LA Art News August 2017 by LA Art News

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. 5

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AUGUST 2017

CELEBRATING LALO GUERRERO AT 100 Los Angeles is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lalo Guerrero, the Father of Chicano Music this summer . On July 23, La Plaza de Cultura Y Artes held “Lalopolooza: A Chicanofest Celebrating Lalo Guerrero,” featuring music, fashion, videos, and workshops. This followed a July 18 presentation at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting, during which Supervisor Hilda Solis remembered Mr. Guerrero as, “the musical historian of his beloved Chicano culture.” “His corridos told stories of the struggles and triumphs of Mexican American heroes,” said Supervisor Solis, “such as Cesar Chavez to Ruben Salazar.” Lalo Guerrero was born in 1916 in Tuscon. He arrived in Los Angeles in the ‘40s, and went on to record more than 700 songs across multiple musical genres, with lyrics that were political, inspirational, satirical, funny, and reflective of life in Los Angeles and the Southwest. His Pachuco music was a key component of Luis Valdez’ play and movie, “Zoot Suit.” In 1997, he was awarded the National Medal of the Arts by President Bill Clinton, the first Chicano to be thus honored. Mr. Guerrero passed away in 2005, at the age of 88. Vicky Tafoya at Lalopalooza

El Pachuco Zoot Suit Fashion Show at Lalopalooza

Dan Guerrero, son of Lalo Guerrero, accepts a certificate from Supervisor Hilda Solis and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors

GLENDALE EXHIBIT BRINGS VISIBILITY TO VICTIMS OF SEXUAL SLAVERY A powerful art exhibit in Glendale reflects the horrors experienced by “Comfort Women,” girls forced into sex slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army before and during World War II. More than 200,000 girls and women, most under the age of 20, some as young as 12, from South Korea, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and East Timor, were repeatedly raped, tortured, and forced to abort pregnancies. According to co-curator Anahid Oshagan, despite coming from different locations, the experiences of the girls were remarkably similar. Many Comfort Women committed suicide during their enslavement. At the end of the war, many were massacred as destruction of evidence. The exhibit, “Do the Right Thing: (dis)comfort women,” is as much about experiences after the war as during. The survivors lived in silence. They were not only traumatized, but they were ashamed and branded, called “Japanese leftovers.” “For most of these women,” says artist Chang-Jin Lee, “the sense of home was forever lost.” This continuing victimization is reflected in the exhibit, as images depict tongues amputated, eyes blurred out, and color schemes based on bruises. The first public pronouncement by a survivor came in 1991, nearly 50 years after the atrocities. The story continues. Japan still protests depictions of Comfort Women. And most women today are not aware of this chapter in women’s history. “Do the Right Thing: (dis)comfort women” represents an important step in making visible what has been denied. ReflectSpace is a new, immersive, exhibition space inside Glendale’s Downtown Central Library designed to explore and reflect on major human atrocities, genocides and civil rights violations and to facilitate community dialogue. The City of Glendale has proclaimed July 30 of every year as Comfort Women Day. Do the Right Thing: (dis)comfort women Through September 3 ReflectSpace Downtown Central Library 222 East Harvard Street, Glendale Co-curated by Monica Hye Yeon Jun, Ara Oshagan, and Anahid Oshagan. Artists: Steve Cavallo, Yoon Jung Choi, Shon Jeung Eun, Remedios Felias, Arian Kang, Chang-Jin Lee, Melly Lym, Hong Sun Myeong, Kim Siha, Gim Deok Yeoung, Shin Chang Yong, and Seo SooYoung.

The Peace Monument in Glendale’s Central Park, dedicated to the memory of more than 200,000 women removed from their homes and forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Armed Forces of Japan between 1932 and 1945

Glendale City Councilmember Paula Devine and performance artist Melly Lym. “What many of these young comfort women had to go through is indescribable with words…I want the audience to take part in feeling the weight that was forced on to these young women’s lives as I take the role as one of the comfort woman of Korea and cry out for her mama.” continued on page 2

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Hong Sun Myeong, Portrait #1708, 2017 Glendale Mayor Vartan Gharpetian cuts the ribbon opening Do the Right Thing: (dis)comfort women, accompanied by state and local representatives Steve Cavallo. “They are paintings of beauty and horror and a crime that has not changed its face throughout the years.”

Remedios Felias is a Filipina comfort woman who was abducted from her home village of Leyte and repeatedly raped by Japanese soldiers during WWII. After nearly 50 years of silence, she told her story with pictures, which was published in the book “The Hidden Battle of Leyte” in 1999. She passed away in 2005.

Shon Jeung Eun, The Song from Women of Amputated Tongues, 2011 (detail) Yoon Jung Choi, Pop Kids series, 2015-17

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CRATED FOR 63 YEARS

LARGE ZORTHIAN WORK MAKES 21st CENTURY AND WEST COAST DEBUT A large and magnificent work of art--crated for 63 years--saw the light of day again at Glendale’s Roslin Gallery in July. “The Divorcement” was crafted by artist and local cultural icon Jirayr Zorthian in 1954. The 77” x 101” paint and mixed-media work was Mr. Zorthian’s take on his divorce from his first wife, Betty Williams. Controversial elements include the depiction of his three children bound by chains and the depiction of his wife’s mother as a monster devouring money. The pale corpse of a son who died tragically is an angel across the top, influencing the situation. The divorce was very public (Betty Williams was an heiress, and the the case marked the first time in California a wife was ordered to pay alimony to a husband), and somewhere in the fracas, the decision was made that, after one brief showing in Chicago, the work was to be crated until after the deaths of both parties. Mr. Zorthian passed away in 2004, Ms. Williams in 2011. The uncrating of the work at Roslin Gallery was something like a television reality show. What was in the crate? What condition would it be in? After several minutes of drama during the removal of the crate nails, the crate was swung open--and the painting was backward. After a quick turnaround, however, it was revealed that the art work was still in perfect condition--its colors Jirayr Zorthian’s “The Divorcement” in its crate vibrant and its mixed media elements, including horse hair, photographs, text, and jewelry, intact. The art work does indeed convey the pain and anger of a relationship gone sour. Yet, “The Divorcement” is by no means a dark or solely maudlin work. It displays Mr. Zorthian’s ability as a colorist, more so than any of the artist’s other works that lined the walls at the uncrating. And Ms. William’s, as depicted here, is indeed beautiful. But it is a one-sided story, incomplete without the family members and friends who tell of Ms. Williams, a highly intelligent and talented person who lived in her husband’s shadow and as the victim of his rage until she decided to put an end to the situation. Jirayr Zorthian’s entire life was characterized by contrasts. He was born in 1911, as an Armenian in Turkey, where he witnessed the atrocities of the Armenian Genocide. His family escaped in 1922 and ended up in Connecticut. He graduated from Yale, and became a muralist with the WPA followed by the U.S. Army. When Mr. Zorthian and Ms. Williams bought a ranch in the foothills of Altadena, his claim to fame became as much his life at the ranch as his painting. The ranch itself was a work of art, featuring river rock and telephone pole structures. And his life became a work of art, as he and his second wife Dabney Zorthian hosted parties attended by Cal Tech scientists such as close friend Richard Feynman, jazz greats such as Charlie Parker, and arts world legends such a Andy Warhol. At these happenings, Mr. Zorthian would eat grapes as “Zor-Bachus” while naked nymphs danced around him. Roslin Gallery specializes in arts of Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora. It is located at 415 E. Broadway, Glendale, adjacent to Abril Bookstore. Seyburn Zorthian, daughter of Jirayr Zorthian, explains the context of her father’s work

Jirayr Zorthian, “Seyburn with Doll,” 1951 and “Seyburn Sitting on Stool,” 1952

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ARTISTS STRUGGLE TO SAVE LITTLE TOKYO AND ARTS DISTRICT Afraid that the Arts District is loosing its viability as a haven for artists, and afraid that Little Tokyo is loosing its historic identity as a Japanese American community, a group of artists has banded together under the banner Save Little Tokyo to try to preserve the unique identity of the area. The struggle centers around one of the last live-work spaces that working artists can afford. The 800 Traction building was designed about 1917 by famed architect John Parkinson, who also designed Los Angeles City Hall, Union Station, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, much of Downtown’s Spring Street, Bullocks Wilshire, and the historic city-owned bank building on North Figueroa in Highland Park. It was originally, as lettering across the building still proclaims, the Joannes Brothers building, for the manufacture and distribution of coffee, tea, spices, baking powder, and extracts. Located near the border of the Arts District and Little Tokyo, the building was a key piece of the 1980s development of industrial spaces alongside the Los Angeles River into viable arts spaces, and the building has since largely been occupied by Japanese American artists. These artists have been part of

SOME THOUGHTS GENTRIFICATION

By Tomas Benitez, Part One

Change is hard, and perhaps the only constant in life between birth and death. Change is also natural, whether gradual or rapid, and inevitable. There are things all around us to remind us of this process, from our own bodies to the world that surrounds us. But, when change is deemed to be unnatural, unexpected, imposed or unwelcome, we resist; an instinct also in our nature. Change is hard when it’s forced upon you, me, or us. Resistance becomes the natural state. So much has been debated about gentrification in Los Angeles in recent years, and hot spots such as Northeast Los Angeles and Boyle Heights have become storm centers for change, resistance to change, and the compounded elements that feed into the circumstances. “Gentrification” itself is a misnomer, defined as the “revitalization of a house or district to middle class taste; the process of making a person or activity more refined, or polite.” In our society these are values that are projected as meaningful, things to aspire to and achieve, but the mechanism to effect these changes has a legacy of cultural oppression and wholesale displacement, not merely gentrification. The process of gentrification is not solely driven by economic opportunism,

