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 6 NO. 12
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MARCH 2019
PUERTO RICO: INTERIOR/EXTERIOR
ARTISTS CONSIDER PUERTO RICO AFTER MARIA At Glendale Community College
Elsa María Meléndez, La cola del aftermath found fabric, 2019 (photo courtesy: The Art Gallery @ GCC)
“Puerto Rico: Interior/Exterior,” currently on view at Glendale Community College, showcases a complex situation; an island of great natural and cultural beauty is devastated first by colonization, then by two massive storms, then by inept disaster management. The exhibit, subtitled “Artists Consider Puerto Rico After Maria,” reflects on that complexity. It does so with beauty, poignancy, political will, rooted stance, and humor. Hurricanes Maria and Irma brought to global attention a situation that had already existed in Puerto Rico for generations. The curators at GCC invited artists who are native to Puerto Rico to reflect on dualities and contradictions. “Why is Puerto Rico always rendered as simultaneously ‘in’ and ‘out’ of dialogues about nationhood, identity, economy, and cultural Ricardo Rodríguez, Status Quo status? How did Maria and Irma expose pre-existing installation, photography, 2018-2019 vulnerabilities of predatory debt, racism, and economic exclusion? On the other hand, what are the roots of Puerto Rican resiliency, innovation and healing, and what’s the role of the artist in visualizing the future?” “Hurricanes Maria and Irma unveiled—like a power washer lifting layers of opaque dirt—the realities that are inherent in being one of the last colonies in the Western Hemisphere,” says co-curator Ricardo Rodríguez. “These conditions are not abstract but are lived experiences of diverse Puerto Ricans, both before and after having the lands decimated. This exhibition gives artists a platform to engage what led to Puerto Rico’s vulnerability and what strategies lead to its future.” Works in the exhibit deal with these issues through a wide variety of mediums—painting, photography, printmaking, installation, fabric art, video. Further, the exhibit looks at the place of artists and these mediums, not just in creating quality gallery works, but also in the context of wider academic and political discourse. Glendale Community College is using “Puerto Rico: Interior/Exterior” as the centerpiece of an innovative collaboration among the continued on page 3
LIGHTSCAPES
TRADITION THROUGH MODERN MATERIALS When people migrate great distances, whether the migration is by choice or forced, there is always the question of how to maintain cultural practices in a new environment. Perhaps traditional materials are absent. Perhaps the lure of new-found materials causes an artist to experiment. Time, too, is a factor. While the weight of honored philosophies may persist, new materials that elders could never have envisioned may become available. Time-honored practices rendered in new materials are explored in “Lightscapes: Re-envisioning the Shanshuihua,” currently on exhibit at the Chinese American Museum. Nick Dong and Wu Chi-Tsung, the two featured artists, were both born in Taiwan. Mr. Wu now works in Taipei and Berlin, and Mr. Dong now works in Oakland, California. Their work is deeply indebted to Chinese landscape painting, especially in terms of philosophy, and the influence of traditional technique is very much present as well. Their Wu Chi-Tsung, Crystal Cities 007 renderings, however, involve such materials motor track, LED, and plastic, 2015 as a kinetic motor and LED lighting. They use light, projection, and shadow, in much the same way their predecessors used ink. The change in materials allows for the addition of an element of time in the works. Landscapes change often change as the viewer experiences them. Mr. Dong and Mr. Wu’s Lightscapes are certainly larger than traditional ink work, and certainly splashier (Mr. Dong’s work includes a full-fledged infinity chamber). But at the same time, all of the pieces provide highly involving and personal experiences. This exhibition is organized by the Chinese American Museum in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles.
Nick Dong, Mountains, 2019
Lightscapes: Re-envisioning the Shanshuihua Through November 10 Chinese American Museum 425 Los Angeles Street www.camla.org
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Nick Dong, Mountains mixed media, 2019 Wu Chi-Tsung, Crystal Cities 007 motor track, LED, and plastic, 2015 Wu Chi-Tsung, Cyano-Collage 047 Cyanotype photography, Xuan paper, acrylic gel,
Nick Dong, Earth, 2019
Nick Dong, Heaven, 2019
CALIFORNIA VISIONARIES A diverse selection of more than 40 objects from the extensive collection of Forrest L. Merrill serves as the inaugural exhibit at the newly redesigned and expanded Craft in America Center. Spanning ceramics, metal, wood, fiber, and glass, the objects in “California Visionaries” reflect the ingenuity and the birth of studio craft. Mr. Merrill’s collection illustrates the central place of California in the mid-century past and the vibrant present of the crafts movement. California Visionaries: Seminal Studio Craft Featuring Works From the Forrest L. Merrill Collection through May 4Craft in America Center 8415 West Third Streetwww.craftinamerica.org
Jim Wayne, Vessel, c. 1970 Glass John Lewis, Bowl, 1974 Blown glas
Stan Dann, Landscape with Rider, c 1965 Painted wood
Gertrud and Otto Natzler, Bowl, 1961 Glazed earthenware
Erik Gronborg, Plate, 1970s Low-fire clay
John Burton, Vessels, 1970s Blown glass Barbara Willis, Pillow Vase, c 1945 Glazed earthenware
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gallery and the college’s Language Arts, Journalism, Social Science and Visual and Performing Arts departments. “…the exhibition illustrates how artists think through culture and politics and examines what can be articulated with images and things beyond words,” the curators say in their gallery guide. The exhibit is also a venue for continued public visibility of Puerto Rico’s ecological and economic need. The caricature of a president throwing rolls of paper towels pops up several times in various works. But, in contrast, the artworks collectively form a call for substance and moral agency. On Saturday, April 6th, The Art Gallery @ GCC is hosting a community event and reception, featuring Puerto Rican music and dance, food and drink, short lectures and gallery tours. Puerto Rico: Interior/Exterior Artists Consider Puerto Rico After Maria Co-curated by David John Attyah and Ricardo Rodríguez. Featured Artists: Elsa María Melendez, Adál, Awilda Rodríguez Lora, Frances Gallardo, Ricardo Rodríguez, Martín García Rivera, Erika P. Rodríguez, Patrick V. McGrath Muñiz, Jo Cosme Through May 15 Community Event: Saturday April 6, 5-8 p.m. The Art Gallery @ GCC Glendale Community College 1500 North Verdugo Road, Glendale Mondays through Thursdays, 11 to 5 and Fridays, 11 to 1 www.glendale.edu/artgallery Martín García Rivera, selections from “Archive de asombro cotidiando” intaglio prints, 2013-present (detail)
Awilda Rodríguez Lora, ¡Báile Ésta! video performance
Jo Cosme, The Crónicas tarot deck of 22 cards, 2019 (detail)
Adál, Puerto Ricans Underwater photographs, 2010-present (detail) (photo courtesy: The Art Gallery @ GCC)
Adál, Puerto Ricans Underwater photographs, 2010-present (detail) Elsa María Meléndez, Sprout Again/ Retoñar found fabric, intaglio prints, 2017-present (detail) Patrick V. McGrath Muñiz, United Citizen Ship oil on canvas, 48x48 in, 2016 (photo courtesy: The Art Gallery @ GCC)
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NEW CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY HIGHLIGHTS SOCIAL IMPACT CORNERSTONE: Etienne Rougery-Herbaut and Samdi at Brannan Mason Gallery
A unique collaboration between two very different artists forms the backbone of the inaugural exhibit at Brannan Mason Gallery (BMG). Etienne Rougery-Herbaut is a French photographer making his U.S. debut. Photographs from his “New York City” series depict people living unassuming lives. Mr. Rougery-Herbaut conveys the quiet dignity of his subjects, despite the simplicity of their circumstances. Samdi, meanwhile, is a native of Haiti and a painter. In contrast to Mr. Rougery-Herbaut’s style, Samdi’s is more abstract and extroverted. Highlights of the exhibit include two series of six pieces each on which the two artists collaborated. The first series of six starts with Rougery-Herbaut’s images printed on canvas and finishes with Samdi painting bold colors over the black and white photographs. The second series consists of RougeryHerbaut’s images printed on salvaged glass from Paris using a proprietary chemical process and then painted by Samdi. The artists’ very different artistic personalities play off each other to create striking portraits. The venue for the exhibit, BMG, is a new, large exhibition space in the Arts District. Every exhibition at the gallery will highlight a cause the artist is passionate about, and a minimum of 10% of earnings from art sales will be given to non-profit organizations. For Cornerstone, the recipient will be the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California’s Immigrants Rights Project. CORNERSTONE: Etienne Rougery-Herbaut and Samdi Brannan Mason Gallery’s inaugural exhibitionThrough March 301923 South Santa Fe Avenue Saturdays 12-6 p.m.
