LA ART NEWS A R T S A N D C U LT U R E F O R A L L O F L O S A N G E L E S VOLUME 5 NO. 10
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JANUARY 2018
LA ART SHOW RETURNS TO CONVENTION CENTER Arts from the Pacific Rim Featured
More than 100 art galleries from over 18 countries will participate in the LA Art Show, marking its 23rd edition at the LA Convention Center January 10-14. The show affords attendees an unequaled opportunity to view and purchase art, with an emphasis on Pacific Rim nations of North and South America and Asia. In addition to row upon row of gallery booths, the show incorporates many special sections and exhibits. An unparalleled look at the works of one of Mexico’s greatest artists, José Clemente Orozco, will be presented in partnership with the Museum of Arts of the University of Guadalajara, Mexico (MUSA), with an exhibit featuring projections of Mr. Orozco’s monumental murals. “ROOTS,” a section devoted to historical works, returns for a second year. Crowd favorite “Littletopia” will “Left or Right,” curated by Marisa Caichilo. (photo: LA Art be back, celebrating the contemporary Show) lowbrow art scene. And a new addition, “DESIGN LA,” will focus on functional art, modern furniture, accent decor, architectural objects, jewelry and more. Other special exhibits will range from pop-feminist icon “Pandemonia,” posing in her phenomenal hair pieces and costumes made of latex, presented by Art All Ways, to Matt Elson’s “Infinity Boxes” presented by bG Gallery. Pueblo/ Cochiti artist Mateo Romero be conducting live mural painting, in partnership with the Autry Museum of the American West. Artist Victoria Vesna and neuroscientist Mark Cohen will use real-time EEG, brain waves, video, color, and sound to explore possibilities for brain-to-brain communication, presented by UCLA Art Sci Center. Special presentations throughout the course of the show will offer attendees the opportunity to learn more about art movements and curatorial practices from across a variety of locations and genres. A highlight will be a conversation with Cheech Marin on Sunday the 14th. Matt Elson, “The Infinity Boxes,” presented by bG Gallery at the LA Art Show (photo: LA Art Show)
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PACIFIC STANDARD TIME: LA/LA MOMENTS Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, the Getty-sponsored explosion of Latin American Art, is beginning its wind-down this month. Since September, museums and other major art spaces across Southern California, have been presenting a wide-diversity of Latin American arts. Our senses are sated. PST: LA/LA has included what we rightly should have expected in Los Angeles, and it has done it well. Serious retrospectives of the art of Carlos Almaraz and Gilbert “Magu” Luján took place at such prestigious venues as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the University of California, Irvine respectively. But there has been much more. The conversation has been carried forward with a major show of mostly newer works by Judithe Hernández and Patssi Valdez at the perhaps surprising venue of the Los Angeles Fair Grounds. We have been introduced to the abundant artistry of Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and the Caribbean at multiple venues. We have seen ground breaking exhibits, such as an extensive show of art and science ficEnrique Chagoya, The Governor’s Nightmare tion in the Americas at UCR ARTSblock in Mexico Riverside, that have blown stereotypes about MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House what Latinx art looks like and let us know that Latinx artists have always been present in all genres. Masterful contemporary artists have reflected on works by their predecessors, ranging from modern Mexican artists’ take on José Clemente Orozco at the Pomona College Museum of Art and Oaxacan art collective Tlacolulokos’ reinterpretation of the discovery of California themed murals at the Downtown Public Library. Cultural fusion has played a powerful role, as artists of Chinese and Japanese heritage have asked what it means to live in diaspora in Los Angeles, the Caribbean, and South America, with shows at the California African American Museum. the Chinese American Museum, and the Japanese American National Museum. Further, artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Hammer, One Archives and more have asked what it means to be personally and politically both Latinx and female, or Latinx and gay. So…as PST: LA/LA becomes a memory…what questions are before us going forward? We are grateful to the Getty for filling us with art. It’s been like a holiday feast. And now Pacific Standard Time returns Kukuli Velarde, Jaodida Indeja us to real time. De que se rie? Gotta be trained…what the f…! Zapoteca Mexico, AD 300/700 Plunder Me, Baby Series American Museum of Ceramic Art
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continued from page 1 “There is a spotlight on Los Angeles today,” says LA Art Show producer and partner Kim Martindale. “It has become a center of excellence for the production and presentation of contemporary art. Last year, the Show expanded its civic role by providing a platform to some of Southern California’s largest art institutions. With the balance between museums and exhibitors established as our new base, this year we are redoubling our efforts to engage visitors with the wealth of world-class art being produced and presented all around the globe as well as here in Los Angeles.” LA ART SHOW January 11-14 LA Convention Center Ticket info at www.laartshow.com
The LA Art Show and the Museum of Arts of the University of Guadalajara will present a multi-media experience of the murals of José Clemente Orozco. (photo: LA Art Show)
The LA Art Show returns to the Convention Center this month.
BIG EYES PAINTER MARGARET KEANE TO BE HONORED AT LA ART SHOW TRIBUTES TO GREG ESCALANTE AND GHOST SHIP FIRE VICTIMS PLANNED
Margaret Keane, iconic painter of “Big Eyes” fame, will be honored with a special Lifetime Achievement award at this year’s LA Art Show. The “Littletopia” area, focusing on lowbrow and pop art, is one of the most popular sections of the huge LA Art Show at the Convention Center. The award to Ms. Keane, who will attend in person, will be presented in Littletopia on the first day of the show, Thursday, January 11, by noted pop-surrealist Mab Graves. In conjunction with the award, Keane Eyes Gallery of San Francisco will be exhibiting a retrospective of Ms. Keane’s career, entitled “Margaret Keane: A Survivor And Woman of Two Centuries.” The Littletopia experience will include some poignant aspects this year. Littletopia stalwart and low-brow pioneer Greg Escalante passed away suddenly a few months ago. Juxtapoz Magazine will pay tribute to his legacy at the art show, with an altar and a sponsored bar featuring a mural by Jillian Evelyn. Superchief Gallery LA will honor the victims of the “Ghost Ship” fire. Thirty-six people were killed a year ago when fire swept through an Oakland warehouse that had been converted to artist live-work studios and a performance venue. At the LA Art Show, Superchief Gallery LA will exhibit a 22-foot long “space boat” created by Bunnie Reiss in memory of the Ghost Ship fire victims. The entrance to the Littletopia portion of the art show will be marked by a large archway designed by noted muralist and installation artist Wolfbat (aka Dennis McNett) who is known for his psychedelic style rendered in incredible detail. Artist Margaret Keane will be honored in the Littletopia section of the LA Art Show. (photo LA Art Show) LA ART SHOW January 11-14 LA Convention Center Ticket info at www.laartshow.com
JANUARY 2018
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Will the explosion translate into a new reality? That is to say, will major arts institutions continue to explore works of Latin America and of Latinx Los Angeles, or will they check the experience off the to-do list and return us to the limited experience of white-euro-males? Time will tell. And, crucially, will the grand celebration of Latinx and Latin American art translate into visitor and financial support for the community spaces, such as Avenue 50 Studio, Mi Vida, Tonalli Studio, Self Help Graphics and Art, and many more, that have been walking the walk all along? —by LA Art News staff
Sonia Romero, Wings of the Dead dA Center for the Arts
Erica Kaminishi, Prunusplastus born Mato Grosso, Brazil Petri dishes, cherry blossom flowers Japanese American National Museum
Madalena Hashimoto, Public Private Memories (detail) born SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil Japanese American National Museum
Pedro Alvarez, On the Pan-American Highway Cuban Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State LA
Mundo Meza, Merman with Mandolin Tijuana, Los Angeles Les Petites Bonbons Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art
LA ART NEWS
PST: LA/LA AT THE GETTY ITSELF
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While the Getty-sponsored initiative Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA takes place at more than 70 venues across Southern California, the Getty Center itself has offered a survey of Latin America through time via four exhibits. “Golden Kingdoms” takes visitors as far back as 1000 BC. Three hundred pieces on loan to the Getty document luxury arts, with an emphasis on their place in world views of major civilizations. (through January 28) Moving forward through time, “The Metropolis in Latin America 1830-1930” documents the rise of six world capitals—Buenos Aires, Havana, Lima, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and Santiago de Chile—and the colonial and indigenous perspectives that shaped them. (through January 7) “Photography in Argentina 1850-2010” includes 300 works by 60 photographers, with photography celebrated both as an art for and as a tool for social and political chronicling. (through January 28) “Making Art Concrete” offers works from Argentina and Brazil from the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros. Works of geometric abstraction, created between 1946 and 1962, are presented alongside information on the way artists pioneered new techniques and materials. (through February 11) www.getty.edu Grupo Escombros, Pancartes (Signs), Gallos Ciegos (Blind Roosters), Escombros (Rubble), Mariposas (Butterflies) Argentina
The Metropolis in Latin America 1830-1930”
Tabard with Lizzard-like Creatures Nasca (Peru), AD 500-750 Feathers on Cotton
John Melé, Marco recortado no. 2 (Irregular Cut-Out Frame no. 2) Argentine, 1946 Oil on hardboard
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STAFF Publisher/ Creative Director Cathi Milligan Managing Editor Margaret Arnold Intern Vince Caldera Contributors: Margaret Arnold, Cornelius Peter, Brian Mallman, Jeremy Kaplan, Amy Inouye, Stuart Rapeport, Cathi Milligan, Jennifer Hitchcock, Tomas Benitez, Harvey Slater, Kristine Schomaker, Madame X, Tony Scudellari, Jen Hofer 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.