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the unique cultural life of both Little Tokyo and the Arts District for decades. But the building was recently sold to DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners, a New York City-based firm which already has holdings in Hollywood and Venice. The artists have been told to leave. Eight artist-residents are still working in the building’s lofts. They and community supporters are asking DLJ to accommodate, rather than evict the artists. They are also asking that DLJ managing partner Andrew Rifkin meet directly with residents prior to their forced eviction at the end of August. A petition has been started to gather community support for the artists. “What is an ‘Arts District’ without artists?” asks the petition. “What would Little Tokyo be without Japanese Americans?” DLJ has filed an application for HistoricCultural Landmark status for the building with the City of Los Angeles, a move which could lead to tax breaks for the firm, and would help ensure the preservation of the historic architecture, but which has little bearing on preservation of the existing use in service to artists. nor is it as simple as a racial or ethnic struggle, nor it is only a generational schism, nor a territorial feud among tribes; it is all of these elements. For Mexican Americans gentrification, or cultural displacement, began about five minutes after they discovered gold in California. Following the Mexican American War, the recitals of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo were abandoned immediately, and instead what followed was the divestiture of entire population, the purposeful colonization of a race and the imposition of second class citizenship through cultural, social and economic restraints. But they weren’t alone. Native Americans suffered the horror of genocide and occupation, African Americans went from the shackles of slavery to a purposeful status of crippling servitude. Asian American populations like the Chinese and Japanese survived much the same kinds of despicable practices, and subsequent waves of immigrants were treated with the same disrespect, notably the Italians and the Irish. Each of these communities did their best to survive and thrive, creating destinations like Little Italy in New York, South Boston, Boyle Heights and Little Tokyo. Whenever possible they bought their homes and properties in their communities, opened businesses and created a social cultural environment. But these clusters of different communities, including Harlem did more than that, they created a presence, a home base, and a fairly safe place to be found and living in America. Then, whenever the needs of the mainstream powers required

800 Traction Avenue The 800 Traction Avenue petition is available at www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-the-evictions-at-800traction-avenue.html

change, they imposed it, using a tool kit of legal and illegal invasion. They needed the site for the new Union Station, so the original Chinatown was brutally moved out. Bunker Hill was designated as the new financial district, and remnants of that community disappeared into the shadows of skyscrapers. They needed to build a freeway where we lived in Boyle Heights, so we were evicted through eminent domain. Other practices were imposed to keep certain communities in certain places, until such time as those places were also needed, such as the area now surrounding USC. Restricted covenants, red lining, rampant discrimination and economic stratagems were effective tools in the kit used to sustain the desired oppression of some communities. Most of the time, the process of gentrification has had at its root purpose tremendous financial gain, but coincidentally it has often been imposed by the white majority upon the nonwhite minority. Therefore, you simply cannot ignore the fact that race has historically been a factor. To be clear, I don’t expect anyone to bear the sins of their forefathers, but I do expect everyone to understand and recognizes that for many of us, we still bear the scars of our ancestors. Thus, this current struggle is not merely about throwing a rock through a coffee shop window; I abhor violence. It is about the sovereignty of an entire group of people under siege, historically and over the past eight years intensely, as well as the right to be, the right to a presence, the right to a home. Next: Art is Not Your Enemy!

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, Larisa Code, Madame X, Rachel McLeod Kaminer 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.

WHAT A SUMMER! August is the month that means vacation! But it also means meteor showers and other cool celestial happenings. Where are you going to see the eclipse? Some pretty amazing things are happening in this second month of summer. There’s more live music around LA than you have time to see. And of course there’s Play Music on the Porch and Alicia in Arroyoland if you want some local activities...although as you will learn reading about it here in the paper, Play Music on The Porch will happen in every state, as well as many countries around the world. But it was born here in Northeast Los Angeles. Maybe we need to send the great uniter, Brian Mallman to Washington to help unite the country! Speaking of Washington...talk about entertaining. What’s next? How long can our country take this? Are you creating any cool art to answer the sit show? Hope so...happy summer. Don’t forget to hydrate and put on your sunscreen. Thanks, Cathi Milligan Publisher, LA Art News

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?

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LA ART NEWS SECTION A

GOVERNMENT NOTES

OPTIMISM RE NEA FUNDING It appears that Congress may be poised to rebuff White House efforts to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The House Appropriations Committee in July approved funding of $145 million each for the NEA and the NEH for fiscal year 2018. This is a cut of $5 million each from 2017, and, according to Americans for the Arts, it falls short of the $155 million requested by a bipartisan group of 154 members of Congress, and short of the request for $150 million made by 40 Senators. However, it is not the complete elimination sought by the White House. The committee report specifically singles out the NEA’s participation in the National Initiative on Arts and the Military, advancing the practice of arts therapy for veterans and their families, which is led by Americans for the Arts. The appropriations measure also includes $885 million for the Smithsonian Institution, an increase of $22 million over the current year to enable operations to continue at the current level. The committee’s recommendations are now pending before the full House. The Senate has not yet acted. Current funding will run out at the end of September. CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING The House Appropriations Committee of the U.S. Congress has recommended maintaining funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting at its current level of $445 million. The committee also recommended that Ready to Learn, a Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti convened a gathering of grant program via the Department of Education that supports the creation of public television’s educational content for more than 100 religious leaders from across the City in children, be funded at its current level of $25.7 million. July to launch “Days of Compassion,” an interfaith effort “These federal funds are essential to local public television stations’ public service missions and to ensuring that everyone everywhere in America has access to these essential services,” said America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) president to rally community support in the fight to end chronic and CEO Patrick Butler in a statement. homelessness. (photo: Mayor Garcetti’s Office) “With the help of these funds,” said Mr. Butler, “public television helps millions of preschool children get ready to learn in school and succeed in life, and supports two million teachers who educate 40 million K-12 students in American classrooms every day. “With the help of these funds, public television delivers essential public safety services, providing the backbone for presidential communications with the American people in times of national emergency, linking local law enforcement and first responder agencies with one another and with the public, and partnering with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to use public television’s broadcast signal to enhance public safety communications through datacasting. “And with the help of these funds, public television serves as the ‘C-SPAN’ of state governments, hosts candidate debates at every level of the ballot, and produces 200 daily or weekly series on local public affairs, history and culture.” Missing from the appropriations proposal, however, is $55 million for the Interconnection System, which is used to distribute national programming and safety alerts to local stations throughout the country. RIP DANNY MUÑOZ Historian and preservation activist Danny Muñoz has passed away. Mr. Muñoz was a pioneer in the movement for creation of Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZs) in Los Angeles. He served as a board member of the Angeleno Heights HPOZ, president of the LA City Historical Society, president of the Associated Historical Societies of Los Angeles County, and co-founder of the Echo Park Historical Society. At a recent city meeting, Ken Bernstein, Manager of the City’s Office of Historic Resources, referred to Mr. Muñoz as, “clearly one of the pioneers of historic preservation and the HPOZ movement in Los Angeles.” L.A. OLYMPIC GAMES The Summer Olympics almost certainly will be coming to Los Angeles for a third time--but in 2028 rather than the originally hoped for 2024. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to award the hosting of the 2024 and 2028 games, and the Paralympics, to Los Angeles and Paris, with an order to be determined. This was followed a few weeks later by a Los Angeles press conference at which Mayor Eric Garcetti, flanked by athletic and political figures, announced that L.A. will be hosting in 2028. The IOC Evaluation Commission praised LA2024’s (now LA2028’s) sustainable, low economic risk Games Plan and its potential to help the Olympic and Paralympic Movements engage with the next generation, including the new IOC goal of presenting, “an Olympic project that best matches [the City’s] sports, economic, social and environmental long-term planning needs.” The commission expressed interest in the fact that most potential Olympic venues are already in place in Los Angeles, with additional elements to be provided by private investors or on a temporary basis. Public funding would not be relied on for any venue construction. The proposed Olympic Village at UCLA was singled out as, “Nothing short of the best for the best athletes in the world.” The IOC commission went on to link Los Angeles’ status an an entertainment capital to its ability to host the Olympics while drawing on “storytelling skills, creative energy and cutting-edge technologies to thrill and inspire the world.” The Los Angeles delegation to the July commission meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland was led by Mayor Garcetti. He was joined by the LA 2024 senior leadership team, consisting of entertainment and sports executive Casey Wasserman, financial adviser Gene Sykes, Olympic legend Janet Evans, and Paralympic legend Candace Cable. They were joined by the three IOC members from the United States, Anita De Frantz, Angela Ruggiero and Larry Probst; United States Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun; and Olympic track and field legends and members of the LA 2024 Athletes’ Advisory Commission Allyson Felix and Michael Johnson. According to the LA84 Foundation, more than three million local children have participated in sports activities funded by the profit from the hosting of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, a story LA 2028 hopes to replicate. COUNTY BUDGET FOR THE ARTS In April, Los Angeles County concluded an 18-month long process resulting in The Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative (CEII) report, detailing recommendations to the County Board of Supervisors to ensure that everyone in the County has equitable access to arts and culture. As part of its annual budget process, the Board has begun backing up those recommendations with funding. The County budget, which took effect July 1, includes: Development of a Los Angeles County Cultural Policy ($50,000 one-time); Requirement for cultural organizations that contract with the County to include statements, policies or plans for cultural equity ($50,000 ongoing); Expansion of college arts pathways through paid arts internships for community college students ($448,000 ongoing); Development of teen arts pathways to create access to work-based learning opportunities for teens ($230,000 ongoing); Placement of artists to work cross-sector to address social problems ($235,000 ongoing). LA Olympic and Paralympic bid leaders, including local Much of this programming builds on existing programming that has already proven effective and makes use of politicians and athletes, gather at Stub-Hub Center to existing resources such as arts venues, libraries, and parks spread among the County’s neighborhoods. The Organization Grant Program (OGP) of the LA County Arts Commission, which provides support for more announce that Los Angeles will host the 2028 Games. (photo: than 400 local entities, received level funding for 2017-18 at just over $4.5 million. Los Angeles 2028) County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who, together with Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, put forth the motion calling for the Cultural Equity programming in 2015, said, “The L.A. County Board of Supervisors has created, in my opinion, a historic opportunity to maximize L.A. County assets, including the institutions that it funds, the wider arts ecology throughout L.A. County, and the diversity and creativity of its residents, to help improve upon the lives and communities that we all represent.” “I think one of the things that we’ve looked to do on the board,” said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, “has to do with expansion out into lots of other communities where we have not been before…It has to do

