I was surprised to find that a friend’s friend posted on their Facebook page that a band from the 1980s was playing in downtown Los Angeles.  So were others, thinking it was a gag or not real.  I even went so far as to check the LA Times on line calendar of events.  Guess what?  It was listed.  “The Romantics” did indeed play this past weekend.  I took pictures, but according to the site, I kind of was not supposed to. (See the link at the end of this post for information on rules and regulations.)  Oops.

It turns out Pershing Square downtown is a center of free artistic events.  Every Saturday night in July and the first 3 Saturday’s in August from 8:00 – 11:00 PM.  I’m sad I missed ”A Flock Of Seagulls.”  Concerts are free and it is in a very nice part setting. 

In addition those local to Los Angeles may know of “Spaceland.”  Well this alternative music production company is hosting a series of alternative music concerts on Thursday nights in the park from July through August.  Pershing Square is a part of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and Spaceland’s partnership with the park has encouraged bands to offer their services allowing for new and established bands the opportunity to give free concerts to their fans in a town where many bands have to pay to play.   I could not find a listing for times for the Thursday night concerts.

If that is not enough music for you, beginning mid July through August on Wednesdays Pershing offers a series of lunch time concerts from noon to 1:30 pm, covering a range of music from classic to country to jazz to rock.  As it turns out, there is also a Farmer’s Market in the square at this time so one can shop for groceries or lunch while being entertained. 

MOVIES.

If you are not the music lover, or do not like the selection of bands, but love movies.  Well Pershing Square also offers Friday Night Flicks!  Every Friday from mid July through to October 28th at 8 PM this summer you can find a selection of classic films ranging from “Close Encounters” to “Young Sherlock Holmes” to one of my favorites “Money Python & the Holly Grail.” (I also love Sherlock.)  The Calendar also includes some rather recent releases like “Cloverfield” and “Sixth Sense” and some classics like “Mommie Dearest.” 

SINGING.

Do you like to sing?  You could join the Pershing Square Community Chorus.  One does not need to be a professional singer to join, just a desire to make friends and to be involved.  Rehearsals are on Tuesdays from 7:00 – 8:30 PM at The Mezz (inside the Alexandria Hotel), 501 S. Spring St. L.A. 90013.  The Director is one Ebony Fay and she can be reached at soulfire.dtla@gmail.com or 323-535-1730.  The chorus performs not only at Pershing Square events, but at events through out downtown.

PAINTINGS/ ART.

Finally, Pershing Square is the home of the “Art-Squared Outdoor Cityscape Gallery.”  It is a partnership between paintings can be seen on display in the fountain and orange grove areas of the park.  The first show opened June 26.  Many of the works are on sale and proceeds go to a Foundation for the Gallery.  All art work is donated by the artists. 

YOUTH.

The park also offers free events both at the Square and as part of a mobile day camp, including crafts, drama, mime & magic.  Check out the information below for dates, times, and locations.

In addition the part itself is adorned with a beautifully crafted fountain and is a public display of artistic creativity in and of itself. 

INFORMATION

For a full listing of events and details check out the Pershing Square City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks website. 

For a full list of the shows this summer, see here.  Pershing Square is located at 532 S Olive St. Los Angeles, CA 90013.  For information about the concerts call 213-847-4970, fax 213-485-0985.

From the void of nothing comes an idea to inspire.  A company called Ogilvy & Mather, one of the world’s leading marketing and brand development companies with 450 offices worldwide, and one of the primary subsidiaries of the UK based WPP group held a competition to inspire.    It was actually a birthday celebration for the companies founder David Ogilvy’s one hundredth birthday.  The winner would receive a week long all expense paid trip to the 2011 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.  The winners had to be employers of the company and also could be the companies blogger for the week at the festival.  See an overview of the competition here. 

Now granted this was an international competition and only employers of this one company would compete, but it demonstrates a domino effect in the arts.  This article was inspired by the author’s acquaintance who was a directorial student at USC when they met.  He sent out an email to everyone he knew to show them his entry.  Seeds of creativity make gardens.  Ogilvy Mather not only created a competition but a youtube channel called “Create or Else,” where what are called curators from around the world can upload videos on the arts and science to inspire.  For more info see here.  I have also discovered that the you tube channel is also part of a blog also called “Create or Else” that contains embedded videos with explanatory posts. 

The youtube channel alone has had 219,694 videos uploaded and 216,692 views.  The youtube channel for the competition is called “Pass it On” or “beinspiredpassiton.” That channel received 6,685 uploads and 2,554 views.  Again, that is a great deal of sharing of creative thought. 

