LA ART NEWS
ARTS AND CULTURE IN THE NORTHEAST OF LOS ANGELES VOLUME 4 NO. 9
LAARTNEWS.COM
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DECEMBER 2016
THE POETICS OF DATA VISUALIZATION Two current art exhibits deal in unique ways, with issues of data visualization. The artists involved find ways of making scientific information and very large amounts of data accessible to those among us who do not hold Ph.Ds in rocket science (that is to say, most of us). They also make the data beautiful, enticing viewers into the wonders the information conveys. NASA’s “Orbit Pavilion,” on the lawn at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, is a sound installation. The movements of the International Space Station and 19 earth satellites overhead are signaled by specific sounds. The Orbit Pavilion. Photo: NASA/JPL The installation is the creation of Dan Goods and David Delgado, visual strategists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( JPL). The Orbit Pavilion connects the readily visible aspects of the natural world found in the Huntington’s magnificent gardens,through the shape of a spiral (a design found often in nature, from nautilus seashells to galaxies), to the unseen world of the heavens, where NASA’s satellites pass overhead regularly. The scientific instruments on these satellites are collecting information about the very aspects of our natural world present in the gardens. They tell us about our water, our air, and our climate. The pavilion directs our attention to the heavens. Information is sent spiraling back to us about what is right at our feet. The Einstein Collective, Black (W)hole. Albert Einstein’s theory The aluminum structure was designed by Jason Klimoski and Lesley Chang of Studio KCA. The of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass soundscape was composed by Shane Myrbeck. can deform space time to form a black hole. The collaboration with NASA is the first installment in a series, which will, over the course of five years, pair the Huntington with other organizations through which contemporary artists will respond to the Huntington’s diverse offerings. Goods and Delgado’s work responds to the library’s holdings on the history of astronomy and aerospace. With “Uncertainty,” at ArtCenter’s Hillside Campus in Pasadena, nine artists and scientists explore “the poetics of data visualization.”
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FINDING AN ARTFUL WAY FORWARD (Artists and the Election) Margaret Rozga
I am a word artist. I am a morning person. On a good day, I wake with images and words in my mind, my heart, my belly, threads spun from the fiber of dreams. I rise eager to take these threads, weave them into the whole cloth of an essay or poem. On a really inspired, really good day, I write before I eat. I wake up in the pre-dawn on Wednesday, November 9th, my mind blank, my heart empty, my belly churning. Nowhere a word. I tell myself to go back to sleep. I practice what I learned at the Veterans Center yoga class I attended with my son when he was newly back from being deployed to Afghanistan. When you want to go to sleep, breathe out more than you breathe in. I wake again a few hours later. Still no words. I have to go find some, find a way to begin. I cannot stop practicing my art. It’s my way of being in the world. In the meantime, the cosmos grow more beautiful In the plot behind my house, the cosmos I planted with my grandson wave their soft and bright Margaret Rozga pinks, their mauves and magentas, in the November northwest wind. After their start in a small pot and being twice transplanted, finally they are flourishing. I take a photo of them. On my Facebook author page, I post this photo of beautiful abundance as the last of three, the first two being photos of the cosmos at those earlier, unpromising stages. Facebook urges me to comment on the post. I can’t. Every phrase that comes to mind seems to overstate what I see in the sturdy cosmos that survive, that thrive after a challenging summer. On Thursday, I am able to add words to the image I post: In the meantime, the cosmos grow more beautiful. That day I notice gingko trees I never saw before. I spend the day reading about gingkos, how rare is a female gingko. On Friday, I see that the gingko in my neighborhood is female. I take a picture and post it with these words: Sweet mother gingko, share with us what you know about surviving. Maybe I’ll have to work in a medium other than words. Somehow we need to continue to see and to share our vision of what is and what we imagine can be. As artists this is what we have to give ourselves, our communities, our country, and the world. We cannot let the obstacles likely to be thrown up in our paths stop us from doing what we can, when and where we can. When I joined novelists Natashia Deon and Dana Johnson and poet Natalie Diaz to read my poetry at the Mor York Gallery last spring, I saw an image that I now think of as a sign of hope. On the door of a cabinet, colorful letters were arranged in rows. These letters seemed a random scramble, but when I looked carefully, I saw words from a William Carlos Williams poem almost hidden in plain view: So much depends on a red wheelbarrow…” Williams had that clarity of vision to see the color and shapes that brought his sense of purpose into focus. Clare Graham, the artist who painstakingly arranged those letters on that cabinet, also saw how sense could emerge from tiny squares not much in themselves, but artistically arranged together to spell out a vision. When I was 19 years old, I worked on a voter registration project in Alabama. That experience showed me poverty and oppression I could not otherwise have imagined. It transformed me, made me a life-long social justice advocate. Slowly I found forms, first a play, March On Milwaukee, then a book of poems, 200 Nights and One Day, to put those experiences into words. Working on books since then, I found what Stephen Pyne said to be true: If you write the words will come. After a week I somehow stitch together this garment of words that may fit neither me nor the occasion exactly. Still it’s better than my going naked. Whether you draw, paint, take photographs, work in clay, sound, video, or film, if you pick up your pen or pencil, your brush, your camera, or instrument, if you get your hands working your material, however tentatively, gradually art will take shape. The art we all need to help us see and survive will happen. Margaret (Peggy) Rozga is the author of “Justice Freedom Herbs,” “Though I Haven’t Been to Baghdad” & “200 Nights and One Day.” She has been honored by the Independent Publishers Awards and the Wisconsin Library Association.
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“Uncertainty” conveys concrete information. At the same time, it entices with what we don’t know--the realization that we are just on the tip of understanding how many planets are out there beyond our galaxy or what it is to be slurped into a black hole. The exhibit is about making manifest what we know. Yet is is about awe and wonder. “’To the best of our knowledge’ is never a phrase frozen in time,” writes Williamson Gallery Director and exhibit curator Stephen Nowlin. “It’s a bit like asking for 10 percent of eternity, but that which cannot be counted also cannot be halved or quartered.” The interdisciplinary nature of visualizing understanding is especially apparent in the work of the Einstein Collective, dramatizing black holes. The collective consists of an artist, an architect, an animator, a filmmaker, a sound artist, a composer, and three physicists. “Uncertainty” features works by Jim Campbell, Jonathan Corum, Marc Fichou, Donald A. Glaser (1926-2013), Lia Halloran, Thomas McCauley, Owen Schuh (with Satyan Devadoss), Edward Tufte and The Einstein Collective (Sara Mast, Jessica Jellison, Christopher O’Leary, Cindy Stillwell, Jason Bolte, Charles Kankelborg, Nico Yunes, Joey Shapiro Key). Orbit Pavilion Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens Through February 27 www.huntington.org
Inside the Orbit Pavilion at the Huntington Uncertainty Williamson Gallery, ArtCenter Hillside Campus Through January 22 www.artcenter.edu
1974 Dodge Tradesman Van, purchased by Richard Feynman, using proceeds from his Nobel Prize in Physics. Detailed with Feynman Diagrams. Feynman could be seen driving the van around Pasadena. It is described as “a special embodiment of the unique collision of culture, art, science and automobiles in 1970s California.”
DECEMBER 2016
Edward Tufte, 2 Ninth Order Feynman Diagrams. In theoretical physics, Feynman Diagrams are pictured representations of the mathematical expressions describing the behavior of subatomic particles.
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LA ART NEWS SECTION A
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“They told me I needed a cage around my spine.”