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with, how do we make [the arts] a part of the overall fabric of the communities?” “And I think, looking more and more to the creative economy,” continued Supervisor Kuehl, “it is the biggest economy in the County overall. And the notion of interns, the notion of using our community colleges, the notion of connection so that people can think of this as a career path in ways they haven’t, And finally, I think also, the way the arts can bring a sense of humanity to everything, the way it opens us up…in all of the different ways that we touch communities, I think it’s really important.” “I think it’s fair to say that we will stand firm as a board in promoting the arts in an unprecedented way,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Ridley-Thomas. STATE BUDGET FOR THE ARTS The State of California’s budget has taken effect with approximately $19.48 million dedicated to the arts. This includes a $6.8 million permanent increase in funding for the California Arts Council. The budget also includes an additional $750,000 ongoing allocation to directly support increased arts programming for youth in California’s juvenile justice system and an additional $2 million increased allocation for California’s Arts in Corrections program. COUNTY ARTS DEPARTMENT? Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Mark Ridley-Thomas and Supervisor Sheila Kuehl have introduced a motion to explore possibilities for the development of an arts department within the governing structure of the County. “It’s exploratory in nature,” said Supervisor Ridley-Thomas, “but we are moving this arts agenda.” LITTLE TOKYO & SAN PEDRO OFFICIAL STATE ARTS DISTRICTS Little Tokyo and the San Pedro Waterfront Arts, Cultural & Entertainment District are the Los Angeles area designees, among 14 statewide, as official state Cultural Districts. A Cultural District, as outlined by the state program, is a well-defined geographic area with a high concentration of cultural resources and activities. Each of the 14 districts will receive the designation for a period of five years, per state legislation championed by Assemblymember Richard Bloom. Designation, under this pilot launch of the program, includes benefits such as technical assistance, peer-to-peer exchanges, branding materials, and promotional strategy. The Council has partnered with Visit California and Caltrans for strategic statewide marketing and resource support. “State-level designation of Cultural Districts, with California’s diverse geography and regional variety, allowed for an entirely new and comprehensive look at our deeply valued cultural assets,” said Donn K. Harris, California Arts Council Chair. “Each community’s personal and generational commitment to these assets speaks of a state deeply invested in the places and people that celebrate local traditions and creativity. Our goal with the pilot launch of this new program was to support a group of districts that met high but broad standards of coherence, vision, and purpose--ones that could set an example for districts that will follow as the program develops and grows.” ARTS IN CORRECTIONS The California Arts Council has awarded new contracts to 12 arts organizations providing rehabilitative services to California inmates through its Arts in Corrections program. Arts programming now reaches all 35 state adult correctional institutions – a significant increase from the 20 institutions served by the program in the previous fiscal year. “Arts programming helped me figured out what I want to do with my life, and bettering myself and how I react to situations,” said one participant at the California Institution for Women. “I don’t always have to blow up, I don’t always have to stuff it away. There’s a way to express it.” HARRY GAMBOA JR HONORED AT BOARD OF SUPERVISORS The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors honored artist, writer, educator, and activist Harry Gamboa Jr. at its August 1 meeting. After beginning his activism with the East L.A. Blowouts in 1968, protesting inferior education of eastside students, Mr. Gamboa went on to a celebrated career in the arts. He was a founding member of Asco in the 1970s. Asco used performance and visual arts to bring attention to the lack of Chicano inclusion in what was considered the mainstream art world and to depict the realities of Chicano life in Los Angeles, while pushing the boundaries of what was understood to be Chicano art. Mr. Gamboa is a lecturer with the Chicana/o Studies Department at California State University, Northridge and a faculty member of the Photo/Media Program at California Institute of the Arts, which he described at the Board of Supervisors meeting as, “where I have the opportunity to teach young people how to turn their talents into positive results for themselves and for society.” Mr. Gamboa’s own work has been exhibited by museums and art spaces nationally and internationally, including a current exhibition in Marseille, France. In September, “Harry Gamboa Jr.: Chicano Male Unbonded,” which calls into question the relationship between the stereotypes of Mexican American men and the far more diverse community of artists, writers, academics, performers, and other creative thinkers who identify as Chicano, will open at the Autry Museum of the American West.

Harry Gamboa Jr. is honored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. He was accompanied by his daughter Barbie Gamboa. (photo: Office of Supervisor Hilda L. Solis)

ENFORCING BUILDING CODES In the wake of the deadly Ghost Ship fire in Oakland, in which 36 people were killed in a make-shift artist live-work space and concert venue, much attention has been paid to how to force compliance with building codes. At the state level, AB 345, authored by Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, would increase the maximum fine for local building and safety code violations and add additional tools for cost recovery. The League of California Cities feels that the Ridley-Thomas measure addresses the difficult balance between creating situations that are overly burdensome for first offenders and the need to put some teeth into penalizing property owners who put lives and homes at risk. AB 345 has passed the Assembly and is pending before the State Senate. SUSTAINING DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has released a new report on the field of documentary filmmaking. The report is the product of a Documentary Sustainability Summit, held in cooperation with the International Documentary Association, at the NEA offices in Washington, D.C. on February 10. According to the report’s preface by NEA Media Arts Director Jax Deluca and International Documentary Association Executive Director Simon Kilmurry, the report represents, “a reflection of the day-today realities of maintaining a documentary career in an ever-changing cultural and business marketplace.” “The digital transformation is fundamentally altering how documentaries are produced, distributed, and viewed by audiences,” says the report. “Streaming technology, smart phones, and other advances are also making global distribution possible in ways that were unthinkable two decades ago. It is safe to say we are in the midst of this transformation, not at the end.” The report urges: More cross-sector collaborations, especially with technology companies; New or adaptable business models that offer better compensation to filmmakers; Greater understanding and deeper engagement with public officials; Recognition of the primacy of research in persuasive communication. The report concludes with recommendations for involvement by filmmakers in local sectors. “Take ownership of building local initiatives that offer solutions to filmmaker sustainability,” suggests the report. The complete report is available free of charge at www.arts.gov.

“Take ownership of building local initiatives that offer solutions to filmmaker sustainability.” --new NEA report

NEW U.S. POET LAUREATE New Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith (photo: Library on The United States Library of Congress has named Tracy K. Smith as the Poet Laureate for 2017-18. She will take up the Congress/Shawn Miller) position in the fall. Ms. Smith is a Pulitzer Prize winning writer. She is a professor at Princeton University, and she is the author of three books of poetry: “Life on Mars” (2011), “Duende” (2007), and “The Body’s Question” (2003). She is also the author of a memoir, “Ordinary Light” (2015). “Her work travels the world and takes on its voices; brings history and memory to life; calls on the power of literature as well as science, religion and pop culture,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in announcing the appointment. “With directness and deftness, she contends with the heavens or plumbs our inner depths—all to better understand what makes us most human.” The Poet Laureate is tasked with “raising the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry.” The official duties of the Poet Laureate are actually minimal, but many past Poet Laureates have used the position to initiate and support programming that broadens the audience for poetry. Ms. Smith is the 22nd Poet Laureate. She succeeds Juan Felipe Herrera. Past Poet Laureates have included Charles Wright, Natasha Trethewey, Philip Levine, W.S. Merwin, Kay Ryan, Charles Simic, Donald Hall, Ted Kooser, Louise Glück, Billy Collins, Stanley Kunitz, Robert Pinsky, Robert Hass, and Rita Dove. The Good Life by Tracy K. Smith When some people talk about money They speak as if it were a mysterious lover Who went out to buy milk and never Came back, and it makes me nostalgic For the years I lived on coffee and bread, Hungry all the time, walking to work on payday Like a woman journeying for water From a village without a well, then living One or two nights like everyone else On roast chicken and red wine.