Etienne Rougery-Herbaut, Man with the Black Hat, 2016. Archival print mounted between dibond aluminum and anti-reflective acrylic glass 59 x 59 in.Samdi, Untitled, 2019. Acrylic and pigment stick on canvas, 57 × 53 × 1 1/2 in.Etienne Rougery-Herbaut, Onwards and Upwards, 2016. Archival print mounted between dibond aluminum and anti-reflective acrylic glass, 47 x 47 in.2
MARCH 2019
Etienne Rougery-Herbaut and Samdi, Man with the Black Hat (Collaboration), 2017-2019 Photographic print, acrylic, and pigment stick on canvas, 48 1/2 × 50 × 1 1/2 in
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SIX YEARS...LET’S START YEAR 7!
STAFF Publisher/ Creative Director Cathi Milligan Managing Editor Margaret Arnold Contributors: Margaret Arnold, Cornelius Peter, Brian Mallman, Amy Inouye, Stuart Rapeport, Cathi Milligan, Jennifer Hitchcock, Harvey Slater, Madame X, Larisa Code, Tomas Benitez, Ted Meyer 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.
It’s hard to believe we’ve been around 6 years. Damn...and I’m looking forward to the next 6 and more! I mentioned last month that we’re going to have a bit of a redesign. It starts with the cover and moves on from there. Some of the changes will be gradual. With a change in format, I can add content with greater ease. Things to look forward to. It means we can pass on even more information about the arts and culture scene of Los Angeles. Also more pages to criticize the current administration. Whoo hoo!! So as we end year 6 I want to thank everyone that has supported us throughout the years, whether it’s through advertising, or making great art worthy of noting, or picking up a copy at your local business where you pick us up. I am so grateful to know and work with all of you! Let’s get ready for year7! Thanks, Cathi Milligan Publisher LA Art News
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DR. ROBERT WINTER 1924-2019 February was a sad month for fans of local architecture. Dr. Robert Winter, who co-authored several editions of the definitive guidebook on the subject, and who inspired generations of students with his enthusiasm, passed away February 9 at the age of 94. Dr. Winter was the Arthur G. Coons Professor of the History of Ideas at Occidental College. He taught there for 31 years until his retirement in 1994. His energy was boundless; he led cheers at football games and gave dramatic lectures on “L.A. the Magnificent.” Beneath the theatrics was an unparalleled knowledge of Los Angeles’ built environment. He co-authored “An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles” with David Gebhard, a book that should be on the seat of every car and under the arm of every pedestrian for easy reference. When presenting Dr, Winter with its 2009 President’s Award, the Los Angeles Conservancy cited the Gebhard and Winter Guide as playing a key role in changing the public perception of the City “from an endless landscape of sprawl to a trove of unique architectural treasures.” He also published many other books and articles and served on the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission, the Pasadena Cultural Heritage Commission, and the California State Historical Resources Commission. Dr. Winter lived in the historic Ernest A. Batchelder house in Pasadena, where he and his mother for many years enjoyed receiving guests. As recently as December, Dr. Winter was at Occidental for a release celebration for the fully revised sixth edition of the guide book. His collaborator on the new edition was Robert Inman.
Dr. Robert Winter early in his tenure at Occidental College (photo: Occidental College) Dr. Winter outside his historic Pasadena residence (photo: Occidental College)
Bob Winter, Bob Inman, and the team behind the sixth edition of An Architectural Guide to Los Angeles
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LA ART NEWS
GOVERNMENT NOTES
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CONGRESS PASSES NEA, NEH FUNDING While it has been known for some time that Congress intended to ignore White House determination to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), it took until February 14 (4.5 months late) for the funding legislation to actually make its way through Congress. The House, by a vote of 300-128, passed legislation providing funding for federal agencies until the end of the fiscal year (September 30). The Senate also passed this legislation, by a vote of 83-16. The bill funds the NEA and NEH at $155 million each, an increase of $2 million over current funding levels. Arts advocates, including the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, are pushing for an increase to $167 million for the NEA in FY2020. MADE IN HOLLYWOOD The Los Angeles City Council presented its eighth annual “Made in Hollywood” honors February 15. Presented during Oscar Season, the awards recognize films that are made in Los Angeles. This year, five films, all of which were nominated for the Best Picture or the Best Animated Feature Academy Award, were singled out for recognition. The five honored films for 2019 were: “A Star is Born” (Warner Brothers), “Vice” (Annapurna Pictures), “Incredibles 2” (Disney/Pixar), Courtesy of Americans for the “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (Walt Disney Animation Studios) and “Spider-man, Into the Spider-verse” (Sony Pictures Animation). Arts Action Fund “While production decision makers have choices on where to film their motion pictures,” said Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, “there is no substitute for filming in Hollywood and in California. In addition to benefitting from the best talent, production infrastructure, locations, and, believe it or not, the weather, California-based projects also create quality, middle-class jobs, strengthen our State’s economy, and help preserve our signature industry.” The honors were established by former Hollywood Councilmember Tom Labonge at a time when film industry jobs were being bled out of the state and even out of the country. Things have begun to change over the intervening years, due largely to the input of state lawmakers and an improved tax credit program. At a local level, city and county officials have worked to make the area more film friendly. The L.A. Economic Development Corporation reports that entertainment supports 160,000 jobs directly in Los Angeles. When inferred jobs and a rapidly growing digital media presence are factored in, jobs in Los Angeles County total almost 700,000. “There’s 550 artists and technicians,” producer Clark Spencer said of “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” “from over 30 countries who made this movie. All moved to L.A. specifically because they wanted to make animated films. And I’m one of those people—29 years ago I moved from New York to L.A. to be part of this great community. And I thank you today for celebrating one of the main great things about this city.”
AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE CELEBRATED AT CITY HALL The City of Los Angeles celebrated African American Heritage Month with a series of City Council presentations throughout the month of February. “There’s so many great people who have gone before us,” said Councilmember Curren Price, “—adventurers, writers, scientists—men and women who’ve changed the way we ALL think, men and women who empowered us to do more, to be more, to want more for ourselves and our families.” “…that history of African American heritage, of people of African decent, starts in this town from the very beginning of the founding of this pueblo,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. Gospel Music great Bebe Winans was honored with a Living Legend award. Mr. Winans is a six-time Grammy Award winner, and an advocate for music in public schools. On February 19, Council President Herb Wesson honored Glynn Turman and Jo-An Turman. Mr. Turman is an Emmy-winning actor, known for his roles on “Peyton Place,” “House of Lies,” and “The Wire.” He is also a writer, director, and producer. Together, the Turmans founded IX Winds Ranch Foundation and Camp GID-D-Up, which for 27 years has provided children with highquality camping experiences. artworxLA, formerly The HeArt Project, was honored in mid-February with a Change Maker award. According to Councilmember Price, “artworx is a community based nonprofit whose mission is to combat the epidemic of high school drop-out crisis by engaging students in long-term, sequential arts programming that inspires them to stay in school and to evolve into unique individuals that can flourish as creative adults.” “The wall is a made-up crisis,” said artworx representative Shelby Williams-Gonzales. “The fact that we don’t have an equal part of access to education in arts—that is a real crisis here in Los Angeles, and I am dedicated to fixing that problem.” COUNTY HONORS GOSPEL MUSIC GREAT The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors kicked off Black History Month by honoring Reverend Dr. Alexander Hamilton, a longtime leader in the field of Gospel Music. Among Dr. Hamilton’s many accomplishments is having arranged the late Aretha Franklin’s Grammy-Award winning gospel album “Amazing Grace.” After beginning his career in Gospel Music at the age of nine, Dr. Hamilton went on to play, conduct, and arrange scores for numerous music icons, including Lola Falana, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Lou Rawls, The Staple Singers, Sammy Davis Jr., Liza Minelli, Natalie Cole, Etta James, James Cleveland, Bessie Griffin, Shirley Caesar and Mahalia Jackson. He also co-wrote the gospel hit He’s A Miracle Worker with Edie Kendrix. For 45 years, Dr. Hamilton served as the director of The Voices of Inspiration community choir, The New Generation Singers, and the Immanuel Gospel Community Choir. He is currently the Pastor of Philadelphia Church Fellowship of Los Angeles. The presentation was arranged by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. BIG READ: CITY CELEBRATES READING “I am pleased to celebrate the Department of Cultural Affairs’ Big Read Program in Los Angeles and encourage the enjoyment and the magic of reading for all ages across our great city,” said Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell at the March 6 City Council meeting. Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in association with Arts Midwest, designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. This is the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs’ 11th year receiving a grant from the NEA to promote the program in Los Angeles. Thousands of students in LAUSD and adults in local communities participate in Big Read programs annually. This year’s featured work is by Ethiopian writer and immigrant, Dinaw Mengetsu. “The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears” is a story of refugees living in America. According to Councilmember David Ryu, the book “explores the familiar themes of many Angelenos—of identity, displacement, finding home in a new land.” “It’s a wonderful, perfect L.A. book,” said City Librarian John Szabo. “It is a book that looks at immigration, identity, what gentrification and urban renewal really mean, and is a wonderful book to have conversations about.” The Big Read program in Los Angeles receives annual support from Sony. Many community partners encourage reading through a variety of related, free programs—among them: The Los Angeles Public Library system, Grand Park, The Ann Douglas Center for Women, Los Angeles Mission, Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, CalArts Community Arts Program, and Department of Cultural Affairs Neighborhood Arts and Cultural Centers. CALIFORNIA ATTRACTIONS AND PARKS DAY
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Mayor Eric Garcetti honors Bebe Winans as the City celebrates African American Heritage month (photo: Mayor Garcetti’s Office)
Dr. Alexander Hamilton, surrounded by Supervisors Kathryn Barger, Hilda Solis, and Janice Hahn, Lady Alicia Hamilton, Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas, and “Amazing Grace” film producer Alan Elliott, with choir members in front (photo: David Franco/Board of Supervisors)
Mayor Eric Garcetti celebrating African American Heritage Month at First African Methodist Episcopal Church (F.A.M.E.), February 10 (Photo: Mayor Garcetti’s office) continued on page 9
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March 14 will be designated “California Attractions and Parks Day” under a measure making its way through the California legislature. ACR 25 is put forward by Assemblymembers Todd Gloria of San Diego and Tom Daly of Orange County. “California is undeniably the birthplace of the amusement park industry,” Erin Guerrero, Executive Director of the California Attractions and Parks Association, told the State Assembly’s Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media Committee in February. “From humble beginnings in boysenberry fields and orange groves, the industry has grown considerably. …There are over 430 attractions throughout the state, drawing 92.3 million visitors each year, and serving as a driving force behind California’s vibrant tourism industry. These parks are major contributors to the state and local economies, through the taxes they pay, their revenue impact, and the nearly 100,00 jobs they support.” The resolution defines attractions and parks to include large destination theme parks and resorts, small local amusement parks, and water parks. It also honors the California Attractions and Parks Association on the occasion of its 15th anniversary. According to the authors, “These attractions and parks have been a vital part of California’s culture and have provided countless memories for those who have visited them.” LUNAR NEW YEAR AT CITY HALL The Los Angeles City Council marked Lunar Year and ushered in the Year of the Pig on Friday, February 8. “Here in Los Angeles, home to the largest Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Thai, and many other communities outside of their home countries,” said Councilmember David Ryu, “we are proud to be the capital of Asian America and to celebrate Lunar New Year. On this holiday, we spend time with our loved ones, enjoy good food and dancing, and honor the energies and the elements which keep the universe in balance.” FREE MUSEUMS FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL The National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families have announced that First Lady of the United States Melania Trump and Second Lady of the United States Karen Pence have agreed to serve as honorary co-chairs of Blue Star Museums 2019. Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel and their families each summer.
Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson and Councilmembers Ryu and Cedillo lead the City Council’s celebration of the Lunar New Year, February 8 (photo: Council President Wesson’s office)
BOOKS TO ACTION The Edendale and West Los Angeles Branches of the Los Angeles Public Library are sponsoring a “Book to Action” series, which takes the basic book club concept and expands it to create a dynamic series of events for adults. Community members read and discuss an engaging book on a current topic, attend author or speaker events, and put their newfound knowledge into action by participating in a community service project or civic engagement activity related to the book. At Edendale, Rachel Kushner’s The Mars Room is the chosen book, and the topics discussed are incarceration and reentry. The final community service project is to create welcome home kits for the women in the reentry program, A New Way of Life. At West Los Angeles participants are reading Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories by Naz Deravian and participating in events related to the meaning, purpose and relevance of the variety of cuisines present in the neighborhood. Full schedule information may be found at www.lapl.org.
LA ART NEWS
ANNIE LEIBOVITZ AT HAUSER & WIRTH
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An exhibit of four thousand photographs by any other photographer would be an overwhelming, impossible experience. When the photos are by Annie Leibovitz, however, the experience is an unparalleled opportunity to view a period of time laid out before one’s eyes. The years 1970 to 1983, the period covered in the retrospective of Ms. Leibovitz’ early career, on view at Hauser & Wirth, was a time of rapid change on the political and cultural landscapes. Annie Leibovitz was not only present for the biggest events and the most intimate moments, she had a living room view, blurring borders between photographer and subject, between journalist and newsmaker, between documentation and art. Her work is the chronicle of the Nixon resignation. She photographed a naked John Lennon with Yoko Ono just before his death. But at the same time as she was photographing the great sweep of history, celebrities trusted her in their homes and dressing rooms with the image machine turned off. She photographed a half-naked Divine kicking back and Tina Turner at her washing machine tending to a wig. The fact that the photographs for the show were selected by the photographer herself suggests that this is as much a show about the person behind the camera as it is about what was seen through the lens—the person who gained the trust of a generation. Annie Leibovitz, The Early Years, 1970 – 1983: Archive Project No. 1 Hauser & Wirth 901 East Third Street through April 14 www.hauserwirth.com
Monica Alcaraz of Highland Park advocates for services for the disenfranchised at a community meeting to give feedback on proposed development at the LAC+USC Medical Center campus, February 28 MARCH 2019
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ART ON THE WALLS ARTS DISTRICT
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ARTS AND CULTURE LEADERS HONORED AS “WOMAN OF THE YEAR” IN SACRAMENTO The California State Legislature kicked off Women’s History Month March 4 with its annual Woman of the Year event. Every year each Assembly Member and State Senator selects a woman from his or her home district to be honored for her accomplishments in a ceremony at the State Capitol. This year, a number of the honorees, especially those from the broader Los Angeles area, were from various fields of arts and culture. They represented a variety of life experiences and disciplines, with the common bond of incorporating their artistic passions into service to their communities. The annual Woman of the Year event is sponsored by the California Legislative Women’s Caucus. The event was founded in 1987 by Assembly Member Bev Hansen (R) and Assembly Member Sally Turner (D) in response to the California Legislature’s lack of events for Women’s History Month. The current chair of the caucus is State Senator Connie M. Leyva, who represents an area from Pomona to San Bernardino. The vice chair is Assembly Member Monique Limón, who represents parts of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. During the same session, the legislators passed a resolution declaring March “Women’s History Month.” Some of the Woman of the Year honorees from the broader Los Angeles area: Assembly Disctict 41, Assembly Member Chris R. Holden Laura V. Farber Ms. Farber serves as the President of the Tournament of Roses for the 2019-2020 year. She’ll provide leadership for the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl Game next January. “As the first Latina and third woman to serve as President of the Tournament of Roses,” said Assembly Member Holden,”Ms. Farber will offer an important perspective and approach to the historic organization.”
Assembly Member Richard Bloom, Woman of the Year Kathy Griffin, Senate President Toni Atkins (photo: Ms. Griffin’s social media)
Assembly District 50, Assembly Member Richard Bloom Kathy Griffin Ms. Griffin, a two-time Emmy and Grammy award-winning actor-comedian, writer, and producer, has been an outspoken advocate for the underrepresented and a fierce ally of the LGBTQ community. She has helped raise more than $5 million for HIV/AIDS services and LGBTQ causes and has performed for active military servicemen and women serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Uzbekistan. Ms. Griffin is a fervent champion for First Amendment rights and a host of causes for which she has dedicated considerable energy and time. “Throughout her career, Kathy Griffin has used her voice and her comedic talent to speak on behalf of those who might not be able to stand up for themselves,” said Assembly Member Bloom.
Assembly Member Marie Waldron, Assembly Member Chris Holden, Woman of the Year Laura V. Farber, Assembly Member Monique Limón, Speaker Anthony Rendon (photo: Assembly Member Holden’s office)
Assembly District 51, Assembly Member Wendy Carrillo Bricia Lopez Ms. Lopez is a restauranteur from the Montecito Heights neighborhood. Born and raised in Oaxaca, she is a partner at Guelaguetza, an award-winning Oaxacan restaurant founded by her father, and she is an influential figure in the food culture of Los Angeles. She and her sister Paulina are the co-hosts of Super Mamás, a podcast, event series, and online community that connects and empowers women through their journey through motherhood. “She has innovatively honored her Oaxacan culture, all the while using her platform to highlight important issues such as immigration and economic equity,” said Assembly Member Carrillo. Assembly Member Marie Waldron, Assembly Member Miguel Santiago, Woman of the Year Patty Rodriguez, Assembly Member Monique Limón, Speaker Anthony Rendon (photo: Assembly Member Santiago’s office)
Assembly District 53, Assembly Member Miguel Santiago Patty Rodriguez Ms. Rodriguez is a nationally-recognized on-air radio personality, keynote speaker and entrepreneur. She’s the co-founder of the bilingual children’s book publishing company Little Libros, which now boasts multiple best sellers. Ms. Rodriguez came up with the idea after being unable to find bilingual first concept books she could enjoy reading to her baby. Born in Los Angeles to Mexican immigrant parents and raised in Southeast Los Angeles, she’s become a role model in the Latino community and given a voice of hope to youth.
