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Art Notes

Donate a camera, watch some films, or follow Eastside traditions to new locations.   Some art notes for your Monday.

PICS: The Boys &  Girls Clubs of East Los Angeles Annual Fundraiser was held this past weekend, and it included a tribute to Edward Maldonado who co-founded the club in 1954,  then known  Eastside Boys Club. Maldonado was born in 1918 and recently passed away on July 24, 2009. Even in his final days, he worked with the club that now serves over 2,000 East Los Angeles youth each year. In his memory, the first Founder’s Award was given to him posthumously, and will be awarded to those whose continue the legacy of the club Maldonado he helped begin 55 years ago.

Boys & Girls Clubs of East Los Angeles now offer a photography program that allows local kids to explore and document their own neighborhood. That is important. If you wish to donate a much needed digital camera, new or used, you can drop it off at the  Boys & Girls Clubs of East Los Angeles, located at 324 N. McDonnell Avenue. Send operable cameras to the attention of Anna Araujo (323) 263- 4955.

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FILM: The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival opens its 13th year with “Los Abrazos Rotos” (Broken Embraces) that stars Penélope Cruz. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, who is this year’s recipient of the festival’s Gabi Lifetime Achievement Award.

The slate of 75 films includes the L.A. premiere of “La Vida Loca,” a documentary on gangs in El Salvador that may have cost French director, Christian Poveda, his life. The Closing Night & Award Ceremony Gala, which will take place on Friday, October 16th at the Paramount Theatre, will feature a special preview screening of “Women in Trouble.”

The Los Angeles Latino Film Festival will be held October 11th to October 16th,  2009, at the Mann Chinese Cinema.

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ON THE MOVE: Arte Calidad Cultural Institute’s  Dia De Los Muertos Celebration marks its 10th Anniversary. Yes, this is the same Paper Mache Calavera Exhibition and concert previously held on the 6th Street Bridge, before briefly moving to the Arts District. Now it returns to Boyle Heights on October 24th to October 25th at the Historic Hollbebeck Park (415 S. St. Louis St).  Goya Festival De La Gente partnership with CD14 Jose Huizar includes the Los Angeles Times’ HOY, who will present The Hoy Cultural Neighborhood Family Zone.

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NEW LOCATION: Self Help Graphics & Art’s Dia De Los Muertos will be held at the East L.A. Civic Center on November 2, 2009. While the event starts at 5pm, the procession will gather at Belvedere Park’s Virgen de Gauadalupe Mural (Cesar E Chavez and Mednick) at 4pm. Your master of ceremonies at 4801 E. 3rd Street will be, as the flyer says, LA Eastside Blogger Pachuco 3000. Deadly Stylish, a special exhibition curated by Diana Gamboa, will open November 1st.

Medal For A Marine in Boyle Heights

A commanding officer thought his soldier was awarded a medal after saving Marines in battle, and when he caught up with him decades later, he discovered no medal was received. The LAT has the story on Marine Pfc. Daniel Hernandez and his belated Silver Star:

The four-decade wait only made the honor more meaningful to Hernandez, 63, as several hundred relatives, friends and fellow veterans gathered for a ceremony in his honor at the Hollenbeck Youth Center. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-East Los Angeles) and a host of other state and city leaders attended.

They came in support of a man they had known for decades as a community youth leader and president of the Hollenbeck Youth Center, which provides after-school programs to keep children away from gangs and drugs.

Few knew Hernandez also was a war hero.

At the age of 20, Hernandez was a machine gunner with a company during Operation Utah in the Quang Ngai province and dove through enemy fire to save wounded Marines, despite being struck twice, according to the LAT. At Saturday’s two-hour ceremony, former Marines were there and “Welcome home, Danny!”

All of the story and a few pics at LATimes.

7-Eleven Opens in Lincoln Heights

Friday’s Grand Opening for the new Lincoln Heights 7-Eleven began a little slow, and the DJ and Laker Girls may have wondered if anyone would show up. No worries. Once the final civic representative arrived,  the ribbon was cut and samples were offered. It happened to be the same time Lincoln High School let out, and word spread via phones and twitter that there were free Slurpees nearby.

