JUiCE: LA Graffiti Art Battle

The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON!

I last checked out JUiCE's dance scene, which includes a variety of breaking all-stars. But another kick-ass component to this wonderful elixir is JUiCE's graffiti art and the host of street artists at this place. What better time to check out their art than during their 4th Annual Graffiti Art Battle?

A piece found at J.U.i.C.E.

4th ANNUAL GRAFFITI ART BATTLE IN LOS ANGELES
Every year for the past 4 years, JUiCE and Visual Elements, an Oakland-based group from the Eastside Arts Alliance, battle it out to see who can throw up the most creative and original graffiti art piece. The first battle took place at the Venice graffiti walls in 2006 and then moved on to Oakland in 07 and 08, each taking place during the Malcom X Jazz festival. This year's battle took place at JUiCE's headquarters in Los Angeles.

The battles are usually themed, and cover such themes as Immigration and Jazz. This year's theme was Culture. But the challenge for the street art teams doesn't stop there. Each team is then given a word that they must use to anchor the whole piece. Previous words include War and Bebop. This year the JUiCE team was given the word Native. Visual Elements received the word Survival.

JUiCE's Canvas

Visual Elements Canvas

JUiCE's GRAFFITI ART BATTLE: A TEAM EFFORT
Each team consists of about 10-15 street artists whose skill levels are matched and set to complement one another. The idea is to create a piece as a team and the winning piece is judged largely on how well the team works together.

As an artist, it's difficult enough to throw up a piece by yourself. But to get 10-15 heads on the same page, to consider dimensions and how things will connect, to blow it up while another talented team does the same just a few feet away, and there's only about three hours or so to complete the piece. Well that's a practice of showmanship. Paint on you crazy artists!

The teamwork of Visual Elements

JUiCE Graffiti Artists working their magic

JUSTICE by UNITING In CREATIVE ENERGY
Events like these are true acts of justice because a lot kids from urban areas like LA don't have equal access to arts programs, which are typically the first things cut from the state budget. If you live in a poor area, your arts program and other after school programs are likely the first to go.

Part of the Justice that JUiCE brings to the communinty is that it provides an opportunity to develop one's creative potential thru dance, music, and art. Not to mention it creates a space where people interested in hip-hop can come together and celebrate it. Few outlets for urban youth exist that provide such a service and JUiCE has stepped up to support LA's youth and develop their creative potential.

WHO WON THE BATTLE?
Well, Visual Elements took the prize this year. The series between JUiCE and the Visual Elements team is now tied 2-2. The next battle may occur as soon as May 30th in Oakland. Contact JUiCE for more details.

VISUAL ELEMENTS - "SURVIVAL"

J.U.i.C.E. - "NATIVE"

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Walking the Streets: Conserving Pico Union's History

The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON!

Put on your walking shoes!
And grab your camera 'cause this Saturday (March 21) the Los Angeles Conservancy is launching it's new self-guided walking tour in Pico Union. There are 24 historic districts in Los Angeles City--areas that contain buildings, landscapes, and natural features that have historic, architectural, cultural or aesthetic significance. Pico Union is just one of those districts.

Located near the Staples Center, about 2 miles west of Downtown Los Angeles, Pico Union contains homes that are 100+ years old, and the history of the area--spanning more than a hundred years of the "wild wild west"--is just as rich. After the kickoff event, the self-guided walking tour will be available for free at the Pico-Union Branch Library and online at the LA Conservancy's website.











In addition to the beautiful historic homes, the community is full of awesome murals like the one above. A number of organizations work in the area too, and provide various resources to LA County residents including literacy work, labor rights work, gang prevention, immigrant rights advocacy, and legal services to low-income minorities.

So we're just walking?
NOT AT ALL! A number of organizations will be present at the event to provide neighborhood folks with things such as free shade trees for the yard, graffiti removal resources, and information on local computer and language literacy programs (to name a few). For the kiddies, there will be face-painting, an interactive word puzzle game, and coloring activities. So bring the kids!

More importantly, to quote another communitarian from the movie Block Party, "Bring yo'self! Bring yo'self!!" 'Cause the tour will cover Pico Union's history and showcase a number of the historic homes in the area, like the one below. And believe me. This is just the beginning!


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Urban Gems: Self Help and Defending our Built Environment

The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON!

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.

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

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Murals in Los Angeles: Jesus Christ and the Community

Jesus Christ--Memorial

There is another piece on the south facing wall of the Pico Union strip mall from an earlier post. This piece faces an alley and is dedicated to Jesus Christ and his Love and support for humanity. It has a lot of names strewn across the top of it (I'm assuming it's people that have passed in the community or some of the artists of the mural--maybe both).

Murals in Los Angeles: Mother Earth

These gigantic murals are located on the corner of Pico Blvd. and Union Ave. in Los Angeles. The building is covered with murals and graffiti on many of its walls. All of these photos below are different parts of the same building.

