive fundamental to our city’s values are the arts.” collaboration. Director Gustavo Herrera hold the proclamation of “Arts Day Mr. Herrera asked the City Council to not only Arts for LA is also seeking more public outreach LA 2019” surrounded by arts activists at City Hall (photo: celebrate the arts, but to move in the direction of a and education on how to access opportunities Gennia Cui of the Future Collective via Arts for LA) city-wide policy for the arts that prioritizes equity such as funds raised through city development in a rapidly changing urban environment. fees. Councilmember Marqueece HarrisArts for LA is prioritizing two issues: Dawson encouraged support for the arts for young people, recognizing arts as their portal 1. Affordable, creative spaces for the arts and artists. into mainstream life. 2. Equitable distribution of resources to arts organizations. “How does a city equitably distribute resources to districts that are filled with artists and
Quetzal Flores, Alliance for California Traditional Arts, at “Art Day LA 2019” at City Hall, flanked by Danielle Brazell, LA Department of Cultural Affairs; City Councilmember David Ryu; Debra J.T. Padilla, Arts for LA; Betty Avila, Self Help Graphics & Art; Roberta Uno, Arts in a Changing America; Gustavo Herrera, Arts for LA (photo: Arts for LA)
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continued from page 9 community has been, not only in Los Angeles, but across the state of California.” said State Assemblymember Miguel Santiago. “It will help to highlight the history and the influence of those
Rendering for the Korean American Nation Museum 500.000 people who live in California of Korean descent.” John Lim, a board member for the proposed museum, told the Assembly’s Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media that after a 150-year presence in the United States, Korean Americans are believed to number over two million, with about a quarter of those in California, and twothirds of that California presence in the Los Angeles area. The museum is to be located at Vermont and Sixth Street, a location which Mr. Lim says will attract both locals and tourists. It will consist of 16,000 square-feet of museum space and 10,000 square-feet of garden space. The site is a rent-free ground lease from the City of Los Angeles. Total project cost will be about $25 million, of which $12 million in committed funds have been raised, including a $3.5 million forgivable loan from the City. $4 million in state funding is pending before the legislature. The projected opening of the museum is fall of 2021.
11 LA POET LAUREATE WINS PRESTIGIOUS FELLOWSHIP Robin Coste Lewis, Poet Laureate of the City of Los Angeles, has been honored by the Academy of American Poets with a Poet Laureate Fellowship. The fellowships honor literary merit and support civic programs. The awards are made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Ms. Lewis, who will receive $100,000, plans to use her award to create and conduct a “Poetic Truths and Reconciliation Commission” for the City of Los Angeles, which will involve a year-long experiment in redress, a series of programs (readings and conversations) that use the poetry from various LA histories/ communities to engage the process of cultural, political and historical reconciliation. ACCESS TO OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo’s AB 556 has been passed by the State Assembly’s Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee. The bill, if ultimately passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor, will help improve outdoor experiences for disadvantaged youth and improve overall health and wellbeing. It is similar to a bill approved by the legislature last year but vetoed by then-Governor Jerry Brown. “Many young people from disadvantaged urban and rural communities in California have little to no access to outdoor experiences,” said Assemblymember Carrillo, “even when they live minutes away from these spaces.” A UCLA and San Francisco State University study found lack of transportation, cost of parking, and limited accommodations pose barriers for many. AB556 would create a community access program to enable Californians to reach and utilize natural sites. It would also create a grant program to fund innovative transportation projects. LA RIVER FUNDING URGED Twelve members of Congress from the Los Angeles area sent a letter in April urging the House Appropriations Committee to provide strong funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
for Fiscal Year 2020. These funds will help Congress support the Corps’ ongoing civil works projects, including the Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration Project, which will revitalize more than 700 acres of open space along a broad stretch of the Los Angeles River from Griffith Park to downtown Los Angeles. Signers include Congressmembers Adam Schiff, Lucille RoybalAllard, Jimmy Gomez, Nanette Diaz Barragán, Karen Bass, Julia Brownley, Tony Cárdenas, Judy Chu, Gil Cisneros, Katie Hill, Ted Lieu, Alan Lowenthal, Linda Sánchez, Brad Sherman, and Maxine Waters. NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURAL PRESERVATION “We continue to see issues as to tribal elders’ knowledge being recognized in the discovery of human remains,” says State Assemblymember James Ramos. Assemblymember Ramos’ bill, AB 275, seeks to improve the situation by requiring the stakeholder knowledge be taken into account in the custody and protection of Native American remains and cultural items. Chairman Raymond Hitchcock of Wilton Rancheria in the Sacramento area told the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media in April that, “This bill will give tribes throughout California more tools to expedite the slow and tedious NAGRA ( Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) process and allow our unique tribal perspective on tribal traditional knowledge to carry equal or greater weight than nontribal resources.” According to Assemblymember Ramos, California is home to nearly one-fifth of all federally recognized tribes. According to the 2010 census, 723,000 Native Americans reside in California, more than in any other state. “This bill is vital to preserve tribal culture,” said Assemblymember Ramos, “and ensure Native American tribes have the opportunities to pay honor and respect to our ancestors and elders, including those who have come before and to the tribal members that continue to create pathways for future generations.”
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FINDING “SHELTER” IN DEBS PARK Visitors to the Audubon Center in Debs Park may be surprised to come upon art installations scattered among the 17 acres of park trails. The installations are part of “Shelter,” an exhibit of temporary installations by members of the Arroyo Arts Collective. The 15 featured artists have created a wide variety of site-specific works on the theme of habitat, with an emphasis on the flora and fauna found in Debs Park. Individual pieces serve as actual shelters, as framing devices to focus attention on aspects of the environment, or as reflections on the place of humans in this natural environment. The Arroyo Arts Collective Presents Shelter through June 8 curated by Kim Abeles and Marcos Trinidad artists: Pascaline Doucin-Dahlke, Aaron Farley and Michelle Frier, Nicholas Fedak II, Dina Fisher, S.P. Harper, Cidne Hart, Sandy Huse, Kristen Johannesen, Kate Lain, Janeil Champoy Sumampong Lim, Yeu Q Nguyen, Cat Chiu Phillips, Carrie Ungerman, Julie Williams Audubon Center at Debs Park 4700 North Griffin Avenue www.arroyoartscollective.org/shelter
You “Q” Nguyen, Angeles of Debs Park Bearing our likeness, they remind us of human’s intrinsic vulnerability and connection to nature.