As for 7-Eleven, the North Broadway Business District is the kind of location they hope to expand into, as part of their seven-year corporate business plan to take back their convenience market domain. Still, this on-the-spot report shows community outreach by 7-Eleven and business development by Councilman Ed Reyes office is the point of the new store. At the end of the video, the most popular ambassadors of Los Angeles offer some goodwill to the neighborhood.

7-Eleven is located at 3201 N. Broadway, in Lincoln Heights.

Garfield Auditorium Still Gutted

Eastsiders should know that Garfield High School’s historic auditorium looks the same after an arson fire destroyed it almost 2 1/2 years ago. The LAT finds out that despite benefit concerts and donations, LAUSD and insurance companies are at odds over rebuilding it from the ground up, or reconstructing what remains of the historic building. They detail the debate:

L.A. Unified contends that the 1925 auditorium needs to be rebuilt from the ground to meet state building codes. But nine insurers insist that the walls are salvageable and could support a new building, district officials said. The difference in cost is considerable.

<snip>

Demolition was to have been completed this fall, with construction beginning next year. Despite the uncertainty of recovering costs — estimated by the district at $46 million — designs for a new auditorium are almost complete and will be submitted soon for state approval, said facilities chief Guy Mehula. But in a further hitch, Garfield’s main administration building, which is attached to the auditorium, must be retrofitted to meet earthquake standards, and officials have not determined the level of demolition needed.

The only payouts so far have been for the cost of designs that would return the historic assembly hall to resemble its former self.  More words and pics at  [Insurance dispute takes center stage in auditorium drama]

Los Jack

LosJack
Los Jack is now serving “crumbled chorizo sausage” for breakfast.

While wandering the Westside, near MacArthur Park, I noticed the latest community outreach from Jack in the Box; the Chorizo Sausage Breakfast Burrito.

No word if this corporate menu choice has invaded the Eastside, but you can imagine the competition brainstorming ways to make their way into the Latino market. Will McMenudo and the SixDollar Star Torta be far behind?

By the way, even if Chorizo Sausage Breakfast Burrito translates to Sausage Sausage Breakfast Burrito it doesn’t mean The Box is offering a double serving.

La Virgen de Guadalupe at LACMA

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She’s Here.

Back in late June, I learned through the LACMA blog that they had acquired a gorgeous painting of La Virgen De Guadalupe from 1691.  It was installed a few weeks ago so I went over to check it out.  I had the luxury of visiting the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe earlier this year so I was excited to see this one.  I didn’t feel like forking over 12 bucks for regular admission so I waited til the clock struck 5pm.  I gave my donation, got my ticket, and took the outside elevator right across from the Welcome Center/ Hammer Building up to the Art of the Americans Building.  I opened the door and there she was at the far end, immediately tugging at my heart and drawing me inward.

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Imagining Revolution, 2019..what do you think?

installamblt
Originally posted at www.therevolutionwill.blogspot.com
by Sandra De La Loza

Imagining Revolution, 2019..what do you think?

Some quotes from responses to what a revolution in Los Angeles, 2019 (the year the film Bladerunner, was set in), might look like…

We find the cop inside of us all… hold onto him as if he were the mouse in the trap and than we fucking kill him.
..cops that manifest in judgement, in self criticism, I would kill the cop inside of me and hope that everyone else could to in the name of revolution.


Raquel Gutierrez

The process is already in place to screw out any dissent and to starve out creative thought. That combination of creative thought and action poses a great threat to a fascist lifestyle.

To be successfully revolutionary one will have to internalize it, and live with it as a concept as a way of life, while participating in daily life.

Harry Gamboa

I think of olmstead’s original plan for the LA river as this greenway that connects the city. The freeway may be that, and each little pocket park along of olmsteads plan for the la river is the neighborhoods along it and the neighborhoods could travel up and down the river trading food and fruit with each other… that’s a green vision for a radical revolution that could totally redefine the city.

