In the Los Angeles Review of Books, Hannah Gersen discusses The Last Bohemia: Scenes from the Life of Williamsburg, Brooklyn by Robert Anasi. The book's main point is when a city or a community becomes successful enough to both nurture and reward artists and creative types of all persuasions - can it still remain affordable enough for future, upcoming generations of artists - much less affordable enough for the pre-existing blue collar residents.?
That then brings up the question if Los Angeles is also approaching the stage where it is pricing out its upcoming artists and creatives? My answer is - yes, when it comes to the Westside - and no when it comes to other parts of greater LA; particularly in the greater Downtown Los Angeles area.
DTLA's big difference with New York & WLA is that Downtown Los Angeles is in the almost exact center of a vast metropolitan area - while Manhattan is an island by the ocean - and the Westside of LA is bordered by an ocean and the Santa Monica Mountains with only one pass connecting it to the Valley - and no fixed rail transit connecting it to the rest of LA; just the barely moving San Diego and Santa Monica Freways
In contrast, Downtown Los Angeles - with an inner ring of dozens of relatively affordable and rather dense urban suburbs and with its being the hub of all the fixed rail transit, has best chance of becoming - and remaining - a national creative hub for established, emerging - and just beginning - artists, creative and entrepreneurial types. In fact, during the past 15 years, the number of affordable units of permanently protected low income housing has actually increased in Downtown LA - with the latest major new project, the Hotel Genesis - about to open at 5th & Main directly across the street from where both Gallery Row and the Art Walk started..
So even if one or two of those urban suburbs should begin to turn into another Williamsburgh in the next 20 or 30 years, the vast number of housing units in the endless communities surrounding DTLA far exceeds the limited supply of artists. Artists should be able to integrate into those communities in a way which was impossible in a place like Williamsburgh or other NYC communities which were only one or two subway stops after you leave Manhattan.
Ironically, it is our much decried sprawl which should save us. And while the traditional forces which have kept LA's housing prices high may eventually change the pricing structure of our urban suburbs, there are simply not enough artists to significantly impact those communities.
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Saturday, August 04, 2012
After Art Walk Violence Last Month, Chalk Walk Organizer Apologizes to Downtown Los Angeles Residents (UPDATE ON NEW DOLLAR BOOK SECTIONS AT THE LAST BOOKSTORE)
According to the story in blogdowntown, at Thursday night's meeting at the LATC (The Los Angeles Theatre Center) Richard Florence apologized for their actions at the last Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk and they promised to remain at Pershing Square during next week's August Art Walk.
So - hopefully, this will be the beginning of the end of Occupy LA occupying Downtown's sidewalks, parks and other public spaces and maybe then they can concentrate on more positive activities to help the people they claim they want to help.
I might add I did not attend last night for two reasons. First, I was not invited and, second, I've been too busy organizing myself. But instead of protests, I've been organizing the second floor at THE LAST BOOKSTORE so financially struggling students can find college level texts books on Chemistry and Calculus and Physics for only one dollar each.
And so local residents who need to get their GED's to be able to get jobs can find test manuals and the books they need to study - also for only one dollar each. (SEE UPDATE ON NEW DOLLAR BOOK SECTIONS AT THE END OF THIS POST)
And anyone who needs to find ways to change their lives can find what they need for only one dollar per book.
And for the past month - for ten hours a day - that is the volunteer, unpaid organizing I've been doing. And that is the type of organizing most of the people in this neighborhood who are not part of Occupy LA have been doing for the past ten or fifteen years. And if Occupy LA ever wants to be known for anything other than the vandalism that occurred at City Hall Park, Pershing Square and during Art Walk - they might want to rethink what they are doing and learn from the residents of Downtown about what being a good neighbor means.
UPDATE
And if you want to take advantage of this dollar book section - this Sunday August 5th it will be open until 5:30 and on Monday it will be open until 10:30 and then until 9:30 - Tuesday - Thursday and then until 10:30 Friday & Saturday. Now while 90 per cent of the books are randomly shelved, I have a special selection of 500 books on psychology for just a buck apiece and other sections on the Olympics that starts today - along with one on women in sports - plus other temporary collections on Art History, many of the countries of the world, astronomy,
philosophy, knitting, books on writing of all kinds, biology & chemistry high school and college text books, math of all kinds and a few surprises you will find if you spend some time searching the shelves.
So - hopefully, this will be the beginning of the end of Occupy LA occupying Downtown's sidewalks, parks and other public spaces and maybe then they can concentrate on more positive activities to help the people they claim they want to help.
I might add I did not attend last night for two reasons. First, I was not invited and, second, I've been too busy organizing myself. But instead of protests, I've been organizing the second floor at THE LAST BOOKSTORE so financially struggling students can find college level texts books on Chemistry and Calculus and Physics for only one dollar each.
And so local residents who need to get their GED's to be able to get jobs can find test manuals and the books they need to study - also for only one dollar each. (SEE UPDATE ON NEW DOLLAR BOOK SECTIONS AT THE END OF THIS POST)
And anyone who needs to find ways to change their lives can find what they need for only one dollar per book.
And for the past month - for ten hours a day - that is the volunteer, unpaid organizing I've been doing. And that is the type of organizing most of the people in this neighborhood who are not part of Occupy LA have been doing for the past ten or fifteen years. And if Occupy LA ever wants to be known for anything other than the vandalism that occurred at City Hall Park, Pershing Square and during Art Walk - they might want to rethink what they are doing and learn from the residents of Downtown about what being a good neighbor means.
UPDATE
And if you want to take advantage of this dollar book section - this Sunday August 5th it will be open until 5:30 and on Monday it will be open until 10:30 and then until 9:30 - Tuesday - Thursday and then until 10:30 Friday & Saturday. Now while 90 per cent of the books are randomly shelved, I have a special selection of 500 books on psychology for just a buck apiece and other sections on the Olympics that starts today - along with one on women in sports - plus other temporary collections on Art History, many of the countries of the world, astronomy,
philosophy, knitting, books on writing of all kinds, biology & chemistry high school and college text books, math of all kinds and a few surprises you will find if you spend some time searching the shelves.
