JANE! JANE! STOP THIS CRAZY THING!!
I'm learning video production at school, and this week's workload has been INSANE! Plus, I just got a new job, and I've been in training/orientation for the last two weeks – 4 hours of sleep each night and lots of homework! I'm beat!
Yet the one thing that's been on my mind ALL week is this Saturday’s Womyn's Self Defense Workshop being held at Self Help Graphics and Art in East LA. I mean c'mon, it's a chance to learn some skills, chill with good people, knock out the tension that's been building up in the shoulders, and an opportunity to sweat out some of those carbs you’ve inhaled during stress-induced stupors.
The reason I'm so stoked for the ladies attending this "kick-ass" workshop is because I love, absolutely savor like juicy carne asada, those ... let's say "sacred" spaces set aside for groups that don't usually have a place to call their own. A group of women, learning how to kick butt together on the Eastside, that's a future even Hanna-Barbera might give props to. I'm no George Jetson, but every man needs a strong woman by his side and a future to look forward to.
THE FUTURE IS NOW.
But this story gets better. See the one thing I've been learning at school lately is how film—in cinema and still photography combined—is being replaced by the onslaught of video and digital bits of information, mostly to save dollars and time. Film as an art form is slowly dying, and how we treat it now is, in many ways, its future.
The folks at Self Help Graphics and Art in East LA know this process of "progress" all too well. Their building was owned by the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese and sold to a private firm, which meant Self Help's programming—a long-standing flagship to the Chicano Movement in LA—would have to be relocated. Self Help recently forged a one-year agreement with the new owners to stay at the current location. But who knows what will happen a year from now.
PRESERVING OUR STORY ... OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT IS PRECIOUS.
When you think of the environment, think of the lakes and the streams that carry our fresh water. Think of the clean crisp air we breathe. And of course think of the myriad of things one can do to preserve these precious resources.
When you think of the environment, think of the lakes and the streams that carry our fresh water. Think of the clean crisp air we breathe. And of course think of the myriad of things one can do to preserve these precious resources.
BUT also think of those places—those spaces—that are resources to a whole community. Think of places like Self Help Graphics & Art, with a history that spans over 35 years, and provides art workshops, self-defense workshops, and puts on celebrations for the local neighborhood and beyond. Think of the monument—yes, this includes the building, not just the programming—that stands to remind us of a beautiful interwoven tapestry of a community's history. Now, think about how YOU can help preserve the programming there and the building that birthed it. What's your thoughts!?
Girl kicking ass Photo Courtesy of EvilMightyAcorn's Flickr Page
Pinata Skull painting Photo courtesy of Claudiz! Flickr Page
Find this post and many others at Youth Noise Play City:
http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog
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