Around the May Art Walk
Ed Fuentes
Downtown Art Walk attendees study photos by Tom Zimmerman on display at The Continental.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Two minutes before the official end of May's Downtown Art Walk, event founder Bert Green stood on 4th street with artist Richard Ankrom and LAPD Sergeant Kris Werner watching the crowd.
For Green, it was the end of his shift.
"This is my last Art Walk tonight. I'm very proud of it" says Green, who will continue to be involved but now hands over the reins to a new leadership team. "At the first Art Walk, we had 75 very terrified people over 20 blocks all day, all saying 'You're crazy, this is never going to happen.'"
Now the crowds reach an estimated 6,000, offering a rare example of vibrant street life in Los Angeles. Yet, despite it success, the Art Walk has had its critics.
For some, the Downtown Art Walk has become more street fair then exhibition of daring artistic vision. For a set of Skid Row activists, the invasion of art-goers was an example of the privileged displacing the embedded community of Skid Row. Others have said Art Walk is a mere ploy by Downtown boosters that doesn't create real street life since it is only a once-a-month outing. And as it grew last summer, some local residents began to grumble that Art Walk was becoming just a night to tolerate.
Even the idea that people come just for the party is an odd swipe. When you go to the Brewery, or Chinatown, Culver City's Art Walk, receptions at MONA or LACMA, or even national art fairs, you see something similar. Some people are looking at art, while others turn their backs to the art so they can talk to each other.
What Art Walk does is build a new art audience, who may become art buyers. It also became a way to expand art reach, as several non-profits have used art and photography by residents of Skid Row as exhibitions. And local residents have benefited from unprecedented grassroots promotion of urban life that has surpassed many efforts made by developers or planners. Where else in Los Angeles can you see people coming to walk city streets?
Maybe record art sales won't come from this particular crowd, but Downtown Art Walk was also designed to let people know there is a new pulse in the Historic core and give the art enclave visibility.
Just for that very reason, someone should get Bert Green a gold watch. Something, anything, to say 'job well done.'
Richard Schave, who with Kim Cooper guide art goers through the streets of Gallery Row on the Hippodrome, will take over Downtown Art Walk beginning in June.
Caryn Ho on May 18, 2009, at 10:52AM – #1
As a new resident and future retailer to Historic Downtown this was my third Art Walk. I love it and it's wonderful how so many people come together for whatever reasons. I love how they made that parking lot area for vendors and with the Ciudad taco truck debuting here it just keeps getting better and better. I have not met Bert Green personally yet but I agree he deserves a gold watch or some type of recognition for such an important accomplishment. If anything, let's throw him a party? I'll be happy to help organize. I'm on the C-PAB Events Committe and I could mention this. We meet tomorrow so I think I'll bring it up. I'm new so don't know if they do things like this so we'll find out and I'll let you know. Peace and Blessings to Bert Green.
art man on May 18, 2009, at 12:07PM – #2
Yes thank you Bert Green. Although the Art Walk may or may not be what the founders envisioned, it is doing something just as important which is bringing attention to our Downtown.
Downtown does not have the crucial level of residents yet to sustain retail yet with Siptea, Ma Petit, and Mowie Wowie going out of business but it is getting there.
Does anyone have any idea on what the occupancy levels are for the buildings in the Historic Core? The SB rents are still high but they seem to be empty still? Can anyone living there or working there give us some insight so prospective retailers such as Caryn and myself know what type of foot traffic to expect. I was thinking about opening a casual restaurant.
George Magdaleno on May 18, 2009, at 03:46PM – #3
Chamane Exhibit at the Pacific Electric Lofts. The lighting in this space was excellent. It really brought out the colors in Chamane's artwork. It was bright, fantastic and bold. Very easy to approach. I enjoyed the atmosphere the most, people from all parts of Los Angeles, Cholos, Yuppies and Hipsters were gathered in the same place and could connect to Chamane's work on different levels.
Caryn Ho on May 18, 2009, at 05:08PM – #4
ART MAN: when you talk about "SB rents are still high" are you referring to all the SB buildings or what? And, what are you basing this on. I live in SB Main and the rents I think are very reasonable for what you get. People seem to agree with me because in about 5 months the building is more than half filled of 220 units. And SB Spring just openend up. As far as another restaurant, I'm no expert but personally I think we have more than enough casual cafes. Someone is opening up another restaurant at the corner of 5th and Main. For stats on residents, etc. go to some of the downtown re-development sites. But anyway, back to Bert Green.
Dehlia on May 18, 2009, at 07:58PM – #5
There was some comment that Bert Green posted here awhile back (I believe it had something to do with politics or something) that kind of annoyed me. However, he is a person who's put his money where his mouth is, or gone beyond mouthing a lot of cheap, lazy talk, and made a tangible effort to improve the community.
He deserves a gold watch and then some.
Oscar on May 19, 2009, at 11:55AM – #6
Mr. Bert Green;
I had no idea you were the founder of the Artwalk, my most sincere respect and admiration for you Sr. Thank you very much.
The only thing that bothers me about events in downtown is that they close the streets, movie shoot= street closure, Tutor-Saliba building the new LAPD headquarters= Street closure (even when they have lots of space inside), fiesta Broadway= street closure... never ending story... But not the Artwalk, oh no...
Noise? I can live with that, I mean you really expect that when you live here, always loud, buses passing by, people yelling in the middle of the night (regardless of the day of the week or time of the day)...
Every time I meet somebody that lives out of the downtown the first thing that comes to my mind is to invite them to the Artwalk. The Artwalk is the ONLY event in downtown that as a resident I'm willing to invest on, it really makes our community alive. You go out any other weekday during the month after 7pm and what's happening? NOTHING! Except for that magical second Thursday of every month when we all come together.
I can't believe that some in Skid Row complained about gentrification, it's almost like reverse discrimination...By the way what ever happened to the low income units code that the mayor was trying to pass?
We can't forget to thank the LAPD whose officers have been very cooperative and supportive, sometimes even assisting the attendees, that is very, very nice of them.
Back to the Artwalk, I hope it lives on forever and hopefully will never become corporate owned, or become a 'street closure" event.
And thank you, thank you, thank you; Mr. Bert Green for this amazing gift.