Thursday, August 02, 2012
How - And Why - The Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk - Should be for Everyone - Including Occupy LA
In a post on yesterday's blogdowntown,
I agree with David Markham's comment that the goal of Art Walk should not for it to be free of political protest but that Art Walk should welcome all participants that do not endanger public safety by creating unsafe conditions.
I agree with David Markham's comment that the goal of Art Walk should not for it to be free of political protest but that Art Walk should welcome all participants that do not endanger public safety by creating unsafe conditions.
So if the General Assembly of Occupy LA wishes to have a legal chalk drawing event that can be easily viewed by visitors to the Art Walk - and which will not endanger the public‘s safety, I will help them secure that space; just as I have done for hundreds of artists over the years since the very first Art Walk. - and long before Art Walk started - over the past 30 years.
This will allow them to exercise their First Amendment rights and avoid the problems of last month when congestion on the sidewalk made it impossible for most people to see what the artists were doing and forced people off the sidewalks and into the streets, creating the pubic safety issue.
But by being in a public place where they would not be blocking the public's right to walk on the sidewalks, there will be no public safety issue AND the artists will have a much larger audience for their message, giving both the local community and the demonstrators what they want.
Lastly, I have known and supported street artists in DTLA and elsewhere in LA since the late 1960’s and began to work with many of them after meeting the artists at John Pochna’s first Zero One and at Stash’s various galleries and shows starting back in the 1980’s.
I have also helped many street artists secure shows in LA and New York galleries and have leased - without taking any fees from anyone - spaces to several galleries in DTLA that show street artists - despite some hesitation by the landlords about bringing ‘graffiti artist into their neighborhood.
I am also currently working on obtaining a space for a bi-coastal street artist show for this fall in Downtown LA, which I would like to have on the Art Walk footprint, if possible.
Brady Westwater
bradywestwater@gmail.com
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Discover the Secret History Of Historic Downtown LA This Weekend! Four Walking Tours Starting at THE LAST BOOKSTORE! PLUS CUSTOMIZED NEW WEEKDAY AND LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING TOURS
The Last Bookstore Presents
(and it's just opened 2nd floor with 100,000 books at only ONE DOLLAR each!)
Presents….
(and it's just opened 2nd floor with 100,000 books at only ONE DOLLAR each!)
Presents….
... The Secret Lives of Historic Downtown Los Angeles!
The HISTORIC DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES 101 2 hour walking tours will take place this Saturday July 21st at both 11 AM and 2 PM and this Sunday July 22nd only at 2 PM - and then also next Sunday July 29th only at 2 PM. That is two tours each of the next two Saturdays and one tour each of the two next Sundays.
NEXT... the HOW DOWNTOWN LOS ANGLES INVENTED THE WILD WEST (and why no one knows it) walking tour will take place this Sunday July July 22 at 11 AM and next Sunday July 29th at 11 AM - and each tour will be followed by the Historic Downtown LA Sunday July 22nd and 29th 2 PM tours.
And besides our regular schedule tours, we will be offering customized tours on different days and different times and from one to three hours including weekdays - depending on your schedule. With a minimum of four reservations, we will design a tour of any part of Downtown focusing on any subject matter you choose. These tours can be after work, during lunch breaks - or??
FOR MORE INFORMATION - contact Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396 - or bradywestwater@gmail.com
All tours begin at THE LAST BOOKSTORE at 453 S. Spring Street in the Spring Arts Tower and will be led by long time Downtown resident Brady Westwater who, besides being involved with the Downtown LA Neighborhood Council, the Historic Downtown BID, Gallery Row, Art Walk, and the BOXeight and the CONCEPT Fashion Weeks, has brought over 150 businesses, artists and non-profit institutions to Downtown. All tours are only $15 per person.
If you are a participant in Saturday's 'Historic Downtown Los Angeles 101' Tour, you will see the first motion picture theater built, the place where Babe Ruth signed his contract with the Yankees, the hotel where Charlie Chaplin lived when he made his early films (and the place where he made his Los Angeles vaudeville debut in 1910) - plus the homes and haunts of everyone from actor Nicholas Cage, the Black Dahlia, Rudolph Valentino, LA’s version of Jack the Ripper, President Teddy Roosevelt, the Night Stalker, western outlaw Emmet Dalton, actor Ryan Gosling and more. And you will also visit where O. J. Simpson bought his knife.
You’ll explore an intersection where all four buildings were often visited by gunfighter/sheriff Wyatt Earp since they were all built or occupied by friends of his from Tombstone during the shoot-out at the OK Corral. At this intersection you will also discover what John Wayne, a prime minister of Italy, Houdini, Winston Churchill, boxer Jack Dempsey, Greta Garbo, President Woodrow Wilson and multiple Mexican boxing champions all had in common here.
The HISTORIC DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES 101 2 hour walking tours will take place this Saturday July 21st at both 11 AM and 2 PM and this Sunday July 22nd only at 2 PM - and then also next Sunday July 29th only at 2 PM. That is two tours each of the next two Saturdays and one tour each of the two next Sundays.
NEXT... the HOW DOWNTOWN LOS ANGLES INVENTED THE WILD WEST (and why no one knows it) walking tour will take place this Sunday July July 22 at 11 AM and next Sunday July 29th at 11 AM - and each tour will be followed by the Historic Downtown LA Sunday July 22nd and 29th 2 PM tours.
And besides our regular schedule tours, we will be offering customized tours on different days and different times and from one to three hours including weekdays - depending on your schedule. With a minimum of four reservations, we will design a tour of any part of Downtown focusing on any subject matter you choose. These tours can be after work, during lunch breaks - or??