"We Don't Have Generations"
This particular piece is on the west facing Wall of a plaza (the piece faces Lucille's and the corner of Pico and Union). The following is written across the top of the mural:

"We don't have generations.
We only have gas stations and corporations,
landfills and oil spills."

Earth Crew, 4/22/90

Good Brother, 4/20/05

Murals in Los Angeles: A New Way to think about Graffiti in LA?

I'd like to be clear that I'm a big proponent of art and only in some cases graffiti--I hear it's used as a deterrent to other forms of gang-affiliated graffiti. And since it exists as an outlet for many of LA's youths, and there's not much I can do about it in the interim, I figure I'll document it. Maybe one day, the government will increase funding for arts programs in impoverished cities and maybe--just maybe--the simple act of documenting a lot of the work found around Los Angeles will increase support for those that think, express, and act through art.

I found the following piece in the West Adams area of Los Angeles:




These pieces are located off the 10 freeway near the Los Angeles St. exit:





This piece is located on Normandie near Hollywood Blvd.

Watts Towers in Los Angeles: Revolutionary Vision

So my Nana and my Nina have this story of how, as young adults, they would wake up to the sounds of a hammer hitting metal. Imagine that one day a neighbor down the street starts hammering away on some personal project of his. The hammering goes on for years, all the day long, day in and day out. Clanging metal becomes part of the regular sounds of the neighborhood along with farm animals, kids playing in the street, and the occasional car horn. Preferring to work alone, the guy seems a bit "out there", but friendly, 'cause he collects a number of items from the local community and integrates them into his little pet project, which he liked to call, "Nuestro Pueblo" ("Our Town"). My Nana and Nina were two of the townspeople that exchanged bottles, plates, and other items with the man, sometimes for a penny or more. They'd use this extra income to go to the "show." And while the shows are long gone, and the community has changed, this guys art--and items my family gave him--remain part of his project to this day.

So yea, one day the hammering came to a halt. And there in this residential neighborhood of the 1950's stood 17 interconnected structures, two of which are taller than seven stories. That is the story of how the Watts Towers in Los Angeles, California, affected people like my Grandma and my Godmother, the people of "Nuestro Pueblo".


Simon Rodia built the Watts Towers between 1921 and 1954, and--withstanding the pressures of change and time--they have stood there ever since. The structures were made with such materials as steel pipes and rods, wire mesh, mortar, porcelain, tile, and glass. The structures are decorated with items that children and the local community brought to Rodia and also with items he found in the neighborhood and surrounding areas such as bed frames, recognizable soft-drink bottles (some bearing the logos of 7up, Squirt, and Canada Dry), ceramic tiles, scrap metal and sea shells.


The story goes that Rodia built the towers with no predetermined design and only used hand tools like hammers and window-washers' equipment. The towers are on the National Register of Historic Places, and are designated as a National Historic Landmark. Not only are some of my family's dishes part of this nationally recognized historic structure, but--more importantly to me--this structure, the time period it was created, and the community of the time is just another piece of LA that makes up part of my family's history.

Identity and Activism: Marjane Satrapi and Karen Brodkin

Saw the movie Persepolis today with some friends. The film is animated, primarily black and white, and has subtitles, but it's uncanny how easy one gets lost in the narrative. Persepolis is the story of Marjane Satrapi, a young girl who grows up in war-torn Iran during the Iranian Revolution (1978-82) and becomes an empowered woman right before our eyes.

The main characters in Persepolis are highly developed and idiosyncratic. An example of this development is Marjane's grandmother--sitting with her on the sofa in the poster above--whose class, sass, and wisdom is marvelously true-to-life and often humorous in the process. The dialogue too is warm, natural, and riveting. It moves Marjane's growth and maturation along, while also highlighting the multi-faceted experiences of war, tragedy, and human empowerment throughout. Persepolis underscores the force of narrative, which--shaping and empowering the mind and spirit--compels individuals, whole families, and communities to struggle to eliminate unjust practices taking place in the world. Often chaotic, this internal and external world influences the outgrowth of one's identity just as much as the narratives one is exposed to. Adapted from a graphic novel, Marjane's Persepolis is a must see.

The Power of Narrative in Los Angeles

The role that narrative plays on shaping a person's identity and their subsequent activism in political arenas was a recurring theme throughout the day. Earlier I attended a book talk with UCLA Anthropology Professor, Karen Brodkin, who introduced her book, Making Democracy Matter, and discussed some of the interviews she had with local activists working as organizers in LA's labor and immigrant rights world.

The event was titled, "What Makes a Social Movement a Movement?: Identity and Activism in Los Angeles". One of the major issues Brodkin highlighted is the role of activists in bearing witness of right and wrongdoing through action and also storytelling. Brodkin also believes that activists provide alternative interpretations of the typical and modern and therefore remake it. The power of their narrative is how they connect non-activists to activists by demystifying various lived realities and--because they have a foot in various worlds--are capable of bridging different and complex worlds.