Aaron Farley and Michelle Frier, Understory Exploring and celebrating the importance of the Coastal Live Oak
S.P. Harper, Seven Million Carats Gemstones of recycled materials, with secret doors for protection from predatory eyes and weather elements
Sandy Huse, Rock the Cradle Kinetic sculpture that invites the viewer to turn the crank and watch three baby birds beg for dinner
Cidne Hart, Cyanotype images Images of flora and fauna living within the park
Mon - Fri 10-8 Sat & Sun 10-6 5053 York Blvd Highland Park, CA 90042 323-274-4469 rosiebunnybean.com
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Kristen Johannesen, From My Nest to Yours Nest of rosemary branches with knitted straw to remind us to keep plastics away from the natural environment
A CLOSE-UP LOOK AT HIP-HOP IN CENTURY CITY
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An intimate look at the world of hip-hop is provided by “Contact High,” a large photography exhibit at the Annenberg Space for Photography. Well over 100 works by 60 photographers include images ranging from the iconic to unedited contact sheets. The exhibit also includes a pop-up record shop, Contact High Records, featuring a large and wide-ranging selection of vinyl hip-hop. “Contact High” is as much about the photographers as it is about their subjects. The photographers were not always outside documentarians; they were often participants in the culture, intimately familiar with the world they were photographing. As hip-hop developed, it played out in public. It took place on streets, more than on radio, and it grew up in the context of a look and a culture. One of the most interesting aspects of “Contact High” is the specific look at what happened when the movement, born in New York, migrated to Los Angeles. The look was different, characterized by white T’s and an intermingling with car culture, tattoo culture, and the neighborhood cultures of L.A. The show is strong on the role of women in hip-hop, including female photographers such as Janette Beckman, whose photographs include powerful images of artists such as Salt-N-Pepa. “Contact High” is curated by Vikki Tobak, based on a bestselling book, with creative direction by Fab 5 Freddy. Central to the exhibit is a documentary short film, produced by the Annenberg Foundation and Radical Media, featuring interviews with several of the photographers.
Dapper Dan, Rakim Jacket, 1988 reflecting Marc Baptiste, Erykah Badu, Baduizm New York City, 1997
Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop through August 18 Annenberg Space for Photography 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Century City www.annenbergphotospace.org
Danny Clinch Tupak Shakur Tribeca, New York, 1993
Janette Beckman Salt-N-Pepa New York City, 1987
OldPasadena.org/BoldPas @OldPasadena
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Visit us at NELAart.org Northeast Los Angeles Arts Organization, Inc.
MAY 11, 2019 | 7PM - 10 PM
(Individual gallery hours may vary. CHECK Gallery web sites for individual information. Just because a gallery is listed does not mean it’s open this month) 1
Avenue 50 Studio 131 N. Avenue 50 323.256.1435 avenue50studio.org
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Arroyo Arts Collective @ Ave 50 Studio 131 N. Avenue 50 323.256.1435 arroyoartscollective.org
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Bookshow 5503 N. Figueroa St. www.bookshow.com
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L34 Group 5622 N. Figueroa St. 323.788.1674 L34group.com
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Vapegoat 5054 York Blvd. 323.963.VAPE
Namaste Highland Park 5118 York Blvd. www.namastehighlandpark.com 10 Highland Cafe 5010 York Blvd. 323.259.1000 thehighlandcafela.com The Glass Studio 5668 York Blvd. 323.387.9705 theglassstudio.net Future Studio 5558 N. Figueroa St. 323.254.4565 futurestudiogallery.com
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Mindfulnest 5050 York Blvd. 323.999.7969 mindfulnest.com
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Curve Line Space 3348 N. Figueroa St. 323.505.7278 curvelinespace.com
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Align Gallery 5045 York Blvd. www.aligngallery.com
Leader of the Pack 17 5110 York Blvd. 323.675.1055 theleaderofthepackvintage.com
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Mi Vida 5159 York Blvd.
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Vintage Tattoo Art Parlor 5115 York Blvd.
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Rock Rose Gallery 4108 N. Figueroa St. 323.635.9125 rockrosegallery.com
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Leanna Lin’s Wonderland 5024 Eagle Rock Blvd. 323.550.1332 leannalinswonderland.com TAJ • ART 1492 Colorado Blvd. www.tajartinc.com
Next Art Walk JUNE 8, 2019
On t
businesses their doors love, get s
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the Second Saturday of Every Month galleries,
s and artists in Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, Cypress Park, Elysian Valley and Lincoln Heights open s a little later in the evening and welcome visitors. Use this map for locations of art and eateries; grab someone you some dinner, and enjoy some art. Friend NELA Art Gallery Night on Facebook for the updated last minute list.
LA ART NEWS
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NELAART SECOND SATURDAY GALLERY NIGHT APRIL 2019
John Valadez Mural Reveal: Long Beach Mural Project at Avenue 50 Studio Lindsey Warren, Downtown Twilight Keystone Gallery
Mayra Rangel Chicanx Unknown, Intersectionality Avenue 50 Studio
MAY 2019
Aleka Corwin, Lilith in Her Garden Arroyo Arts Collective at Avenue 50 Studio
Freddy “_MVMP_” Negrete Vapegoat
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Nic Griffiths, Urban Light L34 Group Paloma Montoya, Bad Days Vapegoat
Upendo Taylor Align Gallery
Nica118, Rabbit Season Vapegoat Iris Peretz, Carbon Footprint 2 Degrees—A Group Show Avenue 50 Studio
LA ART NEWS
PEA & AVOCADO DIP WITH PEPITAS & CILANTRO Sometimes it can be a challenge finding a healthful dip that is not loaded with empty calories from refined oils, sugars, fillers, or commercial dairy products. This dip is a great solution to this challenge, and it seriously only takes about 10 minutes to make. Due to the lemon juice in the ingredients, it keeps for several days and has a lot of versatility in how it can be used. And, if enjoyed with fresh vegetables, this dip proves to be a very nutrient-dense snack—my favorite kind!
18 At this point, add a splash (or more) of water if you think you need to smooth it out a little more. You can actually enjoy this dip chunky or smooth, it’s up to you! Remove the top of the food processor and continue blending until it is the desired smoothness. Add optional nutritional yeast for enhanced flavor and nutrition and mix in. Serve with vegetable sticks, endive leaves, or your favorite dipping cracker. Spread on toast for a great breakfast or use as a substitute for mayonnaise on your sandwich. Harvey Slater is a Holistic Nutritionist and Chef, practicing in Pasadena. You can find more healthy recipes like this one on his blog: thewholedishblog.com
½ cup whole peas 1 avocado pitted and peeled ¼ cup raw pepitas 1 lemon, juiced 1 handful cilantro ¼ tsp. sea salt (or to taste Fresh cracked pepper to taste Splash water (optional) Nutritional yeast (optional) You can use fresh shelled peas, frozen peas, or even shell them yourself if you can find them in season. If you use frozen peas, be sure to thaw them out before using them in this recipe. The peas should be used raw, not cooked. In the bowl of a Cuisinart or other food processor, combine the peas, avocado, pepitas, lemon juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. Pulse in the food processor until it starts to turn into a smooth paste. Remove the lid and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to catch any loose ingredients that are sticking to the bowl and not mixing in.