FOR MORE INFORMATION - contact Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396 - or bradywestwater@gmail.com
 |
| BRADBURY BUILDING |
 |
| Wyatt Earp |
If you are a participant in Saturday's 'Historic Downtown Los Angeles 101' Tour, you will see the first motion picture theater built, the place where Babe Ruth signed his contract with the Yankees, the hotel where Charlie Chaplin lived when he made his early films (and the place where he made his Los Angeles vaudeville debut in 1910) - plus the homes and haunts of everyone from actor Nicholas Cage, the Black Dahlia, Rudolph Valentino, LA’s version of Jack the Ripper, President Teddy Roosevelt, the Night Stalker, western outlaw Emmet Dalton, actor Ryan Gosling and more. And you will also visit where O. J. Simpson bought his knife.
You’ll explore an intersection where all four buildings were often visited by gunfighter/sheriff Wyatt Earp since they were all built or occupied by friends of his from Tombstone during the shoot-out at the OK Corral. At this intersection you will also discover what John Wayne, a prime minister of Italy, Houdini, Winston Churchill, boxer Jack Dempsey, Greta Garbo, President Woodrow Wilson and multiple Mexican boxing champions all had in common here.
You will also see where the first new lofts were opened, the places where Gallery Row and the Art Walk began and where Fashion Week returned to Downtown. You will see many of the new boutiques, designer showrooms and stores that have recently opened in the area along with getting a sneak preview of what will soon be happening in the area.
And if you take the "How Los Angeles Invented The Wild West (and why no one knows it"tour, you will discover that long before the famed Western cowtowns and mining camps Tombstone, Dodge City, and Deadwood existed, Los Angeles was the first town where everything that happened in the Wild West, happened here first and that everyone from Wyatt Earp to Judge Roy Bean came to Los Angeles first before going east to help start the Wild West. You will also discover LA was a far ‘wilder’ town than any Western town that followed after it.
And besides ‘inventing’ the original Wild West, Los Angeles also remained part of the Wild West for far longer than other place (from 25 years to over 90 years - compared to the average period of 3 or 4 years to 10 years of most cowtowns) and LA was also one of the few towns built upon both cattle and mining.
And if you take the "How Los Angeles Invented The Wild West (and why no one knows it"tour, you will discover that long before the famed Western cowtowns and mining camps Tombstone, Dodge City, and Deadwood existed, Los Angeles was the first town where everything that happened in the Wild West, happened here first and that everyone from Wyatt Earp to Judge Roy Bean came to Los Angeles first before going east to help start the Wild West. You will also discover LA was a far ‘wilder’ town than any Western town that followed after it.
And besides ‘inventing’ the original Wild West, Los Angeles also remained part of the Wild West for far longer than other place (from 25 years to over 90 years - compared to the average period of 3 or 4 years to 10 years of most cowtowns) and LA was also one of the few towns built upon both cattle and mining.
Tickets for either tour are only $15 per person - free for children under 8 - and reservations can be made by calling Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396 or emailing bradywestwater@gmail.com. All credit card orders will be processed at Last Bookstore and cash payments may be made at the start of the tour. All proceeds will go towards the revitalization and the study of the history of the neighborhood.
Lastly, future tours will feature specialized areas of interest such as architecture, art of all kinds, shopping and food, single streets, sports (from steer wrestling to luchador wrestlers to a Sumo wrestler), transportation, specific periods of history, the hidden Wild West history of Los Angeles, movie locations, Downtown after hours and many other aspects of the neighborhood. And custom designed can be developed by request for groups of four or more.
We will also be soon starting weekday and evening tours on what it's like to live in Downtown Los Angeles. You will be introduced to the many of stores, restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues (and often their owners, too) - along with being given previews of one of a kind special events - so you can get a feel for what it is like to live in Downtown Los Angeles.
We expect this tour to be popular with not only people considering moving to Downtown and people who work in Downtown and who would like to know what to do after hours in Downtown - but also to recent and even long established Downtown residents who want to know more about their neighborhood.
For future updates and more information go to www.historicdowntownlosangeles.blogspot.com
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Reflections on My Unexpected Life in Downtown Los Angeles
Roosevet Lofts Finally Fully Finished & Fully Open!
After being one of the earlier projects to go south, the new owners of the Roosevelt lofts at 7th & Flower have just spent $5 million dollars and have now opened the final 71 of 222 residences. Rents are now a once unimaginable $2.60 to $3.50 a foot, higher than most office leases in older buildings.
And that's a hell of a lot higher than when I, after trying out two other spaces on the 3rd and 11th floors - paid when I occupied much of the 7th floor during the 1990's before any of the new loft buildings had opened.
When I first began my move down her in 1996/1997 (after an aborted attempt to make the move in 1993), I stayed in places on Spring and then on Main before moving to the 95% vacant Roosevelt. It was then the only place that could hold my library, film production space, offices and wrestling mat.
Other than a few copying companies in the building (which did briefs for law firms 24/7), there were just a few of us artist types and we all used Gold's across the street to shower and were nightly entertained by explosions at the end of Wilshire where movie companies blew up stuff on a regular basis because no one else lived anywhere near there and since Wilshire dead ended one block away, there was no through traffic that needed to be diverted.
We also then shared the building with the LAPD SWAT team who were directly above me and it was not uncommon to see them rappelling past our windows during their exercises - or for us to be in an elevator and suddenly have six very large and very armed men join us for the rest of our ride.
And once one of them checked out my wrestling mat and determined he didn't have to worry about 'accidentally breaking me', I soon had plenty of workout partners.
I soon shot the first of the many movies I had planned to make Downtown, started the final edit of my novel and unexpectedly began my memoirs when one night, when my almost forgotten pasts suddenly came back to life.
But all too soon, after an injury ended my grappling, my dopamine crashed - hard - and suddenly, I found myself living on the streets and it was quite some time before I began to rebuild my life into what it has become today - life with no more films yet made, a novel still needs that final edit and my memoirs yet unfinished.
Now I have to confess there are times when I think back to those early and now so distant seeming days and wonder if I could change what had happened back then and if I could have instead stayed on the path I had then set for myself rather than the the unexpected path I have followed. And there are times when I wake up in the morning and wish that had been possible.
