Jim Winstead on August 05, 2011, at 07:53PM – #1

the art walk organization jumped the rails when they decided that hosting salons, lounges, and vendor stalls was part of their mission. the focus should have been kept on event safety and cleanup, not adding to an already-crowded scene. not only does it pile more straw on the camel's back, it further alienates the organization from local businesses as it partners closely to the one-night-only operators.

() on August 05, 2011, at 08:02PM – #2

I agree with Jim, and in addition, having a Board with no professional art people pushes the quality down to a level that actually drives out the serious art.

art walk fan on August 05, 2011, at 08:30PM – #3

wow... you guys sound like you are just negative & not really informed.

art walk has been paying for chrysallis people to clean up for a couple months. i always see them in the lounge & around after wards. also they got more lapd to come to art walk & promote local businesses all the time just check out their website

i thought andre mirapolksi(sp?) was still on the board? guess he isnt 'professional' enough for you guys...

() on August 06, 2011, at 12:27AM – #4

art walk fan: FYI I started the Art Walk in 2004. When I handed it over to other management in 2009 they started a nonprofit corporation and brought in a Board who decided that it was a conflict of interest for the Art Walk to continue to benefit and serve the galleries, and by extension, the artists. Having artists on the Board is not the same thing as having professional art organizers. Artists make art, and generally are not the go to people for curating.

I was asked to be the Board a year later but found them to be mostly unwilling to keep the event art-focused; in fact they did not know the first thing about how to do that, and even stymied their own director from doing what was needed to bring the focus back to the art.

One thing led to another and here we are a few years later with an amorphous event with some real serious problems, no vision, and nobody really in charge of it. It's a shame, really. If you think that is negative so be it.

Downtowncommuter on August 06, 2011, at 06:31AM – #5

Yeah Bert & Co., we get it...you started it and you're not involved anymore and as a result Art Walk has become the cultural equivalent of John Boehner's tan -- fake, overdone and hard to look at.

But for the rest of us who enjoy a good time in the hood, it seems like the powers that be (or at least the peeps on the city council committee) are missing the forest for the trees...

Instead of trying to kill off Art Walk yet again, why not just follow the will of the people? Parking lots are full of vendors and food trucks because the people want it that way. So flow where the river is taking you...and CLOSE OFF THE STREETS TO TRAFFIC!

Nothing is going to bring that baby back, unfortunately. But the baby was not killed in a freak accident because there were too many people. The baby was killed because someone was allowed to drive on a public street that the walking public was using.

If the booths are sold out in advance at $125 each, then next month charge $250 each and use the added funds to improve crowd control, clean up and most of all, erect traffic controls!

We have an organic success on our hands in Downtown LA. Why on Earth do we want to kill it off, so people go scurrying back to their cars and their apartments and never meet each other, never get exposed to the unique artists and vendors...and never have a communal good time!

My2cents on August 06, 2011, at 12:14PM – #6

I can understand the legitimate concerns and grips of local residents, however…. I think the streets should be closed for the current event as it is now, not only in the name of safety but also to make it more enjoyable for the thousands of guests that participate. I don't have any well thought out solutions to the challenges of a growing art walk, but if the streets aren’t closed, and for the sake of discussion here are a few thoughts/suggestions off the top of my head.

• There's more to the LA art scene than gallery row...has anyone considered redirecting focus by adding a new location a few blocks east towards the less populated warehouse area arts district (near Urth Café and Dog Park). • This would allow for additional arts, crafts, and music to be showcased in a regulated swap meet style event area. • This new festive environment would draw the “party only people” away from galleries and the more sophisticated art patrons on a congested gallery row • A metro bus could run a reduced rate special shuttle service from the Blue, Red, and Gold trains to Gallery row and this “new party area”. (hopefully the gold line extension will happen) • Booth and food truck registration fees could be applied and help pay for incurred costs • This should help alleviate parking problems and prevent the closure of major city streets • I’m guessing the folks in the arts district “east” would welcome the higher profile and endless possibilities of having this new influx of people at their doorstep each and every month.