ABOUT THE COVER GWEN FREEMAN “The End Is Near” A long haired man in a robe holding a sign that reads “The End is Near” used to be the set up for a one panel cartoon punchline. It is now the imminent prediction of 97% of the world’s scientists. And yet, people live their lives, have children, care about sports, go to work, and laugh. And I still paint.
MAY 2019
THRIFT SHOP FINDS
Fourth in a Series by Artist Ted Meyer www.tedmeyer.com
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CLASSES IN NELA
Besides being a haven for artists and creative types, Northeast Los Angeles is the home of a fine array of arts classes, especially the industrial arts, but not limited to them. Below is a list of some of the businesses in the area that have classes. Do check with the facility to verify times and prices of their classes. As we find more places we will bring that information to all of you. Adam’s Forge 2640 N. San Fernando Rd. Los Angeles, CA 90065 Adamsforge.org
Molten Metal Works 3617 San Fernando Rd Glendale, CA 91204 moltenmetalworks.net
Please check their web site for a listing of all of their classes and special events.
Please check their web site for a listing of all of their classes and special events.
The Glass Studio 5668 York Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90042 323.387.9705 info@theglassstudio.net
Rock Rose Gallery 4108 N. Figueroa Street Highland Park, CA 90065 (323) 635-9125 www.rockrosegallery.com Visit: Rock Rose Gallery News, Instagram & Twitter
Check www.theglassstudio.com . Toros Pottery 4962 Eagle Rock Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041 323.344.8330 Blue Rooster Art Supply Company blueroosterartsupplies.com blue@blueroosterartsupplies.com 4661 Hollywood Blvd LA, CA 90027 (323) 302-5613 Check their web site for more information about their classes and events. Ave 50 Studio 131 No. Avenue 50 323. 258.1435 avenue50studio.org Guitar Lessons. Salsa Lessons too! Check their web site for more information for this and other classes. Center for the Arts Eagle Rock 2225 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock, CA 90041 info@cfaer.org (323) 561-3044 www.cfaer.org Check out their web site for a wide variety of fun classes for all ages.
Community Woodshop 3617 San Fernando Rd Glendale, CA 91204 626.808.3725 www.community woodshopla.com
Please check their web site for more information and a list of classes. Stained Glass Supplies 19 Backus Street Pasadena, CA 91107 626-219-6055 Classes are ongoing
A Place to Bead 2566 Mission St San Marino, CA 91108 626.219.6633 aplace2bead.com
Barndall Art Park 4800 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027 323.644.6295 http://www.barnsdall.org
Find a variety of jewelry making classes, including stringing and wirework.
Check they’re web site for upcoming classes.
Bullseye Glass 143 Pasadena Ave. South Pasadena, CA bullseyeglass.com
Los Angeles County Store 4333 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 / 323928-2781
They offer a full range of kiln forming glass classes as well as regular free artist talks.
Please check their web site for a listing of all of their classes and special events.
Leanna Lin’s Wonderland 5024 Eagle Rock Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041 323.550.1332 leannalinswonderland.com
Sugar Mynt Gallery 810 Meridian Ave. South Pasadena, CA 626.222.7257 sugarmynt.com
Check Leanna’s web site for a current list of workshops and events.
Paint and Pinot Twice a month. Check their web site for more detail.
Fahrenheit Ceramics 4200 N. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90042 323.576.2052 fahrenheitceramics.com
Holy Grounds Coffee & tea 5371 Alhambra Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90032 323.222.8884
WINE OF THE MONTH Larisa Code
Note: Create joy, one sip at a time. Featured Wine: MEINKLANG Burgenlandwhite Color: White Varieties: 50% Gruner Veltliner, 40% Weischriesling, 10% Muskat Vintage: 2018 Price: Under $20 Country: Austria Region: Burgenland (border of Austria and Hungary) Farming Practice: Bio-dynamic (Demeter Certified) and Organic Twist-top
Welcome to spring…and my favorite month, May. There are so many birds chirping, butterflies flitting, my garden is an explosion of color and aromatics and edibles and weeds. This is the best time of the year in LA, to me. These sunny days are meant for a little afternoon tipsiness. It is still cool enough outside to cozy up next to the one you love and toast to mushy stuff—to our first kiss, to our first shag, to the bookstore that we met in that is now closing down (a little shout out to Sam: Johnson’s bookshop in Mar Vista, I wish you luck). And by the way, you can be super mushy even if you aren’t in love. I didn’t want to assign this wine for true love only, like is cool too, and first date is awesome, and besties works really well. Mainly, it is lovely to share this wine, and being mushy is always an option. This wine tastes like spring and summer. There are hints of stone fruit, citrus,
Check out their workshops!
honeysuckle, and a very crisp acidity. It goes down nice and easy, leaving everlasting or at least evening-lasting joy as the finish. It is reminiscent of the table wines served in Vienna, but with a little more depth. When I was out shopping for wine, my goal was to find something that would pair with South East Asian food, and this works really well with the spicy, sweet and deep friedness of Thai food. I also paired it with my first artichoke, and it wasn’t true love, but it was really good. I like this grape combination with most spicy food; salad, bread, and hard cheese also go nicely…add some poached fish. As I mentioned, this wine is ideal for outdoors—a park, your backyard, a quiet stoop. Depending on where your garden is at, if it is available, a bunch of chamomile would be nice in a glass jar. But if that isn’t ready yet, some sage (it looks good almost all year) would be just as perfect. Music is easy for me, because, when it started to get warm where I grew up, lovely Pittsburgh, PA, it meant so many things…parties in the park, not freezing all of the time, flirting, less clothing, pool hopping and for me, Lynard Skynard or The Allman Bros. or some great Southern Rock…can’t say why or how I fell in love with this music or why I always felt it should be played when the sun came back to warm our cold bones. Not your thing? Then my other favorite music, Reggae, also perfect for spring…Gregory Isaacs is considered romantic reggae, it is. Lee Scratch Perry has some strangely romantic and bizarre tracks. Peter Tosh’s music will calm your soul. So, light and love, that is the theme of this review, a nice light wine to share with someone you love, or like, or enjoy. Prost!