But then the phone starts to ring, the emails start to flow and I then realize that even if I had it to do all over again, I would still do the same thing.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
The Narcissists Known As Occupy LA Target Art Walk To Get Their Faces on the 11 PM News THREE UPDATES!
The assholes known in DTLA as "Narcissists Who Can't Stand It if Their Faces Are Not On the 11 PM News" (aka Occupy LA) decided to totally shut down the single busiest intersection and the single most dangerously overcrowded sidewalk at the height of Art Walk. They did this because they knew it would cause the most damage to Art Walk and it would guarantee the most the chaos - and the best chance to get their faces on the 11 PM news.
Since no one cares about them anymore - they know they have to try and hijack someone else's event to get the TV cameras back on them.
The fact their actions were also guaranteed to to endanger the safety of those of us who actually live in the neighborhood - and the fact it would cause local businesses considerable loss of income they need in these tough financial times - is just an extra added benefit to them.
All they have ever accomplished in LA is to get their faces on the 11 PM news - and that's just fine with them - since as true narcissists, they are incapable of caring about any of the hardships they cause in the communities they infect.
UPDATE - I response to a question if police might be needed to deal with these lunatics - I explained they were only there BECAUSE they knew their illegal actions would force the police to arrest them"
That corner is already filled with police - that's why they chose it. The congestion is so bad they need the police to keep people safe from the cars. This is the same block where the baby girl was killed by a car earlier this year. That's why they choose it. They deliberately created a life endangering situation by forcing the crowds off of the sidewalk and into the traffic lanes, which forced the police to arrest them. It was all a set-up - for the 11 PM news.
SECOND UPDATE
Brigham Yen I was there and the Occupy LA group caused MORE damage and fucked everything up for everyone else. Then some asshole got up on top of a food truck and riled up the entire crowd. Then another asshole started tagging it up. Uncalled for and definitely lame as hell. If this kind of chaos continues we need to shut down art walk people.
THIRD UPDATE - This was my response to question of the motives of the Occupy LA people:
When they were at City Hall Park, they shop lifted from all the shops and stores around City Hall - figuring they had earned that right by they were doing. And only once or twice would any reporter ever cover that part of the story. And they drove a co-op of food growers out of the park when they privatized it for their own needs - but they felt the farmers suffering was OK - since it was for the greater glory of their movement. And tonight - they deliberately caused traffic congestion less than a block from where a baby was killed earlier this year and then forced the police - who are there SPECIFICALLY to make certain no one blocked traffic so that we can all be safe on Art Walk - to arrest them by refusing to stop blocking the sidewalks and the streets and endangering other people's lives. So, I stand by my statement. This are a bunch of spoiled, self-centered people whose main goal in life is to be... famous... by saving the common people through their inspired leadership.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Discover the Secret History Of Historic Downtown LA This Weekend! Four Walking Tours Starting at THE LAST BOOKSTORE! PLUS CUSTOMIZED NEW WEEKDAY AND LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING TOURS!
The Last Bookstore Presents
(and it's just opened 2nd floor with 100,000 books at only ONE DOLLAR each!)
Presents….
... The Secret Lives of Historic Downtown Los Angeles!
The HISTORIC DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES 101 2 hour walking tours will take place this Saturday July 14th at both 11 AM and 2 PM and this Sunday July 15th only at 2 PM - and then also next Sunday July 22nd only at 2 PM. That is two tours each of the next two Saturdays and one tour each of the two next Sundays.
NEXT... the HOW DOWNTOWN LOS ANGLES INVENTED THE WILD WEST (and why no one knows it) walking tour will take place this Sunday July July 15 at 11 AM and next Sunday July 22nd at 11 AM - and each tour will be followed by the Historic Downtown LA Sunday July 15th and 22nd 2 PM tours.
And besides our regular schedule tours, we will be offering customized tours on different days and different times - depending on your schedule. With a minimum of four reservations, we will design a tour of any part of Downtown focusing on any subject matter you choose. These tours can be after work, during lunch breaks - or??
FOR MORE INFORMATION - contact Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396 - or bradywestwater@gmail.com
All tours begin at THE LAST BOOKSTORE at 453 S. Spring Street in the Spring Arts Tower and will be led by long time Downtown resident Brady Westwater who, besides being involved with the Downtown LA Neighborhood Council, the Historic Downtown BID, Gallery Row, Art Walk, and the BOXeight and the CONCEPT Fashion Weeks, has brought over 150 businesses, artists and non-profit institutions to Downtown. All tours are only $15 per person.
If you are a participant in Saturday's 'Historic Downtown Los Angeles 101' Tour, you will see the first motion picture theater built, the place where Babe Ruth signed his contract with the Yankees, the hotel where Charlie Chaplin lived when he made his early films (and the place where he made his Los Angeles vaudeville debut in 1910) - plus the homes and haunts of everyone from actor Nicholas Cage, the Black Dahlia, Rudolph Valentino, LA’s version of Jack the Ripper, President Teddy Roosevelt, the Night Stalker, western outlaw Emmet Dalton, actor Ryan Gosling and more. And you will also visit where O. J. Simpson bought his knife.
You’ll explore an intersection where all four buildings were often visited by gunfighter/sheriff Wyatt Earp since they were all built or occupied by friends of his from Tombstone during the shoot-out at the OK Corral. At this intersection you will also discover what John Wayne, a prime minister of Italy, Houdini, Winston Churchill, boxer Jack Dempsey, Greta Garbo, President Woodrow Wilson and multiple Mexican boxing champions all had in common here.
The HISTORIC DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES 101 2 hour walking tours will take place this Saturday July 14th at both 11 AM and 2 PM and this Sunday July 15th only at 2 PM - and then also next Sunday July 22nd only at 2 PM. That is two tours each of the next two Saturdays and one tour each of the two next Sundays.
NEXT... the HOW DOWNTOWN LOS ANGLES INVENTED THE WILD WEST (and why no one knows it) walking tour will take place this Sunday July July 15 at 11 AM and next Sunday July 22nd at 11 AM - and each tour will be followed by the Historic Downtown LA Sunday July 15th and 22nd 2 PM tours.