The Top 20 videos can be found here.  The director who is a graduate film student/ alum of USC.  His entry is this one:

Pass It On.

Enjoy.  Share.  Create.  Be Inspired. 

The author leaves you with this thought of wisdom from the classics: 

“Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”- Plato

The sign at the entrance to Griffith Park after a "yarnstorming" for V-day.

I solved a mystery.  I did.  It is the mystery of the Griffith Park bear’s new clothes.  For those of you who don’t know, at the entrance to Griffith Park on the Los Feliz Blvd and Fern Dell Park Dr. in Los Feliz, CA stands the statute of a bear cub as seen in the picture.  And though I was told I can tell, I have decided to explain the mystery and let the individual and her friends come forward if he or she so chooses. 

The Statute of the Griffith Park Bear dressed for Valentine's Day.

I am not sure what the law says about this mystery and well, I’ve decided to protect the innocent who are just trying to make my neighborhood more festive.  So why describe the mystery and not reveal the final secret?  Because the mystery itself reveals a form of public decoration new to this writer, and perhaps new to you: yarn bombing.

Wikipedia defines “yarn bombing” as “a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth rather than paint or chalk.”   It is harmless in that it can be easily removed though it also has pretty good staying power.  It is also referred to as “graffiti knitting, guerrilla knitting, or yarnstorming.”

 
I was informed that the practice is British, however according to an article in the British newspaper “The Telegraph”the practice actually was born in the US.

A large tree at the Entrance of Griffith Park next to the Griffith Park sign yarn bombed for "Valentine's Day."

The practice of yarn bombing has been performed by single professional artists, such as sculpture Dave Cole from Providence in Massachusetts, and groups of knitters like Knit the City in Britain.    Apparently it has been a rather significant movement in London.  There is also a blog devoted to the subject and a book.  What makes yarn bombing an art and not graffiti?  Well just check out the sites linked in this article. 

For the most part yarn bombing is done to call attention to public spaces otherwise ignored, or as a way to reclaim those places for the people.  What do you think of the bear and his clothes or the tree and its hearts?

Ed Waterstreet accepting on behalf of DeafWest at the 2010 Ivy Diversity Award

Deaf West was honored on Monday night as the Actor’s Equity Association honoree for the 2010 Ive Bethune Tri-Union Diversity Award show.   The show is organized by the equal opportunities committees of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG).  I am an AFTRA member and attended as a volunteer.  Besides being a source of diversity, this organization, with 90+% of its support coming from the hearing community of Los Angeles, also provides assistance to the youth of Los Angeles through two outreach programs, ASL Story Time and Dramatic Gestures.

ASL Story Time

This program combines the literature goals of a child’s current classroom while providing a positive model of the potential of those who are deaf to those in the mainstream school system. It is interactive and does not use any kind of third party interpretive device or individual to relay a message of hope.

Dramatic Gestures

Dramatic Gestures combines American Sign Language with spoken word with theater to positively impact the lives of death and hard of hearing youth. The program combines professional performances with youth participation in the development of their own scenes. School performances are provided for the Deaf West mainstage productions, where age appropriate. Discovery guides that are age and production specific are also provided for in-class use.

Recently I received an e-mail stating that the British  Council selected Create Now as one of five arts organizations to “participate in their first multilateral Global Xchange program with six countries (Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, France, Northern Ireland and the U.S.). This is also the first time in their 75 year history that Americans are included in their exchange program.”  Jill Gurr is currently spending “three weeks in Durban, South Africa, along with community activists from Homeboy Industries, LA’s Best. Reach LA, Street Poets, and 25 other unique arts education organizations from Africa and Europe.” Congrats to Jill and Create Now.   Jill Gurr has a blog up about her adventures if you are interested. 

Last night I went to an event at the First Presbyterian Church in Burbank called the “Cardboard Box City.” It was organized by the group “Family Promise of East San Fernando Valley.” According to this organization 40% of the homeless in the United States are families with Children. This event was a fund raiser to raise money to help the families in need. Space was rented so donors could build box homes and sleep over night or others could virtually rent a space by donation. See this article for more information: http://www.cal-pac.org/news/detail/57

I attended the event to take pictures. I thought to myself, maybe I can take photos and use them for my class, but also find other ways to use them. I’d like the world to see this event. We all need a sense of purpose and a sense that our lives matter. Sometimes we push onto others too much of our own insecurities. We each have to live with ourselves right.  Yet sometimes I think we don’t realize how our actions can impact on others.  We can start something that leads to another living in a box.  We need ask questions and not assume sometimes.  Open are minds and realize that the beauty of being alive is not making assumptions but holding on to seeing the world through the eyes of a child.  That is what strikes me about this event.  Imagine your first memory of a home being a box.  I have found a place I want to call home, though I’d like to live in a better apartment for reasons of my own.  Just a little better.