LA ART NEWS
NOTRE DAME
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by Tomas J. Benitez The calamitous fire that destroyed a major part of the Notre Dame Cathedral not only evoked an outpouring of sorrow over the loss of such a sacred space, it also generated a tremendous and surprising amount of pushback from people who responded with criticism ranging from cynical to condemning, citing the hypocrisy of the empowered to mourn the loss of an icon while ignoring other incidents that resulted in devastation. Indeed, the same day as the great fire in Paris, a major Muslim mosque was also ravaged by fire, and of course, just recently three Black churches in the South were vandalized by arson. Social media was flooded with pictures of people posting their vacation photos in front of the great building, accompanied by a preponderance of vitriolic comments about the worldwide media response, the response of major donors toward the reconstruction, and even the overall response of the faithful to the terrible event. The Catholic Church itself was targeting for criticism, although in fact they do not have official oversight of the Cathedral. I do not condemn Catholics or anyone for feeling a loss. In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a fallen Catholic, a former altar boy drummed out of service, and a reborn pagan, and I am very happy with how I practice my new found spiritual beliefs. But I will not dwell upon the religious implications of the tragedy, for that aspect is really very unimportant to me. Rather, I mourn the loss of art, history and architecture. No less important are the sacred Apache lands under attack by the hateful policies of Donald Trump, and no less important is the loss of Judy Baca’s mural which was whitewashed by CalTrans. But I choose not to make comparisons that reflect my social justice views; to ponder upon which is more important or meaningful is futile. It is all important and worthy of our attention. When the great library in Brazil was destroyed by fire and neglect, I felt the pain of loss despite the fact that I will never see the edifice nor do I read Portuguese; what was lost was a great collection of wisdom and literature, artifact and history. That is and should be meaningful to all of us.
it to each other to protect our natural wonders, such as the Great Barrier Reef, which will soon be lost forever to pollution and environmental terrorism. All of it is good, all of it is important, all of it is sacred gifts for all of us. All of it is worth preserving, protecting and if necessary, defending. The Nazis shot the face off the Great Sphinx during WWII for target practice for their tanks, and the Taliban, or ISIL, destroyed great monumental statues, temples and archeological treasures once they took over Iraq. On our own hemisphere the Spaniards built churches upon the same sites as great temples of the Pre Columbian civilization. Man-made beauty has been subject to destruction since it was first made, either deliberate or by neglect, or sometimes by accident. To disregard art and culture is to disregard the human experience, and to trivialize the loss of one thing doesn’t elevate the status of the other, it only underscores value judgements or political positions that are petty in comparison to the achievement of greatness in art. I loved Judy’s mural, and it angers me to see a great artist so disrespected. My indigenous blood is Chiricahua Apache, and I despise the administration for their environmental terrorism. Those churches in the South were sacred spaces and must be rebuilt, and the family of humanity that is Muslim has my heart as they recover from the loss of the great mosque. But I also can feel a sense of loss and hope for recovery of the Notre Dame Cathedral without forsaking any of the other sites. (Tomas Benitez was born and raised in front of a TV set in East L.A. His film SALSA: The Movie was produced in 1988. He has also written for Fred Roos, Starz Encore Films, CBS, and several other producers. In recent years he has written extensively about East Los Angeles including an ongoing, online saga about his home life, titled “The Gully”. Several of his stories about East L.A. and The Gully have been published by Blue Heron in an anthology of new American fiction, and he is editing two addition collections to be published in 2018. Tomas is the former Executive Director of Self Help Graphics & Art.)
Human beings are uniquely fortunate. We are able to benefit from natural beauty as well as man-made beauty, if we are enlightened enough to recognize the gifts of both those resources. What we have constructed as great monuments and samples of human achievement are a communal treasure that transcends cultural differences. We also all owe
MAY 2019
Madam X
HOROSCOPES BY MADAM CRAB
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Let’s see, last month I gave you my predictions and advice around love. So surely this month you all are ready to get some astrological suggestions about how to best get out there and get your hands dirty and do something good for the world around you. OH CALM DOWN! Madam Crab is just kidding. I know you have been waiting to hear about money and how you can get more of it in your pocket. We are only human after all! Read on. And please remember, Madam Crab does not give you Palo Santo scented feel-goody bullshit predictions handed to you on an “ooh can you feel the earth’s vibration” crystal-y gem-stone platter. Be prepared for real life talk. ARIES: When you are in a financial pinch, starting an organic, free range grass fed chicken farm on your apartment balcony might seem like a good money making plan on paper, but it is not. Try buying a few less coffees a day, and you will bridge the gap in your budget just fine. TAURUS No Taurus, your teeth are not collateral that can be used to take out a loan. Live within your means, for crying out loud. GEMINI Gemini, you are fooling no one with your research into IRA’s and 401K’s. Madam Crab knows the only retirement plan you will ever actually seriously pursue is “sugar daddy.” CANCER It is time to buy some new sneakers Cancer. Please. It won’t break the bank. LEO When you are done throwing dollar bills at mirror Leo, Madam Crab will be happy to give you some money advice. VIRGO Remember Virgo, time is money. Keeping a running list of all the bills and coins you have in your pocket is not going to fatten your wallet. LIBRA No one appreciates a balanced budget more than you. Also, no one appreciates hours and hours of you talking details about a balanced budget either, Libra. Just saying. SCORPIO Listen Scorpio. Wise investments are things like buying property, acquiring stocks or opening a savings account, NOT purchasing a ski mask and black clothing to break into your friend’s house to get back the money they owe you. SAGITTARIUS Madam Crab is worried about what you think it means to make a killing in the market. You are on my watch list, Sagittarius. CAPRICORN On behalf of all the other astrological signs, Madam Crab would like to thank you Capricorn for keeping them all employed. AQUARIUS When looking for work Aquarius, Madam Crab suspects that you might have a better chance at landing a higher paying job if you didn’t show up to your interview wearing a cloak and Civil War era cavalry saber. PISCES Yes Pisces, the world would be a better place if purple flower petals and firefly dust was currency. You rest. We will work on making that happen.