UNORTHODOX ANATOMY
Photos by Ellen Cantor at Hoyt Gallery “Unorthodox Anatomy” is my attempt to make sense of what was happening to my spine based on my limited knowledge of anatomy,” says photographer Ellen Cantor of her exhibit at the Keck School of Medicine’s Hoyt Gallery. “As a photographer, I had been used to photographing landscapes, trees and flowers while carrying a heavy camera and tripod. Suddenly, I was having difficulty walking and could no longer carry heavy equipment. After visiting several doctors, I understood that I needed surgery, but I was unclear what my spine really looked like. “Each time I received a new diagnosis, I tried to picture what it actually meant. “Being in denial, I never went to the internet, but instead let my mind clarify this disabling problem. When I was told that I had scoliosis, was out of alignment and degenerating, among other things, I started to picture my body as organic materials such as fruits and vegetables and the screws and rods and cages that would be placed inside of me as items from Home Depot. “Through allusion and metaphor, I am addressing the issues of pain, aging, the possibility of death, and the options for living with titanium screws and plates and cages implanted within one’s body.” The mission of the Hoyt Gallery is to bring patient/artists’ work into the USC Keck School of Medicine to foster better communication between patients and future medical care workers. USC Keck School of Medicine Hoyt Gallery Located in the Basement of the Keith Administration Building Through January 20 Q&A with the Artist: December 6, noon at Hoyt Gallery Ellen Cantor, They Told Me I Had Spiders in My Spine
Ellen Cantor, Out of Alignment
Ellen Cantor, They Told Me I Needed Screws
DECEMBER 2016
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STAFF Publisher/ Creative Director Cathi Milligan Managing Editor Margaret Arnold Intern Vince Caldera Contributors: Margaret Arnold, Cornelius Peter, Brian Mallman, Amy Inouye, Stuart Rapeport, Cathi Milligan, Jennifer Hitchcock, Jeremy Kaplan, Harvey Slater, Kristine Schomaker, Baha Danesh, John McIntyre, Margaret Rozga 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. 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
TRY TO FIND THE POSITIVE... So what the hell just happened? I know what you thought would happen. Same thing I thought would happen. Exactly the opposite of what did happen. Our world will never be the same...hell, I don’t even want to mention his name. But what do we do? We can’t let this great nation go down in a ball of flames. Hell no! We fight. We organize. We communicate. We always seek the truth. They can’t turn the clock back, nope. They may try but we won’t let them. I believe we can make it through this time and come out with a better country, and a better world. Love will trump hate. So find the positive in our new situation. We all have to. I’m going to Washington January 21 for the Million Women March. A bunch of us nasty women are going. Contact me if you plan on going so we can all connect and organize. Strength in numbers! Happy Holidays! Thanks, Cathi Milligan Publisher, LA Art News
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’S OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST DR. SAMMY LEE, 1920-2016
Dr. Sammy Lee, who grew up in Highland Park and became the first Asian American to win an Olympic Gold Medal, has passed away at the age of 96. Dr. Lee, was born in Fresno to Korean immigrants. The family then ran a market at 5711 York Boulevard, where young Lee was confronted by neighborhood residents opposed to Asians in the neighborhood. Lee attended Benjamin Franklin High School, followed by Occidental College (class of 1943). Lee, as a child, first set his sights on the Olympics. He then discovered a natural ability in diving. However, nonwhites were only allowed to use public pools one day a week, just before they were drained and refilled. Young Lee did most of his practicing by diving into sand. The Olympic Games were cancelled during World War II. But in 1948, Lee earned a gold medal in the 10-meter platform dive and a bronze medal in the 3-meter springboard dive in the Summer Games in London. In 1952, he won gold in the 10-meter platform dive in Helsinki. Meanwhile, Lee earned his medical degree from the University of Southern California. He then served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Korea. Despite his Olympic and military history, Lee returned to the U.S. and encountered discrimination when he attempted to purchase a home. Dr. Lee was a respected physician, specializing in ear, nose and throat issues, and he served on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. He also coached some of the greatest names in diving including Pat McCormick, Bob Webster, and Greg Louganis. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Rosalind; his daughter Pamela, her husband Wesley Ayers and grandson Samuel Ayers; and his son Sammy and wife Gina, grandson Alexander, and granddaughter Samantha.
Photo: Occidental College Special Collections
ALCHEMY 5 x 4 AT MOR YORK GALLERY THE BEAUTY OF TRANSFORMATION
Four of Northeast Los Angles most talented and innovative female artists return for a fifth time to Highland Park’s popular Mor York Gallery this month, with a show exploring the alluring and complex transformation of raw materials into art. Each artist interprets and incorporates the “alchemical process” into her own personal vision. • Enamored of the human form, Ruth De Nicola rescues, recycles, and assembles old dolls, statues and images, while asking viewers to consider the human condition, believing “once curious, a path opens and look until you see.” Cidne Hart photographs in museums and botanical gardens, awed and inspired by the early scientists/ alchemists. She transforms these images into etchings, books and cyanotypes. Betty Wan Hamada, a mixed-media artist, creates collages and assemblages that explore alchemy, metamorphosis, transformation and mystic thought and images, creating golden vignettes from a variety of sources and recycled materials. Mixed media/textile artist Mavis Leahy “examines the familiar to delve into the unknown,” inspired by the alchemy she has found in the Pacific Northwest. Her current series is “Message of Wisdom - gifts from the Forest.” The four featured artists are all long-time members of the Arroyo Arts Collective. The fascinating Mor York Gallery provides the perfect backdrop for a show focused on Alchemy. Clare Graham’s cavernous space showcases his art made of all manner of repurposed materials and his found curiosities. Alchemy 5 x 4 Mor York Gallery 4959 York Boulevard, Highland Park Saturday, December 10, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. in conjunction with a vintage sidewalk market Saturday, December 10, 6-10 p.m. (during NELAart Second Saturday Gallery Night) Sunday, December 11, noon-4 p.m.
Arists Ruth De Nicola, Mavis Leahy, Cidne Hart, and Betty Wan Hamada at Mor York Gallery
LA ART NEWS SECTION A
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DECEMBER 2016
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LA ART NEWS SECTION A
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OUR DAILY PERFORMANCE(S) ANOTHER YEAR IN LA
Highland Park artist Brian Mallman is in the midst of a two-month residency at another year in LA Gallery. another year in LA is easy to get to; in its current form it exists online and may be accessed in one’s pajamas. The art pieces are, however, interactive. Through December, Mallman will be sharing short instructions that describe how to complete a daily performance art piece. Viewers are invited to participate in one or all of these performances. “Our Daily Performance(s)” may be accessed via Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. While light-hearted in nature, “Our Daily Performance(s) is illustrative of Mallman’s belief that, while hoping to get into a brick and mortar gallery is a noble ambition, an artist meanwhile should see his or her entire neighborhood as a gallery, and should just get out there and make, do, and post art. Brian Mallman, “Our Daily Performance(s) Another Year in LA Gallery Instagram - @dailyperformance Twitter - @dailyperform Facebook - Our Daily Performances
ART AND SUSTAINABILITY IN HIGHLAND PARK A participatory exhibit, opening in Highland Park on NELAart Second Saturday Gallery Night, will invite the audience to examine various artistic ideas for combating the status quo of neglect and destruction that contemporary society perpetuates. “Tracing Tomorrow,” at the Collective Arts Incubator (CAI) is a group show about relationships between art and various forms of sustainability: Krista Feld’s weavings, the wool of which is dyed with remnant sawdust, becomes a platform for exchange. Her performance invites you to have a seat on the Ode of a Tree and trade the things that are valuable to you. Nate Glauninger’s furniture design considers the individual aesthetic qualities of different tree species through the process of construction and recombination. Neil Mathis presents the Thoughtitarium, a hemisphere fabricated with burlap, plaster, and water. The Thoughtitarium augments the sounds produced by its occupants, providing space for a unique communicative experience. In the shade of the Thoughtitarium, Kiyomi Fukui’s tea ceremony invites us to empathize with each other a little more every day. Text works by Natalie Mik ask how we emotionally and physically sustain our lives. Her collaboration with other artists or the public explores the limitations and possibilities of artistic communication and translation. Troy Rounseville’s Bodyx3 is an infinity chamber in which Michael Nannery has created a planted installation and Rob Brown has created a sound performance. The viewer is invited to find the value in slowing down in a society that values stimuli designed to be digested in split seconds. Narsiso Martinez depicts his coworkers, immigrant farmworkers, through portraiture and landscape using reclaimed produce boxes. His works unlock the path of production and encourage us to be critical of the things in which we place value. Miggie Wong’s interactive cake spooning performance invites us to think about strategies for employing existing resources optimally. Tracing Tomorrow curated by Natalie Mik and Michael Nannery Collective Arts Incubator 1200 North Avenue 54, Highland Park (just off York Blvd.) December 10-January 31 Opening reception w/ performances, Saturday, December 10, 7-10 p.m. An exhibition catalogue will be available.
