Category Archives: Identity

Randoms Weekend Art Run Down

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It’s been a good while since I’ve done one of these. Come to think of it, I haven’t really posted anything all summer. (I was too busy doing an internship) Well I’m slowly making my way back to bloggertitlan now that I have some extra time here and there. With that being said, there’s a ton of great art shows and events happening this weekend that are worth a mention and a glance of your eyes. A lot of them people are already going to, but a little friendly reminder here and there doesn’t hurt. Continue reading →

Ride-In to the Movies on August 20

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This Saturday night, August 20, you are invited to take a bike, a skateboard, roller skates, a wheelchair, a grocery cart or scooter ride to the movies for a fun interactive double feature Eastside style.

Two cult classic R rated screenings of Hollywood’s interpretation of gang life–Eastside to Westside are the evenings offerings. (Note: Kids should be accompanied by their adult.)


The Warriors (1979, directed by Walter Hill) – A gang called The Warriors are framed for killing a gang leader who was trying to unite all the gangs in New York City. With other gangs gunning for them they must get back to the home turf of Coney Island-alive!  (Luther) “There he is! That’s him! That’s… the Warrior! He shot Cyrus!” (Cleon) “Man, you crazy! I din’t do nuthin’!”   Starring Michael Beck, James Remar and Dorsey Wright.



Boulevard Nights (1979, directed by Michael Pressman) – One night Raymond takes Chuco with him to pick up Raymond’s girlfriend, Denise “Shady” Landeros and cruise the “boulevard”: a main drag in East L.A. which becomes an impromptu car show every weekend where young Hispanics show off their lowriders . Shady lives in a housing project in East L.A. with her family and works as a secretary for a business office in downtown Los Angeles. Shady has dreams of upward mobility and, because of this, tries to disassociate herself from barrio life. She wants Raymond to do the same but Raymond loves lowriding and is proud of his barrio roots. Starring:  Richard Yniguez, Danny De La Paz, Carmen Zapata and Marta DuBois

Bring a blanket, pillow and/or lawn chair for these outdoor screenings.  Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase. Starts at 8 pm and ends at 12 am. Price: donation

Self Help Graphics & Art
1300 East First Street
Boyle Heights, CA 90033

Aerosol

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You probably won’t find me hanging from the side of a bridge spraying my name –I have Acrophobia—but (yay) above you can see a photo of my first graff. Well, my design with the help and instruction of fellow student Kit McConnell. I think he got ‘stuck’ with me. My first class assignment yesterday was to find my tag name—I chose “VD, because its nothing to laugh about”– the teen boys in the group laughed when I said that. After a short history on the art of Graffiti, we spend the first hour making thumb nail sketches and catching up. It seems that some of the group is on a drop-in basis—there is a core of 10 faithful students, while others are coming and going as their time permits.

I was lucky to join the class upon instructor VyalOne’s (sometimes “Vyal1”) return from Israel. There were lots of interesting stories from the trip. Customs and food challenges are usually an American travel preoccupation, followed by an exclamation of “We are so spoiled!” This group of graffiti artists from the US, were selected to create murals in a very poor area of Israel (the west bank and Gaza) where donkey-hauling and child labor was evident. Seemed like an artistic dream to resonate the downtrodden in a visual homage—but no, that idea got whitewashed for a more uplifting message. The group (Maia Mural Brigade) completed 8 murals in a week. See pictures of the work and journey.

During studio time I also got inducted into the Graffiti class fundraiser coming up. I suggested raffling a graffiti’d bicycle—but we need to get one donated first. Sighhh—technicalities! Vyal also invited us to battle later this month—winner gets to battle him in San Francisco later this year. Uhm—I’m not ready for that. I am still trying to think how I can stretch out my tag—its looking very early 90s. For now, VD morphed into Vdee, and upon spraying, one of the e’s grew teeth–back to the drawing board.

Vyal said I showed much promise. I bet he says that to everyone. BUT—it was fun and the 4 hours ($2.50 an hour) went by so fast. Did I mention that a guy showed up 40 minutes after the class started, threw open his car trunk, sold us tips, aerosol paints, gave us a mess of stickers and stayed on to paint with us? I love falling into a whole sub-culture.

 

Chilenismos

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A fellow artist and friend started a blog with her brother called Fundi2.  Its a new go-to place for the Los Angeles Chilean community.  They plan on interesting POVs, cultural gathering info and related political discussions. Interesting to see how our worlds collide in a city where everyone is trying to find their voice and place.