WELCOME 2018! Time for the art fairs! I really enjoy these events. So much art. Great people watching. And great art, sometimes. As with all things it’s also a good time to see things that make you go, huh? But that’s part of what art is about. So there’s the LA Art Show (we’ll have a booth with papers...stop by), Start Up Art fair, and Art Los Angeles Contemporary. We also get to look forward to another Women’s March, which falls on January 20th, downtown. I expect to see you all there. I’ll be there with my pussy hat on. RESIST! 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 Contributions cathi@laartnews.com Calendar information margaretnelaart@gmail.com Sales - cathi@laartnews.com sign up for our newsletter at laartnews.com Where’s Monica?
Downtown Los Angeles
HIGHLAND PARK HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING Sponsored by City Councilmember José Huizar
With the Highland Park Neighborhood Council, Highland Park Chamber of Commerce, and Garvanza Improvement Association December 10, 2017
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JANUARY 2018
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LA ART NEWS
GOVERNMENT NOTES
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THE TAX BILL With dueling between the House and Senate wrapping up,federal plans that could wreak havoc on the arts are a done deal. Reduced tax incentives for charitable giving could mean significantly less support for non-profits in general and for the arts specifically. According to the Arts Action Fund, “Despite some researchers anticipating a loss in charitable giving of almost $20 billion annually as a result of the new tax bill that will significantly reduce the number of taxpayers who can still itemize deductions, top GOP Congressional leaders still believe that a strong economy will make up the difference. It will be important for the charitable community to document the true impact over the next 18 months.” Thanks largely to an intense effort by Americans for the Arts, the Arts Action Fund, and other advocates, not all proposed devastating changes were enacted. The tax deduction for teacher supplies and educational materials was left intact, but not increased. The estate tax will be reduced, however the exemption will be doubled. The performing artists’ business deduction was not eliminated. Lifetime education credits and the tax deduction for interest on student loans were not eliminated. The income tax exemption for private activity bonds, often used to finance cultural infrastructure projects like museums, was not repealed. And artists were not eliminated from the list of qualified groups who can benefit from federally subsidized low-income housing. SUPPORTING A MAKER ECONOMY Evolving maker-based economies are an emerging source of economic power in local communities. But the potential inherent in microbusinesses and small-scale manufacturing is often going unrecognized or untapped. A new report, “Discovering You City’s Maker Economy,” has been issued by the National League of Cities, Etsy, Recast City, and the Urban Manufacturing Alliance. The report is designed as a roadmap for cities as they develop policies, programs, and a culture that supports local maker businesses. “City leaders play a critical role in sustaining and expanding their local maker communities,” says Clarence E. Anthony, CEO & executive director of the National League of Cities. “Cities across the country are already working to create supportive business environments and explore how maker-entrepreneurship can act as a key driver in achieving equity goals. This report will help city officials take their maker economies to the next level and bring more opportunities to local entrepreneurs.” “Makers are the small but mighty entrepreneurs that help build innovation economies and create vibrant neighborhoods,” says Lee Wellington, executive director of the Ur-
“Discovering Your City’s Maker Economy” is available from the National League of Cities. ban Manufacturing Alliance. ‚ÄúWhether it‚Äôs a baker preparing small batches for the corner coffee shop, or a local hardware manufacturer that‚Äôs working towards their first big supplier contract, this report provides a vetted how-to for city officials who want to identify and lift up these promising industries.‚Äù We‚Äôre hopeful that this guidebook will encourage even more policymakers to explore opportunities to engage their local microbusinesses in making their cities Maker Cities together,‚Äù adds Althea Erickson, head of advocacy and impact for Etsy.¬† Steps that cities can take to support local businesses and manufacturers include:
JANUARY 2018
Helping low-income entrepreneurs access capital; Mapping and convening local communities of makers; Investing in incubators and accelerators; Driving demand for locally made and manufactured products¬†through ‚ÄúMade Local‚Äù and regional brand campaigns; Creating new business-to-business procurement; Identifying micro-retail opportunities in existing buildings and new construction; Considering a zoning incentive for private developers to set aside space for local businesses; Supporting local craft events, farmers‚Äô markets, and festivals; Advocating for state policies that support makers and micro businesses, such as a state or local sales tax exemption, and reviewing regulations related to home-based businesses. The report includes case studies from across the United States. The National League of Cities is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.¬†The report may be accessed via www.nlc.org. NEW CALIFORNIA ARTS COUNCIL DIRECTOR Anne Bown-Crawford has been named the new Director of the California Arts Council. She was appointed in December by Governor Jerry Brown. As lead executive, Ms. Bown-Crawford will promote the Arts Council’s mission to advance California through the arts and creativity by way of the agency’s grant programs, services, and initiatives.¬† Ms. Bown-Crawford currently serves as the Director of the Arcata Arts Institute and the Innovation Design Institute, both programs within Northern Humboldt Union High School District, as well as the Fine Arts Department Chair at Arcata High School. She is Chair of the Create CA Leadership Council, a statewide collective impact organization with a mission to rethink and create an educational environment for all California students featuring arts education as a central part of the solution to the crisis in our schools, and she helped write the State Superintendent of Public Instruction‚Äôs ‚ÄúBlueprint for Creative Schools.‚Äù She is also a new-media studio artist and a freelance graphic designer. NEW L.A. COUNTY ARTS COMMISSION DIRECTOR Kristin Sakoda has been appointed Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. The appointment was made in December by the County Board of Supervisors. The Los Angeles County Arts Commission provides funding for over 350 nonprofit arts organizations through a $9 million grant program and runs the nation‚Äôs biggest internship program. The Commission‚Äôs free community programs advance diversity and accessibility for the County‚Äôs 88 municipalities and 137 unincorporated areas. Ms. Sakoda brings more than 20 years experience in cultural arts to her new position. For the past nine years, she has guided the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in areas of diversity, equity and inclusion, arts administration, programmatic initiatives, legal matters, legislation, public art, and capital projects at City cultural facilities. ‚ÄúThe varied and rich cultural life of LA County is the envy of the country,‚Äù said Board of Supervisors Chair Sheila Kuehl, ‚Äúand I am so happy to welcome Kristin Sakoda, who is totally suited to our multi-faceted landscape--a performer/lawyer/artsexecutive with a great vision for building and expanding the diversity of our extraordinary cultural assets.‚Äù “I look forward to her leadership in bolstering diversity, inclusion and equity in the creative fields, while raising the profile of the arts as an economic engine for the region,‚Äù added Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. COUNTY LIBRARIES ELIMINATE FINES FOR YOUTH The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted to eliminate fines for youth at throughout the County Library system. Under a motion by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis, young people will be able to check out three books at a time and keep them for as long as they choose‚Äîreturn one and get another one. ‚ÄúThis is a sea change from how we were all raised, being fined if your books were overdue,‚Äù said Supervisor Hahn. The move is part of an initiative ensure that everybody has the opportunity to engage with the library system. Skye Patrick, County Librarian, told the board that fines paid by youth represent less than 1% of the library budget. Young people will still be held accountable for the books; losing one means paying for it or reading down the value at the library. SELF HELP GRAPHICS & ART The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted to put $450,000 toward Self
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Help Graphics & Art’s purchase of equipment and property renovations at the Boyle Heights building it currently uses. This follows on the heels of a Los Angeles City Council decision last month to work with Self Help in the procurement of the building.