LA ART NEWS SECTION A

REMEMBERING LIU XIAOBO: “OF LOVE’S TENACITY” by Margaret Rozga

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo’s recent death sent me back to re-reading the book where I first met and was inspired by him. Until I reviewed a copy of his June 4th Elegies, (http://www. versewisconsin.org/Issue113/reviews/liu_walker.html), I had not known of Liu Xiaobo. I surely must have heard his name when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 but not allowed by the Chinese government to attend the award ceremony in Oslo. If I heard, I paid scant attention. I knew, of course, of Tiananmen Square, the Beijing site where in 1989 pro-democracy Chinese students were massacred. Liu Xiaobo did not need to die, not now, not at his relatively young age, 61. Though he had cancer, he was well enough to travel. Treatment at a facility outside of China may have saved or at least extended his life. Instead the Chinese government transferred him from prison to a hospital where he was held under guard and refused him permission to leave the country. The world is poorer for his loss. We are, however, richer for the legacy he left: steadfastness in the cause of justice; undying love, belief in the power of words and the necessity of art. Re-reading his book I am stirred again by the powerful language, intrigued by the way his poetic lines worked in various ways with unpunctuated sentences in the poems, awed by how steadfast Liu was in remembering and writing each year for twenty consecutive years poems dedicated to the hundreds of people killed in Tiananmen Square. The title for the section of poems written for the twentieth commemoration provides an apt self-description: “June Fourth in My Body.” Though on this twentieth anniversary he opens with the assertion that June 4th now “seems more distant,” yet the images in the poem probe beneath that assertion. June 4th “remains a needle inside my body” and prompts him to undimmed emotional memory: Now, at this moment I can feel the sharpness of its point a point that illuminate the inner organs a sliding sharpness that purges spinelessness Throughout the book, powerful images convey his pain at the loss of so many lives in the process of China’s becoming an economic powerhouse. In the post-Tiananmen world “that plunged headfirst into the vast sea of trade” he writes that he is “a cripple / all alone / entering the crippled city” where survivors Hand freedom over to the stock market Greed and deception like the exhaust from a car pollute the air the sunlight and human expression Both governmental force and general indifference that leads to forgetting are killers of poetry, and Liu’s belief in the necessity of humane virtues as the wellspring of poetry is especially striking: “in the absence of compassion poetry perishes.” Liu is strengthened by the love of his wife, Liu Xia. He includes at the end of this volume five poems dedicated to her. She, too, remembers and honors those killed. She brings “home a bouquet of white lilies / each year on the 4th day of the 6th month.” The volume’s tour de force conclusion affirms the power of words and the transformative power of his relationship with his wife: “One letter is enough / for me to transcend everything and face / you to speak” Artists remember and thus resuscitate in a range of creative ways people and movements for social justice suffocated and dismembered by those who feel their power threatened. When writers, painters, photographers, film-makers, musicians, potters, and artists working in every other medium engage in such remembering, they give new life to the human rights values of compassion, equality, and freedom. Poet Frank X. Walker brings back to life slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers in Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers. California-born Kara Walker’s cut black paper silhouettes of historical images also call up ongoing racial and economic inequalities. Los Angeles lawyer and novelist Natashia Deon retrieves from the history of enslaved people the spirit of resistance and affirms human dignity in her compelling novel Grace. Mary Mallman’s exhibition Preserves, shown this summer at Another Year in LA, focuses on preserving and renewal in perhaps a quieter, though nonetheless palpable way. (http://anotheryearinla.com/2017_MaryMallman.htm) Mallman plays with the word “preserves,” creating ceramic jars, like jam jars, that represent threats to environmental well-being and the U.S. value of opening a door for “your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” In the elegance of her work, these values are revived and affirmed. The inside of each vessel is left empty to hold hope. New work and adaptation of existing pieces introduced in the three phases of this exhibit represent the erosion of memory and passage of time, but the insides remain untouched to hold hope. I like to think that one of Mallman’s containers holds hope for Liu Xia, Liu Xiaobo’s grieving widow who continues under house arrest in China. Preserving, remembering, is the vessel that holds hope. Forgetting allows injustice to continue. Liu bequeaths to us a legacy of deeply-embodied memory and courage to create anew from the sustenance of that deep well. Artists who link their art-making to building what Martin Luther King called the beloved community are in the tradition Liu Xiaobo represented throughout his life. May these artists be steadfast and flourish. May the spirit of Liu Xiaobo be with them and with us all. Margaret Rozga writes about history, civil rights, and the arts in both poetry and prose. Her recently published fourth book of poetry, Pestiferous Questions: A Life in Poems focuses on Jessie Benton Fremont(1824-1902) and ongoing questions of racism and sexism.

AUGUST 2017

PLAY MUSIC ON THE PORCH DAY

50 STATES 6 CONTINENTS AND YOUR PORCH

“Play Music on the Porch Day,” an international event with roots in L.A.’s Highland Park neighborhood, is coming to a porch near you on Saturday, August 26. All that is necessary to participate in Play Music on the Porch Day is a musical instrument--either fancy or make-shift. Simply step outside and make music. The event was created by Highland Park artist Brian Mallman, who was inspired by the sense of community created when people would gather on porches or street corners to sing and play music together. This seemed to be a dying art form, as people have come to experience music as a passive entertainment, rather than a participatory celebration of life. The first Play Music on the Porch Day was held in 2013. Word was put out on social media. And it struck a chord. In just four years, Play Music on the Porch Day has spread from Highland Park to every single state and at least 20 countries on six continents. “It’s a very simple concept, and people can interpret it how they want to,” says Mr. Mallman. “You can have a large event, or it can be as simple as sitting on your own porch and playing.” Please consider sharing a video or photo of your participation on social media. SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 2017 (always

Bluegrass Music on the Front Porch near Apsley, Ontario, Canada (Anita Wierdsma Locke)

the last Saturday of August) LOCATION: WORLDWIDE! ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE! TIME: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. Instagram - playmusicontheporchday Twitter - @PlayMusic_Porch Facebook - Playmusicontheporchday Charles Miller of Garvanza, Los Angeles, CA prepares for Play Music on the Porch Day.

Henry Chavez of Glendale, CA prepares for Play Music on the Porch Day

LA ART NEWS SECTION A

Arroyo Arts Collective and Teatro Arroyo present: ALICIA IN ARROYOLAND The Arroyo Arts Collective and Highland Park’s Teatro Arroyo present the world premiere of ALICIA IN ARROYOLAND, Join Alicia Lopez of Highland Park as she discovers Arroyoland, a mystical, magical world populated by the likes of Charles Fletcher Lummis, Native Shamaness Toypurina, and Chicken Boy--as well as a White Rabbit, a Mad Hatter and Her Majesty the Queen of Hearts. ALICIA IN ARROYOLAND Written by Ralph Waxman Directed by Guillermo Avilés-Rodríguez Produced by Teatro Arroyo and the Arroyo Arts Collective Courtesy of the Eastside Arts Initiative Saturday and Sunday, August 12 and 13, August 19 and 20 Showtimes: 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. each day The Audubon Center at Debs Park 4700 North Griffin Avenue Admission is FREE www.teatroarroyo.com (photos: Lisa Boss)

AUGUST 2017

ALICIA IN ARROYOLAND

A Message From the Author by Ralph Waxman

In the January issue of LA Art News, I wrote a piece titled The Art Of The Deal New Real, which explored the initial response to Trump’s election by the creative community. At that time, I was beginning to writing the first draft of Alicia in Arroyland- a play inspired by Alice in Wonderland, but set here in Highland Park. As the script evolved, it became clear that the play’s dramatic elements of displacement, tolerance and community empowerment were becoming more pronounced by the toxic events that were unfolding from Washington on a daily, if not hourly basis. As I write this followup, the idea of speaking truth to power, by way of artivism has clearly informed my process. As defined by M.K. Asante: “The artivist (artist + activist) uses her artistic talents to fight and struggle against injustice and oppression—by any medium necessary. The artivist merges commitment to freedom and justice with the pen, the lens, the brush, the voice, the body, and the imagination. The artivist knows that to make an observation is to have an obligation.” Alicia in Arroyoland , a free, family event opens on Saturday, August 12 at the Audubon Center at Debs Park, and we have been blessed to be surrounded by an amazing group of artists and supporters from throughout our local community. It has renewed my faith in the ability of Art to and transcend and transform. The Arroyo Arts Collective and Teatro Arroyo invite you to come and experience the magic of Arroyoland, which is really the magic of Highland Park. “One of the deep secrets of life is all that is really worth doing is what we do for others” - Lewis Carroll -Ralph Waxman is a cofounder of Highland Park-based Teatro Arroyo and a board member of the Arroyo Arts Collective.

John McIntyre is proud to be affiliated with Dilbeck Estates/Christie’s International Real Estate and Luxury Portfolio. He specializes in the marketing of distinctive and historic properties. These homes require specific expertise and individual attention. A home represented by John receives special handling through a company that has marketed local properties for over fifty years. Through strategic networking and exclusive affiliations with estates brokers worldwide, Dilbeck listings are targeted to the hard-to-reach home buyers. Selling your home should be a professional and rewarding experience. John McIntyre and Dilbeck Estates are dedicated to making that a reality.

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CalBRE#01377075

323.481.6229 | john.mcintyre@dilbeck.com If your home is currently listed with another Broker, this is not intended as a solicitation.

LA ART NEWS SECTION A

NELAart

On the Secon Elysian Valley, art and eateri the updated l

Northeast Los Angeles Arts Organization, Inc.

August 12, 2017 - 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

20. Toros Pottery 4962 Eagle Rock Blvd 323.344.8330 torospottery.com

2. Bike Oven 3706 No Figueroa

21. The Market 1203 Avenue 50 www.themarkethp.com

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

22. Bob Taylor Properties 5526 N. Figueroa St. 323-257-1080 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

7. Collective Arts Incubator 1200 N. Ave 54 collectiveartsincubator.com

26. MAN Insurance Ave 50 Satellite 1270 N. Ave 50 323.256.3151

8. The Art Form Studio 719 Figueroa St, #2. www.theartformstudio.com

27. TAJ • ART 1492 Colorado Blvd. www.tajartinc.com

9. Vapegoat 5054 York Blvd. 323.963.VAPE

28. The Greyhound 570 N. Figueroa St.

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

AUGUST 2017

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

38. Highland Cafe 5010 York Blvd. 323.259.1000 39. Kindness and Mischief 5537 N. Figueroa St. www.kandmcoffee.com 40. Civil Coffee 5639 N. Figueroa St. 41. Possession Vintage 5119 York Blvd. www.possessionvintage.com 42. The Situation Room 2313 Norwalk Ave. 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 Erin Hanson Gallery 2732 Gilroy St. erinhanson.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. Imperial Art Studios 2316 N. San Fernando Rd. 50. Pop Secret 5119 Eagle Rock Blvd. 51. Showboat 6152 York Blvd. showboatgallery.com 52. Leader of the Pack 5110 York Blvd. www.leaderofthepackvintage.com 53. Short Hand 5028 York Blvd. shopshorthand.com 54. Kinship Yoga/Wonder Inc. 5612 Figueroa St.