A Sad Farewell, Requiem for a Palace, The Golden Gate Theater

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This is the grand Golden Gate Theater of yesteryear. But grandeur fades. Icons wither, some more gracefully than others. The Golden Gate Theater in East Los Angeles, movie palace of my youth and once proud cornerstone of Whittier Blvd. Eastside culture, does not deserve to be remembered in this recently discovered undignified and disgusting state… Continue reading →

Enlaces

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My grandparents Jessie y Atanasio, circa early 1940s

I missed the anniversary by a few days but I’d still like to share this bit of my family history.

I was quite surprised when I came across this La Opinion clipping among my grandmother’s photos. I had no idea my grandparents were well-known enough in Los Angeles to be the subject of a social column. I had been aware of my grandmother’s active involvement with various local Echo Park civic groups in the 60s and 70s. But I didn’t know she did things like campaign to have an underground walkway installed under Temple St so that the students of Rosemont Elementary wouldn’t have to cross the busy street. Among her things, I found a letter from a local politician commending her for this effort, an effort I was totally unaware of.
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Resistance Is Fertile: The Right To (Be) Merry aka “Uh… Yeah, What He Said.”

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politicians are full of shit. that is not up for debate. but, when one of those leeches gets a little tipsy or isn’t busy trying to fondle little boys or decides not to run for re-election, he can say the “darndest” things. last week, new york senator roy or ronald or whatever mcdonald, said he would vote against his party. he released this statement to the press:

“You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn’t black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing . . . You might not like that.  You might be very cynical about that.  Well, fuck it, I don’t care what you think.  I’m trying to do the right thing.  I’m tired of Republican-Democrat politics.  They can take the job and shove it.  I come from a blue-collar background.  I’m trying to do the right thing, and that’s where I’m going with this.”

if he had read that statement at a press conference, i’d still be laughing.
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Cure for the Summer Time Blues

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Have you ever had to say the words “¡Pinches chavalos cabrones!”? That was me yesterday. My car is in the shop, so I am on the metro–and you got to get up a little earlier. The bus waits for no man. As I was walking out of my house—my whole front retainer wall is tagged in HUGE letters including FU (spelled out). I run back inside to quickly paint it myself. I locate a full can of stucco paint and open it—I find that it’s dark purple (I need beige). Double urgh! Quickly I go on line and shoot a message to the city’s graffiti removal program. As I walked towards the bus stop, I see that my neighbors got it too.

As an artist, I know that it’s just a case of Summer Time Blues. Urban kids out of school for the summer looking for something to do. Marginalized from any age appropriate community spaces. Urban kids got it tough. It has been proven time after time that this amateurish scratching, marking, etching, spraying could be an artist taking baby steps.

My friend tells me that I can get a $1000 reward for catching the culprits. Last time I saw the kids doing this, I yelled “Why don’t you take an art class? You don’t even know how to do it right. It looks ugly!” That moratorium on tagging my street lasted a few years.
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Intersecting Realities: Visions of Immigrant Narratives

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Save the date for June 18th 6 p.m. for what will be one of many art shows that looks at the Dream Act movement from the point of view of the individuals who make it up. This is a show that has been a long time in the making and through a collective effort of individuals and artist, a space has been created in which the movement will be seen a little differently that the normal political context. Seen the way we see it ourselves everyday going to work, school, being activist, artist, brothers, sisters, daughters,sons … human beings making the best of what was given to us.People see us as the students, dreamers, activist and youth, but rarely do those same people get to see the other sides of our lives outside of these spaces. Truly, a persons personally is like a kaleidoscope, perpetualy changing, sometimes too fast to notice.

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Bordering on Love

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~ Gay Beauty Pageant Contestant Antoinette (TJ O’Connell) and  stylist Marilu Molina (Silvia Tovar) Photo courtesy of Xavi Moreno

The love between a straight man and a straight woman is what has always been defined as a ‘legal’ marriage in polite society. Alas, what if that same love was shared between a gay man and a straight woman ? A rose by any other name would still smell the same, so why wouldn’t their love have the same bearing as any other couples, regardless of sexual orientation ? “Bordering on Love,” the newest production at the Company of Angels deals with that very question, when that line between what is love and what is love as defined by the federal government cross each other. Playwright Evangelina Ordaz and director Armando Molina question the governments policy to only define marriage when it applies to couples who are immigrants and/or gay, “exploring the futility of attempting to regulate human need or emotion” says Ordaz.

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