DECEMBER 2016
Untitled by Nariso Martinez
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LA ART NEWS SECTION A
GOVERNMENT NOTES
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CALIFORNIA HALL OF FAME Legends of the world of arts and culture are among the 2016 inductees into the California Hall of Fame. This year’s honorees include: Isabel Allende, acclaimed author of more than 20 fiction and non-fiction books, including the novel, The House of the Spirits. Allende is a native of Chile, and she has lived in California since 1987. Her works are written in Spanish, and have been translated into over 35 languages. Allende also devotes her time to human rights; in 1992 she established a foundation dedicated to protecting and empowering women and children. Corita Kent (1918-86), an artist and pioneer in serigraphy, who was also an educator and a social justice advocate. As a member of the religious order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Kent taught at Immaculate Heart College, where the art department became a well-known center for creativity and liberal thinking. Her printmaking incorporated advertising images and slogans, popular song lyrics, biblical verses, and literature, and urged viewers to consider poverty, racism and injustice. Russ Solomon, founder of Tower Records, which revolutionized the way people experienced, listened to, and bought music. Long before the internet, Tower offered a variety of music genres in stores open until midnight with listening stations and knowledgeable employees. Solomon currently devotes his time to portrait photography and his art collection. George Takei, an actor best-known for his role as Mr. Sulu in the Star Trek television and film series. Takei is also a social justice advocate and a giant in social media. He developed the musical “Allegiance,” inspired by his family’s experience as incarcerated Japanese Americans during World War II, and he is the subject of “To Be Takei,” a documentary on his life and career. His involvements include the Human Rights Campaign (the largest national LGBT political organization), East West Players, the Japanese American National Museum, the US-Japan Bridging Foundation, and the Japan-United States Friendship Commission. Isabel Allende Other members of the 10th Class of the California Hall of Fame are actor Photo © Lori Barra. Courtesy of Harrison Ford, baseball star Tony Gwynn, former Secretary of Defense William Isabel Allende. J. Perry, and journalist and former First Lady of California Maria Shriver. The California Hall of Fame was established in 2006 by the California Museum and former First Lady Maria Shriver “to honor legendary people who embody California’s innovative spirit and have made their mark on history.” This year’s honorees were inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony hosted by Governor Jerry Brown and First Lady Anne Gust Brown.
Corita Kent Courtesy of Corita Art Center, Immaculate Heart Community.
George Takei Courtesy of George Takei.
State Assembly Member Jimmy Gomez held his annual holiday Open House and toy drive December 1 at Grifols, the El Sereno-based arm of the global healthcare company. The Assembly Member spoke of his commitment to environmental health, education, and quality jobs that benefit all of his constituents, regardless of economic status.
DECEMBER 2016
Russ Solomon Photo by Randy Allen. Courtesy of Russ Solomon.
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WE ARE LOS ANGELES
In November, the California Community Foundation celebrated its 100th year of service to Los Angeles County by commissioning “We Are Los Angeles,” an exhibit of 31 angel sculptures in Downtown’s Grand Park. The sculptures reflected CCF’s priority areas for creating lasting impact--the arts, civic engagement, education, health, housing, immigrant integration and youth empowerment. Together, they represented the collective diversity and strength of Los Angeles.
Raul Baltazar and Joe Galarza, We Have Not Forgotten the Tongva
Zeal Harris, Endeavor Through the Gentrified (detail)
Angel Villanueva, We Are Los Animales
J Michael Walker, The Angel of Youth Empowerment We Are Los Angeles
Namaste Highland Park Yoga Studio | Art Gallery | Tea Shop www.namastehighlandpark.com
Vinyasa Flow| Power Lunch | Candlelight Flow | Prenatal Kids Yoga | Yoga Sculpt | Mixed Level Flow
5118 York Blvd | Los Angeles | CA | 90042
LA ART NEWS SECTION A
ONE SHEET OF PAPER
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There is one sheet of paper. There are two basic folds (mountains and valleys). The possibility of such as this leading to a potted cactus with spines or a realistic orchid plant seems beyond possible. Yet the work of renowned origami master Robert Lang proves otherwise. “flORIlegium,” at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, showcases about 25 of Lang’s creations based on the flora and fauna found at the Huntington. Many of the pieces are presented with photographs of the inspiration, prints mapping the folds, and unfolded images that illustrate the process. flORIlegium: Folded Transformations from the Natural World by Robert J. Lang Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens Brody Botanical Center Weekends only, through January 29 www.huntington. org
Rose V, photographed by Amy Lamb, and Rose Unfolded
Cactus, Opus 680. Giclée print on canvas.
Robert J. Lang: Praying Manis, Emperor Scorpion, Mount Diablo Tarantula, Katydid HP, Allomyrina dichotoma Robert J. Lang, Rose
DECEMBER 2016
Robert J. Lang, Cactus, Opus 680
Robert J. Lang, Orchid, Opus 392
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NELAart SECOND SATURDAY GALLERY NIGHT
HIGHLIGHTS FOR DECEMBER 10 Visit NELA Art Gallery Night on Facebook for last minute listings. Align Gallery 10x10 Show. And pop-up market. Avenue 50 Studio *Eight by Eight. Avenue 50 Studio's Annual Silent Art Auction. 1. Acquire a beautiful piece from a well known artist. 2. Get said piece for a deal. 3. Help to fund one of the most effective and supportive community arts galleries in L.A. *Change is Gonna Come. Taking inspiration from the Sam Cook song, this exhibition speaks to visions of 2017 (or beyond). Beth Peterson, Sandy Huse, Brandon Harrison, Christopher Rivas, Jane McCabe, Kuriseteiun Takagi, Patrick Quinn, Rebeca Guerrero, Sofia Zueva, Thomas Evans III, Tia Blassingame, Toti O’Brien, Wendell Wiggins, Yvonne Ruiz, Linda Sue Price, Andrew K. Thompson, Maya Mackrandilal and Diane Williams. *Silent Testimonies, a group art exhibit curated by Raoul De la Sota expanding on a theme of narratives of gratitude and portrayals of spiritual histories. Avenue 50 Studio Satellite Gallery 1000 Wildflowers and the Women of Arvin, California. Hataya Tubtim and Michelle Glass are collaborating with local women and girls from Arvin to construct 1000 handmade fabric flowers. The project references dual histories upon Arvin’s soil: the once, vast and now dwindling, wildflower populations; and immigrant labor, particularly women’s labor. Cactus Gallery *Tiny Treasures XI. 11th annual small works show. Over 50 artists. Acrylic and oil paintings, mixed media works, handmade ornaments, hand painted pendants, embroidery, felted works, paper mache, handcrafted jewelry, and itty bitty sculptures. Everything $10-$100, cash and carry. New pieces arriving frequently. *Shifting Perspectives. New work by Rosie Garcia. Collective Arts Incubator Tracing Tomorrow. A viewer-participatory group show about relationships between art and various forms of sustainability. Future Studio Photo Friends of the Los Angeles Public Library, photo prints sale. Mi Vida Virgen Vida. Group show representing the resistance, hope & strength behind our Main Lady. Deity, Yhercat, George Labrada, Ernesto Vasquez, Anna Alvarado, Avila Art, Axel Honey, Rich Castor, Mike Rios, Dominic Ochoa, Christian Garcia, Daniel Cervantes. Occidental College Los Angeles Museum of Art (LAMOA) Andreas Fogarasi, Book Launch. Sculptural and photographic work investigating how things are presented to us, how architecture is conceived as an image, how images are conceived as spectacle. Housed in an exhibition space curated by Alice Könitz, located between the chapel and the library. Showboat Silk Degrees by Dan Monick. Silk Degrees is a personal account of life in Los Angeles. The still lifes of ordinary objects, windows, sidewalks and coyotes weave together an energy that is so special to the city. Part photography, part sculptural, and part installation, Silk Degrees is the neon nights and cooked days in the city Monick calls home. TAJ Gallery Lillian Abel, Past and Present. Lillian’s paintings are an exploration of the space between abstraction and representation. They are abstracted by the palette knife, searching for hidden worlds and images in the paint that reveal on the picture plane. Two Tracks Studio Art by Pola Lopez and guest artists. Vapegoat Rafa Rivas. I Told U Nothing Was is Real. New art and visuals.
LA ART NEWS SECTION A
NELAart
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Northeast Los Angeles Arts Organization, Inc.
