Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Thursday: Downtown Art Walk!

I went to my first Downtown Art Walk last month and it made me regret missing the last six walks that have taken place since I moved to SoDo.

(Tangent: As the LA Times points out in this article about the nebulous "South Los Angeles," having distinct nomenclature is important for neighborhood identity, so I'm trying to nurture mine.)

I rode my bicycle up Main Street last month and was amazed to see how many people were in the streets, walking from gallery to gallery, hanging out at Lost Souls Cafe, standing around listening to bands perform on the sidewalk.

Even more amazing to me was the fact that there was so much life in downtown after 8PM.

The images in this post are from the LAMP Art Project. This exhibit struck a particular chord in me. The politically-charged pieces reflected the people of this city who are largely ignored, abandoned, and abused. The collage of images and words communicate the voices of the silenced, and I appreciated seeing a reflection of these ideas during the walk. While the LAMP Project is what resonated most with me, there were many interesting exhibits at the various galleries and I encourage folks who haven't gone before to check it out, to get out and enjoy this wonderful cool spell we're having if nothing else.

Downtown Art Walk

July 10
12PM-9PM
(2nd Thursday of Every Month)
Admission: Free (as access to art should be)

6 comments:

  1. Thanks, Narinda. Stop in and say hello...

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  2. Ah, I didn't make it to the Walk last night because I had to work late. Next month!

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  3. Darn this was yeasterday, I missed it. What other gallery's to visit downtown? Also glad you put up a picture, caue I thought you were a guy, sorry.

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  4. My memory has faded a bit, but I remember enjoying Bert Green Fine Art (Bert Green was the first commenter on this post), Crewest, and Raw Materials. Here's a map with addresses from the Art Walk website.

    And a case of mistaken gender identity is no big deal to me, so no worries.

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  5. Ok. Anyway I was downtown today near Los Angeles street and seen some galleries. I want to submit my work that's why I asked. Im kinda new to California, so I really don't know where many places are, but I love downtown.

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  6. I'm glad that you enjoyed your trip to Downtown. If you go up and down Gallery Row and the Old Bank District, you'll find lots of galleries and cafes that display artwork-- it's just catching them while they're open that can be a little difficult if you have a 9-5 job. I'd suggest trying to get in touch with the galleries listed at the Downtown Art Walk website. Can't hurt to try. Good luck!

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