Assembly Member Marie Waldron, Assembly Member Wendy Carrillo, Woman of the Year Bricia Lopez, Assembly Member Monique Limón, Speaker Anthony Rendon (photo: Assembly Member Carrillo’s office)
Assembly District 55, Assembly Member Phillip Chen Amy Tsai Ms. Tsai is the co-founder of Leg Avenue, the women’s clothing brand recognized worldwide for innovative halloween costumes, fashion hosiery, and intimate apparel. A champion of women’s rights in the workplace and a dedicated mentor, she hopes to inspire other young women to take on leadership roles in business. “Amy is an inspirational businesswoman who sets the bar for future women in leadership. She has built her business from the ground up and now services customers worldwide,” said Assembly Member Chen.
Assembly Member Marie Waldron, Assembly Member Jose Medina, Woman of the Year Concha Rivera, Assembly Member Monique Limón, Speaker Anthony Rendon (photo: Assembly Member Medina’s office)
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Assembly District 61, Assembly Member Jose Medina Concha Rivera Ms. Rivera was born and raised in Mexico. She, along with her family, immigrated to the United States at twenty years old. She obtained a degree in Interior Design, an Associate of Arts in Business, and an Associate of Arts in fundraising. At the age of twenty-two, she married Tomás Rivera, the first Mexican-American Chancellor of the University of California, Riverside (UCR). They had three children. After her husband’s death, Concha
Assembly Member Phillip Chen and Woman of the Year Amy Tsai (photo: Assembly Member Chen’s office) continued on page 13
became the Acting Director of the California Museum of Photography in Riverside. She was responsible for moving the museum from the university campus to Downtown Riverside and ultimately worked with the museum for 12 years as the Director of Development. She has served on the boards of the Riverside Art Museum and Riverside Community Foundation and is an Emeritus of the UCR Board of Trustees. She is also the founder of the Tomás Rivera Conference and Primavera in the Gardens at the University of California, Riverside. Assembly District 62, Assembly Member Autumn Burke Sunny Bak Ms. Bak is a respected member of the community who empowers others through supporting the arts in the 62nd Assembly District. Introduced to photography at 12 when her father, a United Nations correspondent, Assembly Member Autumn Burke and gave her his Nikon rangefinder, she photographed many celebrities in the Woman of the Year Sunny Bak (photo: Jiggle 70’s. Her photos of Andy Warhol and Jackie O from that time have been & Riot, www.jiggleandriot.com) featured in many shows. In the 80’s, her fashion work was featured in many magazines. In 1993, she shot a famous Lesbian-themed cover for Newsweek. She is active with the Venice Chamber of Commerce and the Venice Neighborhood Council, is a key figure in the popular Venice Arts Crawl, and is currently active in forming a Venice Arts District with local art-centric organizations. Senate District 22, State Senator Susan Rubio Maki Hsieh Ms. Hsieh is a classical violinist and a genre-defying vocalist, with a twelve-language, threeoctave operatic range. She is executive director of the Arcadia performing Arts Foundation, which raises funds for scholarships for performing arts students in the area and promotes highquality cultural and artistic programming. “Maki is not only a world-class violinist and vocalist, but a visionary whose passion to lead has truly engaged our community,” said Senator Rubio. Woman of the Year Maki Hsieh and While a pre-med at Johns Hopkins also studying sociology and music, Ms. Hsieh taught violin State Senator Susan Rubio (photo: in inner-city classrooms, coached ESL kids to perform Shakespeare, and orchestrated soup Senator Rubio’s office) kitchen choirs. Her Hopkins Provost Prize thesis on inner-city academic achievement secured a fellowship with Vice President Al Gore. At the Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation, she has integrated youth talent with world-class artists and more than doubled revenue. Senate District 24, State Senator Maria Elena Durazo Roxana Dueñas Ms. Dueñas grew up in East Los Angeles. She attended Garfield High School, graduated from UCLA, and is now a teacher at Roosevelt High School, where she teaches history and ethnic studies. She was on the front lines of the recent teachers’ strike, fighting for better conditions for students and teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She was featured in the United Teachers Los Angeles strike posters as the face of the teachers in Los Angeles.
Woman of the Year Louise Deser Siskel and State Senator Anthony Portantino (photo: Senator Portantino’s office)
Woman of the Year Roxana Dueñas and State Senator Maria Elena Durazo (photo: Senator Durazo’s office)
Senate District 25, State Senator Anthony Portantino Louise Deser Siskel As the 101st Rose Queen, Louise Deser Siskel pursued a trail-blazing social and civic agenda. A senior at Sequoia High in Pasadena, she is on the judicial committee and served for two years as the student body president. Her research in space biology has been funded by NASA-AMES, and she is currently conducting breast cancer research. “Through Louise’s leadership, young women in the LGBTQ and Jewish communities have a new and dynamic role model,” said Senator Portantino. “I feel lucky to be honored among a group of truly dedicated women who make the world a more kind and welcoming place,” said Ms. Deser Siskel. “This year, as the 101st Rose Queen, I had the opportunity to promote scientific research, education, and inclusion. This recognition encourages me, and I hope will encourage others, to advocate for these values.”
LA ART NEWS
NELAart
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On the Seco Elysian Valle art and eate the updated
Northeast Los Angeles Arts Organization, Inc.
March 9, 2019 - 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)
39. Kindness and Mischief 5537 N. Figueroa St. www.kandmcoffee.com
1. Avenue 50 Studio 131 No. Avenue 50 323. 258.1435 avenue50studio.org
20. Toros Pottery 4962 Eagle Rock Blvd 323.344.8330 torospottery.com
2. Bike Oven 3706 No Figueroa
21. Kinship Yoga/Wonder Inc. 5612 Figueroa St.
3. Namaste Highland Park 5118 York Blvd. www.namastehighlandpark.com
22. Tierra de la Culebra 240 S. Ave 57
41. Possession Vintage 5119 York Blvd. www.possessionvintage.com
23. Cactus Gallery cactusgalleryla.com
42. The Situation Room 2313 Norwalk Ave.
24. L34 Group 5622 N. Figueroa St. www.L34group.com
43. Sunday Girl 5662 York Blvd. www.sundaygirlstudio.com
25.Oneg Shabbat Collaborative Gallery 5711 Monte Vista Street, 90042 (inside Temple Beth Israel)
44. Vroom Vroom Bitsy Boo 5031 B York Blvd.
4. Offbeat 6316 York Blvd www.offbeatbar.com 5.Twinkle Toes 5917 N Figueroa St (818) 395-3454 6. Future Studio 5558 N Figueroa St. 323 254-4565 futurestudiogallery.com 7. Bookshow 5503 Figueroa St. www.bookshow.com 8. The Art Form Studio 5611 N Figueroa St. Suite 2 www.theartformstudio.com 9. Vapegoat 5054 York Blvd. 323.963.VAPE 10. ETA 5630 N. Figueroa St. 11. Adjunct Positions 5041 Coringa Dr. 12. Matters of Space 5005 York Blvd www.mattersifspace.com 323.743.3267 13. Mi Vida 5159 York Blvd. 14. Vintage Tattoo Art Parlor 5115 York Blvd. 15. Antigua Coffee House 3400 N. Figueroa St. www.antiguacoffeehouse.com 16. Align Gallery 5045 York Blvd. www.aligngallery.com 17. Leanna Lin’s Wonderland 5204 Eagle Rock Blvd. www.leannalinswonderland.com 18. The Rental Girl 4760 York Blvd. http://therentalgirl.com 19. Mindfulnest 5050 York Blvd. 323.999-7969
MARCH 2019
26. MAN Insurance Ave 50 Satellite 1270 N. Ave 50 323.256.3151 27. TAJ • ART 1492 Colorado Blvd. www.tajartinc.com 28. The Greyhound 570 N. Figueroa St. 29. Urchin 5006 1/2 York Blvd. 30. Arroyo Arts Collective @ Ave 50 Studio 131 North Avenue 50 arroyoartscollective.org 31. Living Room 5807 York Blvd. livingroomhome.com 32. Vapeology 3714 N. Figueroa St. 323.222.0744 33. Pop-Hop 5002 York Blvd. www.thepophop.com
40. Civil Coffee 5639 N. Figueroa St.
45. Portico Collection 5019 York Blvd. 46. The “O” Mind Gallery 200 N. Ave 55 theomind.com 47. Apiary Gallery at The Hive Highland Park 5670 York Blvd. www.thehive.la 48. Rock Rose Gallery 4108 N. Figueroa St. 323.635.9125 rockrosegallery.com 49. Leader of the Pack 5110 York Blvd. www.leaderofthepackvintage.com 50. Fahrenheit Ceramics 4102 North Figueroa St. fahrenheitceramics.com 51. Checker Hall 104 N. Ave 56 checkerhall.com 52. Green Design Studios 1260 N. Ave 50
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. Curve Line Space 3348 N. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90065 38. Highland Cafe 5010 York Blvd. 323.259.1000
Next Art Walk April 13, 2019
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ond Saturday of every month galleries, businesses, and artists in Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, Cypress Park, ey, and Lincoln Heights open their doors a little later in the evening and welcome visitors. Use this map for locations of eries, grab someone you love, get some dinner, and enjoy some art. Friend NELA Art Gallery Night on Facebook for d last minute list.