December 10, 2016 - 7pm - 10pm
(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 No. Avenue 50 323. 258.1435 avenue50studio.org
21. The Market 1203 Avenue 50 www.themarkethp.com
2. Bike Oven/Flying Pigeon 3706 No Figueroa
22. Bob Taylor Properties 5526 N. Figueroa St. 323-257-1080
3. Namaste Highland Park 5118 York Blvd. www.namastehighlandpark.com 4. Offbeat 6316 York Blvd www.offbeatbar.com 5. Council District Office #1 Gil Cedillo 5577 N. Figueroa St. 6. Future Studio 5558 N Figueroa St. 323 254-4565 futurestudiogallery.com 7. Elephant 3325 Division St. 8. Meridian 5007 1/2 York Blvd. meridianstorela.com 9. Vapegoat 5054 York Blvd. 323.963.VAPE 10. ETA 5630 N. Figueroa St. 11. Adjunct Positions 5041 Coringa Dr. 12. Matters of Space 5005 York Blvd www.mattersifspace.com 323.743.3267 13. Mi Vida 5159 York Blvd. 14. deb3321 3321 Pasadena Ave. 15. Antigua Coffee House 3400 N. Figueroa St. www.antiguacoffeehouse.com 16. Align Gallery 5045 York Blvd. www.aligngallery.com 17. New Stone Age Mosaics 1754 Colorado Blvd. 18. Panorama Press House 4700 York Blvd. www.thepanoramapress.com 19. Evil or Sacred Tattoos 4524 Eagle Rock Blvd. 20. Toros Pottery 4962 Eagle Rock Blvd 323.344.8330 torospottery.com
DECEMBER 2016
23. Cactus Gallery @ Treeline Woodworks 3001 N. Coolidge Ave 24. The York Check out their dog friendly patio. 5018 York Blvd. 25. Ball Clay Studio 4851 York Blvd. ballclaystudio.com 26. Collective Arts Incubator 1200 N. Ave 54 collectiveartsincubator.com 27. TAJ Gallery 1492 Colorado Blvd. www.tajartinc.com 28. The Greyhound Highland Park Independant Film Festival 570 N. Figueroa St. 29. Urchin 5006 1/2 York Blvd. 30. Two Tracks Pola Lopez, open studio. 131 North Avenue 50 31. O & M Leather 5048 Eagle Rock Blvd www.ommleather.com 32. Vapeology 3714 N. Figueroa St. 323.222.0744 33. Pop-Hop 5002 York Blvd. www.thepophop.com 34. Social Studies 5028.5 York Blvd. 35. Occidental College 6100 Campus oxy.edu 36. Leanna Lin’s Wonderland 5204 Eagle Rock Blvd. www.leannalinswonderland.com 37. Good Eye Gallery 4538 N. Eagle Rock Blvd. www.goodeyegallery.com 38. Highland Cafe 5010 York Blvd. 323.259.1000 39. CucuArt Gallery 4704-06 Eagle Rocl Blvd. 323.202.0672 40. Vintage Tattoo Art Parlor 5115 York Blvd.
41. The U Space 2626 N. Figueroa St., suite C 42. The Situation Room 2313 Norwalk Ave. 43. Bookshow 5503 Figueroa St. www.bookshow.com
On the Secon Elysian Valley, art and eateri the updated l
44. Vroom Vroom Bitsy Boo 5031 B York Blvd. 45. The Slow Down Gallery @ Random Gallery 200 N. Ave 64 46. Civil Coffee 5639 N. Figueroa St. 47. The Glass Studio 5668 York Blvd. www.theglassstudio.net 48. Rock Rose Gallery 4108 N. Figueroa St. 323.635.9125 49. All Star Lanes 4459 N Eagle Rock Blvd. 323.254.2579 50. Pop Secret 5119 Eagle Rock Blvd. 51. Apiary Gallery at The Hive Highland Park 5670 York Blvd. www.thehive.la 52. Leader of the Pack 5110 York Blvd. www.leaderofthepackvintage.com 53. Short Hand 5028 York Blvd. shopshorthand.com 54. Living Room 5807 York Blvd. livingroomhome.com 55. co-Lab Gallery 5319 York Blvd. www.co-Lab.com 56. The luxelust life Vintage Furniture 6095 York Blvd 57. The Erin Hanson Gallery 2732 Gilroy St. erinhanson.com 58. MAN Insurance Ave 50 Satellite 1270 N. Ave 50 323.256.3151 59. Possession Vintage 5119 York Blvd. www.possessionvintage.com 60. The Quiet Life 5627 N. Figueroa St. thequietlife.com 61. Showboat 6152 York Blvd. showboatgallery.com 62. El Diablo Moto Cartel 5657 York Blvd. www.eldiablomotocartel.com 63. Imperial Art Studios 2316 N. San Fernando Rd.
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nd Saturday of every month galleries, businesses, and artists in Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, Cypress Park, , and Lincoln Heightsopen their doors a little later in the evening and welcome visitors. Use this map for locations of ies, grab someone you love, get some dinner, and enjoy some art. Friend NELA Art Gallery Night on Facebook for last minute list.
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Visit us at NELAart.org LA ART NEWS SECTION A
NELAART SECOND SATURDAY NOVEMBER 2016
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Luis Becerra at Moodhi Gallery
Tiny Treasure XI at Cactus Gallery Sarah Polzin at Cactus Gallery
Luis Becerra, Subcomandante Marcos, Augn San Suu Kyi, and Nelson Mandela, at Moodhi Gallery Susanna Speirs Ali at Showboat
DECEMBER 2016
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Loushana Roybal-Rose at Align Gallery
José Antonio Aguirre at Avenue 50 Studio
Chaz Bojórquez book signing at Mi Vida Nature: My POV. Photographs by Pat Quinn, at Future Studio
The Little Monster Mash Group Art Show at Vapegoat Stella Cheung at Avenue 50 Studio
Visit us at Renegade Craft Fair December 10 & 11 Glass printing demos
Bullseye Glass Resource Center Los Angeles in South Pasadena bullseyeglass.com/losangeles
LA ART NEWS SECTION A
ON THE MAP
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An artistic exchange between Northeast Los Angeles and San Pedro. Sponsored by the Arroyo Arts Collective, Avenue 50 Studio, and Angel’s Gate Cultural Center. November, 2016.
Peter Hess at Angels Gate Cultural Center San Pedro, Devil’s Gate, and the Confluence.
Rebeca Guerrero, Coming Home, at Angels Gate Cultural Center. Layered, intersecting maps by a California native artist depict the moving back from Mexico to Los Angeles. The chairs are arranged for conversation and reflection. Gwen Freeman, Dream Map, at Angels Gate Cultural Center A map of a personal dreamscape, Real houses and houses that appear only in dreams. Over this dream map, the artist flies.
Francesca Andrews and Elizabeth De Neeve, Heroines of the Arroyo Seco, at Angels Gate Cultural Center A variation on a globe, viewable from all sides, representing the beginning and end of the Arroyo Seco Trail. Embedded with stories and portraits of native and immigrant women along the route. The artists live a opposite ends of the 110 Freeway.
Eve Pericich, Real San Pedrans Have Culture, at Avenue 50 Studio “After buying a facially featureless mannequin in LA’s Garment District I modeled a face using joint compound. I was pleased that my first sculpture ever soon developed the ethnic look of a typical San Pedran. He is a canvas for the maps and images that decorate his Dickies pure white clothing.”
DECEMBER 2016
Lowell Nickel, Foot-where Installation 16, at Avenue 50 Studio Collected flotsam from the San Pedro tide lines. Most of this beached material is Los Angeles urban waste. This mapped installation suggests a walkway and/or watershed route (pre-history path following the LA River flow and now the 110 Fwy).
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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 You may email Nancy with questions at blacksmithclasses@gmail.com Please check their web site for a listing of all of their classes and special events. Check out a Discovery class. The Glass Studio 5668 York Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90042 323.387.9705 info@theglassstudio.net Check www.theglassstudio.com for a list of glasses ranging from glass blowing and torchwork to fusing and slumping and jewelry making. O&M Leather 5048 Eagle Rock Blvd. 323-274-4640 www.ommleather.com
Please check their web site for a listing of all of their classes and special events. They’re in a new location next to Community Woodshop. Cool new space! Rock Rose Gallery 4108 N. Figueroa Street Highland Park, CA 90065 (323) 635-9125 www.rockrosegallery.com Visit: Rock Rose Gallery News, Instagram & Twitter KIDS CREATIVE ARTS 2-4 yrs Art, Music, Movement Sat. 9:30am-11am, $5 LATIN PERCUSSION Sat. 12pm-2pm, Bring your conga, etc. Instructor Robertito Melendez, $15
Basic Leather Working Classes Leather 1 - Leather Basics $200 Leather 2 - Cutting and Skiving $200 Leather 3 - Hand Stiching $200 Leather 4 - Color, Finishes, and Leather $200 For information about scheduling call their store at (323)274-4640 or email them at ommeather@gmail. com Toros Pottery 4962 Eagle Rock Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041 323.344.8330 Mon. 11:30am-2:30pm Class Mon. 6:30pm-9:30pm Class Tues. 6:30pm-9:30pm Tues. 4:30pm-6:00pm Thurs. 6:30pm-9:30pm time Fri. 11:30am-9:30pm dio time Sat. 11:30am-1:30pm ent
Molten Metal Works NEW LOCATION 3617 San Fernando Rd Glendale, CA 91204 moltenmetalworks.net
Adult Adult Adult Class Kids Class open studio open stuKids & Par-
Blue Rooster Art Supply Company blueroosterartsupplies.com blue@blueroosterartsupplies.com 4661 Hollywood Blvd LA, CA 90027 (323) 302-5613 They offer a variety of art classes. Check their web site for more information about their classes and events. Sugar Mynt Gallery 810 Meridian Ave. South Pasadena, CA 626.222.7257 sugarmynt.com
RINCON RUMBERO EAST w Troy Parker 3rd Sat. 3-6pm. Bring your drum $5 New! FREE FOR ALL Artist Only Creative Night Every Wed. 6-9pm, Artist bring your own supplies. Table & Hospitality provided. $10 GUITAR - Please call regarding interest. Six students required. Ball Clay 4851 York Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90042 310.954.1454 ballclaystudio.com Intermediate Ceramics Pottery Class 6 class sessions Check web site for start date $240 A Place to Bead 2566 Mission St San Marino, CA 91108 626.219.6633 aplace2bead.com Find a variety of jewelry making classes, including stringing and wirework. Bullseye Glass 143 Pasadena Ave. South Pasadena, CA bullseyeglass.com They offer a full range of kiln forming glass classes as well as regular free artist talks. Leanna Lin’s Wonderland 5024 Eagle Rock Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041 323.550.1332 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.