And besides our regular schedule tours, we will be offering customized tours on different days and different times - depending on your schedule. With a minimum of four reservations, we will design a tour of any part of Downtown focusing on any subject matter you choose. These tours can be after work, during lunch breaks - or??
FOR MORE INFORMATION - contact Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396 - or bradywestwater@gmail.com
|
| BRADBURY BUILDING |
|
| Wyatt Earp |
If you are a participant in Saturday's 'Historic Downtown Los Angeles 101' Tour, you will see the first motion picture theater built, the place where Babe Ruth signed his contract with the Yankees, the hotel where Charlie Chaplin lived when he made his early films (and the place where he made his Los Angeles vaudeville debut in 1910) - plus the homes and haunts of everyone from actor Nicholas Cage, the Black Dahlia, Rudolph Valentino, LA’s version of Jack the Ripper, President Teddy Roosevelt, the Night Stalker, western outlaw Emmet Dalton, actor Ryan Gosling and more. And you will also visit where O. J. Simpson bought his knife.
You’ll explore an intersection where all four buildings were often visited by gunfighter/sheriff Wyatt Earp since they were all built or occupied by friends of his from Tombstone during the shoot-out at the OK Corral. At this intersection you will also discover what John Wayne, a prime minister of Italy, Houdini, Winston Churchill, boxer Jack Dempsey, Greta Garbo, President Woodrow Wilson and multiple Mexican boxing champions all had in common here.
You will also see where the first new lofts were opened, the places where Gallery Row and the Art Walk began and where Fashion Week returned to Downtown. You will see many of the new boutiques, designer showrooms and stores that have recently opened in the area along with getting a sneak preview of what will soon be happening in the area.
And if you take the "How Los Angeles Invented The Wild West (and why no one knows it"tour, you will discover that long before the famed Western cowtowns and mining camps Tombstone, Dodge City, and Deadwood existed, Los Angeles was the first town where everything that happened in the Wild West, happened here first and that everyone from Wyatt Earp to Judge Roy Bean came to Los Angeles first before going east to help start the Wild West. You will also discover LA was a far ‘wilder’ town than any Western town that followed after it.
And besides ‘inventing’ the original Wild West, Los Angeles also remained part of the Wild West for far longer than other place (from 25 years to over 90 years - compared to the average period of 3 or 4 years to 10 years of most cowtowns) and LA was also one of the few towns built upon both cattle and mining.
And if you take the "How Los Angeles Invented The Wild West (and why no one knows it"tour, you will discover that long before the famed Western cowtowns and mining camps Tombstone, Dodge City, and Deadwood existed, Los Angeles was the first town where everything that happened in the Wild West, happened here first and that everyone from Wyatt Earp to Judge Roy Bean came to Los Angeles first before going east to help start the Wild West. You will also discover LA was a far ‘wilder’ town than any Western town that followed after it.
And besides ‘inventing’ the original Wild West, Los Angeles also remained part of the Wild West for far longer than other place (from 25 years to over 90 years - compared to the average period of 3 or 4 years to 10 years of most cowtowns) and LA was also one of the few towns built upon both cattle and mining.
Tickets for either tour are only $15 per person - free for children under 8 - and reservations can be made by calling Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396 or emailing bradywestwater@gmail.com. All credit card orders will be processed at Last Bookstore and cash payments may be made at the start of the tour. All proceeds will go towards the revitalization and the study of the history of the neighborhood.
Lastly, future tours will feature specialized areas of interest such as architecture, art of all kinds, shopping and food, single streets, sports (from steer wrestling to luchador wrestlers to a Sumo wrestler), transportation, specific periods of history, the hidden Wild West history of Los Angeles, movie locations, Downtown after hours and many other aspects of the neighborhood. And custom designed can be developed by request for groups of four or more.
We will also be soon starting weekday and evening tours on what it's like to live in Downtown Los Angeles. You will be introduced to the many of stores, restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues (and often their owners, too) - along with being given previews of one of a kind special events - so you can get a feel for what it is like to live in Downtown Los Angeles.
We expect this tour to be popular with not only people considering moving to Downtown and people who work in Downtown and who would like to know what to do after hours in Downtown - but also to recent and even long established Downtown residents who want to know more about their neighborhood.
For future updates and more information go to www.historicdowntownlosangeles.blogspot.com
BLOGDOWNTOWN on Jose Huizar Assuming the Reins of Downtown Los Angeles from Jan Perry
The controversial redistricting of Downtown has had both good and bad impacts. While some have long felt DTLA would - in the long run - have more power and more control of its future if it was in one council district, other were just as vehement that our having two or three representatives n the council was the better option.
One thing almost everyone agreed upon, though, was having that long term decision being turned into a contest between Jan Perry who was about to be termed out and Jose Huizar who was to remain in office, let many of us knowing what it's like to be kids in a messy divorce when you are asked - which parent do you love the most as opposed to what is best for your long term needs.
Even more awkward was the fact - we had no real say in the matter. Now, however, the divorce is final and the custody agreements for the next ten years have been set - and we all need to move on. And so much of what DTLA is - and will continue to be - is a direct result of Jan's connection with and work with our community.
And I am confident that in the next year Jan will continue to find ways to make the Figueroa Corridor starting at LA Live, Staples, and the Convention Center and going down to USC a new part of a greater DTLA that will increasingly become just one of the economic engines of the great 9th District.
One thing almost everyone agreed upon, though, was having that long term decision being turned into a contest between Jan Perry who was about to be termed out and Jose Huizar who was to remain in office, let many of us knowing what it's like to be kids in a messy divorce when you are asked - which parent do you love the most as opposed to what is best for your long term needs.
Even more awkward was the fact - we had no real say in the matter. Now, however, the divorce is final and the custody agreements for the next ten years have been set - and we all need to move on. And so much of what DTLA is - and will continue to be - is a direct result of Jan's connection with and work with our community.