27 17 20 42 11 35 18
45 12 44 16
41 48 14 31 13
31 43 36 47 25
4 29 34 9 9 3 4 26 33 19 52 38
1
40
5
8 51 10 2 6 4 39 28 4 7 6 21 2 2
30
48 50
32 2 15 37 24
Visit us at NELAart.org
LA ART NEWS
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NELAART SECOND SATURDAY GALLERY NIGHT FEBRUARY 2019
Winston King, The Last Supper Vapegoat
Casey McPherrin, Collage Therapy Namaste Highland Park
Installation by Loushana Rose and new works by Selamawit Mekonen Golden Strings at Align Gallery
Sandra Vista, Veinte Avenue 50 Studio
Sandy Huse, The Tribe of Terrier Sandy Huse, Artifact No. 4: Phrenological The Emperor’s New Clothes Arroyo Arts Collective at Avenue 50 Studio
MARCH 2019
Jeffrey Boxer, The Closeness of Clouds L34 Group
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Sharon Barnes, I am not my skin Sharon Barnes, Just Because We’re Magic (doesn’t mean that we’re not real) Four Women-Curated by Peter Woods Avenue 50 Studio 11 Year Anniversary Party at Mi Vida
Lexie Tiongson, Court & Field Namaste Highland Park
Olesya Volk, Demigods Olesha Volk, Performers Nathalie Tierce, The Girl and the Pig Jenna Goodman, Who’s First? The Emperor’s New Clothes Arroyo Arts Collective at Avenue 50 Studio
Winston King, Wise Lady Vapegoat
Sandra Vista, Veinte Avenue 50 Studio
Janett Kabeh, 34-26-38 Janett Kabeh, Philautia Four Women-Curated by Peter Woods Avenue 50 Studio
LA ART NEWS
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ZUCHHINI NOODLES WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS & CANNELLINI BEANS Here’s a nutrient-dense powerhouse that’s also bursting with flavor. Shiitake mushrooms have little-known nutritional talent, providing a great source of B vitamins and other nutrients not commonly found in other plants. I also love how quick and simple this is to make. It can be enjoyed right away as a warm dinner, or stored in mason jars for lunch on the go. Enjoy! zucchini noodles with shiitake mushrooms & cannellini beans Makes 2 dinner servings 3 medium zucchini 1 tbsp. virgin coconut oil (or your favorite healthy cooking oil) 1 shallot, julienned or chopped 1 clove garlic, minced or chopped 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, woody stems removed and cut into manageable pieces 1 ½ cups diced tomatoes (about what you would get from a can) 1 tsp. herbes de Provence 1 ¼ cups cooked and rinsed cannellini beans (about what you would get from a box or can) sea salt to taste pepper to taste 2 tbsp. chopped parsley Make the zucchini noodles using a spiral machine or a mandolin. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallots and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are tender and slightly browned. Add the tomatoes and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the herbes de Provence and beans, and mix in and cook until the beans are just warmed. Add the zucchini noodles and mix in just until it warms- be careful not to overcook the zucchini and turn it into mush. Quickly add the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or store in jars for easy meals on the go. Harvey Slater is a Holistic Nutritionist and food & wellness blogger, practicing in Pasadena. You can find more recipes like this one on his blog: thewholedishblog.com
PICOTE French artist Marthe Aponte creates art by filling paper with meticulously punched tiny holes and cuts. The results are intricate images of plants, fantastic organisms, and landscapes. A large solo show of her work, “Anatomie Végétale,” is currently on view at the Alliance Française de Pasadena. Marthe Aponte, Picoté Alliance Française de Pasadena through March 29 323 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena M-Th, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. & F, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Marthe Aponte, The dress and its demons Picoté on paper
Marthe Aponte, Virtual Landscape Mixed media on canvas
MARCH 2019
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CLASSES IN NELA
Besides being a haven for artists and creative types, Northeast Los Angeles is the home of a fine array of arts classes, especially the industrial arts, but not limited to them. Below is a list of some of the businesses in the area that have classes. Do check with the facility to verify times and prices of their classes. As we find more places we will bring that information to all of you. Adam’s Forge 2640 N. San Fernando Rd. Los Angeles, CA 90065 Adamsforge.org You may email Nancy with questions at blacksmithclasses@gmail.com Please check their web site for a listing of all of their classes and special events. Check out a Discovery class. The Glass Studio 5668 York Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90042 323.387.9705 info@theglassstudio.net Check www.theglassstudio.com for a list of glasses ranging from glass blowing and torchwork to fusing and slumping and jewelry making.
Molten Metal Works 3617 San Fernando Rd Glendale, CA 91204 moltenmetalworks.net Please check their web site for a listing of all of their classes and special events. They’re in a new location next to Community Woodshop. Cool new space! Rock Rose Gallery 4108 N. Figueroa Street Highland Park, CA 90065 (323) 635-9125 www.rockrosegallery.com Visit: Rock Rose Gallery News, Instagram & Twitter Intermediate Ceramics Pottery Class 6 class sessions $240 Check web site for start date
Toros Pottery 4962 Eagle Rock Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041 323.344.8330
A Place to Bead 2566 Mission St San Marino, CA 91108 626.219.6633 aplace2bead.com
Blue Rooster Art Supply Company blueroosterartsupplies.com blue@blueroosterartsupplies.com 4661 Hollywood Blvd LA, CA 90027 (323) 302-5613
Find a variety of jewelry making classes, including stringing and wirework.
They offer a variety of art classes. Check their web site for more information about their classes and events. Ave 50 Studio 131 No. Avenue 50 323. 258.1435 avenue50studio.org Guitar Lessons. Salsa Lessons too! Check their web site for more information for this and other classes. Center for the Arts Eagle Rock 2225 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock, CA 90041 info@cfaer.org (323) 561-3044 www.cfaer.org Check out their web site for a wide variety of fun classes for all ages.
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 leannalinswonderland.com Check Leanna’s web site for a current list of workshops and events. Fahrenheit Ceramics 4200 N. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90042 323.576.2052 fahrenheitceramics.com
Community Woodshop 3617 San Fernando Rd Glendale, CA 91204 626.808.3725 www.community woodshopla.com These guys offer a wonderful selection of classes from beginner to advanced, membership, and private lessons. Please check their web site for more information and a list of classes. Stained Glass Supplies 19 Backus Street Pasadena, CA 91107 626-219-6055 Classes are ongoing Barndall Art Park 4800 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027 323.644.6295 http://www.barnsdall.org Check they’re web site for upcoming classes. Los Angeles County Store 4333 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 / 323-928-2781 Please check their web site for a listing of all of their classes and special events. Sugar Mynt Gallery 810 Meridian Ave. South Pasadena, CA 626.222.7257 sugarmynt.com Paint and Pinot Twice a month. Check their web site for more detail. Holy Grounds Coffee & tea 5371 Alhambra Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90032 323.222.8884 Check out their workshops!
Welcome to the neighborhood!