Oops. I digress. I’m actually terrified I may end up homeless. I want to act and work on sets and that is why I beat cancer. This is my home. I love art and the industry and the weather in California. And regardless of the changes, this is still the place for me to be. I’ve found too many opportunities for myself, even though most are not paid. I am not perfect. I think you agree since I have found myself being an ego and talking about me.  HAHA….  But I keep trying. I wanted to shoot these pictures to remind myself that there are people who feel like me. There are good people who want to make the world better and do not judge a person by their status or money. Even the smartest people can end up at rock bottom. Luck can run out for anyone at any time. We lose people not from lack of ability or intelligence, but a lack of HOPE. The kind of hope that feeds life and gives life and drives a person to want to get themselves off the ground and go forward. It is hard to do that when you have reached the point of living in a box. And don’t shirk someone their dreams.  You don’t know what another person is capable of and I know I can act and do things others would not guess.  Forget about the stereotypes and open your eyes to possibilities.  Cause I wonder how many are homeless because someone crushed a dream.  Dreams are hope and we all need them.  So don’t step on mine, and be willing to strive for yours.  Live your life.  If we let each other grow and do our best at what we love, the world would be a place with maybe few unhappiness, and maybe even a better ecnomy based on the marginal utility of the individual and not the oppression of any one group.

Is bad luck a persons fault? A car accident leaves a father paralyzed and disability does not pay enough for rent, food, car insurance, internet, and everything the guy even needs to keep a roof over himself and get work, let alone feed his kids. Part of being alive is recognizing we are all not the same and an organic life is a changing life, and for some not for the good. What can we do to make everything better? Any steps we can. For me it was to take pictures. If I don’t sell any of them, I can still give a copy to the organization and insist they give me credit for them as a condition of use. We all need to know we have meaning, even my ego needs to feel needed and to know I did something in the world. When I pray, I pray alone for the bible tells the story of a man who was so proud he lost everything, while the humble man grew rich. However, I am not perfect. I suffer the sin of pride. I recognize it. I write about it. And I move on and hope to find a way to be a better person, and less proud, another day.  I am also not a part of any organized religion.  That story from the Bible has just always had an impact on me.  There is something in the Universe that caused life to happen.  It is a miracle we may never truly understand. 

In the back of my head I am reminded today that I could be the one in the box someday. It does not take much to destroy someones life. And we all assume the person next to us is capable and willing to do what ever it takes to survive. Sometimes though we forget how much life is reliant on other life. One person needs to approve another to survive. I think more and more we need to see how much our lives and actions can change others destiny. Don’t demolish a house of hope. Build a home of hope for another and help nurture a another soul’s will to survive.

(Pleease note all photos on this page were taken my me and are owned by me.  Copyright Laura Tull 2009.)

Holism means an integrated whole with its own independent reality. You take a person as they are in their entirety.  You don’t break down a person or body into parts.  We are spiritual energy contained in a complete working physical system.

Organic has many meanings, but in this context it encompasses living natural life.  We use this term to describe life, food, and recently I have been exposed to this term in the context of voice and acting.  It is creating and breathing life into art.

Philanthropic is basically an interest in humane wellness.  It typically implies a monetary involvement, but as many know, times have been hard.  Life is a balance though, and I can’t stand the idea of not volunteering or giving back.  I think we should praise those who want to survive and live by giving and helping others.  If we waste time looking for hidden agendas and power games, we lose the possibility for humanitarian marginal utility.  I think we need to encourage endowments from the heart, and not force them.

Expression.  I am an artist at heart.  I value the First Amendment.  I value the gift we have been given to communicate and I believe that we are a nation that has lost touch with the concept of freedom.  I am no ones property.  I do not seek to own anyone.  I seek to be free to grow as an actress and artist and to find my path to love and light.  God in his many forms is not one who wants anyone to suffer and is not judgmental and oppressive.  I have one goal and purpose in life, and making money is not it, not if I have to give up my soul and who I am for it.  To me a simple life is on with me making art and working in the industry and on sets.  It is all I had to fight for my life and it is all I want to stay here to fight for.  We each are individuals and we each have the right to love what we love.  It is wrong to force interests and passions on others, just as rape or murder are wrong.