Self Help Graphics & Art
ARMENIAN AMERICAN M U S E U M COMING TO
DOWNTOWN GLENDALE The Glendale City Council has approved a design plan for Glendale’s downtown Central Park. The highlight of the plan is a planned Armenian American National Museum. The mission of the museum will be to promote understanding and appreciation of
America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Armenian American experience. The new museum will be at the south end of the City’s arts and entertainment district, and will be located in close proximity to the Museum of Neon Art and the new Reflect Space, an exhibition space in the public library building for reflection on major human atrocities. While the new museum will be sited on current open space, current parking will be converted, meaning a net increase in green space at Rendering for the planned Armenian American Museum the park of almost an in Glendale acre.
LA ART NEWS
I AM EXTRAORDINARY (yes, you are)
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“I am Extraordinary,” a group show featuring 28 female artists, will open at Leanna Lin’s Wonderland in Eagle Rock on Saturday, January 20. Curator Bored, Inc. and Leanna will be donating a portion of proceeds from sales to Planned Parenthood Los Angeles and She Should Run. The artists of “I Am Extraordinary” are bringing together “art to remind us how powerful, amazing, and magical we are!” The event will be a great way to wrap up a day at the Women’s March. Leanna Lin’s Wonderland 5024 Eagle Rock Boulevard January 20-February 25 Opening reception: Saturday, January 25, 6-9 p.m. www.LeannaLinsWonderland.com
Our Future Depends on You, by Lisa Congdon
I Am Extraordinary, by Bored Inc.
Las Posadas on Olvera Street Sponsored by the Olvera Street Merchants
JANUARY 2018
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Kiyoto Ota born Japan, lives Mexico Japanese American National Museum
Naomi Rincรณn-Gallardo, video Pomona College Museum of Art Rafael Bqueer, Alice and the Tea Through the Mirror Brazilian Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State LA
WE WERE GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD Kira, bassist of Black Flag fame speaks at a panel discussion on We Were Going to Change the World: Interviews with Women from the 1970s and 1980s Southern California Punk Rock Scene at Book Show in Highland Park. The book by Stacy Russo (on the left at the table) is the result of a four-year oral history project, involving not only luminaries such as Kira and Exene, but also fans whose lives were dramatically and positively impacted by the Punk scene of the 70s and 80s. www.bookshowla.com
LA ART NEWS
THE ART OF PROTEST
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Nothing on the outside of the 1887 Church of the Epiphany in Lincoln Heights betrays its dramatic role in movements for social justice. But it history is far-reaching. During the 1960s and 70s, the church served as the Los Angeles base for Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. The newspaper La Raza (currently the subject of a retrospective exhibit at the Autry National Center) was printed in the church basement. The church hosted La Raza, the Brown Berets, the Robert Kennedy presidential campaign, the Chicano Moratorium, and the Chicano student walk-outs. An extensive show, coupling historic documentation with contemporary artistic reflection will take place at the Church of the Epiphany through March 29. Co-curated by Sofia Gutierrez, a LACMA educator; Ricardo Reyes, an artist nurtured in the Chicano movement at the church in the 1960s; Roslio Muñoz, Chicano Moratorium activist and historian; and Ravi GuneWardena, principal at Escher GuneWardena, preservation architect for the Church of the Epiphany, “The Art of Protest: Epiphany and the Culture of Empowerment” incorporates historic photographic documentation, Movimiento artists from the 60s and 70s, and works by noted contemporary artists who continue to work in the justice-oriented themes nurtured at the church. Further, the 125-year old Church of the Epiphany, the oldest surviving Episcopal Church building in Los Angeles, and a city Historical Cultural Monument, is undergoing restoration, and the building’s history plays a visible role in the exhibit. The entire sanctuary of the church has been turned into a temporary gallery for the documentation and the art. The exhibit not only incorporates individual works of note; it is collectively a site-specific installation. “The Art of Protest” represents important “The Art of Protest” at Church of the Epiphany documentation of a significant piece of Los Angeles history. And, as Los Angeles deals with the year anniversary of a national administration and its related DACA, wall-building, and fear-mongering talk, it is an exhibit that brings the sentiments of the movements of the 60s and 70s forward into the present, where they are sorely needed.
Vibiana Aparicio Chamberlin, Triptych: Chicano Moratorium August 20, 1970 2002 acrylic on canvas with collage
The Art of Protest: Epiphany and the Culture of Empowerment January 6-March 29 Church of the Epiphany 2808 Altura, Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles Artists featured in “The Art of Protest” include: Vibiana Aparicio-Chamberlin, Guillermo Bert, Chaz Bojorquez, Carolyn Castaño, Ismael de Anda, Alfredo de Batuc, Beto de la Rocha, Isais Delgado, Alex Donis, Andres Duran, Shepard Fairy, Alexis Garcia, Gustavo Alberto Garcia Vaca, Margaret Garcia, Roberto Gil de Montes, Henry Glovinsky, Michael Gomes, Ken Gonzales-Day, Wayne Healy, Juan Manuel Ildefonso, Tish Lampert, John Lewis, Gilbert “Magu” Lujan, Arlene Mejorado, Camilo Ontiveros, Lilia Ramirez, Ricardo Reyes, Bruce Richards, Guadalupe Rodriguez, Sandy Rodriguez, Victor Rosas, Mariane Sadowski, Victor Solis, Sheryl Spangler, John Valadez, Albert Valdez, Sergio Verdin, J. Michael Walker, and Gloria Westcott. Related conversations and events include: Saturday, January 6: Exhibition Opening. 4 p.m., Feast of the Epiphany celebration. 5-8 p.m., Opening of the exhibition with blessing by Gloria Arellanes, Tongva Spiritual Leader. Friday, February 2: Candelaria/Candlemas. 6 p.m., Alex Donis, “Deputy Davis and Smiles” Interreligious Service offered for Dreamers/DACA from “WAR” series, 2001 Children. 7 p.m., Charla/Panel—Defending the Dream. oil and enamel on plexi glass Saturday, March 3: 50th Anniversary of the East L.A. Walkouts. 4 p.m. Charla/Panel—Blowouts-1968. Saturday, March 10: Block Party and Drop-in Art Workshop. 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Artist Workshops. 3 p.m., Charla/Discussion—Place and Displacement: Activism and Liberation Pedagogy. 4-6 p.m., Block Party. Thursday, March 29: Exhibition Closing/Performance. 7 p.m., Maundy Thursday Service commemorating Cesar Chavez. 8 p.m., Exhibition Closing/Veiling of the Images and performance by Gabriel Romero, actor.