LACP HONORS ART STREIBER AT 4TH ANNUAL FUNDRAISING GALA Celebrating 20 years of supporting and advancing the skills of Los Angeles area photographers, the Los Angeles Center of Photography (LACP) will be honoring portrait, entertainment and advertising photographer Art Streiber for his years of continued excellence and his commitment to the photographic community. Multi-award-winning actress, author, and activist Jamie Lee Curtis will present the honor at LACP’s 4th Annual Fundraising Gala at Quixote Studios on Saturday, April 13, 6-9:30 pm. The Gala is raising funds to support its programming as well as its outreach efforts with the Boys & Girls Clubs in around Los Angeles and the Spark Program. Currently, LACP teaches photography to over 100 Los Angeles children through its Boys & Girls Club after-school program. Ticket information is available online at www.lacphoto.org/events/fourth-annual-fundraising-gala-april-13-2019/
Lady Gaga portrait by LACP 2019 Award of Excellence winner Art Streiber
LA ART NEWS
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NOISE FROM THE LUMMIS DAY NOISEMAKER by Tomas J. Benitez
Charles Fletcher Lummis was a noisemaker. He championed the rights of indigenous people, created historic landmarks such as the Southwest Museum, and was a prolific historian, poet, journalist and all around renaissance man. Like any good noisemaker, he was not without controversy; sometimes the noise was rancor, but by all accounts, he lived a full and productive life doing what he wanted to do; saying what he wanted to say; living the way he wanted to live. I mean, he walked from Cincinnati to Los Angeles so he could see the country and meet the people of America along the way. A fellow traveler like that, you have to admire for gumption; Walt Whitman would have approved. Started in 2006, The Lummis Day Community Foundation hosts a festival every year in the first weekend of June to celebrate the life of this famous noisemaker and celebrate his legacy as a progenitor of the local arts haven in Northeast Los Angeles, the oldest and longest running arts colony in Southern California. The Lummis Day Festival celebrates the arts, history and ethnic diversity of Northeast Los Angeles through educational and cultural events and an annual festival of multiple arts events and activities at different locations throughout the community. This year, I have the honor to receive this year’s Noisemaker Award for the 14th Annual Lummis Day Fundraiser Dinner, which will take place on Saturday, April 6th, 2019, at the Highland Park Ebell Club, 131 S. Avenue 57, 7pm until the cops come to break it up, because after all, we are all noisemakers. I am deeply honored, if not slightly baffled, to be named, but I will not pass up a free dinner at any time. Tickets are $50 bucks. You can get tickets at http://www.lummisday.org The event is for a good cause, to raise money to support the annual festival which is mostly free to the community on May 31st, June 1st and June 2nd 2019. Which immediately poses the burning question, so why do they call it Lummis Day but then they do it over three days? Ni modo, it is a wonderful neighborhood celebration that bridges cultures, communities and generations. The event is also supported by the County of Los Angeles Arts Commission, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and the Office of Supervisor Hilda Solis. So I thank them for supporting this festival and for supporting their community, but most importantly, supporting the artistic expression of local artists. Come support the fundraiser and art auction, I promise I will not cuss any more than usual, and I will not talk a long time, (although I do have to thank my mentors, C. Bernard Jack Jackson, Carmen Zapata, and Sister Karen Boccalero.) And besides, everything I have to say I write it down here or I usually post it on Facebook. Some of you may have noticed. No, I have decided instead I am going to gather a lot of my personal collection of things that make noise. No speech, I will be playing my kazoo, my djimbe, a genuine pre-Columbian pipe I bought from Olvera Street, so you know it’s a real artifact, and maybe a little from my Jews harp, because as you know I am a multicultural messenger to my people, yes I am. Okay not really, but we will have live music. Sorry I don’t know the name of the band with this writing, but they will be live and loud, always good to break up all the speechifying at these things. I have asked my dear friend Rosamaria Marquez from RockRose to introduce me. We go back over forty years, so she knows a lot of stuff about me, some I wish I could have forgotten by now. But we survived Inner City Cultural Center of Los Angeles as well as the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts and numerous other ventures and adventures, so she’s obligated to say a few good words. Rosamaria, I appreciate you risking mocking laughter from the crowd to say nice things and be the kind and gracious person you are. I’m truly humbled to be honored, no kidding. Please come and support this fun event. Adelante! (Tomas Benitez was born and raised in front of a TV set in East L.A. His film SALSA: The Movie was produced in 1988. He has also written for Fred Roos, Starz Encore Films, CBS, and several other producers. In recent years he has written extensively about East Los Angeles including an ongoing, online saga about his home life, titled “The Gully”. Several of his stories about East L.A. and The Gully have been published by Blue Heron in an anthology of new American fiction, and he is editing two addition collections to be published in 2018. Tomas is the former Executive Director of Self Help Graphics & Art.)
MARCH 2019
Madam X
HOROSCOPES BY MADAM CRAB
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Wait. Is there something in the air that Madam Crab is feeling? Are we all still reeling from February? A short month and there is that….holiday. You know… the one that is googlyeyed gaga hearts and flowers amazing for some people, and sends other folks to the deepest darkest depths of lonely despair. That’s right. Presidents Day. A day that is a rollercoaster of emotions. Fear not my little creatures, Madam Crab will not leave you all out there suffering in the aftermath without some good advice steeped in the wisdom of the stars. And remember, Madam Crab does not give you any palo santo scented feel-goody bullshit predictions handed to you on a “ooh can you feel the earths vibration” crystal-y gem-stone platter. Be prepared for real life talk. Here are your horoscopes to help you get the most out of the remaining vibes from Presidents Day… ARIES: You can’t always pick up the slack of your co-workers Aries, just because you were blessed with obnoxiously unwavering energy. Pull a Thomas Jefferson (Aries) and jet off to France for some wine and “ambassadorship.” Let someone else piss off the Human Resources Dept for once. TAURUS We all know you have a very intimate relationship with your fellow Taurian president, Ulysses Grant. He is on one of your favorite bills… the fifty! This month, instead of spending so much time counting your Grants, roll some coins and see where that will take you. Back down to earth with the rest of us. GEMINI Sending you Thoughts and Prayers, Gemini. You share your sign with The Donald. Sad. CANCER The enduring legacy of Cancer president Gerald Ford is the endless footage of him tripping and stumbling and bumbling around into things like a dumbass. With this in mind, it is best to stick to your comfort zone this month Crab. Fight the urge to leave the house only to make a fool of yourself. Again. LEO Take a lesson from Leo Herbert Hoover, who had large “housing communities” named after him in his day. He never tired of all that attention, because after all, no publicity is bad publicity, right? This month, don’t stop. You be you! VIRGO William Taft was a very large man, who being a Virgo, thought ahead and had the White house fitted with a larger bathtub. Madam Crab suggests you pay close attention this month to making sure you have looked at things from all angles before stepping into something naked and getting stuck. Again. LIBRA As a president, Dwight Eisenhower struck the perfect balance between golfing, and more golfing. You deserve more leisure this month Libra, as you work hard to not work. The only choice you should make this month is nine holes or eighteen. SCORPIO Totally Scorpio prez Theodore Roosevelt murdered big game animals, and also was the inspiration for the Teddy Bear. Goodness gracious. This month try and find some emotional middle ground, Scorpio. Meditate. Yoga. Do something. For the love of Goddess, do something. SAGITTARIUS We have had two Sagittarius presidents, Martin Van Buren, Franklin Pierce. Don’t worry. You are already on the road to being more memorable. CAPRICORN This is the month you should work on distinguishing between what constitutes a fierce drive for success and what is outright criminal activity. Pssst. Richard Nixon was a Capricorn. AQUARIUS Abe Lincoln is the epitome of Aquarius. This month focus on blazing a new trail and meeting your oppositional forces head on. Also, you should definitely grow a chin curtain beard. PISCES George Washington crossed the Delaware probably imagining himself afloat on a cloud, muscled, rolling thunder and throwing lightening bolts into the sea. Try and use your main attribute, your dreamy and extreme disconnection with reality, as a bridge to successful outcomes this month, Pisces.