co-LAB Gallery 5319 York Blvd. http://co-lab-gallery.myshopify.com
Los Angeles County Store 4333 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 / 323-928-2781
Check their schedule for fresh classes.
Community Woodshop NEW LOCATION 3617 San Fernando Rd Glendale, CA 91204 626.808.3725 www.community woodshopla.com These guys offer a wonderful selection of classes from beginner to advanced, membership, and private lessons. Please check their web site for more information and a list of classes. New Stone Age Mosaic Studio 1754 Colorado Blvd Eagle Rock They offer mosaic classes on Mondays and Tuesday. All classes are on going and open to all skill levels.We also do mosaic birthday parties. Call Mary at (323) 547-2021 for more information. Little Knittery 3195 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90039 thelittleknittery@gmail.com Beginning Crochet Saturdays 3:30-5:30 Tuesdays 1:00-3:00 Beginning Knitting Sundays 3:30-5:30 Wednesdays 1:00-3:00 Check schedule for new macramé classes Deb3321 3321 Pasadena Ave. Los Angeles, CA email: deb3321@gmail.com Uninstructed Figure Drawing Saturdays 11:00am - 3:00pm $5.00/hr Strictly Charcoal 11am - 1pm First two Saturdays of every month. Christine Haenen Artists Crit Saturdays Starting at 3:30 $5/session Crit with Karen For more information go to: http://www. deb3321.com/linda-vallejo-fall-2016 Stained Glass Supplies 19 Backus Street Pasadena, CA 91107 626-219-6055 Stained Glass Class Tues. 9-12 or 6:30-9:30 Wed. 9-12 or 6:30-9:30 Thurs. 9-12 or 6:30-9:30 Sat. 9-12 $95 - 8 weeks Tools - $45 - $125 Materials $45 - $100 Classes are ongoing Barndall Art Park 4800 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027 323.644.6295 http://www.barnsdall.org Check they’re web site for upcoming classes.
Please check their web site for a listing of all of their classes and special events. LA ART NEWS SECTION A
GREETINGS FROM BROOKLYN...
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CESAR TALKS TO LYDIA
Lydia Lunch is an icon of the 1980s "no wave" scene. She is a singer, poet, writer, and actress. She was interviewed for LA Art News by Cesar Padilla, her former roommate and collaborator on the short film, "KILL US ALL" as well as other projects. The list of people you have collaborated with is one of legend. is there anyone you haven't collaborated with that you want to? The concept dictates the collaborator. I do not collaborate with someone because of who they are or what they have done. You recently worked with Umam Bin Hassan of the Last Poets. Can you tell us about that how that came to be? What it is, and can we expect more in the future? I pitched No Wave Out to UCLA. They didn't get it. A cross between No Wave Out Jazz and Last Poet type poetical ranting. 2 days later I was back in Brooklyn, heading to a friends house and decided to stop at a small cafe. There was one other person in there. He came over to talk to me...mentioning Teenage Jesus, Queen of Siam etc. asked what I was up to...told him about No Wave out. He was a studio engineer who had happened to work with Umar Bin Hassan. He set up a meeting. The game was on. There will be more shows in the future. What are you listening to these days? The new Pissed Jeans LP which I produced for SubPop out in Jan. What is your favorite place to haunt in LA? Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles on Pico. And as an excellent cook and author of an amazing cookbook, "The Need to Feed," what is your favorite meal in LA? see above...anything soul food What plans do you have for 2017? Working with Jordi Colomer who was chosen to represent Spain in the Venice Bienalle Making a documentary with Beth B about my notorious career Selling my massive archives Continuing to work with Weasel Walter Is this the apocalypse? It's Apocalypse Always baby...Always has been. What do you think we can expect from millennials? And the current administration? I expect NOTHING What are your plans for the revolution? Same as it ever was...practice self defense, remain fully armed and keep your ass under the radar... Was Charlie right about the pending revolution? who?...Sheen or Manson? What is your weapon of choice? Smith and Wesson .357 Who is your favorite revolutionary? Myself I recently got off the phone with someone who was still crying about the outcome a week after the election. Any advice to them? If you don't get that it is THE SAME AS IT EVER WAS...you never will. WWLD - What would Lydia do? Anything she fucking wants
DECEMBER 2016
When Lydia met Sean
ONE NEW YEARS EVE
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By Jen Hitchcock
My first job was breading fish at a restaurant called the Chowder Pot in Branford, Connecticut. I was sixteen, obsessed with Wicca, Stevie Nicks and my best friend Tracy. We were always together. We had deemed ourselves “sisters of the moon,” studied witchcraft and became blood sisters in an apple orchard behind her house. After I worked at the restaurant for a few months on my own, I convinced Tracy to get a job in the breading room with me. The best shifts were the ones I worked alone with her in our small room. We would laugh and gossip as our fingers flipped fillets of sole back and forth in flour, tossed handfuls of slimy scallops and shrimp around in breading, and laced our fingers around raw onion rings dipping and swishing them around in a milk water mix. I would catch myself in a trance, watching her hands at work, as she flattened shrimp, dusted them with flour, and handed them to me smiling. When it was slow, we’d pass the time by breading our hands, our fingers interlacing in the wet bin over and over again, slippery and thickened by flour. Then we’d wave at each other with our fat-fingered breading glove, until it cracked into wet clumps on to the floor. New Years Eve was a big night for the restaurant, and both Tracy and I worked the closing shift the first year we were there. We were slammed with orders all night long, but in true kitchen culture fashion, the cook staff started the midnight celebration early. Throughout the night, the line cooks would pass us bottles of beer in the empty fry baskets they returned to us. And when midnight hit, the managers and wait staff joined us popping open bottles of expensive champagne and passed around flute after flute of the bubbly liquid, with both Tracy and I accepting the offerings every time. I got very drunk for the first time this night. When we closed, it was clear that I wouldn’t be able to drive Tracy and I home, so the dishwasher dropped us off at Tracy’s house. We tip-toed as best two drunken teenagers could through the house and locked ourselves in her bedroom and started to undress. Tracy handed me a tee-shirt I knew would be way too tight on me, but I put it on anyway. “You should wear tight clothes more often.” She said laughing. “No way.” I answered as I tried to balance on the edge of her waterbed only to give up and flop down on my back. I stared at the ceiling trying to focus as the water moved me around, sloshed for a second and stilled. I closed my eyes. The room was spinning, but I felt fuzzy, heavy-headed in a lazy way and good. I felt myself rise up slightly when she got into bed, and then her shoulder against mine, and we sunk into the middle, the give of the water causing our bodies to turn towards each other. The next thing I knew, we started kissing. We sloshed around and made out until we passed out just before the sun rose. In the morning, it was as if nothing had happened, and we never again spoke a word of it.