And I am confident that in the next year Jan will continue to find ways to make the Figueroa Corridor starting at LA Live, Staples, and the Convention Center and going down to USC a new part of a greater DTLA that will increasingly become just one of the economic engines of the great 9th District.
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Lease on Downtown LA's Million Dollar Theatre Ended
After a long battle to bring the Million Dollar Theatre back to life as a financial viable venue, Downtown LA Entertainment Pioneer Robert Voskanian and his partner have terminated their lease for the Million Dollar Theater with the Yellen Company..
No formal announcement has been made yet that I am aware of, but i just want to make certain Robert and his partner knows know grateful everyone Downtown - and in the larger larger theater world - is for their efforts and that we hope he can continue in some way to remain part of our community.
Here are several links to the theater:
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
Discover the Secret History Of Historic Downtown LA This Weekend! Four Walking Tours Starting at THE LAST BOOKSTORE! PLUS CUSTOMIZED NEW WEEKDAY AND LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING TOURS!
The Last Bookstore Presents
(and it's just opened 2nd floor with 100,000 books at only ONE DOLLAR each!)
Presents….
... The Secret Lives of Historic Downtown Los Angeles!
The HISTORIC DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES 101 2 hour walking tours will take place this Saturday July 7th at both 11 AM and 2 PM and this Sunday July 8th only at 2 PM - and then also next Sunday July 15th at 2 PM. That is two tours each of the next two Saturdays and one tour each of the two next Sundays.
NEXT... the HOW DOWNTOWN LOS ANGLES INVENTED THE WILD WEST (and why no one knows it) walking tour will take place this Sunday July 8th at 11 AM and next Sunday July 15th at 11 AM - and each tour will be followed by the Historic Downtown LA Sunday July 8th and 15th 2 PM tours.
And besides our regular schedule tours, we will be offering customized tours on different days and different times - depending on your schedule. With a minimum of four reservations, we will design a tour of any part of Downtown focusing on any subject matter you choose. These tours can be after work, during lunch breaks - or??
FOR MORE INFORMATION - contact Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396 - or bradywestwater@gmail.com
All tours begin at THE LAST BOOKSTORE at 453 S. Spring Street in the Spring Arts Tower and will be led by long time Downtown resident Brady Westwater who, besides being involved with the Downtown LA Neighborhood Council, the Historic Downtown BID, Gallery Row, Art Walk, and the BOXeight and the CONCEPT Fashion Weeks, has brought over 150 businesses, artists and non-profit institutions to Downtown. All tours are only $15 per person.
If you are a participant in Saturday's 'Historic Downtown Los Angeles 101' Tour, you will see the first motion picture theater built, the place where Babe Ruth signed his contract with the Yankees, the hotel where Charlie Chaplin lived when he made his early films (and the place where he made his Los Angeles vaudeville debut in 1910) - plus the homes and haunts of everyone from actor Nicholas Cage, the Black Dahlia, Rudolph Valentino, LA’s version of Jack the Ripper, President Teddy Roosevelt, the Night Stalker, western outlaw Emmet Dalton, actor Ryan Gosling and more. And you will also visit where O. J. Simpson bought his knife.
You’ll explore an intersection where all four buildings were often visited by gunfighter/sheriff Wyatt Earp since they were all built or occupied by friends of his from Tombstone during the shoot-out at the OK Corral. At this intersection you will also discover what John Wayne, a prime minister of Italy, Houdini, Winston Churchill, boxer Jack Dempsey, Greta Garbo, President Woodrow Wilson and multiple Mexican boxing champions all had in common here.
The HISTORIC DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES 101 2 hour walking tours will take place this Saturday July 7th at both 11 AM and 2 PM and this Sunday July 8th only at 2 PM - and then also next Sunday July 15th at 2 PM. That is two tours each of the next two Saturdays and one tour each of the two next Sundays.
NEXT... the HOW DOWNTOWN LOS ANGLES INVENTED THE WILD WEST (and why no one knows it) walking tour will take place this Sunday July 8th at 11 AM and next Sunday July 15th at 11 AM - and each tour will be followed by the Historic Downtown LA Sunday July 8th and 15th 2 PM tours.
And besides our regular schedule tours, we will be offering customized tours on different days and different times - depending on your schedule. With a minimum of four reservations, we will design a tour of any part of Downtown focusing on any subject matter you choose. These tours can be after work, during lunch breaks - or??
FOR MORE INFORMATION - contact Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396 - or bradywestwater@gmail.com
|
| BRADBURY BUILDING |
|
| Wyatt Earp |
If you are a participant in Saturday's 'Historic Downtown Los Angeles 101' Tour, you will see the first motion picture theater built, the place where Babe Ruth signed his contract with the Yankees, the hotel where Charlie Chaplin lived when he made his early films (and the place where he made his Los Angeles vaudeville debut in 1910) - plus the homes and haunts of everyone from actor Nicholas Cage, the Black Dahlia, Rudolph Valentino, LA’s version of Jack the Ripper, President Teddy Roosevelt, the Night Stalker, western outlaw Emmet Dalton, actor Ryan Gosling and more. And you will also visit where O. J. Simpson bought his knife.
You’ll explore an intersection where all four buildings were often visited by gunfighter/sheriff Wyatt Earp since they were all built or occupied by friends of his from Tombstone during the shoot-out at the OK Corral. At this intersection you will also discover what John Wayne, a prime minister of Italy, Houdini, Winston Churchill, boxer Jack Dempsey, Greta Garbo, President Woodrow Wilson and multiple Mexican boxing champions all had in common here.
You will also see where the first new lofts were opened, the places where Gallery Row and the Art Walk began and where Fashion Week returned to Downtown. You will see many of the new boutiques, designer showrooms and stores that have recently opened in the area along with getting a sneak preview of what will soon be happening in the area.