BOOK SHOW EVENTS Friday March 1st 8pm sign up 8:30 start HOUSE Open Mic Words & poetry Tuesday March 5th 7pm Collage & Cry A collage art night for everyone Wednesday March 6th 8pm-9:30pm Just Write for an Hour Writing group Friday March 8th Everyone is a Channel Workshop SOLD OUT Tuesday March 12th Comedy Open Mic Sign up 7pm Start at 7:30 Thursday March 14th 8pm Laughterhouse 5 Stand up comedy show Friday March 15th 8pm Friday Night Poetry: They’re Just Words Hosted by Ingrid Calderon Poetry open mic & featured poets Saturday march 16th 8pm Lmnop Lesbian Movie night “Suicide Kale” Wednesday march 20th Historia Storytelling Night 7pm doors Saturday March 23rd 7pm Hello We’re Still Alive Reading series Tuesday March 26th Tete-a-tete Queer Reading Series & Open Mic 8pm-10pm
Drawing by artist Stuart Rapeport
LA ART NEWS
MUSEUM LISTINGS
A Roundup of Arts and Culture Exhibits at L.A. Area Museums A + D Museum www.aplusd.org American Museum of Ceramic Art www.amoca.org En Iwamura: Legacy in the Vault through June 30 The Artists of Mettlach through July 2020 Silver Splendor: The Art of Anna Silver through August 25 John Toki: Fault Lines through June 23 2019 SoCal High School Ceramics through May 26 Annenberg Space for Photography www.annenbergphotospace.org Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop through August 18 Autry Museum of the American West www.theautry.org Investigating Griffith Park ongoing On Fire: Transcendent Landscapes by Michael Scott through July 28 Out of the Ashes: Snapshots of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake through June 9 Indian Country: The Art of David Bradley Through January 5 Coyote Leaves the Res: The Art of Harry Fonseca May 19-January 5 The Banning Museum www.thebanningmuseum.org Fashioning the Fan: Innovations & Materials Within the 19th Century ongoing The Broad www.thebroad.org Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power through September 1 Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms ongoing California African American Museum www.caamuseum.org Gary Simmons: Fade to Black through 2019 Adia Millett: Breaking Patterns through August 25 The Liberator: Chronicling Black Los Angeles, 1900-1914 through September 8 Plumb Line: Charles White and the Contemporary through August 25 Aspects of Nude: Selections from the Permanent Collection through September 8
22 Andrew Wenrick, Displacement Zero through August 25 Craft Contemporary www.cafam.org Beatriz Cortez: Trinidad / Joy Station through May 12 Beatriz Cortez and Rafa Esparza: Nomad 13 through May 12 Focus Iran 3: Contemporary Photography and Video through May 12 El Segundo Museum of Art www.esmoa.org Eat: inspiration about what a diverse and creative power food can develop through May 18 FIDM Museum www.fidmmuseum.org Capturing the Catwalk: Runway Photography from the Michel Arnaud Archive through August 31 Forest Lawn Museum www.forestlawn.com Fowler Museum at UCLA www.fowler.ucla.edu Guatemalan Masks: Selections from the Jim and Jeanne Pieper Collection April 7-October 6 Dressed with Distinction: Garments from Ottoman Syria through August 18 Inheritance: Recent Video Art From Africa through July 28 Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives ongoing India’s Subterranean Stepwells: Photographs by Victoria Lautman through October 20 Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art www.arts.pepperdine.edu Squeak Carnwath: How the Mind Works May 18-July 28 The Grammy Museum www.grammymuseum.org Deep Heart: Roots, Rock & the Music of Carlos Vives through Spring, 2019 Take Me Out to the Ball Game: Popular Music and the National Pastime through Fall, 2019 Backstreet Boys: The Experience through September 2
California Heritage Museum www.californiaheritagemuseum.org Lou D’Elia, Some Assemblage Required Project Warhol, Lou D’Elia photography, and collaborative artworks with Gus Harper and Gino Perez Monterey Furniture, Pottery & Tile
Hammer www.hammer.ucla.edu Allen Ruppersberg: Intellectual Property 1968-2018 through May 12 Dirty Protest: Selections from the Hammer Contemporary Collection through May 19 Hammer Projects: Yunhee Min through October 27 Hammer Projects: Tschabalala Self through June 9 Triple Canopy, Omniaudience through November 3 Hammer Projects: Andrea Fraser May 18-September 15
California Science Center www.californiasciencecenter.org Dogs! A Science Tail Science in Toyland
Heritage Square Museum www.heritagesquare.org 50 Years of History at Heritage Square through December 31
Chinese American Museum www.camla.org Lightscapes: Re-envisioning the Shanshuihua through November 10
The Huntington www.huntington.org Celia Paul through July 8 NASA’s Orbit Pavillion Sound Experience through September 2 Project Blue Boy
Claremont Museum of Art www.claremontmuseum.org
MAY 2019
through September 30 Prospects of India: 18th- and 19th-Century British Drawings from the Huntington’s Art Collection through June 10 Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles www.theicala.org Patty Chang: The Wandering Lake, 2009-2017 through August 3 Lucas Blalock, An Enormous Oar through July 31 Maryam Jafri: I Drank the Kool-Aid But I Didn’t Inhale through June 30 Brognon-Rollin: Maybe Some of Us Will Change This through May 12 Italian American Museum of Los Angeles www.iamla.org Leo Politi’s Los Angeles, Works of Love and Protest through May 19 J. Paul Getty Museum www.getty.edu The Getty Center: Leonardo da Vinci: 500 Years through June 2 The Wondrous Cosmos in Medieval Manuscripts through July 21 Encore: Reenactment in Contemporary Photography through June 9 Oscar Rejlander: Artist Photographer through June 9 Mapping Space: Recent Acquisitions in Focus through July 14 Eighteenth-Century Pastel Portraits through October 13 J. Paul Getty Life and Legacy ongoing Greek and Roman Sculpture from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art ongoing Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World May 14-August 18 The Getty Villa: Palmyra: Loss and Remembrance through May 27 Japanese American National Museum www.janm.org Kaiju vs Heroes: Mark Nagata’s Journey through the World of Japanese Toys extended to July 7 At First Light: The Dawning of Asian Pacific America May 25-October 20 Kidspace Children’s Museum www.kidspacemuseum.org LA Plaza de Cultura Y Artes www.lapca.org La Brea Tar Pits & Museum www.tarpits.org Mammoths & Mastodons through 2019 Lancaster Museum of Art and History www.lancastermoah.org Woven Stories Featured Solo Exhibitions: Ray Beldner, Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor, Victoria Potrovitza, Katherine Stocking-Lopez, Nicola Vruwink Installations: Rebecca Campbell, Peter Hiers, R. Rex Parris High School, Meriel Stern, Victor Wilde Group Fiber Exhibition May 11-July 21 Los Angeles County Museum of Art www.lacma.org Frank Stella: Selections from the Permanent Collection through September 15 Isaac Julien: Playtime through August 11 Charles White: A Retrospective through June 9
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continued from page 22 Life Model: Charles White and His Students (at Charles White Elementary School) through September 15 The Bauhaus at 100: Modern Legacies through June 2 Power of Pattern: Central Asian Ikats from the David and Elizabeth Reisbord Collection through August 11 The Jeweled Isle: Art from Sri Lanka through June 23 Rauschenberg: The 1/4 Mile through June 9 Eleanor Antin: Time’s Arrow May 12-July 7 Between the Lines: Typography in LACMA’s Collection Opens May 12, ongoing Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust www.lamoth.org Women at the Frontline of Mass Violence Wordwide through August 31 The Last Goodbye: A Virtual Reality Experience ongoing Messengers of Memory: Survivors Empowering Students through August 31 MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House www.makcenter.org Shelter or Playground: The House of Dust at the Schindler House, Performances by Milka Djordjevich and interpretation of scores by Alison Knowles and Yoko Ono through June 2 Constanze Schweiger and 69: Continuous Composition (at the Mackey Apartments) through June 29 Marciano Art Foundation www.marcianoartfoundation.org Glenn Ligon: Selections from the Marciano Collection through May 12 Museum of Contemporary Art www.moca.org MOCA Grand Cameron Rowland, D37 through June 24 Open House: Elliott Hundley, exploring collage through September 16 40 for LA, celebrates the forty-year history of MOCA through September 16 MOCA Mural: Njideka Akunyili Crosby ongoing The Geffen Contemporary The Foundation of the Museum: MOCA’s Collection through January 27 Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Questions) (1990/2018) through November, 2020