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.

17 20 42

35 18

11 44 12 16 21

41 46 48 14 31 13

31 36 47

4 29 34 9 23 5 26 3 24 5319 3 38

40 5 8 4 10 395 28 43 6 54 22

48 49 23

32 2 15

Visit us at NELAart.org LA ART NEWS

NELAART SECOND SATURDAY JULY 2017

Las Fotos Project A Woman’s Work, Youth Photo Exhibit.

Matt Jones Gared Luquet An art show and fundraiser for Oliver and Allison during his ongoing dance with cancer, at Keystone Gallery

Kelly Brumfield-Woods: Subverted David Diaz: Vessels at TAJ • ART

Ronald J. Llanos, Snapshots, at Avenue 50 Studio Leonard Greco, Fairyland, at Avenue 50 Studio

AUGUST 2017

PAAX: Hyperforms of the Marvelous

Bebop Records and Fine Art window display at Social Study

Void by Patrick Paax, at Collective Arts Incubator Antonio Perez, Abstraction in an Abstract World, at Avenue 50 Studio Satellite Gallery

Mallory Bass, COLORS, at Namaste Highland Park

Jordan Quintero, Organitexture, at Align Gallery

Denise Cortes, Come Forth as Gold, at Mi Vida

Frank Ayala, The Blues, North of the Grapevine, at Avenue 50 Studio

Ceramics by Sasha Wachtel at Kinship Yoga

Study with artist Narcissus Quagliata! New Frontiers in Fluidity October 27–30 You’ll learn how to combine traditional glass painting methods and enamels with kiln-glass processes to make images with a powerful sense of ﬂuidity.

Bullseye Glass Resource Center Los Angeles 143 Pasadena Ave, Suite B, South Pasadena 323.679.4263 bullseyeglass.com/losangeles

LA ART NEWS SECTION A

GRILLED FIGS ARE GLORIOUSLY SIMPLE

It’s that time of the year again! The onslaught of ripening figs is happening faster than we can keep up with. Here is a really easy way to enjoy some grilled figs, and gobble them down without making a huge production out of it. Enjoy! grilled figs in lettuce cups with caramelized onion & chèvre 6-8 fresh figs 1 tbsp. grass fed or coconut butter 1 Vidalia onion, sliced stir-fry style 2 tbsp. fresh sage, julienned 1 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar 1 lime, divided in half 8-10 butter lettuce leaves Sea salt and pepper 2-3 oz. chèvre (goat cheese) 1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives (optional garnish) Cut the figs in half. Heat a bbq grill, or stovetop grill or griddle. In a medium sauté pan, heat the butter then add the onions and sage. Sauté on low-medium heat until the onions start to become tender and brown slightly. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir into the onions as it evaporates. Lower the heat and let simmer slowly until the onions are very soft and slightly caramelized. Squeeze juice from half the lime into the onions and let stir in. Taste for a bit of salt and pepper. Sear the figs, cut side down first on the grill or griddle, until they are brown and caramelized on their open side. Turn over and continue cooking until they just get soft all the way through, but still hold their firm shape. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a plate or platter. Divide the onion mixture evenly on each lettuce leaf. Place one or two figs on each lettuce leaf, depending on size and how they fit.Then, sprinkle pieces of goat cheese on each lettuce leaf.Garnish each leaf with a sprinkle of chives.Cut the remaining lime into little wedges,and place alongside your completed lettuce cups.Serve immediately. Harvey Slater is a holistic nutritionist and chef residing in Highland Park. You can find more healthy recipes like this one on his blog: thewholedishblog.com

WINE OF THE MONTH Larisa Code

Note: Create joy, one sip at a time. Featured Wine: La Boutanche Grasshopper Color: Rose’ (dry) Vintage: 2016 Price: Under $20 Producer: Andi Knauss Country: Germany Region: Wurttemberg Grape Variety: Trolinger Twist off cap I have a soft spot for German Rosé. I know it is quite common to lean towards wines made in Provence, when it comes to rosé. But, as pink wines have become more and more popular, we are being inundated with bottles of sub-par rosé, especially from Provence, so do your research, and in the meantime, dabble in German rosé, as Germany comes

AUGUST 2017

up with some spectacular and unique selections. This month, I am introducing you to La Boutanche, Grasshopper. Please note the ‘grasshopper,’ as there are quite a few of the Boutanche series I have not tried…yet: fish, pig, French bulldog, and gorilla. I bet they are all yummy, as the importer, Selection Massale’s focus was to give us what we want--an under $20, natural wine, with native yeast fermentation and low to no sulfur. For the grasshopper, they partnered with Andi Knauss. Knauss went to wine school, then apprenticed in Austria, learning the organic process of wine making. His grapes are grown in limestone rich soil. Although he is not certified organic, his wine is produced with organic practices. This is a dry wine, crisp, with watermelon, a little citrus and a nice amount of mineral which makes it more complex. Just because I had a craving, I paired it with chili con carne, and it really was a lovely match with the tomatoes and the spicy red pepper. As always, I did excruciating research and also really enjoyed this with fried chicken and a side of bruschetta. My taste buds kept telling me to pair this wine with tomatoes. Out of curiosity, I did a little online research, as far as pairing this wine, and one person recommended this wine be served with tomato-based dishes, so I am not alone. On a side note, I also did pair it with a bowl of popcorn, and that was nice too. I think La Boutanche grasshopper is just that, nice, and will go well with a large variety of foods and friends and music. Because of that, Anne Litt on KCRW played a perfect mix to pair with this wine, AND I also enjoyed it with the soundtrack from Rushmore, an oldie, but a goody. Cheers!

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 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

Adult Adult Adult Class Kids Class open studio open stuKids & Par-

Molten Metal Works NEW LOCATION 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 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 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. Free Weekend Workshops for Youth: “A Sense of Place: Art, Literacy, Music workshops, Community Garden 3rd Saturday: Rumbero Workshop with Troy Parker 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

Blue Rooster Art Supply Company blueroosterartsupplies.com blue@blueroosterartsupplies.com 4661 Hollywood Blvd LA, CA 90027 (323) 302-5613

A Place to Bead 2566 Mission St San Marino, CA 91108 626.219.6633 aplace2bead.com

They offer a variety of art classes. Check their web site for more information about their classes and events.

Find a variety of jewelry making classes, including stringing and wirework.

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. Los Angeles County Store 4333 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 / 323-928-2781 Please check their web site for a listing of all of their classes and special events.

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.

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.

co-LAB Gallery 5319 York Blvd. http://co-lab-gallery.myshopify.com Check their schedule for fresh classes.

LA ART NEWS SECTION A

20 vase T.J.C. water, soggy stalks. There’s only one dish in the sink. I wash it. I’m smelling (excerpts from Attendance) it in here, or I carried it home. I carried it home in my head or I carried it by Rachel McLeod Kaminer home on my skin. Or in it. Since a week and a half, motorcycles everywhere. Tonight not a single pigeon neither at entrance nor at exit. But three 16 June Whittier Narrows: Red-tailed hawk: Giant, powerful, pink in the motorcycles on the drive. Motorcycle flinch in the morning. tail fan. 28 June 11:30 p.m.--still feels not-mine to write about the scents in my 21 June LAC/USC: Raven in that shade conifer. Throat-croak-warble? house when I come home. My sister Sarah is a critical care nurse and Percussion on hardwood? If croak mean something more like croon. she answers me, “I can be as explicit as you want.” Morphine, air hunger, Perhaps song. Part of the day is this sound, listening for it and sifting prolonging, most people don’t go until, hearing is the last sense. through words. Too, the pigeons outside the dark hospital seem to be their own tribe: different flights, different rustles. Same as the rest with the white, 12:something a.m.--Jeanie texts, “he just left us.” I don’t look; we said bright underwings. Not luminous glow. Not gentle in the the night, no goodnight. She calls minutes later. Thank you, I say. I kept holding her in matter how warmly I tell you about my day, no matter how deep your her tears last night, and night before, small in my arms, tall me long arms, breaths are (regular, regulated), no matter that I only hand sanitize five it still wasn’t getting to me. What wasn’t? times and my knuckles don’t dry this time. (There’s still tar or another carbon in a thick deposit inside your right hand.) The size medium glove There’s a bang on the door. Think of the color of the courtyard paint. box is full. 30 June 22 June It’s dying wrong that--it’s so cold in these rooms--there is a video of the hit at the intersection--don’t watch it--Hawks, hawks, then this skin tender heat. I take the youngest two classes swimming, all boys, fierce bodies, tenderizer easy soft ones, tiny muscled ones. Keep teaching them to float. Kicking pigeons on the balustrade and breathing. Then float. Again. One of them, tension bound and not peacock who won’t speed up out of the road an inch of fat to help, loosens. Eases his shoulders and neck, floats even. if skin can be tired Relax but a different kind of relax. I also teach them to pull each other to if fatigue is heat between muscle and bone // layer where it should touch safety without falling in themselves. You, on the other had. Your shoulders bone and neck were in a serious immobilization; now, it seems that there are the meat on the bone different concerns. It’s hard to imagine what’s more important than your the meat falling off the bone neck and spine. It’s not hard to imagine, it’s hard not to imagine. 1 July Silent birds in the bamboo; no hummingbirds yet. The high pitched noise is gone before I ask if anyone else hears it, too. These wrecks. And behind them, 27 June La Tuna Canyon: Hawk sparring with two ravens above the behind, ahead miles, everywhere on the underneath surface canyon. this cauldron full of what if not blood, anger, love Hawk, giant, right above the lip of the 2 as it passes the Verdugo Hills. a clarity that this time won’t discard itself ? Upstreaming in meandering loops. Not meandering at all; you understand. (You are not riding up the 2 into the mountains on the motorcycle.) And Copyright Avenue 50 Studio. From “Trees of Life,” a publication and then Alex calls. event in support of traffic safety and an end to pedestrian fatalities on North Figueroa Street and in Los Angeles. 12:30 a.m.--I come home from the hospital and there are smells as soon as I walk in the door. I empty the flowers where I left them too long in the