JANUARY 2018
Beto de la Rocha, Chicano Bandera/Chicano Flag 1995 watercolor on paper
Frank Romero, Corazón Colorado 2017 neon and oil on wood
EVEN MORE PST LA/LA
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Anna Maria Maiolino, A Espera (Waiting) Brazil, 1967/2000 Museum of Contemporary Art
Adrián Villar Rojas, The Theater of Disappearance Argentina Museum of Contemporary Art
Laura Aguilar, At Home with the Nortes U.S., 1990 Vincent Price Art Museum
Nadin Ospina, Idol with Doll Columbia MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House
Barbara Carrasco, L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective, 1981
Martín Ramírez Mexico/U.S. Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
LA ART NEWS
NELAart
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On the Secon Elysian Valley, art and eateri the updated l
Northeast Los Angeles Arts Organization, Inc.
January 13, 2018 - 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)
38. Highland Cafe 5010 York Blvd. 323.259.1000
1. Avenue 50 Studio 131 No. Avenue 50 323. 258.1435 avenue50studio.org
20. Toros Pottery 4962 Eagle Rock Blvd 323.344.8330 torospottery.com
2. Bike Oven 3706 No Figueroa
21. Kinship Yoga/Wonder Inc. 5612 Figueroa St.
39. Kindness and Mischief 5537 N. Figueroa St. www.kandmcoffee.com
3. Namaste Highland Park 5118 York Blvd. www.namastehighlandpark.com
22. Tierra de la Culebra 240 S. Ave 57
40. Civil Coffee 5639 N. Figueroa St.
23. Cactus Gallery @ Treeline Woodworks 3001 N. Coolidge Ave
41. Possession Vintage 5119 York Blvd. www.possessionvintage.com
24. Huron Substation 2640 Huron Street Los Angeles, CA 90065
42. The Situation Room 2313 Norwalk Ave.
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. Collective Arts Incubator 1200 N. Ave 54 collectiveartsincubator.com 8. The Art Form Studio 5611 N Figueroa St. Suite 2 www.theartformstudio.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. Vintage Tattoo Art Parlor 5115 York Blvd. 15. Antigua Coffee House 3400 N. Figueroa St. www.antiguacoffeehouse.com 16. Align Gallery 5045 York Blvd. www.aligngallery.com 17. Leanna Lin’s Wonderland 5204 Eagle Rock Blvd. www.leannalinswonderland.com 18. The Rental Girl 4760 York Blvd. http://therentalgirl.com 19. Mindfulnest 5050 York Blvd. 323.999-7969
JANUARY 2018
25. Ball Clay Studio 4851 York Blvd. ballclaystudio.com 26. MAN Insurance Ave 50 Satellite 1270 N. Ave 50 323.256.3151 27. TAJ • ART 1492 Colorado Blvd. www.tajartinc.com 28. The Greyhound 570 N. Figueroa St. 29. Urchin 5006 1/2 York Blvd. 30. Arroyo Arts Collective @ Ave 50 Studio 131 North Avenue 50 arroyoartscollective.org 31. Living Room 5807 York Blvd. livingroomhome.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. The Glass Studio 5668 York Blvd. www.theglassstudio.net 37. Earth Altar Studio 1615 Colorado Blvd earthaltarstudio.com
43. Bookshow 5503 Figueroa St. www.bookshow.com 44. Vroom Vroom Bitsy Boo 5031 B York Blvd. 45. The Quiet Life 5627 N. Figueroa St. thequietlife.com 46. The “O” Mind Gallery 200 N. Ave 55 theomind.com 47. Apiary Gallery at The Hive Highland Park 5670 York Blvd. www.thehive.la 48. Rock Rose Gallery 4108 N. Figueroa St. 323.635.9125 49. Leader of the Pack 5110 York Blvd. www.leaderofthepackvintage.com 50. Pop Secret 5119 Eagle Rock Blvd. 51. Curve Line Space 3348 N. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90065
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nd Saturday of every month galleries, businesses, and artists in Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, Cypress Park, , and Lincoln Heights open 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
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NELAART GALLERY NIGHT SECOND SATURDAY DECEMBER 2017
Brad Byrd at Highland Cafe
Betty Wan Hamada, Alchemy 6x5, at MorYork
José Ramirez, “Protect Us From Gentrification,” at Mi Vida
Ruth De Nicola, Alchemy 6x5, at MorYork
Cidne Hart, Alchemy 6x5, at MorYork
Rosemary, “Life & Death,” at Vapegoat
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Patchouli Nomad (Maribel Reveles) x 3Fourths (Willorna Mendiola Lara), “Little Planets,” at Align Gallery
Vanda Ciceryova at Namaste
Gloria Molina, “Melissa - My First,” at Avenue 50 Studio
Rental Girl
Heather Hoggan, “Dreaming of Peace,” Avenue 50 Studio’s Annual 8x8 Silent Auction
Roderick Smith, “Garden Queen” and Linda Arreola, “Untitled #42,” Avenue 50 Studio’s Annual 8x8 Silent Auction
Guadulesa Rivera, Arroyo Arts Collective at Avenue 50 Studio
Hembert Guardado, Mercedes Vasquez, Cecily Willis, Gimme Shelter at Avenue 50 Studio
FEATURED CLASS
Tapestry with Richard Parrish
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
FUN GIFTS IN
EAGLE ROCK
& ONLINE! 5024 EAGLE ROCK BLVD, LOS ANGELES, CA 90041
January 25–28 Learn design and technical skills that lead to stronger, more personal, and more original work.