BOOK SHOW EVENTS Friday March 1st HOUSE Open Mic Words & poetry 8pm sign up 8:30 start Tuesday March 5th 7pm Collage & Cry A collage art night for everyone Wednesday March 6th 8pm-9:30pm Just Write for an Hour Writing group Friday March 8th Everyone is a Channel Workshop SOLD OUT Tuesday March 12th Comedy Open Mic Sign up 7pm Start at 7:30 Thursday March 14th 8pm Laughterhouse 5 Stand up comedy show Friday March 15th 8pm Friday Night Poetry: They’re Just Words Hosted by Ingrid Calderon Poetry open mic & featured poets Saturday march 16th 8pm Lmnop Lesbian Movie night “Suicide Kale” Wednesday march 20th Historia Storytelling Night 7pm doors Saturday March 23rd 7pm Hello We’re Still Alive Reading series
The Inflated Tear..Joe Lewis performance Quotidian Gallery, 410 S Spring St, L.A.by Stuart Rapeport
Tuesday March 26th Tete-a-tete Queer Reading Series & Open Mic 8pm-10pm
LA ART NEWS
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MUSEUM LISTINGS
Forest Lawn Museum www.forestlawn.com Women of Vision, 11 award-winning female photojournalists from National Geographic through April 7
A + D Museum www.aplusd.org Translucent Vaults: digital access to cultural institutions and art through April 28 Notes on Techniques through April 28 Tangle: installation art by Sarah Jones through April 28 Shapes of Fences: installation on detainment of migrant children through April 28
Fowler Museum at UCLA www.fowler.ucla.edu Dressed with Distinction: Garments from Ottoman Syria March 17-August 18 Inheritance: Recent Video Art From Africa through July 28 New Orleans Second Line Parades: Photographs by Pableaux Johnson through April 28 Summoning the Ancestors: Southern Nigerian Bronzes through March 10 Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives ongoing
A Roundup of Arts and Culture Exhibits at L.A. Area Museums
American Museum of Ceramic Art www.amoca.org Building a Collection: AMOCA’s 15th Anniversary Exhibition through March 31 The Artists of Mettlach through July 2020 John Toki: Fault Lines through March 24 Lasting Impressions: Selections from the Scripps College Permanent Collection through April 7 Silver Splendor: The Art of Anna Silver March 9-August 25 Annenberg Space for Photography www.annenbergphotospace.org Autry Museum of the American West www.theautry.org Masters of the American West through March 14 Investigating Griffith Park ongoing On Fire: Transcendent Landscapes by Michael Scott through July 28 Out of the Ashes: Snapshots of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake through June 9 Indian Country: The Art of David Bradley March 31-January 5 The Banning Museum www.thebanningmuseum.org Fashioning the Fan: Innovations & Materials Within the 19th Century ongoing The Broad www.thebroad.org Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power March 23-Sep†ember 1 Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms ongoing California African American Museum www.caamuseum.org California Bound: Slavery on the New Frontier, 1848-1865 through April 28 Gary Simmons: Fade to Black through 2019 Adia Millett: Breaking Patterns through August 25 The Liberator: Chronicling Black Los Angeles, 1900-1914 March 20- September 8 California Heritage Museum www.californiaheritagemuseum.org Chris Fraticelli: Once Loved, Twice Broken through March 17 Gilena Simons: Fortuna-Tarot: Oracle’s Guide to the Future through March 17 California Science Center www.californiasciencecenter.org Dogs! A Science Tail Opens March 16 Chinese American Museum www.camla.org Lightscapes: Re-envisioning the Shanshuihua through November 10 Claremont Museum of Art www.claremontmuseum.org Living with Clay: The Julie and David Armstrong Collection through April 20 Craft and Folk Art Museum www.cafam.org Beatriz Cortez: Trinidad / Joy Station through May 12 Beatriz Cortez and Rafa Esparza: Nomad 13 through May 12 Focus Iran 3: Contemporary Photography and Video through May 12 El Segundo Museum of Art www.esmoa.org Eat: inspiration about what a diverse and creative power food can develop through May 18
MARCH 2019
Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art www.arts.pepperdine.edu Richard Diebenkorn: Beginnings, 1942-1955 through March 13 The Grammy Museum www.grammymuseum.org Deep Heart: Roots, Rock & the Music of Carlos Vives through Spring, 2019 Diamond in a Rhinestone World: The Costumes of Dolly Parton through March 17 The Prison Concerts: Folsom And San Quentin ( Jim Marshall’s Photographs Of Johnny Cash) through April 22 Take Me Out to the Ball Game: Popular Music and the National Pastime through Fall, 2019 Hammer www.hammer.ucla.edu Allen Ruppersberg: Intellectual Property 1968-2018 through May 12 Hammer Projects: Math Bass site-specific mural through March 17 Dirty Protest: Selections from the Hammer Contemporary Collection through May 19 Un chemin escarpé / A steep path, an immersive, five-channel video installation by Jamilah Sabur through May 5 Hammer Projects: Tschabalala Self—Bodega Run through April 28 Heritage Square Museum www.heritagesquare.org The Huntington www.huntington.org Celia Paul through July 8 NASA’s Orbit Pavillion Sound Experience through September 2 Project Blue Boy through September 30 Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles www.theicala.org Lucas Blalock, An Enormous Oar through July 31 Maryam Jafri: I Drank the Kool-Aid But I Didn’t Inhale through June 30 Patty Chang: The Wandering Lake, 2009-2017 opens March 17 Brognon-Rollin: Maybe Some of Us Will Change This opens March 17 Italian American Museum of Los Angeles www.iamla.org Leo Politi’s Los Angeles, Works of Love and Protest through May 19 J. Paul Getty Museum www.getty.edu The Getty Center: Mapping Space: Recent Acquisitions in Focus through July 14 Marks of Collaboration: Drawings in Context through April 14 Pontormo: Miraculous Encounters through April 28 Artful Words, Calligraphy in Illustrated Manuscripts through April 7 Spectacular Mysteries: Renaissance Drawings Revealed through April 28 MONUMENTality through April 21 Eighteenth-Century Pastel Portraits through October 13 J. Paul Getty Life and Legacy ongoing Greek and Roman Sculpture from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art ongoing Encore: Reenactment in Contemporary Photography March 12-June 9 Oscar Rejlander: Artist Photographer March 12-June 9 The Getty Villa:
Underworld: Imagining the Afterlife through March 18 Palmyra: Loss and Remembrance through May 27 Japanese American National Museum www.janm.org Kaiju vs Heroes: Mark Nagata’s Journey through the World of Japanese Toys extended to July 7 Gambatte! Legacy of an Enduring Spirit through April 28 Kidspace Children’s Museum www.kidspacemuseum.org LA Plaza de Cultura Y Artes www.lapca.org Landscapes and Land Dwellers: Photography of Place by Rafael Cardenas through March 25 La Brea Tar Pits & Museum www.tarpits.org Mammoths & Mastodons through 2019 Lancaster Museum of Art and History www.lancastermoah.org Peace on Earth through April 21 Leonard Greco, Fairyland through March 31 Los Angeles County Museum of Art www.lacma.org Charles White: A Retrospective through June 9 The Bauhaus at 100: Modern Legacies through May 5 Life Model: Charles White and His Students (at Charles White Elementary School) through September 15 The Jeweled Isle: Art from Sri Lanka through June 23 Outliers and American Vanguard Art through March 17 Merce Cunningham, Clouds and Screens through March 31 Rauschenberg: The 1/4 Mile through June 9 West of Modernism: California Graphic Design, 1975-1995 through April 21 3D: Double Vision through March 31 To Rome and Back: Individualism and Authority in Art, 15001800 through March 17 Miracle Mile ongoing Teresa Hubbard / Alexander Birchler: Flora through April 7 Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust www.lamoth.org Dora: Discovery and Despair through March 29 MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House www.makcenter.org Shelter or Playground: The House of Dust at the Schindler House, Alison Knowles through June 2 Marciano Art Foundation www.marcianoartfoundation.org Glenn Ligon: Selections from the Marciano Collection through May 5 Yayoi Kusama, With All My Love For the Tulips, I Pray Forever, 2011 ongoing Museum of Contemporary Art www.moca.org MOCA Grand Selections from the Permanent Collection ongoing MOCA Mural: Njideka Akunyili Crosby ongoing One Day at a Time: Manny Farber and Termite Art through March 11 Cameron Rowland, D37 through March 11 The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA Zoe Leonard: Survey through March 25 Laura Owens through March 25 Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Questions) (1990/2018) through November, 2020 Museum of Latin American Art www.molaa.org La Huella Múliple, established and emerging Cuban print artists through May 12 Gráfica América through September 1
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LUMMIS DAYS HONORS
2019 "Noisemaker" Tomás Benitez at Annual Dinner, Saturday April 6 at Highland Park Ebell Club
Tomás Benitez, who has been a central figure in L.A.’s multi-cultural arts scene for over four decades, will be the 2019 Lummis Day “Noisemaker Award” honoree at the Lummis Day Community Foundation’s annual fundraiser dinner on Saturday, April 6, at the historic Highland Park Ebell Club in Highland Park. Currently serving as Grants Manager for Plaza de la Raza, Tomás has brought creativity and passion to his work in many capacities as an advocate of Chicano/Latino arts and culture. Over the past 40 years, Tomás served as a consultant to the Smithsonian Institute, the President’s Council for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, the University of Notre Dame, USC, UCLA, the Mexican Fine Art Center Museum, Chicago, and the California Arts Council. He has lectured in Berlin, Mexico City, London, Glasgow, Tel Aviv, and Pretoria South Africa, as well as numerous cultural centers, major institutions and universities throughout the United States on Chicano art and culture. On the board of Californians for the Arts and California Arts Advocates, Tomás is a founding member of The Latino Arts Network of California (LAN) and a former Commissioner for the County of Los Angeles Arts Commission. Recently, he has been writing an online, ongoing saga The Gully about his home life in East Los Angeles. Several of his East Los Angeles stories were published by Blue Heron in an anthology of new American fiction. He is also editing two collections of writing for publication this year. This year’s Lummis Days Festival, the 14th annual event, will take place on May 31, June 1 and 2 at various Northeast L.A. locations: Occidental College in Eagle Rock, Lummis Home in Montecito Heights, Sycamore Grove Park and the streets surrounding York Boulevard & Avenue 50. As always, admission to all festival events is free of charge. The April 6 fundraiser will feature a buffet dinner provided by several local Northeast Los Angeles restaurants. A silent auction will offer the chance to bid on art, books, vintage wines and other collectibles at bargain prices. Event tickets are available on the Lummis Day website: www.lummisday.org, at Galco’s Old World Grocery and at Las Cazuelas in Highland Park. Tickets are $50 per person. Dinner, beer, wine and soft drinks are included with admission. All proceeds from the event support the Lummis Day Festival, the only arts festival that represents all of Northeast L.A. The “Noisemaker Award,” is named in reference to the famous "noises,” entertainments held by Charles Lummis for writers, artists and dignitaries in his Northeast Los Angeles home. The award is presented to a person whose work and contributions to the community are consistent with the mission of the Lummis Day Community Foundation, "to celebrate the arts, history and ethnic diversity of Northeast Los Angeles through educational and cultural events and to promote cooperation among people of all ages and backgrounds." Previous honorees have been former Los Angeles councilmember Ed Reyes; playwright, filmmaker and actor Richard Montoya; literary journalist and best-selling novelist Hector Tobar; local artist and activist Amy Inouye and community activist Ann Walnum. Lummis Day Community Foundation Annual Fundraiser Dinner Saturday, April 6, 6:30 pm-10:00 pm Highland Park Ebell Club 131 South Avenue 57 in Highland Park For more event information, call (818) 429-8755 or email lummisdayweb@gmail.com.