AUGUST 2017

CEMETERIES

By Jen Hitchcock

When life becomes just a bit too much for me, I turn to the dead. I have always found great solstice walking around cemeteries. I grew up in New England, so there was no shortage of beautiful and yes, perhaps a little creepy, wonderful graveyards to meander around and explore. It was something I would do to escape the weight of my family and the pressures around growing up in general. To me, they are the ideal place to hide from the world. Graveyards are quiet, green, lush and tree-lined. Best of all, unlike public parks, even in the largest cities, you can often be completely alone in them. And an added bonus--the dead can’t throw Frisbees at the back of your head, set up bouncy houses or let their unfriendly dogs off leashes to poop everywhere you want to spread out a blanket. The folks that inhabit our burial grounds are the best people to share space with when you are feeling unsocial. Recently, my life has entered a time of transition, and everything is a bit painful and uncertain right now. Harkening back to my favorite way of finding some peace, I sought out an old haunting ground (admittedly very weak pun intended), The Hollywood Forever Cemetery. In twenty-seven years living in Los Angeles, I had only visited once or twice during the day, and didn’t spend much time wandering the grounds when I did. So this time, I took my time. It is a true Hollywood cemetery. I love how the monuments to the dead are extremely varied-- epic, breathtaking and often over the top. Mickey Rooney, short in stature but big in personality has a slab of stone to match. It is gigantic. Meanwhile, one of my favorite bombshells, Jayne Mansfield, has a very modest stone. When I found her, I sat beside her for some time and took in the gorgeous eternal view she now enjoyed (I hope). Some of the older stones are in the shadow of the Paramount lot, including a grave dated from the 1930’s of a man named… Harry Potter. At this time when I am unsettled and full of uncertainty, disquiet and questioning where the story of my life is going, walking around stones and imagining how all these lives were lived, all the stories and layers of living, makes what I am going through a bit less overwhelming. It was healing to walk across grass that was pillow soft, and stroll amongst gorgeous peacocks, while also dodging a metallic green June bug here and there. Weaving in-between monuments to the dead is oddly comforting. As is the reminder that there is only one certainty in life, that we all share the same grand finale. We don’t make it out alive. And perhaps because I am weird, this brings me to a place where I can begin to believe that a life well lived is one that embraces uncertainty, more than fears it. The twists and turns that life throws us are not something to dread, because this is what it is to be alive.

BOOK SHOW EVENTS Saturday August 5th 7pm A Land Apart Reading & discussion with southwest historian Flannery Burke Free

Abril Books, Glendale

Thursday August 10th 7pm-9pm Creativity workshop “Empowerment Through Creativity” $49 Saturday August 12th Embroidery Workshop Email Bookshow for more info Wednesday August 16th Laughterhouse 5 Comedy Open Mic Hosted by Sumukh Torgalkar 7pm sign up 7:30 start Thursday August 17th 8pm Dinner Poems Poetry workshop Led by Sam Bellemy $5 donation Friday August 18th 7:30pm Vermin On The Mount Irreverent Reading Series Hosted by Jim Ruland Free Thursday August 24th 7:30pm Laughterhouse 5 Comedy night Hosted by Sumukh Torgalkar Donation ONGOING EVENTS and WORKSHOPS Collage & Cry Monthly, every 1st Tuesday 7pm-9:30pm Collage night All materials provided Five dollar donation

by Stuart Rapeport

EAT ART OPEN MIC Monthly, every 1st Friday Poetry and Prose Open Mic 8pm sign ups

LA ART NEWS SECTION A

ART HAPPENINGS AROUND LOS ANGELES PRESENTED BY SHOEBOX PR UPCOMING OPENINGS Artist & Residence Opening Reception Bernardo Hale Gallery 652 N. Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles, 90004 Opening August 4th 6-9pm First Friday August /// Annie Owens + Special Guests La Luz de Jesus August 2017 La Luz De Jesus Gallery 4633 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, 90027 Opening August 4th 8-11pm TBD Presents presents ETC., a multimedia popup basic flowers , 242 S Broadway, Los Angeles August 4th 7pm Ann Hamilton - New Work, Artist Reception Gemini G.E.L. 8365 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, 90069 Opening August 5th 5-8pm

Armenian Arts 1125 S. Central Ave, Glendale, 91204 Opening August 12th 7pm Cratedigger | Vol.2 Gabba Gallery 3126 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, 90057 Opening August 12th 7-11pm

Black is a color - Curated by Essence Harden Alexander Reben - Wax Chromatic Charlie James Gallery 969 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, 90012 To August 19th

Extra/Introspection, a part of Maiden L.A. TAM Torrance Art Museum 3320 Civic Center Dr N, Torrance, 90503 Opening August 12th 1-3pm

Perspectives in California Captivity GARBOUSHIAN GALLERY 427 N Camden Dr, Beverly Hills, 90210 To August 11th

Faces in the Crowd Avenue 50 Studio 131 N Avenue 50, Los Angeles, 90042 Opening August 12th 7-10pm

Andrea Zittel Regen Projects 6750 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, 90038 To August 12th

FDB 1-Year(ish) Anniversary and Open Studio 136 S Berkeley Ave, Pasadena, 91107-4052, August 12th 2-10pm

A Vein is a River Why Art Matters! TAM Torrance Art Museum 3320 Civic Center Dr N, Torrance, 90503 To August 12th

ArtOnScene: Group Show “BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL” Art On Scene 8521 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, 90069 Opening August 5th 6-9pm

Mike Saijo “Boundaries of the Soul” Opening BG Gallery 2525 Michigan Ave Suite G8A, Santa Monica, 90404 Opening August 12th 6-9pm

Clothing Optional: MFA Post-Graduate Exhibition Night Gallery 2276 E 16th St, Los Angeles, 90021 Opening August 5th 6-9pm

Moment’s Captured Beyond The Lines Gallery 2525 Michigan Ave. #G-8, Santa Monica, 90404 Opening August 12th 5-9pm

Karen Lee Williams - Portuguese Bend Monte Vista 1206 Maple Avenue, 5th floor, #523, Los Angeles, 90015 Opening August 5th 7-9pm

On The Grid Gallery Opening at Art Share L.A. Art Share-LA 801 E 4th Pl, Los Angeles, 90013 Opening August 12th 7-10pm

Ludovica Gioscia at Baert Gallery Baert Gallery 2441 Hunter Street, Los Angeles, 90021 Opening August 5th 6-9pm

Projections Faces in the Crowd Avenue 50 Studio 131 N Avenue 50, Los Angeles, 90042 Opening August 12th 7-10pm

Maiden La Santa Fe Art Colony Event Santa Fe Art Colony 2421 S Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles, 90058 Opening August 5th 12-5pm Simone Gad-Male Pinup Collages Highways Performance Space 1651 18th St, Santa Monica, 90404 Opening August 5th 11-2pm Thinkspace Art Opening: Josh Keyes, Ken Flewellyn & Terry Arena Thinkspace Gallery 6009 Washington Blvd, Culver City, 90232 Opening August 5th 6-9pm

Mike McLain “Carolina” at Shoebox Projects Shoebox Projects 660 South Avenue 21 #3, Los Angeles, 90031 Opening August 13th 3-6pm Chocolate and Art Show Los Angeles The Vortex 2341 E Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, 90021 August 18th and 19th 7pm to 2am Striking Portraits: Opening Reception BG Gallery 2525 Michigan Ave Suite G8A, Santa Monica, 90404 Opening August 19th 5-8pm

Venice: Now & Then Mike Kelley Gallery 681 Venice Blvd, Venice, 90291 Opening August 5th 5-8pm

Summer In Love ARTLIFE GALLERY 720 C S. Allied Way El Segundo, 90245 Reception August 19th

Verdant Loop Tiger Strikes Asteroid Los Angeles 1206 Maple Avenue, 5th fl. 523, Los Angeles, 90015 Opening August 5th 7-10pm

Susan Joseph: Hopeful Monsters Groundspace Project 1427 E 4th St, Los Angeles, 90033 Opening August 19th 6-9pm

Wares: Ceramics Traditions in Contemporary Practice Eastside International / ESXLA 602 Moulton Ave, Los Angeles, 90031 Opening August 5th 7-10pm

LA Weekly’s Artopia Union Station Los Angeles 800 N Alameda St, Los Angeles, 90012 August 26th 8-11pm

