Art Walk Preview for April, 2009
Ed Fuentes
Art Walk goers visit a temporary installation during the December event.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The Downtown Art Walk for April 2009 is here and a host of businesses are still joining in.
So are the craft vendors that crowd the sidewalks. An odd note: at last month's Art Walk a sidewalk vendor told me it was the crafts that made Art Walk popular.
Uh... no it isn't.
But enough soapbox... Here is a quick peek at this month's Downtown Art Walk. Dress warm, craft vendors. April showers are possible.
Bert Green Fine Art will offer a meet & greet with artists Viva Hoffmann and Carl Ramsey until 7pm. (102 W. 5th)
Pharmaka continues "TRANSformal," touted as "the Los Angeles manifestation in a series of international traveling shows by nine artists who are all engaged in a dialogue about Abstract Painting." (101 W. 5th)
Crewest will have live painting and music, part of the current group show "Infinite Libraries" (110 Winston)
Off Gallery Row: Japanese American National Museum has GOKURŌSAMA: "Black & white portraits embodying the spirit and cultural heritage of second-generation Japanese Americans in Hawai‘i." (369 E. 1st / Little Tokyo)
Congratulations to Los Angeles Center For Digital Art (107 W 5th St). The gallery marks its 5th Anniversary during the Downtown Art Walk. I also have to note that The Hive marks its 4th Anniversary this month (729 S. Spring).
We welcome a new gallery dubbed Federal Art Project (316 W. 2nd, between Broadway and Hill). They will have Grand Opening on Art Walk night from 7pm to midnight.
"Sweet Show" is the new group show entry at Phyllis Stein Art (207 W. 5th). For balance, walk next door to Todd / Browning Gallery for "Shock & Horror" (211 W. 5th).
Niche.LA Video Art presents "Room," digital photography by Brion Topolski and Adam Tenenbaum (453 S. Spring #443).
Metropolis Books will host a second annual salute to National Poetry Month with the more notorious poets of Downtown. Reflective angst in stylized individual prose begins at 7 pm (440 S. Main).
DouglasBuilding on April 09, 2009, at 11:17AM – #1
also the Atrium at the Douglas Building will be open tonight from 5 to 9. Five artists are showing their works, and DJ Sleeper will be at spinning at Lot44. The bar at Origami will be open, and Lot44 has a "Happy Hour", and Ma Petit will be offering specials.
Sandie Richards on April 09, 2009, at 11:18AM – #2
Hello, Art Walk street vendors and loud musicians-- Word is that the LAPD Central Division will be asking you to pack up and move on unless you have a permit.
I understand there have been many complaints from residents re: the loud music, and from businesses and art walk patrons about there not being room on the sidewalk.
I have also heard that lots of folks love the mix-- so let's see if we can keep working together to make Art Walk a great community event.
See everyone at the Art Walk tonite!
Bert Green on April 09, 2009, at 12:56PM – #3
It is true that the police will be moving along anyone who sets up on the sidewalk starting today. Last month the street vendors were given a written notice that they set up at their own risk (it is illegal in Los Angeles, there is no such thing as a permit to set up on the sidewalk).
The Downtown Art Walk welcomes anyone to organize the vendors on private property, and we would be willing to list the location as a stop on the map, but it cannot be on a public sidewalk.
This is a decision of the police, who have been willing to look the other way until it became a safety hazard, which it is quickly becoming with the large number of vendors setting up.
It's true on April 09, 2009, at 04:23PM – #4
The Art & Craft Walk crowd isn't really really an art crowd, you have to admit.
I can see why those who find it thrilling to come downtown to walk around would be more apt to buy the crafty shit on the sidewalk.
The "safety issue" is just an invention by some local gallerists who find that they're not being taken seriously. Don't be surprised if there were some calls to made to LAPD about the beaded purse vendors hogging all the attention from the "art."
® on April 09, 2009, at 07:18PM – #5
The police don't want this to be a successful event for EVERYONE because it's more trouble than it's worth. Free booze, visitors and locals all stirring. I can hear them now, harassing people on the loudspeaker. The Downtown Art Walk has become about so much more than Art, when are we going to start realizing it?
Bert Green on April 10, 2009, at 12:27AM – #6
At the Art Walk tonight the vendors all agreed to move onto the parking lot on Main at 5th, next to the Genesis. Skid Row Housing Trust generously offered the use of their lot for the night. The sidewalks were clear, the vendors had a large crowd, and everyone involved was satisfied.
Whatever nonsense some bitter trolls want to bliovate about, the issue IS solely about pedestrian safety. The police don't want it to be successful? The galleries are involved in some vast conspiracy? WTF? Anyone who says this does not know the people or the issues involved. The community, which includes the Art Walk group, the galleries, the Neighborhood Council, the HD BID, and the LAPD have been working together on this for weeks, at the request of the police. A peaceful and satisfactory solution has been found.
The Art Walk is visited by about 6,000 people between 12 noon and 9 pm. It is more of an an art crowd earlier in the day, but less so after 7-8 pm, when the crowd gets younger. There's something for everyone.
Captain Blake Chow on April 10, 2009, at 08:03AM – #7
I was at Art Walk last night and I can not say enough about how well it went. The community was great, the sidewalk displays and sales that were an issue last month was successfully dealt with last night thanks to the community. For someone to say that LAPD does not want this to be successful has not been talking to the people that have been working tirelessly to make it a success.
Downtown LA needs this event, the City needs downtown. This group of public and private organizations, which include LAPD, HDBID, NC and the art walk group and others will continue to make this event successful because we will make Downtown LA the focal point of the City.
Rich Alossi on April 10, 2009, at 09:41AM – #8
Thanks for letting us know how the Art Walk went, Bert and Captain Chow. I've been a bit apprehensive these days about it, since it has become so large and really stopped being about art and more about free wine and partying.
Then after the last couple months' incidents (the Raw Materials incident, other stolen property) it really became a concern.
Once more, thanks for being proactive to everyone involved.
Lollie on April 10, 2009, at 10:39AM – #9
I thought Art Walk was great, for the first time you didn't have to walk into the street to get around the craft vendors. Putting them on private property was a great idea, also not having any bands performing on the sidewalk also a great idea. I appreciate the coordination between LAPD, the Bids and NC. Maybe now more locals will come out for Art Walk, lots of people I know stay in because it's just too crazy.
Put a cork in it on April 10, 2009, at 12:03PM – #10
If I lived above 5th and Spring, I would have launched some water balloons upon the lady tunelessly singing jesus songs.
Jesus Christ, it was even more irritating than the Spring Street postal worker who displays her jesusy books just behind the bullet proof glass.
Caryn Ho on April 11, 2009, at 09:31AM – #11
This was my 2nd Art Walk since moving here 2 months ago. What a difference from the first one. I thought it was better having the street vendors in the parking lot. You could see all of them at once and not have to bump into them or walk around them on the street. I thought it was orderly considering the huge crowd and everyone seemed to really be enjoying themselves. I didn't notice any bad behavior. And we owe most of this to our Captain Chow of our local Central Division police department and his fabulous team of officers that were out there. It appears that starting next month we will all be invited to be involved as a community and have a voice in our neighborhood when Captain Chow starts to reach out by inviting membership in the Central Community Police Advisory Board. Look for the membership tables at the next Art Walk. Then you can really have a say and put your mouth where it appropriately belongs and will be heard.