continued from page 22 Museum of Neon Art www.neonmona.org Kinetic Energy: Art That Won’t Sit Still through March 31 Museum of Tolerance www.museumoftolerance.com Aliyah: The Rebirth of Israel, 25 Lithographs of Original Gouaches by Salvador Dali ongoing Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County www.nhm.org Art of the Jewel: The Crevoshay Collection through May 12 Barbara Carrasco, Sin Censura, Un Mural Recuerda L.A., A Mural Remembers L.A. ongoing Norton Simon Museum www.nortonsimon.org Once Upon a Tapestry: Woven Tales of Helen and Dido through May 27 Titian’s ‘Portrait of a Lady in White,” c. 1561, on loan from the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden through March 25 Matisse/Odalisque through June 17 Pasadena Museum of History www.pasadenahistory.org Something Revealed; California Artists Emerge, 1860-1960
Phase II: through March 31
March 30-May 18
Pomona College Museum of Art www.pomona.edu Stories: Selections from the Permanent Collection through May 19 Courtney M. Leonard: Intermodal through May 19
University Art Museum, California State University Long Beach www.csulb.edu/university-art-museum Call and Response, When We Say…You Say through April 14
Skirball Cultural Center www.skirball.org Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg through March 10 Sara German’s Closet through March 10 Southwest Museum www.theautry.org/visit/mt-washington-campus Torrance Art Museum torranceartmuseum.com Protest, Noun: five Los Angeles-based artists whose works engage urgent political themes through March 9 White Noise: Kerry Skarbakka, photography through March 9 Place Where, Before, In a In: Solo exhibition by Kim Zumpfe in collaboration with Bacabaya through March 9 Co/Lab 4 Los Angeles & Rotterdam March 30-May 18 Auratic Geometries / Ryan Taber, A Grammar of Period Furniture and Periodic Eversion
USC Fisher Museum of Art www.fisher.usc.edu Staged Meaning/Meaning Staged: Landscapes from Fisher’s Permanent Collection through April 13 Suppression, Subversion and the Surreal—The Art of Czechoslovakian Resistance March 9-May 10 USC Pacific Asia Museum www.pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu Tsuruya Kōkei: Modern Kabuki Prints Revised & Revisited through July 14 Vincent Price Art Museum www.vincentpriceartmuseum.org Wang Xu: Garden of Seasons through March 9 Regeneración: Three Generations of Revolutionary Ideology through March 23 Guadalupe Rosales: Echoes of a Collective Memory through March 23
LA ART NEWS
WINE OF THE MONTH
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Larisa Code
Note: Create joy, one sip at a time. Featured Wine: Aupa Pipeño Vintage: 2017 Color: Light Red Varietal: Blend: 80% Pais 20% Carignan Price: Under $15 Country: Chile Region: Maule Farm Practice: Organic/Sustainable Yeast: Native Soil: Granite It is getting easier and easier to find affordable, organic wines—delicious ones, which is so exciting. It really is a Catch-22, as, we, humans, have been devastating our land for centuries which leads to unhealthy soil, die off of many native creatures and natural predators causing farmers to seek a quick fix (pesticides/herbicides/GMOs) to fight off invasive species. There needs to be a conscientious effort to companion plant, to plant for native pollinators, to replenish the soil, to get back the healthy balance that once existed, a sustainable life. Replenishing our soil and taking care to create a welcome habitat for our natives is a process. Considering all of that, when someone works the land with respect, realizing its importance, and creates a delicious affordable wine, it is my pleasure to purchase and drink their wine. Pipeño is the traditional method of winemaking in Chile, dating back to the 16th century. The Pais grape is known for low acid and light color, and was once used to make a quaff for the peasant workers (campesinos), something they could drink all day, and let’s face it, being a peasant was kind of shit, so, no judgement on the all-day drinking. When Basque/French vigneron David Marcel and his wife, Chilean enologist Loreta Garau, discovered the ‘bush’ grapes growing on their land, which were planted in 1895, rather than replace them with a more popular grape, they used them, a homage to Chilean wine making traditions, and I’d say it worked out fabulously. Aupa Pipeño is very fruit forward, raspberry, wild strawberry, a little bit of floral and a touch of herbal: thyme, a hint of fennel. The 20% Carignane adds structure, color and some acidity. The low tannins and low acidity on this wine make it easy to pair, think salami, peperoni, hard cheese, bread. I did pair it with a bowl of pasta in a rich hot sausage Bolognese and liked the lightness of the wine combined with the spicy sausage. Come to think of it, I liked it with spicy food, a lot; it went great with camarones a la diabla. Aupa goes well with the weather too, the redness of the wine will warm you up, but serving it chilled is welcome when the sun comes out and you are suddenly overdressed. I want to choose peonies for almost all wine pairings because I love them, but, now they are in season too…so, why not? For the music I pulled out some oldies but goodies, Donna Summer and Chaka Khan…it’s just that sort of wine! An ideal way to drink this wine would be, invite a group of friends over (let’s call them peasants, to be thematic), for an early afternoon adventure. Have a garden party, where everyone actually gardens. Work to replenish the soil, remove weeds by hand, maybe rip out some of your sod and replace it with natives. Make a giant meal together and start a compost pile. This might be a great idea for an Earth Day party (yes it is in April, but every day should be Earth Day). With all of this rain, weeding is much easier…it is very satisfying. While writing this article, I just started a second business…Garden Parties by Larisa. I can come out, organize, plan and guide all of the activities for your guests (peasants). You supply the people, tools and wine and I supply my knowledge, skills and bossiness for a successful event. First person to hire me only pays for the cost of plants/supplies and all I ask in return is for feedback and a glass of wine (or two) and if it works out, some good old fashioned word of mouth referrals. Salud y amor y tiempo para disfrutarlo! www.larisacode.com
MARCH 2019
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THE FIFTH ANNUAL BOB BAKER DAY AT LOS ANGELES STATE HISTORIC PARK, FEBRUARY 23 The Bob Baker Marionette Theater, established in 1963, has announced that it will be moving to York Boulevard in Highland Park.
SPEAK FROM THE HEART
New Works by Mario A. Hernandez, continues through March 9 at Rock Rose Gallery in Highland Park http://www.rockrosegallery.com
LA ART NEWS
THE FORGE FESTIVAL
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Hosted by Adam’s Forge, a Northeast Los Angeles nonprofit blacksmithing school that shares the traditional craft through classes and activities. February 10, 2019, Audubon Center at Debs Park
THRIFT SHOP FINDS
Second in a Series by Artist Ted Meyer www.tedmeyer.com
MARCH 2019
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CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA’S “WEB OF STARS” At Corey Helford Gallery is a collection of 14 small and intimate paintings musing on the connection of all things creating the universe simultaneously. This interconnectedness of the Universe, from the largest planets to the tiniest insects, and how every piece of the universe is involved in creating the magic of itself has become a primary focus lately of Garcia’s work. Through March 30, www.coreyhelfordgallery.com
WESSON EXPANDS “DESTINATION CRENSHAW” TO OBAMA BLVD. PROPOSAL WILL NEARLY DOUBLE SCOPE OF PROJECT
Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson announced plans on Tuesday to expand the innovative Destination Crenshaw Project celebrating African-American culture north to Obama Boulevard from its current terminus at West Vernon Avenue. Wesson’s legislation calls for plans to be developed to engage Destination Crenshaw, the non-profit organization spearheading the project, in the necessary visioning, planning, and design studies that would be required to extend and expand this important cultural project. “The Crenshaw corridor is the hub of our City’s rich African-American history and culture,” said Wesson. “It is only fitting to expand Destination Crenshaw, a project chronicling this rich history and culture, north to Obama Boulevard in honor of our first African-American President.” The motion was seconded by Marqueece Harris-Dawson, the Councilmember from Council District 8, whose district houses the current plan, and will be voted on by the full Council next week. If passed, the Council President’s motion would nearly double the length of the plan. Currently the project is planned to run for 1.3 miles, flanking the Crenshaw Boulevard corridor of the new Crenshaw/LAX Line through Hyde Park. The Destination Crenshaw project is an community-inspired open air art and cultural experience, designed to be a living celebration of world class contributions of Los Angeles’ African-American community. Brought to life by Councilmember Harris-Dawson, the project will use Crenshaw Boulevard as a backdrop for this innovative project which honors and celebrates the cultural, social, and political contributions of the City’s African-American community. As Harlem was once the center of the Black art and culture, today South Los Angeles stands proudly as the leader. The community’s distinctive vision for Destination Crenshaw enjoys broad public and private support and plans are under way to unveil the completed art and cultural experience in Spring 2020.
LA ART NEWS