Wooleyes UCPLA Washington Reid Gallery 6110 Washington Blvd, Culver City, 90232 Opening August 5th 6-9pm

UnSilent Spring Gallery Opening at Art Share L.A. Art Share-LA 801 E 4th Pl, Los Angeles, 90013 Opening September 1st 7-10pm

XYZ at Durden and Ray Durden and Ray 1923 S. Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles, 90021 Opening August 5th 4-7pm

ONGOING EXHIBITIONS

La Artcore 3rd Annual Competition & Exhibition LA Artcore 650 A South Avenue 21 Los Angeles, 90031 August 6th 1-3pm Passage to the Future : opening reception Arena 1 Gallery 3026 Airport Ave., Santa Monica, 90405 Opening August 11th 6-9pm Rainbow SHIFT 3.0 The Montalban 1615 Vine St, Los Angeles, 90028 Opening August 11th 7-11:59pm 2017 California Open Exhibition TAG Gallery 5458 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, 90404 Opening August 12th 5-8pm A Bright and Guilty Place - Open Studio Virginia’s studio 656 W. Arbor Vitae Inglewood, 90301 August 12th 3-6pm Bloody Mess by Anna Kostanian

AUGUST 2017

Leonard Greco “Fairyland” at Avenue 50 Studio Avenue 50 Studio 131 N Avenue 50, Los Angeles, 90042 To August 8th

Cedarfest: 32nd Annual Juried Arts Festival MOAH: CEDAR 44857 Cedar Ave, Lancaster, 93534 To August 5th Dani Dodge solo show Personal Territories at MOAH:Cedar MOAH: CEDAR 44857 Cedar Ave, Lancaster, 93534 To August 5th Doublespeak: Yale MFA Photography 2017 Shulamit Nazarian 616 N La Brea, Los Angeles, 90036 To August 5th FRESH 2017 (cont.) Opening Reception South Bay Contemporary SOLA Gallery 3718 WEST SLAUSON AVENUE, Los Angeles, 90043 To August 5th JOE RAY: Complexion Constellation - opening reception Diane Rosenstein Fine Art 831 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, 90038 To August 5th Cut It Out Gallery Opening at Art Share L.A. Art Share-LA 801 E 4th Pl, Los Angeles, 90013 To August 6th

“Harbinger” Summer Group Show FP Contemporary 5835 Washington Blvd. Culver City, 90232 To August 12th Kysa Johnson l As Above, So Below Joachim Schulz: Blumenstilleben: Flower Still Lifes Von Lintel Gallery 2685 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, 90034 To August 12th Nicole Gordon, Dehydrated Rainbow Redd Walitzki, Stranger than Earth Defying Gravity Group show Corey Helford Gallery 571 S Anderson St Los Angeles, 90033 To August 12th Razvan Boar - EZ Valley Nicodim Gallery 571 S Anderson St, Los Angeles, 90033 To August 12th You Have No Sound Exhibition - Opening Reception Irvine Fine Arts Center 14321 Yale Ave, Irvine, 92604 To August 12th Jimena Sarno: home away from Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions 6522 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, 90028 To August 13th Peter Hess - “Woodworks” Coagula Curatorial 974 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, 90012 To August 13th Artist & Researcher Art Show Hoyt Gallery, in the Keith Administration Building 1975 Zonal Ave, Los Angeles, 90033 To August 15th Andy Kolar, “Easy now.” Walter Maciel Gallery 2642 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, 90034 To August 18th Alexa Guariglia: Reading in the Dark | Opening Reception, 6-9 PM Moskowitz Bayse 743 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, 90038 To August 19th Analia Saban Sprüth Magers L.A. 5900 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, 90036 To August 19th Body Without Organs, curated by Rives Granade OCHI Projects 3301 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, 90018 To August 19th Brad Miller, Ryan Callis, and Twenty/20 Edward Cella Art & Architecture 2754 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, 90034 To August 19th Jeanine Oleson: Can you feel it? Commonwealth and Council 3006 W 7th St Suite 220, Los Angeles, 90005 To August 19th

continued on page 23

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

The Highland Park Independent Film Festival Mentorship Program at Franklin High School enjoyed a private screening of their short film, “Zombie Apocalypse,” on Thursday, July 26. The students and their friends and families gathered at the Warner Bros Studios for refreshments before the film screened at the Studio’s Archival Building. The Director, Producers, Actors and Crew took questions from the audience after the screening and talked about their experience making the film. Some of the students have graduated since the completion of the film, and the ones now in film school gushed about how they are applying the skills they learned in the program in their college studies. (photo credit: Highland Park Independent Film Festival)

continued from page 22 Flowers To Make Up For Everything The Lodge 1024 N Western Ave, Los Angeles, 90029 To August 19th

Places & Spaces CMay Gallery 8687 Melrose Ave, Ste B226, Los Angeles, 90069 To August 25th

MORRIS LOUIS Honor Fraser 2622 S. La Cienega Blvd Los Angeles, 90034 To August 19th

Theia Mania Open Mind Art Space 11631 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, 90025 To August 25th

The Cityscape Show VII George Billis Gallery 2716 S La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, 90034 To August 19th

David Trulli: (space) Men in the Cities Robert Berman Gallery 2525 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, 90404 To August 26th

Theodora Allen: Vigil + Jim Shaw Blum & Poe 2727 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, 90034 To August 19th

Delfin Finley’s Some Things Never Change Lora Schlesinger Gallery 2525 Michigan Ave Suite B5b, Santa Monica, 90404 To August 26th

Mikael B “Reality Shift” Gregorio Escalante Gallery 978 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, 90012 To August 20th Opening Reception | Material as Metaphor Craft and Folk Art Museum 5814 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, 90036 To August 20th Soluble Power Carnegie Art Museum 424 S C St, Oxnard, 93030 To August 20th Diverted Destruction 10 The Loft at Liz’s 453 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, 90036 To August 22nd Jin Young Yu “Discerning Reflection” META-4 ART space 8687 Melrose Ave. B266, Los Angeles, 90069 To August 25th

FigurativeFutures Art Exhibit 101/EXHIBIT 668 North La Peer Drive, West Hollywood, 90069 To August 26th Los Angeles Center of Photography’s Annual Member’s Exhibition DNJ Gallery 2525 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, 90404 To August 26th Vivian Maier Photographs : Hosted by Tim Roth KP Projects 170 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, 90036 To August 26th Summery Appeal - a group show curated by Doug Harvey The Good Luck Gallery 945 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, 90012 To August 27th

Ben Jackel / Kienholz Opening Reception L.A. Louver 45 N Venice Blvd, Venice, 90291 To September 1st “When Line Becomes Form” Brand Library & Art Center 1601 W Mountain St, Glendale, 91201 To September 1st Hot time, Summer in the city CB1 Gallery 1923 S. Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, 90021 To September 2nd Museums LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA) Los Angeles to New York: Dwan Gallery, 1959–1971 To September 10th, 2017 Home—So Different, So Appealing To October 15, 2017 MOAH- Lancaster Museum of Art and History Dani Dodge’s “Personal Territories” To August 5th, 2017 Cedarfest To August 5th, 2017 CAAM- California African American Museum No Justice, No Peace To August 27th Trouble Every Day: LA 1965/1992 To August 27thPasadena Museum of California Art

Interstitial To August 6th

BROAD Oracle To September 3rd Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors Opens October 2017 Jasper Johns: ‘Something Resembling Truth’ Feb 2018 to May 2018 UCLA Hammer Marisa Merz: The Sky is a Great Space To August 20th Living Apart Together: Recent Acquisitions from the Hammer Contemporary Collection To August 13th Hammer Projects: Oliver Payne and Keiichi Tanaami To August 27th Hammer Projects: Jeanine Oleson: Conduct Matters To August 6th Hammer Projects: Judith Hopf To August 13th ART TALKS Gallery Talk with Carmen Argote OCMA / Orange County Museum of Art 850 San Clemente Dr, Newport Beach, 92660 August 5th 2-3pm The Un-Private Collection: Mark Bradford, Sharon Lockhart + Katy THE ORPHEUM THEATRE 842 S Broadway, Los Angeles, 90014 August 16th 730-10pm

MOCA Anna Maria Maiolino August 4th to November 27th, 2017

LA ART NEWS SECTION A

“CONFLICT RESOLUTION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY RETAIL MAN” by Jeremy Kaplan of READ Books