Museum of Latin American Art www.molaa.org La Huella Múliple, established and emerging Cuban print artists through May 12 Gráfica América through September 1 Chiachio & Giannone: Celebrating Diversity through August 4 Portfolio Series: Osmeivy Ortega May 11-October 13 Museum of Neon Art www.neonmona.org shiNE ON, Two Artists Remembered: Brian Coleman (1945 – 2018) and Kunio Ohashi (1952 – 2014) through September 1 Signs from the Permanent Collection through September 1 Museum of Tolerance www.museumoftolerance.com Aliyah: The Rebirth of Israel, 25 Lithographs of Original Gouaches by Salvador Dali ongoing Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County www.nhm.org Art of the Jewel: The Crevoshay Collection through May 12 Barbara Carrasco, Sin Censura, Un Mural Recuerda L.A., A Mural Remembers L.A. ongoing Norton Simon Museum www.nortonsimon.org Once Upon a Tapestry: Woven Tales of Helen and Dido through May 27 Matisse/Odalisque through June 17 Pasadena Museum of History www.pasadenahistory.org Giddy Up: Children Take the Reins, exploring the world of carousel animals and childhood toys that rock, bounce, & roll through September 15 Pomona College Museum of Art www.pomona.edu Stories: Selections from the Permanent Collection through May 19 Courtney M. Leonard: Intermodal through May 19
Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite through September 1 Spotlight: Andy Warhol, Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century through September 1 Fearless Fashion: Rudi Gernreich through September 1 “I’ll Have What She’s Having”: The Jewish Deli through September 2020 Southwest Museum www.theautry.org/visit/mt-washington-campus Torrance Art Museum torranceartmuseum.com Co/Lab 4 Los Angeles & Rotterdam through May 18 Auratic Geometries / Ryan Taber, A Grammar of Period Furniture and Periodic Eversion through May 18 The BEACON Project, rotating video installation fusing art and contemporary social and political issues through May 17 Coalescence, site specific installation by Darel Carey ongoing University Art Museum, California State University Long Beach www.csulb.edu/university-art-museum Insights 2019: Annual School of Art Student Exhibition May 9-24 USC Fisher Museum of Art www.fisher.usc.edu Suppression, Subversion and the Surreal—The Art of Czechoslovakian Resistance through May 10 Rossi School of Art and Design Annual Student Exhibition through May 10 USC Pacific Asia Museum www.pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu Tsuruya Kōkei: Modern Kabuki Prints Revised & Revisited through July 14 Vincent Price Art Museum www.vincentpriceartmuseum.org Edgar Fabián Frías: Perpetual Flowering through July 20 York Chang: The Signal and the Noise through July 20
Skirball Cultural Center www.skirball.org
LA ART NEWS
CITY FUNDS
THEATRES, ART CLASSES, HERITAGE CELBRATIONS City Budget 2019-20 Emphasizes Neighborhoods Council Talks Future of Arts in LA
The City of Los Angeles has moved into its annual budget-crafting process and is emphasizing a neighborhood-focused approach in much of its funding for arts and culture. City-wide funding is targeted at meeting the needs of underserved populations and at recognizing the diverse cultural groups that make up the City. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2019-20 allocates $10.6 billion, a 5.5% increase over the the current year. The City Council’s Budget Committee, made up of five council members, is in the midst of extensive hearings. After that process, the budget will go to the full City Council and then back to the Mayor for his signature. The next fiscal year begins in July. While the vast majority of the budget dollars are taken by such matters as pensions, public safety, infrastructure, an emergency reserve, ending homelessness, and dealing with climate change, there are still substantial allotments for culturerelated activities—some of it allocated directly through the City’s Department of Cultural Affairs and some of it through a number of other city departments. The proposed budget: Continues a large-scale capital improvement program supporting the restoration and renovation of several of the City’s cultural monuments and facilities, among them: theatres including Vision Theatre in South L.A., Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, and Madrid Theatre Cultural Hub in the West Valley; Frank Lloyd Wright’s residence in Hollywood; the Watts Towers; the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center; North Hollywood Park Aquatic Facility and Rec Center; North Valley (Sunland Tujunga City Hall; and Pio Pico Library Pocket Park; Supports the Department of Cultural Affairs during the expansion and modernization of LAX, which involves the largest public art program in the Country; Allocates $11 million supplemental construction funding to address a shortfall for the Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project; Enables Cultural Affairs to commission six
24 artists to conduct 12-week residencies at Social Justice organizations in the South Los Angeles Promise Zone; Aids in the identification and comprehensive mapping of cultural assets in South Los Angeles; Continues the LA’s Best program to provide summer learning at every LAUSD school in the City’s Promise Zones neighborhoods (Hollywood, East Hollywood, Pico - Union, Westlake, and Wilshire Center); Provides $2 million for predevelopment work on such upgrades as seismic restoration and retrofitting on the Pico House, a three-story 1870 National Historic Landmark at El Pueblo de Los Angeles; Funds annual celebrations such as African American Heritage Month, Latino Heritage M o n t h , Asian Pacific I s l a n d e r Month, Jewish Heritage Month, and Our Pride that celebrate diversity and culture throughout the City of Los Angeles; I n c l u d e s funds for the Watts Tower Arts Center Campus to extend tours, after-school and other educational opportunities, and to boost awareness of the galleries; Continues support for the Central Avenue Jazz Festival; Makes allocations for Leimert Park cultural festivities and performances and for the North Hollywood Cinefest; Allocates $1 million to Destination Crenshaw, an open air museum and streetscape focusing on the past and present African American experience in Los Angeles; Funds an Artist-in-Residence Social Justice programs in South Los Angeles; Supports a Department of Cultural Affairs’ grant program that funds 15 intercultural concerts and events in partnership with
global cultural partners; Increases operating funding for Community Art Centers, to provide highquality arts instruction in under-served communities; Increases the Cultural Affairs grants portfolio, which will generate more than 75 additional cultural events; Continues support for a reserve fund, so that arts and culture activities in Los Angeles, which are supported largely through hotel tax revenue, will not be destroyed by economic downturns; Provides funding for the annual Summer Night Lights (SNL) program, which provides recreational and cultural opportunities for youth and families at rec centers throughout the City until 11 p.m. on summer nights; Allows the Department of Recreation and Parks to promote participation of girls in sports, make progress on cleaning up park restrooms, e n h a n c e security and lighting for evening use of parks, and begin the restoration of the Venice Pier; Funds the Rec and Parks Universal Play Program, providing very low cost classes in sports, dance cheerleading, a n d gymnastics to children, so that it may expand beyond its seven pilot sites; Continues the creation of a tourism master plan, building on seven straight years of increases in tourism numbers; Provides funding for the embRACE LA program to address human relations issues with regard to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, diversity, and multiculturalism in Los Angeles; Allocates almost $3 million to convert a vacant, historic bank building in Highland Park into offices for City Council staff and city departments.