BOOK SHOW EVENTS Saturday December 3rd 8pm Lesbian Film Night A movie night for Lesbians Tuesday December 6th 7pm – 9:30pm Collage & Cry Come do some collage! No need to cry, but you can. Hosted by Rachel Curry Materials provided. $5 donation Friday December 9th 7pm Andrew J Stone’s Mortuary Monster Release Reading Featuring Laura Lee Bahr, Anthony Trevino, David Agranoff and Andrew J Stone. Saturday December 10th 7pm-10pm My Paradox A unique sex open mic created by Chris Paradox. Homage to Oshun-Orisha Goddess Featuring Patriana Jones, Zoe Blaq, Queen Shamala Sunday December 11th 3pm-6pm Holiday Book Making with Rachel Curry Come make handbound journals for your friends! Five different book types. $65 registration and materials fee. Saturday December 17th 2pm – 8pm Book Show Holiday Art Market!! All local artists!!! Come get unique hand made gifts. Featuring Rachel Curry, LaLaLandmine, Cathy Camacho, KPA Totes, and OGSA Mobile Skate Shop will be parked outside!!! Possibly more! Book Show will be open for you Christmas Eve! Come down! Closed December 25, 31 and January 1. ONGOING EVENTS and WORKSHOPS EAT ART OPEN MIC Monthly, every 1st Friday 8pm sign ups Poetry and Prose open mic
LA ART NEWS SECTION A
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ART HAPPENINGS AROUND LOS ANGELES PRESENTED BY SHOEBOX PR OPENINGS Land of the Smokes: Landscapes and Los Angeles Last Projects 6546 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles 90028 Opening December 9 7-11pm
Charles Gaines “Numbers and Trees: Central Park Series II” SUSANNE VIELMETTER LOS ANGELES PROJECTS 6006 Washington Blvd Culver City, 90232 To December 17 https://www.vielmetter.com/
2016 Southern California/Baja Biennial San Diego Art Institute 1439 El Prado, San Diego, 92101 Opening December 10 6-8pm
Deborah Brown: Careful What You Wish For Jason Vass 1452 E 6th St, Los Angeles, 90021 To December 17
Afterfear, a Dani Dodge solo show at HB Punto Experimental HB Punto Experimental 2151 Logan Ave Section B, San Diego, 92113 Opening December 10 6-9pm
Enoc Perez and Carlos Rolón/Dzine (Main Gallery) Chimento Contemporary 622 S Anderson St, Spc 105, Los Angeles, 90023 To December 17
Blank Canvas 5 Benefit Show Washington Reid Gallery 6110 Washington Blvd, Culver City, 90232 Opening December 10 6-9pm
Opening Reception: "Hybrid Moments" Open Mind Art Space 11631 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, 90025 To December 17
BLIND SPOT Group Show Opening Reception Design Matters Gallery 11527 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, 90064 Opening December 10 2-6pm
Permanent Score at The Luckman Gallery The Luckman Fine Arts Complex 5151 State University Dr, Los Angeles, 90032 To December 17
Change is Gonna Come Avenue 50 Studio 131 N Avenue 50, Los Angeles, 90042 Opening December 10 7-10pm
Thomas Hirschhorn: Stand-alone The Mistake Room 1811 E 20th St, Los Angeles, 90058 To Dec 17
Collective Dissent: Rethinking Rationality H Gallery + Studios 1793 E Main St, Ventura, 93001 Opening December 10 7-10pm
Wishlist Gabba Gallery 3126 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, 90057 To December 17
Eight By Eight – 2016 Avenue 50 Studio 131 N Avenue 50, Los Angeles, 90042 Opening December 10 7-10pm
Jacob Lehman The Good Luck Gallery 945 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, 90012 To December 18
Groundspace Project Holiday Art Show and Party! Groundspace Project 1427 E 4th St, Los Angeles, 90033 Opening December 10 5-9pm
On the Map (at Angels Gate) Angels Gate Cultural Center 3601 S Gaffey St, San Pedro, 90731 To December 18
Holiday Open House! Bergamot Station 2525 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, 90404 December 10 12-6pm
Ted Gall Exhibition Opening Reception BG Gallery 2525 Michigan Ave Suite G8A, Santa Monica, 90404 To December 18
Out of Body - 4 artist exhibition LAUNCH LA 170 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, 90036 Opening Saturday December 10 6-9pm
Blessings, a group show Platt Gallery American Jewish University 15600 Mulholland Dr. Los Angeles, 90077 To December 19
The Open Show at Los Angeles Art Association/Gallery 825 Los Angeles Art Association/Gallery 825 825 N La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood, 90069 Opening December 10 6-9pm
Reception: Jack Davidson "smoking a fag, kissing a man" CB1 Gallery 1923 S. Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, 90021 To December 23
Small Works Group Show Lora Schlesinger Gallery 2525 Michigan Ave Suite B5b, Santa Monica, 90404 Opening December 10 4-6pm
Dark Realism/Dark Surrealism | Opening Reception Gregorio Escalante Gallery 978 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, 90012 To December 23
Washed Up, by Rashell George Lora Schlesinger Gallery 2525 Michigan Ave Suite B5b, Santa Monica, 90404 Opening December 10 4-6pm
Opening Reception: Surreal / Unreal Jack Rutberg Fine Arts, Inc. 357 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, 90036 To December 24
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
Jim Holyoak "Nowhereworlds" Exhibition bg Gallery 2525 Michigan Avenue, Space G8A Santa Monica, 90404 To December 31
Mini Tale Flower Pepper Gallery 121 E Union St, Pasadena, 91103 To December 8th China: Through the Lens of John Thomson CSUN Art Galleries 18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge, 91330 To December 10 Eclectic Expressions Santa Monica Art Studios 3026 Airport Ave, Santa Monica, 90405 To December 10 McCarren/Fine: And/Or University Art Museum CSULB 1250 N Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, 90840 To Dec 11 Kristine Augustyn Neutra 2379 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, 90039-3245 To December 11 Altered Objects at CSUDH CSUDH Art + Design 1000 E Victoria St, Carson, 90747 To December 12 Faux Sho': DADA Centennial Part 2 MuzeuMM 4817 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, 90016 Through December 12 JEAN YVES KLEIN GARBOUSHIAN GALLERY 427 N Camden Dr, Beverly Hills, 90210 To December 14 Deeply Uncompromising: 125 Years of Mission University of La Verne College of Law Library 320 E D St, Ontario, 91764 To December 16
DECEMBER 2016
The Night Opens//La Nuit S’Ouvre at BLAM BLAM Los Angeles 1950 S Santa Fe Ave #207, Los Angeles, 90021 To December 31 Solo Exhibition: Allison Miller The Pit 918 Ruberta Ave, Glendale, 91201 To December 31 Suspended Disbelief Artist Reception MADE by Millworks 240 Pine Avenue, Long Beach, 90802 To January 1 Fin_between Arena 1 Gallery 3026 Airport Ave., Santa Monica, 90045 To January 3 Pulling the Forest Along the Road CSUF Grand Central Art Center 125 N Broadway, Santa Ana, 92701 To January 6 FAUX * REAL 2 Balconi Coffee Company 11301 W Olympic Blvd, # 124, Los Angeles, 90064 To January 6 Art Opening of NEXUS group show with SANER curated by Thinkspace Brand Library & Art Center 1601 W Mountain St, Glendale, 91201 To January 7 Bullet (p)roof • artificial interference George Billis Gallery 2716 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, 90034 To January 7
Chie Hitotsuyama: To Hear Your Footsteps MOAH: CEDAR 44857 Cedar Ave, Lancaster, 93534 To January 7 Jennifer Steinkamp: Still-Life ACME. 2939 Denby Ave, Los Angeles, 90039 To January 7 Harry Dodge: The Inner Reality of Ultra-Intelligent Life Armory Center for the Arts 145 N Raymond Ave, Pasadena, 91103 To Jan 8 S/Election: Democracy, Citizenship, Freedom Barnsdall Art Park 4800 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, 90027 Through January 8 WORK over School exhibition opening Craft and Folk Art Museum 5814 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, 90036 To January 8 The BLUE Show The Loft at Liz's 453 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, 90036 To January 9 Group show: ROLL CALL L.A. Louver 45 N Venice Blvd, Venice, 90291 To January 14 Nathan Redwood JAUS 11851 La Grange Ave, Los Angeles, 90025 To January 15 ALLOY Opening Reception Laura Korman Gallery 2525 Michigan Ave, Ste D2, Santa Monica, 90404 To January 21 New Dimension - opening reception Irvine Fine Arts Center 14321 Yale Ave, Irvine, 92604 To January 21 British Invasion Opening Reception Lancaster Museum of Art and History - MOAH 665 W Lancaster Blvd, Lancaster, 93534 To January 22 Bold Beauty (Group Show) Pilates & Arts 1844 Echo Park Ave, Los Angeles, 90026 To January 25 Beatriz Cortez : Nomad World Vincent Price Art Museum 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park, 91754 To January 28 Pop for the People: Roy Lichtenstein in L.A. Skirball Cultural Center 2701 N Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, 90049 To March 12, 2017 Surveying the Land: Presented by Curate Joshua Tree Outpost Projects 2658 Keeler Avenue, Yucca Valley 92284 To March 26, 2017 LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA) James Turrell, Light Reignfall Through May 29, 2017 Picasso and his Printers Through January 2, 2017 The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L. to January 2 2017 Toba Khedoori To March 19, 2017 MOCA Doug Aitken: Electric Earth to Jan 15, 2017 Mickalene Thomas: Do I Look Like a Lady? to Feb 6, 2017 MOAH Lancaster British Invasion To January 22 Torrance Art Museum TAM South Bay Focus To December 16th Artist Talks WORDS AND IDEAS Lichtenstein and Los Angeles Skirball Cultural Center 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. Los Angeles, 90049 Sunday, December 11, 2:00 p.m.