Polling experts report that 97% of all retail customers are delightfully pleasant, and I believe it. I mean, when’s the last time reputable polling results let us down? Perhaps one day, when the commonplace pleasantries of “thank ye’” & “have a nice one” cease to be boring, I will write a story about my 97% delightful bookstore encounters. But yesterday I received a 435-word missive from a 3-percenter, one R. Flynn of Boston, that began: “Fuck you liar. You’re a stupid fucking liar…," and that there smells like a riveting story. I don’t want to be either an intelligent or a stupid fucking liar, so let me commence this tale by declaring that Mr. Flynn’s truculent email was not 100% unprovoked. See, Sam Shepard died. We sell books on-line on ABE & Amazon. One of those books was a signed Sam Shepard play. And he died. Mr. Flynn of Boston orders the signed book on Amazon early the next morning. Hoorah. However, a Santa Monica man ordered the same book on ABE a few hours before this Bostonian Flynn. I woke up Monday morning to find I’d sold the same book twice, which happens maybe once every 3 years. So, I quickly sent an email apology to F of B, explained the situation, & refunded his order. 30 minutes later I’m reading the angriest essay ever, and the theme of it is that I am a mediocre man who tells stupid lies. Flynn’s wicked smaht theory is that I did not really sell the book & am going to relist it on-line at an inflated price, which shows how stupid I am, because he will report me when I do, but I’m undoubtedly stupid enough to try anyhow, at which point he will take me down. Impressed? Wait till he gets going. Sam Shepard’s family, continues Flynn— who I imagine to be leaning aggressively forward like bald, little Vizzini in The Princess Bride, writing frantically with a quill pen— Shepard’s family did not report the death until the precise moment he, Flynzini, ordered my— The Stupid Fucking Liar’s— book, which he knows for a fact because he’s in “The Biz.” And that proves I’m lying about having sold the book. Fucking stupidly. So, I forward him the ABE sale confirmation email. And then, because Flynn of Boston is in “The Biz”, & I want to be right there with him, I write a 1-page play dramatizing our brief, tumultuous rapport. FLYNZINI: You told a lie! An odious damn lie! Upon my soul, a lie, a wicked dumb lie. KAPLAN THE LIAR: Duh. Err… Deh. Heh heh. Uhhh… My wife, a rational soul be she, convinces me not to send the brief play to my New England interlocutor. My talents, she says, must seek other, perhaps less embittered, benefactors in the biz. The Swedish Chef presents a stickier dilemma in that he does not exist merely in emails, but is twice-a-week right outside my window. A large bespectacled goofball, he’d frequented the bookstore for several years with his two small children. They would sit on the couch with a pile of books that they never bought & always left ramshackle on the floor. When he read to his children, it was with a voice that sounded to me like he was having a prolonged brain aneurysm. Debbie assured me his was merely a Scandinavian accent, so I took to calling him the Swedish Chef. After he exited. As in, “Jeez. I wish the Swedish Chef, who just exited, would stop leaving all our books on the floor.” But it was alright, because he was, like 97% of our clientele, delightfully pleasant. He always blurted “hi” and “bye” with a slightly endearing, & more than slightly disturbing, smile. Then one day I opened the store 5 minutes late. Or maybe 10. I opened the front door and he was standing there with the small girl at his side, the smaller boy on his shoulders. He walked in, grinning goofily, & I said: “Hi.” He blurted out the longest aneurysmal sentence he’d ever directed at me: “We almost left. You’re late.” “Yup,” I said, “Five minutes. Or maybe ten.” I sat behind my desk and turned on the computer. I swiveled right and turned on the cash register. Then I swiveled left and the Swedish Chef was standing about three feet from me, as close to the counter as one can get without mounting it. It was the first time I’d ever seen him move past the couch. He was still grinning, but I could see his teeth. I saw them making grinding noises. With my ears. “Hi,” I said again. “What’s up?” “I don’t know. What’s up?” “You’re kinda’ hovering over me. You need anything?” “No. Do you need anything?” “I need you to step away from the counter.” “It’s a free country.” “Kinda’. Anything wrong?” “Anything wrong with you?” After 15 minutes of absurdist, boomerang dialogue, I kinda’ escorted the Swedish Chef to the sidewalk. Since then, twice a week for the last two years, this odd fella pauses on that sidewalk outside the bookstore, boy on his shoulders, girl at his side, always with his goofy teeth-gritting smile, and alternately waves or extends his middle finger at me. And until now, I’ve been utterly baffled as to how to react. Sean & Marilyn live next door to the louder half of the Occidental water polo team, who’ve recently installed a beer pong table on their front lawn. Two semesters & half-a-summer of endless water polo partying convinced S & M to put their house on the market. The highly visible, frequently occupied beer pong table convinced them that their house may forever remain on that market. So last week, S relates to me, he stomped outside to confront several blond, broad-shouldered polo dudes as they partied on the front lawn, mid-afternoon, with ping pong balls & a keg of Miller Lite. M stood behind her man, cradling either a large polo mallet or a small chihuahua. S has the kind of smiling Irish eyes that make his friends feel loved & his not-friends feel like hitchhikers who just got into a car driven by Ted Bundy. “Hey,” growled S, commencing with the irrefutable evidence. “We’re neighbors here!” “We know that dude.” “You’re going to take your beer pong stuff,” S explained like an angry Irish Yoda, “and back in your house you will put it. Because that’s what neighbors do.” “Dude,” said the goalie, setting his plastic cup of crappy frat beer on said table, “You’re disrespecting us. We’re men!” “No,” explained S one last time. “We’re neighbors! Now be a man and shake my hand. C’mon. Shake it!” “Neighbors!” crowed M from the rear. “Yip yip,” said either the chihuahua or the polo mallet. And I shit you not, hands were shook. And a beer pong table was grudgingly returned to whence it came. I do not pretend to understand this voodoo, nor do I know whether it works on Swedes when they are off their medication, or merely on aquatic types when they are on theirs. I’m pretty sure I can’t shake the hand of an email. And Sam Shepard’s manly mitts are forever beyond my grasp. But the next time an erratic father, drunken water polo dude, or deceased playwright enters READ Books and leaves, say, a stack of books strewn upon our cold green floor, or unjustly accuses me of ignorant falsehoods, or stands over me parroting my every word, I shall look him in the eye like a loving Ted Bundy and proclaim: “I am a bookstore owner. You are a prospective customer. Buy a book you will. Now be a man and shake my hand. Go ahead. Shake it!”

AUGUST 2017

TEN YEARS OF CRAFT IN AMERICA: SELECTIONS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION “Craft is all around us, giving pleasure as well as serving a function. It is inspirational as well as useful. It is the best representation of who we are as a culture. Craft is democratic — broad enough to accommodate anyone who makes something or appreciates the handmade. In short, craft is us. Our mission is to document and advance original handcrafted work through programs in all media, accessible to all. We are dedicated to the exploration, preservation and celebration of craft, the work of the hand, and their impact on our nation’s cultural heritage.” –Carol Sauvion, Executive Director, Craft In America Ten Years of Craft in America: Selections from the Permanent Collection is a compendium of artworks made by artists who have been featured in the organization's PBS documentary series over the past decade. These handmade objects exemplify the mixture of inherited practices and innovation that makes America such a remarkable and influential place to create art. The series first aired on PBS nationwide in 2007 with the first episode MEMORY that focused on craft objects made by hand to be used, collected, and a part of everyday Mary Merkel-Hess, Morning Colors from the “Sky Baslives. The episode shows what artists are doing to ensure ket” series, 2015 that this most basic form of human expression–creating Paper Mache from nature with one’s hands–does not become a thing Madison Metro photograph of the past. Craft in America marks the beginning of its second decade with two more episodes this year: BORDERS and NEIGHBORS explore the relationships and influences that Mexican and American craft artists have on each other and, for the first time, broadens our definition of America to include Mexico. In its nineteen episodes so far, Craft in America has focused on some of the most technically skilled artists in the country and given viewers a glimpse into the lives and practices of these influential creative voices. Artists have taken inspiration from subjects ranging from suffrage to encapsulating their time and place and have used materials ranging from glass to iron, and ceramic to thread. Ten Years of Craft in America mirrors the documentary series by highlighting different parts of the country, men and women, and a mixture of cultures, perspectives and backgrounds. Each of these artists pushes materials to new heights and also expands tradition into uncharted realms. Their work taps into our cultural history and speaks to our society in this day and age. We invite visitors to interactively explore this exhibition and these objects in-depth by viewing full segments and clips from the Craft in America series. To guide this experience, we have provided easy access via visitors' smartphones. Ten Years of Craft in America: Selections from the Permanent Collection July 22 – August 12, 2017 Craft in America Center 8415 West Third Street Los Angeles, CA 90048 Joe Cunningham, My Vanishing Point, 2012 Machine sewn cotton and bias tape Courtesy of the artist

Beth Lipman, Centerpiece with Bananas, Pears, and Grapes, 2011 Blown glass Courtesy of the artist

quality printing and design with a personal touch business cards

banners - flags

open mon.- fri. 9am - 7pm sat. 11am - 4pm highland park merchandise

flyers - brochures

headwear

5144 york blvd., los angeles, ca 90042 ph. 323.478.0699 - fx. 323.478.2755

e.yvpdirect@gmail.com LA ART NEWS SECTION A

TOUCH-A-TRUCK

Northeast Los Angeles residents gathered on National Night Out at Rio de Los Angeles Park August 1 for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Touch-A-Truck.â&#x20AC;? The event gave children the opportunity to climb into a variety of vehicles--fire, police, sanitation, and more--and experience how they work. A couple of iconic vehicles, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile and the Planters Nutmobile, were also on hand. There was also food, music, and lots of community information. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. The local event was sponsored by the Glassell Park Neighborhood Council and a number of community organizations.

AUGUST 2017

¡MÍRAME! EXPRESSIONS OF QUEER LATINX ART Eleven artists working in a variety of media explore what it is to be both Latino and LGBT and/or Q, in “¡Mírame! Expressions of Queer Latinx Art,” at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. The exhibit deals with social acceptance, self acceptance, and the artistry inherent in being true to oneself. ¡Mírame! Expressions of Queer Latinx Art Through December 9 LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes 501 North Main Street, Downtown lapca.org Dalila Paola Mendez, Diosas Enamoradas II, 2017 Dalila Paola Mendez, Queerios, 2015

Alma Lopez, Lupe Sirena Love. 1999 Alma Lopez, December 12. 1999

Xandra Ibarra, Jouissance Spic Sauce Bottles, 2014

Julio Salgado, I Challenge You. I Challenge Me, 2015

LA ART NEWS SECTION A

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Compass is a licensed real estate broker (01991628) in the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdraw without notice. To reach the Compass main office call 626.205.4040.