City department heads and City Council Members are asking the Budget Committee for reconsideration of a number of items that did not make it into the Mayor’s proposed budget: Councilmembers José Huizar, Nury Martinez, Gilbert Cedillo, and Monica Rodriguez, who rotate responsibility for the City’s annual El Grito celebration, celebrating Mexican Independence Day and the September Independence Days of Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on the steps of City Hall, are asking for an increase of $100,000 in funding for the popular event. Rec and Parks needs help with a doubling of the costs of bus services to provide affordable camp experiences to low income youth. As Rec and Parks’ 34 sites offering activities for seniors have only 17 dedicated directors, and the other half share with rec centers, the department is asking for funds to hire three more directors; Cultural Affairs is requesting $13,000 to fund the inadvertent omission of Latino Heritage Month, providing for the production of the Latino Month Heritage Calendar and Cultural Guide. Councilmember Bob Blumenfield pointed out that the General Services Department bills for travel time to and from locations where construction forces are working. where minor repairs are being made, and where estimates are being prepared. Therefore, when facilities on the edge of the City, such as the West San Fernando Valley or San Pedro, receive services, the City pays a much higher cost than when facilities are close to the City Center. Council offices, libraries, etc. don’t get higher budgets to account for higher costs. “I’d like to get a special study of how we can do this more equitably,” said Councilmember Blumenfield. Planning Department Director Vincent Bertoni told the Budget Committee that the proposed budget does not capture the additional resources needed because the City Council and Mayor switched the City’s 35 Community Plans from a ten-year update cycle to a six-year update cycle. This year would require an additional $1.5 million to support Environmental Impact Reports for the Southeast Valley, the Westside, and the Harbor Area. “The risk of slipping on the Community Plan update schedule is one we can’t take,” said Councilmember Mike Bonin. “We’ve made a huge commitment to people that we’re going to be doing these and that we’re going to be doing them regularly.” Councilmembers Huizar, Martinez,
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MAY 2019
PHOTOVILLE
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LAPhotoville — the largest annual photographic event in New York City — came to Los Angeles for the first time in April. Annenberg Space for Photography Presents Photoville LA, created and produced by United Photo Industries, featured exhibitions by noted individual photographers and arts organizations in shipping containers and outdoor exhibits in Century City. Estevan Oriol, This is Los Angeles A visual ode to lowrider culture and Los Angeles
Parallax Presented by Authority Collective Currated by Mengwin Cao & Tara Pixel A series of portraits of queer people of color
ALTAR: Prayer, Ritual, Offering Presented by MFON: Women Photographers of the African Diaspora Curated by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn & Adama Delphine Fawundu Examinig religious traditions that originated in or have been practiced on the African continent throughout the world
Photoshoot at Photoville
continued from page 24 Cedillo, and Rodriguez have written to the Budget Committee in support of the Latino Theater Company. The company operates the Los Angeles Theatre Center, located in an historic eight-story building on South Spring Street, for the City. In that capacity, according to the Councilmembers, it has “produced 152 plays that highlight, support and celebrate Latinx, Black, Asian, Native-American, LGBTQ and Women experiences, and given opportunity to writers, directors, and performers from all of Los Angeles’ distinct communities and demographics.” Meanwhile, over the course of 13 years, the Latino Theatre Company has raised and spent many millions of dollars in support of the building and the programming, and it is struggling. “We strongly believe,” write the Councilmembers, “it is in the City’s best interest to provide modest annual maintenance and operations support at the LATC to ensure that the Latino Theater Company can continue to work with its partners, including the Department of Cultural Affairs, to prioritize and produce theater for LA artists and our varied, beautiful and diverse communities.” The City is rethinking how it manages its theatres in general. Most are managed by a third party fiscal receiver, meaning that they are open when they get a rental and closed the rest of the time. The situation leaves the theatres contributing to blight in communities as closed up, dark buildings rather than functioning as vibrant centers of community life. The Department of Cultural Affairs and Councilmember Blumenfield’s office have developed a new approach, beginning with the West San Fernando Valley, whereby repeat users of a space, in this case, arts organizations from the Valley, will gain access to the Madrid Theatre and its smaller neighbor theatre and do a series of programming at free or reduced cost. “They’re doing really extraordinary work on behalf of the
community,” said Department of Cultural Affairs General Manager Danielle Brazell. “So this is an incubation program for maybe 12 resident companies to come in and really be able to do full-scale productions at both of those theaters.” In 2013-14, the Department of Cultural Affairs received $750,000 toward a mural program—$450,000 for citywide programming via the department and $300,000 to be divided among council districts. Two districts have spent their entire $20,000 allotments. Ten districts have used part of their funds and have some available. Two districts have spent none of the money. Councilmember Curren Price requested a report back on how the City may better utilize the mural fund and whether new resources may be made available for districts that have spent their allotments. He also requested a budget memo on adding additional resources to the mural fund that can be used citywide. Councilmember Paul Krekorian asked for the addition of a report on what resources are necessary for the maintenance and restoration of existing murals. Councilmember Mike Bonin asked about a Mark di Suvero sculpture, “Declaration,” a 60-feet tall “temporary” fixture on Venice Beach for 17 years. L.A. Louver, a local gallery that represents Mr. di Suvero, has spent a great deal of money maintaining the sculpture over the years, and now the time has come that it will be returned to the artist if $2 million cannot be found to purchase it. “I’m not about to ask my colleagues to take $2 million from the general fund to purchase a piece of art for Venice Beach,” said Councilmember Mike Bonin, who represents the area. Councilmember Bonin asked Ms. Brazell if she knew of any sort of arts or fundraising infrastructure that helps with such purchases, to which Ms. Brazell replied, “I would say that philanthropy for arts in Los Angeles is at an all-time low.” Several Councilmembers have had questions about travel and tourism. Councilmember Price asked how the City might improve and highlight cultural tourism, bring the City’s 50 million annual