Bullseye Glass Resource Center Los Angeles 143 Pasadena Ave, Suite B, South Pasadena 323.679.4263 bullseyeglass.com/losangeles
LeannaLinsWonderland.com
323.550.1332
LA ART NEWS
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DETOX FROM YOUR HOLIDAY RE-TOX The holidays are over! And for many, now is the time to do a detox, cleanse, or other healthy resolution. On a quiet January night at home, when your body is clambering for some real cleansing nutrition, try whipping up this extremely easy soup that is clean, vegan, and packed with super nutrition. The pepitas, while delivering a complete essential amino acid profile, also give it that comfort food edge that will surely hit the spot on a cold winter night. GREEN PEPITA SOUP 3-4 medium to large zucchini, cut into large chunks 4 stalks of celery, diced 1 fennel bulb with some of its leaves, cut into chunks, woody part of the core removed 1 medium onion, diced 1 parsnip, diced 4 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped Splash of olive or other cooking oil 6 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth for non-vegan), warmed 1/4 tsp. ground ginger (the spice, not fresh) 1/4 tsp. ground coriander 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 tbsp. liquid aminos 1 lemon, zested and then juiced 4-5 cups fresh baby spinach 1 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkinseeds) Splash (or more) almond milk (preferably pure or homemade) (OPTIONAL) Salt & pepper to taste Heat oil in a large soup pot or sauce pan. Add the onion, celery, and fennel, and sauté until the mixture starts to become tender. Add the zucchini and parsnip and continue cooking until the zucchini becomes a little soft and well coated with the other ingredients. Add the warm broth and bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a rolling simmer and cook until veggies are cooked through and broth becomes translucent, about 20 minutes. Add the ginger, coriander, cumin, liquid aminos, lemon zest and lemon juice, and let simmer about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and add the pepitas and spinach, and give it a stir to incorporate. Ladle the soup into a blender about halfway full. Cover the blender pitcher, and start by pulsing at very low speed, to avoid the hot liquid from bursting out due to high pressure. Gradually increase the speed until you are able to completely purée the soup. Repeat until all the soup is puréed. Return the soup to the heat just to bring it up to a good temperature for serving. Add a splash of almond milk if needed to thin it out or give it an extra layer of creaminess. Harvey Slater is a chef and holistic nutritionist residing in Highland Park. You can find more healthy recipes like this one on his blog: thewholedishblog.com
JANUARY 2018
19
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 www.ommleather.com For information about scheduling email them at ommeather@gmail.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 They offer a variety of art classes. 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.
TUESDAY JUNE 5, 2012 by Jen Hofer
Tuesday June 5, 2012 Los Angeles Dear F: Another cycle of letters, another form, same life, different life. I miss you and I’d like to be able to fold the continent so we could be closer now and again. The desire to document interweaving with the desire to experience interweaving with the desire to more through interweaving with the desire to observe interweaving with the desire to observe interweaving with the desire to think which is an air or a molecular system that can’t be desired, precisely, but rather breathed. I doubt. I look for the opening. I avoid the opening. The nomad molecule. Sometimes it’s easier to move across (the perpendicular) than to move through (the ethereal, what is floating or
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. 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 Ball Clay 4851 York Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90042 310.954.1454 ballclaystudio.com Intermediate Ceramics Pottery Class 6 class sessions $240 Check web site for start date A Place to Bead 2566 Mission St San Marino, CA 91108 626.219.6633 aplace2bead.com
Community Woodshop 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. Stained Glass Supplies 19 Backus Street Pasadena, CA 91107 626-219-6055 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. Los Angeles County Store 4333 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 / 323-928-2781
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
Please check their web site for a listing of all of their classes and special events. Sugar Mynt Gallery 810 Meridian Ave. South Pasadena, CA 626.222.7257 sugarmynt.com Paint and Pinot Twice a month. Check their web site for more detail.
Check Leanna’s web site for a current list of workshops and events.
suspended or flung like an air within the air). I walk the streets and look at people’s faces, their postures, the skeletons those postures suggest, the experiences and thoughts those faces suggest. What do other people observe? What do we do with all the observations that aren’t documented, aren’t translated, aren’t recorded? Or perhaps they are recorded in the air itself, breathed in the molecules we share unintentionally and unavoidably? Sending you a big hug, and much affection, J
Copyright Avenue 50 Studio. From “Trees of Life,” a publication and event in support of traffic safety and an end to pedestrian fatalities on North Figueroa Street and in Los Angeles.
LA ART NEWS
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PACIFIC STANDARD TIME: LA/LA PRESENTS 11 DAYS OF LIVE PERFORMANCES Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA is closing out its five-month run with a flurry of activity. More than 200 Latin American and Latinx artists from at least a dozen countries will be participating in live performances throughout Los Angeles. Organized by REDCAT, the CalArts Center for Contemporary Arts, in conjunction with PST: LA/LA sponsor Getty, 75 performance works will take place over a span of 11 days, January 11-21. REDCAT executive director Mark Murphy says that the artists will be, “confronting urgent topics, building on the traditions of performance art practice in Latin America and Southern California that are deeply rooted in a history of political and social activism, protest, and struggles for human rights and colonialism.” Many of the programs will be presented free of charge. A complete schedule is available at www.pacificstandardtime.org or www.redcat.org/festival.
RIP: In memory of the arts and culture activists we lost in 2017 Karin Flores — LA River Activist extraordinaire Mary Jane Hewitt — Influential African American studies professor and museum director Bobby Matos — Latin Jazz Great Shannon Michael Cane — Printed Matter Book Fair Wrangler Jacqueline Dreager — Artist and Writer Farmer Dave — Guerrilla Landscaper Gregorio Escalante — Lowbrow Art Promoter and Gallerist
JANUARY 2018
Madam X
YEAR OF WORDS
21
By Jen Hitchcock
This year is going to be the year of words for me. Using more of them, asking for more back. As such, I am strongly considering deleting emojis from my phone. Every time I say this to someone, they usually gasp. And then I gasp. How does one express without these little sunshine colored faces and tid-bits? How will I know what my friends are feeling? One person even asked me, their voice shaking with the fear of uncertainty, “Can you even do that???” I admit. I do love emojis. They are adorable and hysterical and fun. But I also feel like they have become too easy to hide behind when emotions become uncomfortable or difficult to express. When people are using the same sad emoji to express condolences for the death of a loved one as freely as they use it to express disappointment when the drive thru person forgets to put the fries in the bag, I feel like something is being lost in our interactions with other humans. The thought of Foghorn Leghorn on a sympathy card would be inappropriate. But somehow a cartoon face with an exaggerated frown and a big tear has become okay to fire off in a text or Facebook post expressing condolences. To me both Foghorn and the emoji infer the same thing. More “Aww shucks” than “I am sorry. I am here for you.” We are not challenging ourselves in the communication department. Also, emojis leave too much open for interpretation. Someone sends me the “hug” emoji. My first thought, “Awe! They are hugging me.” My second thought, “Wait, are they hugging me???” I Google the official meaning of the emoji. Once I get the official meaning I wonder if they know the official meaning. Maybe they weren’t hugging me but thought they were saying “I’m here! Jazz hands!” Spare me the sleepless nights. Be direct and tell me your thoughts with some good old-fashioned words. I think it is that I have reached a place where I long for the vulnerability of words. The challenge one takes when expressing emotion in open-hearted syntax will never be taken for granted with me. Knowing the other person cared enough to put time and thought behind their words. It is miraculous to connect in this way, whether it is what we want to hear or not. When done right, words help us to know exactly where we stand, and subsequently, exactly where we need to go. Words keep us evolving. For the record, I probably won’t really delete emojis. I like them too much, and truth be known…I actually am not entirely sure that you CAN do that. Will I exist if I delete them? And there isn’t anything wrong with using them to nuance some real deal words. Used thoughtfully, they enhance the sentiment beautifully. And you know, sometimes you just don’t have words. So they can also be considered better than nothing said at all. However, in this my year of words, I personally will step out, and work hard to put words first.