And if you take the "How Los Angeles Invented The Wild West (and why no one knows it"tour, you will discover that long before the famed Western cowtowns and mining camps Tombstone, Dodge City, and Deadwood existed, Los Angeles was the first town where everything that happened in the Wild West, happened here first and that everyone from Wyatt Earp to Judge Roy Bean came to Los Angeles first before going east to help start the Wild West. You will also discover LA was a far ‘wilder’ town than any Western town that followed after it.
And besides ‘inventing’ the original Wild West, Los Angeles also remained part of the Wild West for far longer than other place (from 25 years to over 90 years - compared to the average period of 3 or 4 years to 10 years of most cowtowns) and LA was also one of the few towns built upon both cattle and mining.
And if you take the "How Los Angeles Invented The Wild West (and why no one knows it"tour, you will discover that long before the famed Western cowtowns and mining camps Tombstone, Dodge City, and Deadwood existed, Los Angeles was the first town where everything that happened in the Wild West, happened here first and that everyone from Wyatt Earp to Judge Roy Bean came to Los Angeles first before going east to help start the Wild West. You will also discover LA was a far ‘wilder’ town than any Western town that followed after it.
And besides ‘inventing’ the original Wild West, Los Angeles also remained part of the Wild West for far longer than other place (from 25 years to over 90 years - compared to the average period of 3 or 4 years to 10 years of most cowtowns) and LA was also one of the few towns built upon both cattle and mining.
Tickets for either tour are only $15 per person - free for children under 8 - and reservations can be made by calling Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396 or emailing bradywestwater@gmail.com. All credit card orders will be processed at Last Bookstore and cash payments may be made at the start of the tour. All proceeds will go towards the revitalization and the study of the history of the neighborhood.
Lastly, future tours will feature specialized areas of interest such as architecture, art of all kinds, shopping and food, single streets, sports (from steer wrestling to luchador wrestlers to a Sumo wrestler), transportation, specific periods of history, the hidden Wild West history of Los Angeles, movie locations, Downtown after hours and many other aspects of the neighborhood. And custom designed can be developed by request for groups of four or more.
We will also be soon starting weekday and evening tours on what it's like to live in Downtown Los Angeles. You will be introduced to the many of stores, restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues (and often their owners, too) - along with being given previews of one of a kind special events - so you can get a feel for what it is like to live in Downtown Los Angeles.
We expect this tour to be popular with not only people considering moving to Downtown and people who work in Downtown and who would like to know what to do after hours in Downtown - but also to recent and even long established Downtown residents who want to know more about their neighborhood.
For future updates and more information go to www.historicdowntownlosangeles.blogspot.com
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Discover the Secret History Of Historic Downtown LA This Weekend! Four Walking Tours Starting at THE LAST BOOKSTORE!
The Last Bookstore Presents
(and it's just opened 2nd floor with 100,000 books at only ONE DOLLAR each!)
Presents….
... The Secret Lives of Historic Downtown Los Angeles!
The HISTORIC DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES 101 2 hour walking tours will take place this Saturday July 7th at both 11 AM and 2 PM and this Sunday July 8th only at 2 PM - and then also next Sunday July 15th at 2 PM. That is two tours each of the next two Saturdays and one tour each of the two next Sundays.
NEXT... the HOW DOWNTOWN LOS ANGLES INVENTED THE WILD WEST (and why no one knows it) walking tour will take place this Sunday July 8th at 11 AM and next Sunday July 15th at 11 AM - and each tour will be followed by the Historic Downtown LA Sunday July 8th and 15th 2 PM tours.
And besides our regular schedule tours, we will be offering customized tours on different days and different times - depending on your schedule. With a minimum of four reservations, we will design a tour of any part of Downtown focusing on any subject matter you choose. These tours can be after work, during lunch breaks - or??
FOR MORE INFORMATION - contact Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396 - or bradywestwater@gmail.com
All tours begin at THE LAST BOOKSTORE at 453 S. Spring Street in the Spring Arts Tower and will be led by long time Downtown resident Brady Westwater who, besides being involved with the Downtown LA Neighborhood Council, the Historic Downtown BID, Gallery Row, Art Walk, and the BOXeight and the CONCEPT Fashion Weeks, has brought over 150 businesses, artists and non-profit institutions to Downtown. All tours are only $15 per person.
If you are a participant in Saturday's 'Historic Downtown Los Angeles 101' Tour, you will see the first motion picture theater built, the place where Babe Ruth signed his contract with the Yankees, the hotel where Charlie Chaplin lived when he made his early films (and the place where he made his Los Angeles vaudeville debut in 1910) - plus the homes and haunts of everyone from actor Nicholas Cage, the Black Dahlia, Rudolph Valentino, LA’s version of Jack the Ripper, President Teddy Roosevelt, the Night Stalker, western outlaw Emmet Dalton, actor Ryan Gosling and more. And you will also visit where O. J. Simpson bought his knife.
You’ll explore an intersection where all four buildings were often visited by gunfighter/sheriff Wyatt Earp since they were all built or occupied by friends of his from Tombstone during the shoot-out at the OK Corral. At this intersection you will also discover what John Wayne, a prime minister of Italy, Houdini, Winston Churchill, boxer Jack Dempsey, Greta Garbo, President Woodrow Wilson and multiple Mexican boxing champions all had in common here.
The HISTORIC DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES 101 2 hour walking tours will take place this Saturday July 7th at both 11 AM and 2 PM and this Sunday July 8th only at 2 PM - and then also next Sunday July 15th at 2 PM. That is two tours each of the next two Saturdays and one tour each of the two next Sundays.
NEXT... the HOW DOWNTOWN LOS ANGLES INVENTED THE WILD WEST (and why no one knows it) walking tour will take place this Sunday July 8th at 11 AM and next Sunday July 15th at 11 AM - and each tour will be followed by the Historic Downtown LA Sunday July 8th and 15th 2 PM tours.
And besides our regular schedule tours, we will be offering customized tours on different days and different times - depending on your schedule. With a minimum of four reservations, we will design a tour of any part of Downtown focusing on any subject matter you choose. These tours can be after work, during lunch breaks - or??