It’s just amazing to imagine this city that’s just so defined by its freeways actually to be defined by its little neighborhoods and its pockets and as the freeways begin to erode like the New York City skyline, the freeways themselves begin to erode, the freeways themselves become garden passageways for the local neighborhoods to flower and feed themselves.

Robby Herbst
For more info on architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s 1930’s vision of a green LA check out: http://www.cityprojectca.org/ourwork/olmsted.html

For more: http://therevolutionwill.blogspot.com/

-Sandra De La Loza

Southern California Anarchist Conference

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http://www.anarchistconference.org/

The Southern California Anarchist Conference– a weekend long conference centered on anarchist and its anti-authoritarian tendencies as uniquely manifested in the southern California. Collectively we hope to show past & present examples of anarchist ideas in practice, through speakers, panels, workshops, images, theater, music, film and non-coercive socializing as they intersect in the everyday struggles against coercive power, capitalism and the state.

Saturday, August 1st 2009 CONFERENCE
(workshops, strategizing and networking sessions)
12:00-8:00PM at the SoCal Library
6120 S. Vermont Ave. L.A. 90044
$5.00 suggested donation; no denied entry.

Sunday, August 2nd 2009 FERIA LIBERTARIA
(Art, music, theater, food, tabling, and more!)
12:00-8:00PM UCLA Downtown Labor Center
675 S. Park View St. L.A. 90057
FREE!

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LIVE TO RIDE, RIDE TO LIVE – Eastside Bike Ride 6/27/09

ebike
(you might want to bring along a bike better than this one!)

One of our readers sent this info along via our contact us page. See, even you can get something posted here!

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“LIVE TO RIDE, RIDE TO LIVE”

EASTSIDE BIKE CLUB CELEBRATES 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH
COMMUNITY BIKE RIDE, OUTDOOR MOVIES, MUSIC AND FIREWORKS

On Saturday June 27th, the EASTSIDE BIKE CLUB will be celebrating our 1st
Year Anniversary with a community bike ride thru the streets of Northeast
Los Angeles.

The event starts at Lincoln Park in Lincoln Heights, just 5 minutes
Northeast of Downtown LA. Bike riders are invited to join our celebration
by arriving at Lincoln Park at 3pm to start to decorate bikes RED, WHITE
and BLUE (Weekend before the 4th of July), check air pressure on tires and
make minor adjustments to bikes.
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Save Golden Gate Theater—here’s what you can do right now!

Alright folks, eleventh-hour call to action here…

 If we’re serious about doing something to save Golden Gate Theater—the only remaining movie palace in East LA—we need to drop whatever “urgent” matter we’re dealing with now (like updating our Facebook statuses or, even more mundane, working), and figure out which of the following two actions we’re going to take between today and tomorrow.

A)    Plan on attending the hearing tomorrow (May 13, 9am) and expressing your reasons before the LA County Regional Planning Commission for opposing the destruction of this invaluable cultural jewel.

OR, if nothing else…

B)     Write and submit by 6pm TODAY your comments on this matter. You can send your remarks to agutierrez@planning.lacounty.gov

Hopefully, you’ll decide to attend the hearing. Below is the address. It’s the first item on the agenda, so be on time!

Health Services Auditorium
313 N Figueroa (corner street: Temple), Los Angeles 90012

Points to remember…

 *  The 1927 Churriguerresque-style theater is one of LA’s most significant movie palaces and the only one remaining in the future city of East LA…

 * Even if Latino and working class, doesn’t East LA deserve the enjoyment of historic and cultural preservation as much as some Westside neighborhood? The restoration of a beautiful old theater in the community could potentially house emerging cultural/arts organizations on the Eastside and serve as the anchor for an East LA arts district on Whittier Blvd. Why squander this opportunity??    

* If we don’t save the Golden Gate Theater now, the real estate development firm that holds title to it, the Charles Co., will gut the building in order to lease it to CVS Pharmacy—hardly a friend of the community (read all about CVS and their crimes at www.curecvsnow.org