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THE WHOLE DISH Have you ever picked up some fresh turmeric root at the market, just to have it sort of sit in your kitchen and shrivel up? Well, here is an easy, season-appropriate way to put that turmeric root to really good use. This soup will make you want to curl up under a blanket and turn the phone off. Healing Carrot, Ginger & Turmeric Soup 1 tbsp. coconut oil or ghee ½ onion, chopped 3 tbsp. chopped, peeled fresh turmeric root 2 tbsp. chopped, peeled ginger root 1 tsp. curry powder 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 4 cups vegetable broth 1 pound roughly chopped carrots 2 parsnips, roughly chopped 1 can coconut milk Juice of 1 fresh lime 2 tbsp. jaggery or piloncillo sugar Sea salt and pepper to taste Sesame seeds for garnish Heat oil in a large pot, over medium heat. Add the onion, turmeric root and ginger and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and curry powder and continue cooking, stirring about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and parsnips, and cook for about another 5 minutes, stirring, until they start to warm up and blend with the other ingredients. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about another 20 minutes until the carrots and parsnips are tender. Blend with an immersion blender, or in small batches in a high-speed blender. Be careful when using a traditional blender as hot contents create pressure. Return the pureed mixture to the pot, and add the coconut milk, lime, and sugar. Return to just a simmer, give it one more stir, and remove the soup from the heat. Check flavor for salt and pepper. Serve in soup cups with a sprinkle of sesame seeds fro garnish. Harvey Slater is a chef and Holistic Nutrition Coach residing in Highland Park. You can find more healthy recipes like this one on his recipe blog: thewholedish.worpress.com
A NEW GALLERY IN EAGLE ROCK A new gallery has opened in Eagle Rock. TAJ Art will exhibit work by both renown and emerging artists. The space will also be used to raise public awareness about animal welfare issues and to generate consciousness regarding daily decisions that will help support the planet and its inhabitants. Owner Trace Johansson envisions a destination and educational center where collectors and non-collectors can experience art, meditate, take classes, hear artist lectures and enjoy music. The inaugural show at TAJ Art features the work of noted artist Lillian Abel. Her works are an exploration of the space between abstraction and representation. They are abstracted by the palette knife, searching for hidden worlds and images in the paint that reveal on the picture plane. TAJ Art, 1492 Colorado Boulevard, www.tajartinc.com
Lillian Abel at TAJ Art
LA ART NEWS SECTION A
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“DON’T LET A WIN GET TO YOUR HEAD OR A LOSS TO YOUR HEART” ~Public Enemy~
Eight years ago my wife and I sat in READ Books with several denizens & acquaintances kvelling over the recent election of America’s first African-American president. Though our declarations of joy were frugal—after all, he was about to become the most powerful man in the world & such a man is bound to drop a few bombs from time-to-time— the poignancy of our feelings was manifest in the emotional timbre of our voices. Debbie and I, having recently read “Dreams from My Father”, felt that America had done something arguably unprecedented in its history: elected a mensch. And then there was the conspicuously unprecedented. “Now that America’s actually elected a Black president,” I’d noted with unintended foresight, “one would imagine all bets are off. Seems the possibilities, if not endless, are exponentially increased.” What I might’ve added, if I had a bigger brain or broader empathy, was that in many other spots where Americans congregate, the feelings being expressed were indubitably at odds with ours. The thing about burgeoning possibilities is that its tentacles can extend in myriad directions, and not just in the path you wish to pursue. First one must acknowledge that there are people that see the world differently. The sort of discontent/enthusiasm amalgam that made a Bernie Sanders candidacy credible also worked for President-elect Trump. A lot of people like to point out, correctly to my way of thinking, that one of those guys is rational & competent and the other isn’t. But what sort of person, aside from an irrational & incompetent one, believes that most people are rational & competent in the first place? The sort of person who isn’t paying attention, that’s who. The sort of person who believes that America is about to be worse now than it ever has been. Tell that to an Afro or Native American. A country that enslaves an entire race over multiple centuries, and commits genocide against another, has a ways to go before hitting a new bottom. Who believes that Trump is our first racist president? Remember Woodrow Wilson? All those slave-owning, Indian-killing presidents? Though the next four years harbor the depressing potential for a national low point of our lifetime, this is neither a given nor unprecedented. The impending corporatism of a Trump regime isn’t much more than the natural progression that began with Reagan and continued through the Bushes & Bill Clinton (Read Naomi Klein’s “Shock Doctrine”). Racism amongst contemporary presidents? Ronald Reagan launched his presidential campaign by giving a state’s rights speech in Philadelphia, Mississippi for Christ’s sake! Bill Clinton’s crime policies sent an entire generation of Afro-American men into incarceration (read Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow”). Whereas Reagan & Clinton were charming corporate elitists with racist policies, Donald Trump is a gauche corporate elitist espousing racist policies. The difference is mainly in manners & euphemisms. Anyhow, history is full of calamities, so why would we think ourselves immune? Why shouldn’t we be able to contend with our present challenge? Eight years after hosting Obama celebrants in our bookstore, we are visited by many brooding, inconsolable souls who cannot believe or accept what America has chosen. I’m more of a pro-acceptance mind. Losing, I say, is as valid an experience as winning, and to expect favorable outcomes is delusional, spoiled, and interferes with learning from losses. Acceptance should never be a segue to acquiescence; acceptance is the first step toward confrontation & redemption. I come from a combat sport background. When a fight is declared over, and I have lost, complaining about the result is of little consequence. That my opponent is morally inferior to me is a cold comfort. Vanquishing a morally inferior opponent, or achieving mutual respect when attainable, is the thing. Accept the loss, learn from it, and continue fighting. Donald Trump will be our next president. Denial is not an effective means of opposition, nor is mass commiseration. A woman I am allegedly related to, whom I shall not name (it’s my mom), recently formed a facebook group with the catchy appellation “People for Hillary Clinton as Our Real President Because She Won the Popular Vote & Donald Trump is a Racist Lump of Shit” where she and her compatriots post negative Trump articles and vent en masse. Listen, I sympathize and all, but when visiting the domicile of this unnamed facebook activist (mom) on Thanksgiving, I felt it my duty to hijack her computer and prefix her clunky title with the more illuminating “People’s Front of Judea for (People for Hillary…)”. Now 4/5 of my family (I being the 1/5) won’t talk to me. My god. A little perspective here. It’s not like I changed the name of her group to “The Judean People’s Front for...” So I’m not that interested in singing dirges with an amen chorus. I already know what I think & seeking approbation is the last thing I need. Such thinking, in part, got us into this mess. Revisiting the fighter’s mentality, I propose that one knoweth thy enemy. Do not fear the opposition. Do not provide yourself with facile assurance that the opposition is innately inferior. Find out how somebody who does not think like you does think. Is this not what we ask of others? That they do not make presumptions or believe stereotypes about our character? The people that elected Trump are our neighbors, our roommates even. When you share a ring with someone, your first goal is to find a common language of combat, and with that work toward mutual growth. When no shared language can be found, the goal is to vanquish or be vanquished. This, not unlike sharing a home with a person you hate, is an ineffably miserable alternative, only to be pursued when all else fails. Still, some people will inevitably fall outside one’s perimeter of acceptance. There are some hateful pricks (our next president perhaps) that are intolerable. But let’s not build our perimeter too narrow. There are people who fundamentally disagree with you and are not the worst pricks you see or read about on facebook. Many of the same voters who swung the vote in Trump’s favor had previously swung it for Obama. It’s difficult to comprehend what the hell they were seeing this time around, but they saw it, and it’s incumbent upon thoughtful people to try & comprehend that reality. When visiting a prison last year, President Obama possessed the insight & empathy to invoke the phrase: “There but for the grace of God go I.” The same sentiment can be applied to many people that we intrinsically disagree with. A decent fighter can tell you that hating your opponent is unnecessary & counterproductive. The key is to understand one’s adversary. Some of them will become your friends, others not so much. You will grow tremendously. Believe me, it will be the best growth. Big league. And when you do fight, do it for real. None of this virtual facebook kvetching. Donate money to the innumerable organizations that will be fighting for civil & gay rights. Attend a decent rally. Engage an adversary in intelligent conversation. Punch a racist in the nuts. If the abolitionists could raise hell for a few hundred years, can’t we do it for four? Am I not as good as a god-damn Quaker? Jeremy Kaplan Friend of Florence READ Books