A THOUGHT FOR THE NEW YEAR by Tony Scudellari
As they recover from devastating fires, the good people of Napa & Sonoma need your support, which you can do painlessly. 1. Buy Napa/Sonoma wine! Or, olive oil or any of the amazing products that come from the region. No, you don’t have to buy cases, but even a bottle or two would help. 2. Visit! Tourism is down and the wineries, restaurants, hotels and merchants need your business. It’s beautiful this time of year and your support will be much appreciated. 3. Donate! There are a number of good organizations to help residents of Napa & Sonoma. While we were there, we found out about @ NapaValleyCommunityFoundation through some local restaurants and donated.
BOOK SHOW EVENTS Tuesday January 2nd 7-9:30pm Collage & Cry • Our monthly collage art night $5 donation Wednesday January 10th 8pm Angry Nasty Women • Feminist writing group Woman-centered writing prompts $5 donation Thursday January 11th 7pm-9pm Silent Book Club Hosted by Moni Bring a book to read or get one at book show! Friday January 12th 7pm Transparent Eyeball 4 Reading series hosted by author Matthew Sherling Free
Tony and Doug unpack their wine purchases
Saturday January 13th 7pm Sarah Bamford Seidelmann Reading and celebration for “Swimming With Elephants” Tuesday January 16th & 23rd Comedy Open Mic Hosted by Sumukh Torgalkar 7pm sign up 7:30 start Wednesday January 17th 7:30pm-9:30pm Historia “Promises” Storytelling Free Thursday January 18th 8pm Laughterhouse 5 Stand up comedy show Free Friday January 19th 7:30pm Vermin on the Mount Hosted by Jim Ruland Free Saturday January 20th 7pm-9pm Release celebration and reading for “Getting Off” by Erica Garza Also featuring: Myriam Gurba, Antonia Crane, Ashley Perez Free Friday January 26th – Lisbeth Coiman “I Asked the Blue Heron” reading Saturday January 27th – S.W. Lauden release reading Check our website for more info ONGOING EVENTS and WORKSHOPS
Drawing by Highland Park artist Stuart Rapeport
EAT ART OPEN MIC Monthly, every 1st Friday 8pm sign ups Poetry and Prose open mic
LA ART NEWS
22
ART HAPPENINGS AROUND LOS ANGELES PRESENTED BY SHOEBOX PR
Channing Hansen ‘Fluid Dynamics’ Opening Reception Marc Selwyn Fine Art 9953 S Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, 90212 To January 6
UPCOMING OPENING:
24700 McBean Pkwy, Valencia, Santa Clarita, 91355 Reception January 11th 830-1130
Names Printed in Black Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions 6522 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, 90028 Opening January 3rd 7-10pm
Debra Scacco: The Narrows Opening Reception Klowden Mann 6023 Washington Blvd, Culver City, 90232 Opening January 13th 6-8pm
Yoshie Sakai & Tim Reid- Twin Engines Performance Series PØST 1206 Maple Ave. #515 Los Angeles, 90015 January 4th 8-10pm
Martin Steele - Transitory 2017 Arena 1 Gallery 3026 Airport Ave., Santa Monica, 90405 Opening January 13th 5-9pm
Disappear Here opening at Durden and Ray Durden and Ray 1923 S. Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles, 90021 Opening January 6th 4-7pm
Opening Reception Rodrigo Branco & Carmen Spera Lois Lambert Gallery & Gallery of Functional Art 2525 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, 90404 Opening January 13th 6-9pm
Everything and All at Once by Vanesa Gingold leiminspace 443 Lei Min Way, Los Angeles, 90012 Opening January 6th 7-10pm
Opening Reception: Tom Krumpak New Work Lora Schlesinger Gallery 2525 Michigan Ave Suite B5b, Santa Monica, 90404 Opening January 13th 5-7pm
January Show Grand Opening Tieken Gallery, Los Angeles 961 Chung King Road, Los Angeles, 90012 Opening January 6th 6-10pm
Patsy Cox: Mouthpiece Reception & Artist Lecture American Museum of Ceramic Art / AMOCA 399 N Garey Ave, Pomona, 91767 Opening January 13th 6-9pm
Know Your Thug: Tony Puryear’s “Gankstas!”- A Pop-Up Exhibition Jason Vass 1452 E 6th St, Los Angeles, 90021 Opening January 6th 5-9pm
Robert Walker Exhibit Opening Reception Jason Vass 1452 E 6th St, Los Angeles, 90021 Opening January 13th 6-9pm
Rick Reese: Shelter - Exhibition Opening Reception The Reverberations of Causes and the Avalanches of Creation Rooted - Exhibition Opening Reception Irvine Fine Arts Center 14321 Yale Ave, Irvine, 92604 To January 6, 2018
Salvage Opening Reception ArtExchange - ArtX 356 E 3rd St, Long Beach, 90802 Opening January 13th 3-9pm
William Anastasi Ghebaly Gallery 2245 E Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, 90021 To January 6, 2018
Untitled Gallery Show Art Share-LA 801 E 4th Pl, Los Angeles, 90013 Opening January 13th 7-10pm
Susan Feldman at LAUNCH LA LAUNCH LA 170 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, 90036 To January 7th
Opening Reception: pascALEjandro at Blum & Poe Los Angeles Blum & Poe 2727 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, 90034 Opening January 14th 3-5pm
The US-Mexico Border Craft and Folk Art Museum 5814 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, 90036 To January 7th, 2018
Breaking Illusions: Artist as Scientist: Opening Jan. 16, 6-9pm CGU Art 251 E 10th St, Claremont, 91711 Opening January 16th 6-9pm
The Association GARBOUSHIAN GALLERY 427 N Camden Dr, Beverly Hills, 90210 To January 12
Opening Reception for Matsumi Kanemitsu: East/West Louis Stern Fine Arts 9002 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, 90069 Opening January 6th 6-8pm
Alex Couwenberg & Steve Diet Goedde Collaborate Reception Coagula Curatorial 974 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, 90012 Opening January 20th 6-10pm
Beyond Oy Too Scared to Ha-Ha I New Works by Marisa Takal Night Gallery 2276 E 16th St, Los Angeles, 90021 To January 12th
Psychedelic Walk-in Installation at Radiant Space Radiant Space 1444 N Sierra Bonita Ave, Los Angeles, 90046 Opening January 6th 7-10pm
Monica Wyatt - Continuum, A Solo Exhibition MOAH: CEDAR 44857 Cedar Ave, Lancaster, 93534 Opening January 20th 6-8pm
ONE YEAR: The Art of Politics in Los Angeles, Opening Party! Brand Library & Art Center 1601 W Mountain St, Glendale, 91201 To January 12, 2018
Rives Granade Rainbows Inhale OCHI Projects 3301 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, 90018 Opening January 6th 5-8pm
Opening Reception for Casper Brindle: Recent Works William Turner Gallery 2525 Michigan Avenue, Gallery E1, Santa Monica, 90404 Opening January 20th 6-8pm
2017 Open Show Los Angeles Art Association/Gallery 825 825 N La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood, 90069 To January 12th
Sonny Lipps Solo Show Walt Girdner Photo Studio / Gallery 27 S El Molino Ave, Pasadena, 91101 Opening January 6th 6-9pm
Opening Reception: Solar Flare Opening Reception: Smoke & Mirrors TAM Torrance Art Museum 3320 Civic Center Dr N, Torrance, 90503 Opening January 20th 6-9pm
Engender Kohn Gallery 1227 North Highland Ave Los Angeles 90038 To January 13, 2018
Opening! Jan. 6th: Dytch66, Cyrus Howlett, Spacegoth, Kate Kelton Gabba Gallery 3126 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, 90057 Opening January 6th 7-11pm Opening Reception: Matt Lifson “How is your fever?” Opening Reception: Georganne Deen “Psychic Violence in America” CB1 Gallery 1923 S. Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, 90021 Opening January 6th 4-7pm Opening Reception: Hugh Scott-Douglas at Blum & Poe Los Angeles Blum & Poe 2727 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, 90034 Opening January 6th 6-8pm
