Downtowners have mixed feelings about Art Walk which returns tomorrow
Courtesy of Art Walk
Art Walk has grown over the years due to corporate sponsorship and the revitalization of Downtown.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Tomorrow night marks the first Art Walk since last month's Chalk Walk, where Occupy LA staged a demonstration that ended with LAPD arresting 17 protestors. Downtown residents have mixed opinions about Art Walk, but some say this ambivalence has more to do with the culture and environment of the event than concern about Occupy LA's potential presence.
Downtown Art Walk takes place on the second Thursday of every month, and the event draws crowds of over 6,000 people — both local and not — to the area.
These crowds are part of the reason why Cristina Fuentes, the manager at Pet Project on Spring, dislikes Art Walk. She said she closes the shop right at 6 o'clock on the dot on Art Walk day, just in case she starts running into the crowd.
"It's a giant excuse for people to get drunk and look at mostly bad art," she said.
Fuentes lived Downtown for four years before moving to Koreatown, and she is as critical of the art as she is of the environment it creates. Still, she is sympathetic to the appeal of the event from a social standpoint.
"There's nothing wrong with partying, it's just hard to walk through as a local," she said.
Joe Moller, the executive director of Art Walk, also lives Downtown. He says he approaches Art Walk from three distinct perspectives: that of the executive director, the small business owner and the resident.
"As a resident, Art Walk can be challenging for those people who live in the densest part," he said, "I hear people yelling and screaming, and when you have to wake up to go to work on Friday morning, it's hard."
Still, there are residents who enjoy Art Walk, despite the crowding and noise issues that Moller observes. Marcus Donald, a 28-year-old student, lives in an apartment Downtown with his puppy.
"I'm not at that age where I have kids, so I enjoy it. I don't care if [the crowds] are loud at 2:00, 3:00 in the morning," he said.
Donald attends Art Walk and said he enjoys mingling with new people and local artists.
"It's loud everywhere in the city," he said, shrugging.
Whether or not Occupy LA intends to make an appearance at this week's Art Walk, Fuentes said her critiques of the event have little to do with Chalk Walk.
"[Art Walk] has never been too violent or political at all," Fuentes said, "I think [Chalk Walk] was a really isolated event."
Joe29 on August 08, 2012, at 04:57PM – #1
If Occupy L.A. crashes the Art Walk again, it could be the final blow to Occupy. Calking is vandalism.
LAofAnaheim on August 08, 2012, at 10:41PM – #2
Over 6,000 people at Artwalk? Try 40,000.
Where is Eric Richardson? The quality of blogdowntown has really suffered since he no longer posts articles.
6,000 people? We haven't had that since 2008/2009!
TODOSSOMOSPUTOS (@TODOSSOMOSPUTOS) on August 08, 2012, at 11:44PM – #3
Yeah, it would be a real bummer if 6,000 - 40,000 tourists got exposed to political ideas that might make them think about issues beyond eating from food trucks and getting loaded at bars. It's best to lure people into the neighborhood so they spend their money but oh, don't plant ideas in their heads about why the economy is jacked up. We don't want to upset the realtors.
A B on August 09, 2012, at 06:44AM – #4
Todossomosputos:
There must me a reason why putos as at the end of your name.
You're on another planet, if you want to spread your loser rant, find another forum, don't hijack successful events just because you cant put one together yourself.
Geez.
Brady Westwater (@bradywestwater) on August 09, 2012, at 10:37AM – #5
Even while some members of Occupy LA were 'apologizing' for the violence they caused at last month's Art Walk at the LATC Theatre last Thursday - and promising not to disrupt today's Art Walk, other members of Chalk Walk and Occupy LA were busy working to bring in even more outsiders to invade and attack our community.
And while some of us were hopeful the local leaders would publicly support their promises to the residents and artists of Historic Downtown - and publicly ask for them not to show up (which I am ashamed to admit I had thought), others knew that we were just being set-up for a sucker punch; a sucker punch which, according to the LA Times is going to be delivered tonight.
So with the press guaranteeing them wall to wall coverage of anything they will do, every fading, forgotten 'activist' is now descending upon Downtown LA - each one hoping for one more shot at the TV cameras. And once the Oakland Clown Bus arrives and the TV cameras and reporters descend upon this freak show suddenly elevated to center ring status - that will encourage every nut job in the country to come to our neighborhood for one more shot at the big time media coverage.
Pershing was a square on August 09, 2012, at 11:05AM – #6
@todos - but what's Occupy's point? They don't have one, except to continue to try to exist. Do you think they'll convince anybody of anything with their methods? They have no message, no coherence, no nothing, beyond annoying people who live and work here and draining civic coffers to deal with them. They're a bunch of carpetbagging losers who deserve no airtime, but will sadly get it because of last month. I originally supported occupy, but no longer. It's a "movement" with no strategy, no plan, and no hygiene.
LAofAnaheim on August 09, 2012, at 01:00PM – #7
How does protesting at Artwalk help your cause of the 1%/99%? This makes no sense. The people who attend and do business at Artwalk are part of the 99%. You're messing with the wrong crowd. Maybe you should learn from the Originaly Occupy group in New York who you should be really protesting. You are suppose to occupy banks, 1%'s, etc... Not the freakin' Artwalk crowd who is looking for business! These are small businesses you are ruining!
Zyr on August 09, 2012, at 11:48PM – #8
TODOSSOMOSPUTOS It isn't political ideas that we hate; it's the occupy crowd that I saw with my own eyes, steeling parts off of bikes that were chained on the street, that were taunting the cops to react, that cause havoc and thrash our streets without making any real point. All I saw were a bunch of hot heads acting like babies. As your name implies, maybe you're a whore, but don't even pretend to speak for me.
DenOfLosAngeles on August 11, 2012, at 02:09PM – #9
For the sanity of area residents move it to friday or saturday.