Additions to the Crowd
Ed Fuentes
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — With the Museum of Neon Art (MONA) exhibiting at The Continental Building, solid monochrome paintings of the bridges over the Los Angeles River hanging at Crewest, "aggressive seizure" with clay troops in the windows of Phantom Galleries, and Yun Bai's ""Elegant Nasty" making you do a double take at BGFA –– you can say there was something for everyone at the September Downtown Art Walk.
It was no surprise that the galleries were busy, including the video installations at MoronoKaing Gallery and Spring Arts Collective.
To know that Downtown residents, who normally would not join the throng, were out feeling relatively safe says a lot about how far the Art Walk has grown. There were more families out and around visiting the galleries earlier in the evening, and as one expectant mother said with a tot in tow, the Art Walk DASH makes that possible.
Just a important as art being exciting and experimental, is how walking on a Downtown street in the evening needs to be routine.
Pictured: Above left, a new art fan watches neon at the MONA exhibit. Right, Mike the Poet hooks up with Carlos the DASH Driver. After the jump, artist Yun Bai at BGFA.
Nick on September 14, 2007, at 09:06PM – #1
I couldn't agree with you more, Ed. I took the loop last night for the first time (admittedly part of the "Additions to the Crowd") and was completely surprised by the number of people out and the energy on the street. I was struck with an odd feeling that took me a second to digest. In my two years living downtown, it was the first time I felt such a sense of 'normalcy' walking down the street in the evening. It reminded me of the day Ralph's opened and I walked over to grab lunch, passing 'neighbors' carrying grocery bags home. But I think you are right, walking the streets of downtown at night needs to be more of a routine - it would almost be a psychological validation that downtown has a palpable community.
Walking down the street was truly experiential. There was the spontaneity of strolling in and out of galleries, lit up storefronts that had transformed a normally dormant street edge. Overhearing snippets of conversations as I passed strangers on the street as odd as the numerous casual encounters with friends and acquaintances who seemed equally surprised to be running into me. This while the sound of street performers hummed in the background, like a summer evening in New York.
Of course, the euphoria was somewhat diminished when I remembered I had come straight from work and on rare occasion had driven that day instead of taking the subway and hence had my car in tow. After having fought traffic for 45 minutes coming into downtown, I went straight to the art walk and had yet to return my car to my garage. Getting back in my car to drive a few blocks was the last thing I wanted to do.
A long-winded way of saying, downtown's feeling good and its time to get rid of my car.
Ed Fuentes on September 15, 2007, at 07:45AM – #2
Well said, Nick. So many people return to the art walk it's also functioning as a community get together that introduces new people to their own neighborhood.
Even as part of the appeal of living downtown is living on some sort of "urban edge" these nights of "normalcy" that can someday expand to every weekend, like other urban cores, is hopeful. It's also more effective than any manufactured portion of the city that expects to adminster the continued growth of downtown.
YUN BAI aka YUNNYBUNNY on September 15, 2007, at 11:56PM – #3
Hey Ed!
It was such a pleasure meeting you! Thank you for doing what you do and being so awesome!
Big kisses!