Taking Up Space Tiger Strikes Asteroid Los Angeles 1206 Maple Avenue, 5th fl. 523, Los Angeles, 90015 Opening January 6th 7-10pm Tami Bahat: “Revisiting Humanity: Secrets and Lifetimes” Building Bridges Art Exchange 2525 Michigan Ave, Ste F2, Santa Monica, 90404 Opening January 6th 6-9pm The Abstract Power Show Coagula Curatorial 974 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, 90012 Opening January 6th 5-9pm Thinkspace Art Opening with Joncas & Vivanco + Listfield Thinkspace Projects 6009 Washington Blvd, Culver City, 90232 Opening January 6th 6-9pm Wendell Gladstone: Fever Pitch Shulamit Nazarian 616 N La Brea, Los Angeles, 90036 Opening January 6th 6-9pm Jane Callister: Baroco-pop opening Royale Projects 432 S Alameda St, Los Angeles, 90013 Opening January 7th 12-5pm Kio Griffith // in(poetry)dexed 目詩録2 // opening reception LA Artmore 120 Judge John Aiso St, Los Angeles, 90012 Opening January 7th 3-5pm Skin & Bone[s] Opening La Artcore Brewery Annex 650 S Avenue 21, Los Angeles, 90031 Opening January 7th 1-4pm Molly Jo Shea: I’ll Stop the World and Melt with You CalArts School of Art
JANUARY 2018
TRASH TALK: Natalie Baxter & Jamia Weir - opening reception Keystone Art Space 338 S. Ave 16, Los Angeles, 90031 Opening January 20th 6-9pm The Feminine Sublime at the Pasadena Museum of CA Art Pasadena Museum of CA Art 490 E Union St, Pasadena, 91101-1790 Opening January 21st 12-5pm Kristine Schomaker “Plus” • Opening Reception ARK 2599 Fair Oaks Ave, Altadena, 91001 Opening January 21st 4-7pm Beach=Culture: ‘Four Million Angels’ Opening Reception Annenberg Community Beach House 415 Pacific Coast Hwy, Santa Monica, 90402 Opening January 25th 6-8pm On the Ropes, In the Kisser Coastline Community College Art Gallery 1515 Monrovia Ave, Newport Beach, 92663 Opening January 27th 6-8pm Opening Reception for “Melting Point” Craft and Folk Art Museum 5814 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, 90036 Opening January 27th 6-9pm BLACK Exhibition - Opening Reception The Loft at Liz’s 453 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, 90036 Opening February 10th 7-10pm Opening: Maren Hassinger: The Spirit of Things Art + Practice 3401 W. 43rd Place, Los Angeles, 90008 Opening February 24th 3-5pm ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
Gala Porras-Kim: An Index and Its Histories Commonwealth and Council 3006 W 7th St Suite 220, Los Angeles, 90005 To January 6 David Krovblit “Shells” | John Nyboer “The Real Future” Lois Lambert Gallery & Gallery of Functional Art 2525 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, 90404 To January 6 Heather Gwen Martin / Deborah Butterfield Opening Reception L.A. Louver 45 N Venice Blvd, Venice, 90291 To January 6 Iciro Irie, Garmonbozia Sagrada David Dimichele Helen Rebekah Garber, Thaumaturgy DENK Gallery 749 E Temple Street, Los Angeles, 90012 To January 6th
Keith Rocka Knittel - We’re All Equally Unimportant Charlie James Gallery 969 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, 90012 To January 13th South of the Border The Loft at Liz’s 453 South La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, 90036 To December 4th ‘Mike Kelley: Kandors 1999 – 2011’ Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles 901 East 3rd Street, Los Angeles, 90013 To January 21st Below the Underground Armory Center for the Arts 145 N Raymond Ave, Pasadena, 91103 To January 22nd Ruben Ochoa Art + Practice 3401 W. 43rd Place, Los Angeles, 90008 To January 27th 2018 Ellen Gallagher: Accidental Records Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles 901 East 3rd Street, Los Angeles, 90013 To January 28
continued on page 23
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ARTS ACCESS, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION By Tomas J. Benitez
Another year of making art, supporting artists, buying art, enjoying creativity, celebrating culture. This is my outlook for 2018. But first, a challenge. In recent years, notably in the Helicon Collaborative report, “Not Just Money”, there is clear evidence and documentation that as the philanthropic community continues to fund the arts, there is a marked separation of funding for major institutions and the rest of the field, and in particular, arts organizations that are community oriented, support specific ethnic audiences, and who represent grass roots arts making. Add to that the utter lack of support available for individual artists and you have a worsening divide of “them and us”. This has also been echoed in the DeVos study and several other major sources of research and data. It is a shameful state that must be corrected if we are to go forward as a unified arts community. I do not chastise the major arts institutions. They are very important to the overall arts climate, and as leaders, often provide resources to audiences across a wide range of diverse communities. I also respect the right of the philanthropic community to make its own choices and serve its own priorities. That is the way it is in the private world. Most of them have indeed acted with honor and vision and their support of the arts is not nor should be taken for granted. However, the evidence that there is a lag between stated good intentions and support is undeniably true. Many arts consortiums and advocate groups have reacted with passion, issuing eloquent vision statements that affirm their commitment to arts access, equity, and inclusion. The same can be said for public arts agencies, public agencies that rely upon public funding, taxpayer dollars. One such public arts agency has in fact enacted a new policy that asks potential funding partners to include their own statements of access and equity from their own organization, certainly a proactive move based on a year-long endeavor to assess the status of the county wide arts field. This is all well and good. But what comes next? What to do NOW? I would like the public arts agencies, those who rely upon public support for their salaries and very existence, to take the lead. To put their money where their mouth is; lofty statements are not enough. Look at the demographics of the State of California, the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles. Look at the taxpayer breakdowns of those areas, look at their profiles of those audiences. Are they being fairly represented? Are they being well served? Are they being supported by all the arts organizations or just the ones in their communities? And if not, then how do we do more to support those organizations that are in their communities and doing the work. How do we make the playing field more equitable, insure access, foster inclusion, and share the wealth? Put your money where your mouth is, redistribute the wealth. That is true access and equity. I expect more from us, especially the creative arts community. This is not my “Jerry Maguire” letter, at least I hope it isn’t. But this is my challenge to our own community. The public serving arts community, those hardy agencies who have had to survive the caprice and ignorance of some elected officials, the insular thinking of bureaucrats and the sheer manipulations of power brokers over the years, just to make sure the arts are in all of our daily lives. They deserve our respect and thanks. We have all seen the politicians play football with the NEA year in and year out. As an Arts Commissioner with the County for twenty years, I saw first-hand how hard our people worked to fund arts and support artists, and I have been a pain in the ass of the state agency for forty years, thus I respect what they have had to do to recover from collapse and thrive again. And yet we are here, now. And we need the public to lead the way, once again. Mom once said, “To know the problem is not enough. Once you know, you must do something to fix it.” (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.) continued from page 22 One Path Two Journeys Millard Sheets Art Center 1101 W. McKinley Ave, Pomona, 91768 To January 28th, 2018 Randi Matushevitz at huz Galleries HuZ galleries 341 W 7th St, San Pedro, 90731 To January 28th Analia Saban: Where We Start From opening reception Gemini G.E.L. 8365 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, 90069 To January 31 Biomythography: Currency Exchange Opening Reception California Lutheran University | William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art 160 Overton Ct, Thousand Oaks, 91360-2691 To February 1 Jim Morphesis // Kellogg University Art Gallery 3801 W Temple Ave, Pomona, 91768 To February 1 Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell Vincent Price Art Museum 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park, 91754 To February 10th She Bends: Women in Neon, Opening Reception MONA Museum of Neon Art