Some quick sketches

I drew this as a quick sketch at Canter's on Sunday.
"Smile now, Cry later."

It's a throwback to urban Chicano and Lowrider culture and iconic imagery. We all have our moments of laughing on the outside but hurting within.

And I finished this sketch around 4am last night after receiving some charcoal pencils, a sketchpad, and an easel from a friend for Christmas. I've entitled it:
"Compatible Nightscapes: The dick that Loves"

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I really dig surrealist art and in many ways it's the genre that inspires me most--and therefore influences my sketches most. People always ask, "what's the meaning?" and there are others that are more straight forward and say stuff like, "That's depressing" or "It's too dark." In this case, the meaning is in the title. The drawing is about darkness as much as it about other things, including light. It's not my fault if you can't see it.

West Hollyood Halloween Carnival: MAY DAY in Los Angeles

Spooky Nights:
I'm still recuperating from attending the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval on Santa Monica Blvd last night. I've known of West Hollywood ("WeHo") for years, especially when at the age of 12 I caught a glimpse of two guys kissing on the corner of Robertson and Santa Monica Blvd. For the first time in my life, my little mind conceived of the notion of an openly gay and lesbian community.

Fast forward 15+ years and there I was at about 12 midnight walking through the crowd of male dominatrices, cross dressers of all sorts, and a favorite of the night, for nostalgia sake: Pee-Wee Herman, red bike, goofy laugh, and annoying voice included. The classic Hollywood iconic heterosexual couples came out too (no pun intended) and included Lucy and Ricky, Shrek and Fiona, and Heff and his three bunnies. Food couples were also big: bacon and eggs and Mcdonald's French fries and Heinz Ketchup to name two.

But c'mon, these heteros had nothing on the gay community that came out tour de force for this event. There were a little under 300 Spartans, which left male and female onlookers desiring to conquer their hot gateway. Tina Turner was present and--unlike love--she was nothing near a sweet old fashion notion. One of the most outrageous scenes included a half-naked man pulling another burly man with a chariot. Imagine pulling someone all night on a chariot for about a mile each way.


Then there was this person:

LA Sights:
But let's compare the Carnaval to another one of LA's sights: a celebration like May Day, which took place on May 1, 2007--known internationally as Labour Day, or International Workers' day. First it should be noted that Halloween, like Baseball, is a national celebration and pastime, but few Americans really understand May Day's importance.

Police Presence and Amenities
There were a lot of costumed police at the Carnaval, looking like LA's finest, but they had on black leather pants like this guy.


Real LA County Sheriffs came out in loads as well, but their presence wasn't at all overbearing, which was nice 'cause people just walked the street having drinks, eating food, and smoking it up.

Police presence was huge at the May Day celebration too (mostly LAPD), and they came bearing their own costumes--riot gear, blunt batons, and guns that fired real rubber bullets. Unlike the Carnaval, the May Day celebration did not offer participants beer to drink and very few food stands were present.

The West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval was marked by organization through collaboration, respect for individuality, celebration without incident, and a heightened--perhaps short-lived--sense of community and solidarity.

The May Day celebration was marked by organization with little collaboration, disrespect for individuality, incident as a result of celebration, and a heightened--perhaps short-lived--sense of community and solidarity, at least between those doing the running and those receiving the blunt ends of swinging batons. (Unlike the Carnaval, at least journalists and reporters had the chance to become part of their own feature story).


Something that Unites!
Both events are meant to provide an opportunity to make a statement about tolerance, solidarity, individual prerogative, marginalization, and celebration. They give the wider public a chance to celebrate and honor different choices, lifestyles, and circumstance and highlight the bedrock principles of US democracy.

I hope that one day the LGBT community of West Hollywood, which is largely white and affluent, very successful at developing events and working with the city, and holding some political and economic clout in the state will align and collaborate with the low-income immigrant communities that make up much of the fabric of LA, the May Day Marches, and the WeHo celebration.

How might this occur? First, let's acknowledge that both communities experience inequality and marginalization. The issue of civil unions as a response to same-sex marriage is just as much a hotly contested issue as a guest-worker program as a response to a fair and just immigration policy. Next, there is something that binds these communities--all communities really--and runs deeper than race, class, gender, and sexual preference.

Ahhh, there is opportunity here somewhere, but I'll save that for a later post. There are at least two more constants I failed to mention earlier: I'm still recuperating from the frightful scenes and the underlying socio-political dynamics that powerfully rocked thousands at both events. Yet, as a result of the deep impact each event had on my hopes for the future of LA, I'm looking forward to celebrating in the streets at both events next year!

P.S.
A view of one of the many food stands at the Carnaval.