DECEMBER 2016
WE CHOOSE ART MARK V. LORD | L.A. NOIR
Written by Baha H. Danesh from WeChooseArt.com Currently on view at the Palos Verdes Art Center is Mark V. Lord’s effervescent solo show titled L.A. NOIR, curated by Gail Phinney. Throughout his solo show, viewers can experience Mark’s depiction of Los Angeles where dark shadows and mysterious characters play an essential role within each work of art. Curator Gail Phinney states: “Lord’s evocative images function as imaginary movie stills documenting an L.A. noir film that never was. The incongruity of text and image confounds expectations and challenges conventional constructs of storytelling. The resulting installation engages viewers to shape their own narratives, while revealing the creative process of this singular writer and photographer.” Mark is a photographer who implements his immediate surrounding as his infinite canvas. He copiously captures the beautiful sights, stories, and identities of his environment. His curiosity is what drives his love for photography. He freely roams the streets of the world by capturing the attention of people who may or may not be the typical museum or gallery visitors. As he moves between visceral public experience and meaningful personal narrative his photographs tell a story that everyone can relate to. Snip bits of text and dialogue inspired by crime scene and criminal trial transcripts are cryptically inscribed on each photo. His photographs are deliberately enigmatic. In fact, he creates an anonymity that is crucial to the integrity of his work. Mark was born in Baltimore but soon traveled out to New York and Los Angeles to concentrate on screenwriting. During this time, he picked up a camera and started documenting his world. Coming from a self-taught photography background allowed Mark to break the fundamental rules of photography by capturing moments based on raw confidence and raucous emotion. The We Choose Art team was curious to find out more about Mark and his artistic vision. So, in an effort to tame our obsession, we asked him a series of questions and discussed his current solo show at PVAC. Throughout your PVAC exhibit, which one of your photographs is your favorite? And why? “You ever ask a mother which child is her favorite? Of course, she will tell you that loves all her children equally, oftentimes for the individual characteristics that make each wholly unique. And it is true. But there is always secretly a favorite, a standout that outshines the others —although over time, the favorite will change. But for now, if forced to select a favorite, I’d go with one of the large prints —a yellow hued twilight wildfire, shot from a moving car in the desert outside of town. The true-crime details of the vignette come from an actual homicide case in Los Angeles in which a doctor and his mistress murdered the doctor’s wife for her considerable family inheritance. Why this particular piece above the others? In combining fleeting, impressionistic, decontextualized images with fleeting, impressionistic, decontextualized text, the intended outcome was the creation, through juxtaposition and counterpoint, of an overall atmosphere of ominous and gauzy dreamlike alienation, disorientation, impending doom and confusion –the sensation of Noir. I feel this image best accomplishes my intentions.” Has your style of photography changed since moving to Los Angeles? ”On the street, you work with your environment. In New York life is extroverted and pushed out into the streets. And New York has seasons and weather –snow, rain, foliage, bare trees in winter, blooming trees in spring, etc. Combined, the streets of New York provide a rich and vibrant palate. On the other hand, Los Angeles speaks in a wholly different voice. With the unrelenting, blinding desert sun and a parched palate, I find myself using black and white more often, which is more suited to the play of hard light and deep shadow. And with churn and movement of the masses mostly off the street, in their cars as the throng inches through traffic, I have found myself more frequently slowing my shutter speeds way down to around 1/40 and incorporating motion and blur into the compositions in
25 order to convey that flow of vehicular movement across the vast city of Los Angeles. But the process, despite the vast differences between the two cities remains largely the same. For an image to tell a story, you must penetrate into a zone of intimacy with your subject. You must build trust. In my wonderings, I keep it local, in my own neighborhood, breaking down the natural barriers that exist between strangers. Over time I get to know the available characters – the parking lot attendants, security guards, small business owners, the old man who always sits on his front steps in the evening, the cashiers at the corner store, the waiters and waitress, etc. I photograph them all. And everyone I photograph soon thereafter receives a print of their image –oftentimes with extra copies for them to give to their families and loved ones. This way, step-by-step, I become the familiar, friendly face –who is always with a camera. And, slowly, I earn enough trust and permission to make my neighborhood mine, to take my camera almost anywhere. That’s when you start to get the good stuff.” What is it you want to say with your photographs, and how do you know who / what moment you want to capture? “Generally speaking, I’m of the opinion that when a photograph is trying to “say” something, it is speaking too loudly. I aspire to provoke a gut emotion –a fleeting feeling, usually bittersweet. That deep ache or pang of things past –the lost moments in time. And there is no way of predicting moments. That is the absolute most essential component of the emotional impact of the image. So the key to capturing these fleeting moments is to always be ready. Make certain you are constantly calibrating your camera settings to the available lighting. Be aware of your focus-area settings. Be watchful of your surroundings. Anticipate what will happen next and be in position when it does. “ How is your personality reflected in your work? “Another difficult –that is to say, good– question. With dual careers in professional screenwriting and photography, I am undeniably obsessed with story and storytelling. And I believe –deeply and with great conviction– that no stories are more important than our own individual stories. And with this belief reigning supreme, I feel an intense obligation to fill the void in the storytelling of the lives of the good people who surround me. To approach the question from a different direction, when I am asked why I do what I do –which is often, my most concise response is to ask rhetorically, “After their loved ones and pets, what is the first thing people save in a house fire?” Inherently, everyone knows the answer: the family photographs. In essence, the means to tell their stories and pass them down to future generations. And, furthermore —as a dyed-in-the-wool cynic– I believe that, at the end of the day, life is truly not about what you’ve gained, but what you’ve lost –friends, loved ones, opportunities, relationships, youth, time… The photographs are their stories —but of a moment in time that has already past and is now quickly receding into the ether of memory…That is the bittersweet in the images. We are all haunted by what has been lost and the memory of these beautiful fleeting moments of which we were hardly aware of at the time and now can never get back…” And finally, What has been the most memorable moment you’ve experienced as a photographer? “Rather than single out any specific moment –there are far too many to even consider selecting one over another—permit me to sidestep the question and answer thusly: Every time I deliver the prints to my subjects –be they close friends or complete strangers– my belief in the power and importance in the telling our collective stories through photography is reaffirmed.” L.A. NOIR, will remain on view at the Palos Verdes Art Center through December 31st. For more information about the artist visit his website at MarkVLordPhotography.com. For more information regarding L.A. NOIR or the Palos Verdes Art Center Visit PVArtCenter.org.
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THE ARROYO ARTS COLLECTIVE DISCOVERY TOUR A self-guided tour featuring 80 artists in homes and studios across Northeast Los Angeles. The 24th annual tour took place November 20, 2016.
Discovery Tour Preview at Rock Rose Gallery Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council at Avenue 50 Studio
Eliot Sekuler (left) and Karen Duckles (right) at Avenue 50 Studio
Roderick Smith Troy Evans with art by Betty Wan Hamada
J. Michael Walker
The Glass Studio
Heather McLarty
Printmaking by Kay Brown, art by Karen Duckles at Avenue 50 Studio
Mike M. Mollett
Stormie Art
Madam X David Lasky and Gwen Freeman DECEMBER 2016
Linda Johnstone Allen and Toros Tngrian
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WINTER SHELTER IN HIGHLAND PARK Recycled Resources for the Homeless has opened the doors to its 35-space Winter Shelter in Highland Park for the second year. The shelter not only provides a place for homeless neighborhood residents to get out of the cold, it also helps with connections to needed services for long-term stability. Pictured: Recycled Resources for the Homeless team members Rebecca Prine and Monica Alcaraz at a gala fundraising dinner for the shelter in early November.
City Hall Office: 200 N. Spring Street, Room 470, Los Angeles, CA 90012 • Tel. 213.473.7001 Highland Park District Office: 5577 N. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90042 • Tel. 323.550.1538 Glassell Park District Office: 3750 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065 • Tel. 323.341.5671 www.GilCedillo.com
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