216 S Brand Blvd, Glendale, 91204 To February 11th Día de los Muertos: A Cultural Legacy, Past, Present & Future Self Help Graphics & Art 1300 E 1st St, Los Angeles, 90033 To February 24th Circles and Circuits I: Opening Reception and Curators’ Talk California African American Museum 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, 90007 To February 25 Hugo Crosthwaite Artist Reception “In Memoriam: Los Angeles” Museum of Social Justice 146 Paseo De La Plz., Los Angeles, 90012 To February 25th “Transpacific Borderlands” Japanese American National Museum 100 N Central Ave, Los Angeles, 90012 To February 25th
A Universal History of Infamy To February 19th Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage To January 7th Sarah Charlesworth: Doubleworld To February 4 On the Move: A Century of Crossing Borders To January 28th UCLA HAMMER Andrea Buttner To January 7th Hammer Projects: Molly Lowe JAN 20–MAY 6 Hammer Projects: Lawrence Abu Hamdan JAN 20–MAY 20 Unspeakable: Atlas, Kruger, Walker: Hammer Contemporary Collection JAN 20–MAY 13 Stories of Almost Everyone JAN 28–MAY 6 BROAD Jasper Johns: ‘Something Resembling Truth’ Feb 2018 to May 2018
Museums
MOCA Anna Maria Maiolino To January 22 Adrián Villar Rojas: The Theater of Disappearance To May 13 Real Worlds: Brassaï, Arbus, Goldin March 4 - September
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA)
THE UNDERGROUND MUSEUM Artists of Color
Patrick Martinez: America is for Dreamers Vincent Price Art Museum 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park, 91754 To April 7
To February 4 MOAH IMAGEN ANGELENO To January 14 It Takes A Village February 10 - April 22 Monica Wyatt - Continuum January 20 - March 3 Artist Talks: Virginia Katz hosts Susan Silton Eastside International / ESXLA 602 Moulton Ave, Los Angeles, 90031 January 11th 7-9pm Randi Matushevitz and Huss Hardan Closing Reception/Artist Talk HuZ galleries 341 W 7th St, San Pedro, 90731 January 27th 3-5pm Los Angeles Art Fairs: LA Art Show January 10-14 Art LA Contemporary January 25-28 StARTup Art Fair January 26-28
LA ART NEWS
BARLOW THE SLEEPY DRAGON
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by Jeremy Kaplan of READ Books
If my cousin was a small business, say a used bookstore, she’d go under in her first year of existence, likely because, rather than buying books, she’d purchase $5,000 in Keebler cookies & crack cocaine with a $1,000 line of credit. Her best friends are whimsy & caprice; her arch enemies are logic & math. When calculations do not work in her favor, she tends to get her hands on money that does not belong to her. This often puts her at odds with both the lawful owners of said money and the law. Many years ago I was quite like her, and I quite liked her. We share more than one anti-social interest. Sometimes I wonder whether the only big difference between us is that I understand math a little bit. Last month she purchased a bearded dragon utilizing (a) her rent money & (b) the offbeat logic that the money she spent (& would continue to spend) on her new reptile will prevent her from misallocating future funds on things less beneficial than lizards, such as crack. (Let that sink in for a moment)… Okay! My soon-to-be-homeless cousin brought her dragon to READ Books, explained to me the acumen of her purchase, and then offered to sell it to me at half the price ($150) she’d allegedly paid ($300) for it. My understanding of numbers and cousins led me to believe that she’d more likely spent $75 on her dragon and now hoped I’d pay twice that. Either way, I already have a dog and a cat. What do I want with a third animal that I’ll inevitably forget to feed? “His Name is Puff,” she said, shaking the chill, frilly bastard around in its little glass cage. “Cute,” I nodded. “Just like the damn song.” “Oh,” she said. “There’s a damn song? About puffing?” She then left. Well, that’s not exactly accurate. First she pretended to look at books. Then she slipped out the back door, leaving Puff, in her glass prison, on my counter. My plan was to take it back to my cousin, but my cousin no longer had a home. Then last week she took up residence in the Sybil Brand Correctional Institute, where captive pets apparently are not welcome. And that’s how I bought a pet bearded dragon for free! So in case you missed that, my cousin bought a lizard she didn’t want with money she didn’t have so that she wouldn’t have any money left to buy crack. And then she got caught stealing money for crack. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. (Might have been heroin, though.) “Puff is the sorta name you’d give to a stinky hippy,” observed my astute, cultivated son Donald, “who sits around playing folk songs on an acoustic guitar at hootenannies. This I cannot abide. Not in my home, brother.” “And this stinky hippy,” added my scientific son Steven, turning Puff over in his hands, “is a lady.” Thusly they decided to rechristen our girl Barlow, after Kissin’ Kate Barlow, the heroine of Holes who gets bit by a lizard bearing some reptilian resemblance to the artist formerly known as Puff. For several days this Barlow sat stoically in her penitentiary like a good dragon. And then she began a noisy, if futile attempt to crawl up her glass walls. She reminded me more than a little bit of her previous owner, struggling as she was to release herself on her own recognizance from the proverbial pokey. “There but for the grace of God,” thought I, “goes I.” So, with my giant hand, I busted her out of the clink. She stabbed her needle-like claws into my chest. Whilst wrenching her out of my flesh, I inadvertently dropped her on the floor. She dashed about 5-10 feet and then abruptly halted. Her little bug eyes closed. She was asleep. What we got here is a narcoleptic dragon. With a fucking beard. I might have been in love. The next time I manumitted Barlow, I set her on a pillow and transferred her to my bed, as neither pillow nor bed are liable to bleed as much as my chest does. Barlow climbed up the headboard, mounted the window sill, and began pressing her claws onto the lower sash of the window. My little girl was trying to bust out of my house, I shit you not. I present you with Exhibit A:
Barlow has heart, but she hasn’t thumbs. I read somewhere that if you love something you should set it free. Okay. But did the author of that adage ever love one who, upon leaving the house, was likely to be devoured by a hawk? So here’s what I’m thinking: maybe READ Books needs a new mascot; one that does not require twice-a-day walks, and will forever guarantee that no bug shall ever infest our bookly confines. The question that plagues me, though, is whether Barlow can piece together a coherent article like Florence does. Barlow? Flo? Who shall be the face of NELA literature?
JANUARY 2018
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LA ART NEWS
2017 LA KRAMPUS RUN
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The dark side of Christmas came to the streets of Downtown Los Angeles December 14, with the 2017 LA KRAMPUS RUN. Saint Nicholas was there, but, more to the point, those who had been naughty received a thrashing courtesy of Krampus and Frau Perchta.
BLiTZSTEiN Museum of Art
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428 N. Fairfax Ave. Los Angeles 90036
WWW.HarryBLiTZSTEiN.com JANUARY 2018
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LA ART NEWS
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