visitors not only to the obvious destinations, but also into the City’s unique neighborhoods. Councilmember Krekorian suggested a directory of public art or a program of marketing for neighborhoods. Councilmember Paul Koretz asked that lists of designated historic monuments be provided to tourists. And both Councilmembers Krekorian and Bonin stressed the importance of working with Metro in the promotion of public art and neighborhoods. Doane Liu, Executive Director Los Angeles Department of Convention and Tourism, replied that the department’s assessment of the current state of tourism should be completed by completed by June 30. He added that the department works closely with Cultural Affairs, and that this year for the first time, they released an African American Arts and Culture Guide. “We hope to do more of that in the future,” said Mr. Liu. Councilmember Price asked about the possibility of creating arts corridors in the City. He used the example of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard east of the freeway as an area that has poor lighting, incomplete infrastructure, and a lack of visual appeal. Ms. Brazell replied that other areas have not done that officially, but it is something that could be looked at, especially in conjunction with the cultural asset mapping that is taking place in South Los Angeles. Councilmember Price feels that the King corridor has great potential as a bridge between the many cultural offerings of Exposition Park and the historic jazz-rich area of Central Avenue and said he wants to, “bring these two areas together in ways that we just haven’t done before.” “Art can do that I think,” added the Councilmember. As the Department of Cultural Affairs looks to the future, once the operation of theatres is secure, attention will be turned to a broad program of festivals. “When we take a broad view of where do we want to be as a cultural city in the next 10 years,” said Ms. Brizell during the budget hearings, “we should have really supported neighborhood cultural festivals throughout.”
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MORE PHOTOVILLE
8Lynsey Addario, Of Love and War9 Viewfinder: The Art & Craft of the Film Still David Strick, Deck the Halls Ron Batzdorff, Flight Plan Presented by Society of Motion Picture Still Photographers
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Ten Years of the ESPN Body Issue Presented by ESPN Curated by Tim Rasmussen
Lynsey Addario, Of Love and War
Tim Kopra, Paris A NASA astronaut, Tim Kopra photographed cities from space.
MAY 2019
LUMMIS DAYS
THE FESTIVAL OF NORTHEAST L.A. RETURNS FOR A 14TH YEAR Mariachi to rock, soul to blues, dance, poetry, puppetry, butterflies, Shakespeare, and more will be featured at the 14th annual Lummis Days Festival, celebrating Northeast Los Angeles May 31, June 1 and 2. Lummis Days takes its name from Charles Fletcher Lummis, who joined the L.A. Times as the newspaper’s first city editor in 1884, after walking across the continent to get here. A prolific writer and photographer, Lummis was also one of the City’s first
librarians, founded the Southwest Museum, and helped introduce the concept of multi-culturalism to Southern California. He built a home from Arroyo rock, which was visited by the great cultural figures of the day. Among the festival highlights: Arroyo Arts Collective’s “Butterflies and Bees” parade will kick off the Sunday festivities. The public is invited to dress as or bring puppets and art of butterflies and bees, and process from the Southwest Museum to the festival opening in Sycamore Grove Park.
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A world festival premiere of “Con Safos: Reflections of Life in the Barrio” will screen Friday evening at Occidental College’s Thorne Hall. The film presents story of the Lincoln Heightsbased magazine that chronicled the turbulent early years of the Chicano movement. The filmmakers and several of the film’s subjects will be present for a post-film discussion. The best in Northeast L.A. indie music and entertainment by cirque-style performers will take over the corner of York Boulevard and Avenue 50, Saturday evening from 5-9 p.m. Poetry by some of L.A.’s most noted poets will be presented at Charles Lummis’ home Sunday morning. Suzanne Lummis (Charles’ granddaughter) will curate with readings by Sesshu Foster and Judith Terzi from 10:30-noon. William Archila will lead a poetry workshop from 12:30-2. Sunday, noon-7:00 p.m., all manner of arts and culture activities will be presented at Sycamore Grove Park. Music, dance, theater, puppets and more will be featured on four stages. There will be many family activities, community tables, and food trucks. The Autry Museum of the American West will present a California Art Club Paint/Sculpt-Out. Artists will carry on the Arroyo Seco’s Plein Air tradition, creating outdoor works inspired by the Southwest Museum site’s views, history, and architecture, both Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The Southwest Museum will be open both days until 4. Admission to all events is free. Lummis Days is presented by the all-volunteer Lummis Day Community Foundation. Parking is not a problem. A shuttle bus, provided by Los Angeles City Council District 1, will ferry guests among Festival locations and parking sites on Sunday, June 2. Also, Sycamore Grove Park is convenient to the Southwest Museum Gold Line Station. Lummis Days May 31, June 1, June 2 Sycamore Grove Park, Occidental College, York Boulevard + Avenue 50, Lummis Home, Southwest Museum A complete schedule of events for all sites and parking information may be found at www.LummisDay.org. (This festival is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs. It is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and County Supervisor Hilda Solis. Participating arts groups for this year’s Festival include the
Arroyo Arts Collective, the Highland Park Independent Film Festival, Teatro Arroyo, and the Rock Rose Gallery. The Lummis Days Festival is sponsored by Hon. Gilbert Cedillo
- L.A. Council District 1, Hon. Jose Huizar - L.A. Council District 14, Hon. Hilda Solis, County Supervisor, District 1, Occidental College and the school’s Institute for the Study of Los Angeles, the Uptown Gay and Lesbian Alliance, the Infinity Group, and Poets & Writers Inc. Other supporters include Greater Cypress Park Neighborhood Council, Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council, LA 32 Neighborhood Council, Lincoln Heights Neighborhood council and Arroyo Seco Neighborhood
council, Highland Park Heritage Trust, Home Depot and Color Spot and Las Cazuelas Pupuseria, Señor Fish, Folliero’s Italian Restaurant, My Taco, The Capri, Antigua Coffee, and Antigua Bread. Media sponsors are the The Boulevard Sentinel, the Eastsider, LAArtNews, Brooklyn & Boyle, and Happening in Highland Park.)
LA ART NEWS