The Art walk is a good example of progress and the evolution of our great city… Anyone claiming the monthly event is a headache may be too close to the situation to think objectively, and might even be afraid of losing their grip on the growing popularity of downtown. It reminds me of people moving into a beach house then complaining about the lack of privacy. On a positive note, I’m truly grateful to the residents who have invested their money, and have consistently tolerated the growing pains of the re-birth of downtown. -Mike

The Dude on August 07, 2011, at 03:26PM – #7

People have to have access to their buildings and parking garages. A street providing crucial access cannot be closed because someone may have a medical emergency and the ambulance couldn't get there soon enough...and then everyone would be bitching about how outrageous it is that streets are closed for a monthly block party and someone died because of it.

Closing streets essentially puts their residents on lockdown, and that isn't right in and of itself...even less so when it's to facilitate an increasingly drunk and unruly party crowd.

Other solutions exist, and therefore it is important for the community to focus their energies on PRACTICAL and EQUITABLE solutions.

Hey here's an idea: maybe the Art Walk people need to get involved with the Traffic Circulation/Pedestrianizing people and work together on something that addresses two of the Historic Core's current neighborhood issues at once. That's my 2 cents, and normally I'm paid quite well to give my opinion.

Jamie DeFrisco on August 08, 2011, at 11:52AM – #8

@downtowncommuter- The accident was because a driver accidentally hopped the curb, onto the sidewalk and hit someone on the sidewalk. This could have happened on any day or night.

Closing the streets will limit available parking and limit access to parking structures for residents(residents complain if they are blocked from going in or out during events that only happen once a year, imagine the complaints for something that happens every month). It also causes traffic to build up and could confuse people attending the event who aren't familiar with the area. It will also cost money to close the streets. Unless Artwalk turned into an event that only occurs 2-4 times a year, closing the streets wouldn't seem reasonable.

Moving it to the arts district might be nice, but I don't think it would work. They've tried to hold events in Little Tokyo or in the arts district for Artwalk in the past, but it doesn't seem to deter people from leaving the main area. You would have to move the event over there completely for it to be a success. However if you moved it over there then a lot of businesses within the old bank district would suffer.

Jeremy Liu on August 08, 2011, at 12:50PM – #9

The intersection of 5th and Spring has had people spilling off the sidewalk for months during Art Walk. That's an accident waiting to happen there. Something has to be addressed.

The answer might not be closing off the entire street. After looking up and down the street between 4th and 6th on spring. There are 5 entrances to parking structures in that 2 block distance. There are also entrances to 5 parking (two of which usually have food trucks now).

Personally, I think a combination of a lane closure and moving some of the crowd east and south could work. I think there were some efforts to expand the area of Art Walk with tours down toward Cliftons Cafeteria. However, those were somehow abandoned. Maybe it's the food truck lots that we should move those directions.

Moving towards Arts/Warehouse District would be hard. Central City East (Skid Row) sits squarely between the Historic Core and much of the Warehouse District. There is a lot of the Historic core that Artwalk has not expanded to.

Nicolas Cruz on August 08, 2011, at 02:43PM – #10

Wow we are coming close to another Downtown event and no has called me for free Safety Advise! I was there the night the child lost it's life!!! I hope they get it right this time! Fire Safety Officer/ Inspector Nicolas Cruz.

downtown vibe on August 09, 2011, at 04:30PM – #11

How many tyoes of stakeholders are affected by Art Walk policy?

Here are a few obvious ones...

Residents, Property Owners, Business Owners, Shoppers, Diners, Commuters, Artists, Drivers, and Pedestrians. And I would go so far as to add, Seniors, Families, Children, and even Downtown Pets.

Then there are those who would like to convince you they are stakeholders....

Food Truck Operators, Partiers, DJ's, Rave Promoters, and all those who would like to profit, or party, one night a month in somebody else's neighborhood, at somebody else's expense. Many of those people would just love be treated as full time stakeholders... why not profit and party everynight at somebody else's expense.

The City has primary responsibilites including public safety, maintining public-right-of-ways, and creating standards for how the streets are used. You might know them as laws. In making those laws your City leaders needs to decide who the REAL stakeholders are.

Let's spend some time thinking about who the stakeholders are, and what responsibilities our City leaders have to those stakeholders.

Let's learn about City policy....the good, the bad, and the ugly, so we are credible and realistic in our demands.

Everybody has opinions..... you know the saying!

But an educated opinion, is a valuable opinion.

We need to do our homework, or we will be tuned out.

We might even discover completely new solutions by putting our heads together.