FOR MORE INFORMATION - contact Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396 - or bradywestwater@gmail.com
|
| BRADBURY BUILDING |
|
| Wyatt Earp |
If you are a participant in Saturday's 'Historic Downtown Los Angeles 101' Tour, you will see the first motion picture theater built, the place where Babe Ruth signed his contract with the Yankees, the hotel where Charlie Chaplin lived when he made his early films (and the place where he made his Los Angeles vaudeville debut in 1910) - plus the homes and haunts of everyone from actor Nicholas Cage, the Black Dahlia, Rudolph Valentino, LA’s version of Jack the Ripper, President Teddy Roosevelt, the Night Stalker, western outlaw Emmet Dalton, actor Ryan Gosling and more. And you will also visit where O. J. Simpson bought his knife.
You’ll explore an intersection where all four buildings were often visited by gunfighter/sheriff Wyatt Earp since they were all built or occupied by friends of his from Tombstone during the shoot-out at the OK Corral. At this intersection you will also discover what John Wayne, a prime minister of Italy, Houdini, Winston Churchill, boxer Jack Dempsey, Greta Garbo, President Woodrow Wilson and multiple Mexican boxing champions all had in common here.
You will also see where the first new lofts were opened, the places where Gallery Row and the Art Walk began and where Fashion Week returned to Downtown. You will see many of the new boutiques, designer showrooms and stores that have recently opened in the area along with getting a sneak preview of what will soon be happening in the area.
And if you take the "How Los Angeles Invented The Wild West (and why no one knows it"tour, you will discover that long before the famed Western cowtowns and mining camps Tombstone, Dodge City, and Deadwood existed, Los Angeles was the first town where everything that happened in the Wild West, happened here first and that everyone from Wyatt Earp to Judge Roy Bean came to Los Angeles first before going east to help start the Wild West. You will also discover LA was a far ‘wilder’ town than any Western town that followed after it.
And besides ‘inventing’ the original Wild West, Los Angeles also remained part of the Wild West for far longer than other place (from 25 years to over 90 years - compared to the average period of 3 or 4 years to 10 years of most cowtowns) and LA was also one of the few towns built upon both cattle and mining.
And if you take the "How Los Angeles Invented The Wild West (and why no one knows it"tour, you will discover that long before the famed Western cowtowns and mining camps Tombstone, Dodge City, and Deadwood existed, Los Angeles was the first town where everything that happened in the Wild West, happened here first and that everyone from Wyatt Earp to Judge Roy Bean came to Los Angeles first before going east to help start the Wild West. You will also discover LA was a far ‘wilder’ town than any Western town that followed after it.
And besides ‘inventing’ the original Wild West, Los Angeles also remained part of the Wild West for far longer than other place (from 25 years to over 90 years - compared to the average period of 3 or 4 years to 10 years of most cowtowns) and LA was also one of the few towns built upon both cattle and mining.
Tickets for either tour are only $15 per person - free for children under 8 - and reservations can be made by calling Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396 or emailing bradywestwater@gmail.com. All credit card orders will be processed at Last Bookstore and cash payments may be made at the start of the tour. All proceeds will go towards the revitalization and the study of the history of the neighborhood.
Lastly, future tours will feature specialized areas of interest such as architecture, art of all kinds, shopping and food, single streets, sports (from steer wrestling to luchador wrestlers to a Sumo wrestler), transportation, specific periods of history, the hidden Wild West history of Los Angeles, movie locations, Downtown after hours and many other aspects of the neighborhood. And custom designed can be developed by request for groups of four or more.
We will also be soon starting weekday and evening tours on what it's like to live in Downtown Los Angeles. You will be introduced to the many of stores, restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues (and often their owners, too) - along with being given previews of one of a kind special events - so you can get a feel for what it is like to live in Downtown Los Angeles.
We expect this tour to be popular with not only people considering moving to Downtown and people who work in Downtown and who would like to know what to do after hours in Downtown - but also to recent and even long established Downtown residents who want to know more about their neighborhood.
For future updates and more information go to www.historicdowntownlosangeles.blogspot.com
Friday, June 29, 2012
MOCA's Press Release on the Resignation of Chief Curator Paul Schimmel
Below is MOCA's press release on Paul Schimmel leaving MOCA. Most of it is what one would expect, but there are surprises. The biggest surprise is the naming of interior of the old Temporary Contemporary, now the now Geffen Contemporary, as the Paul Schimmel Exhibition Space.
That is a considerable honor - particularly given the awkward nature of his severance from the museum. The detailed description that follows of his 22 year career at MOCA is also particularly well done and gives him the full credit he deserves.
To my amazement, it is a far better send-off than I think anyone could have imagined when the news first broke. It even manages to have his career at MOCA end on a now expected high-note. Long after the personality and other differences that led to his leaving MOCA are forgotten, his name will remained attached to the space where he more than once not just redefined contemporary art in Los Angeles - but contemporary art, period, during the late 20th and early 21st Centuries.
Lastly, the one other expected note. It was the last line in his resume. He was described as 'the co-director of the Mike Kelly Foundation for the Arts'.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2012
THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, LOS ANGELES (MOCA), ANNOUNCES NAMING OF
PAUL SCHIMMEL EXHIBITION SPACE
AT THE GEFFEN CONTEMPORARY AT MOCA
MOCA CHIEF CURATOR HONORED FOR 22-YEAR TENURE
AS HE STEPS DOWN AND BECOMES
INDEPENDENT CURATOR
Los Angeles—The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), announced today that Chief
Curator, Paul Schimmel, has resigned from his position to become an independent curator, after 22 years
with the institution, organizing some of the museum’s most successful exhibitions. Mr. Schimmel will continue
working with MOCA on the upcoming exhibition Destroy the Picture: Painting the Void, 1949–1962
(September 29, 2012–January 7, 2013), which explores abstraction and destruction in the period. In
recognition of his many contributions to MOCA, where Mr. Schimmel has been Chief Curator since 1990,
the Board of Trustees announced the naming of The Paul Schimmel Exhibition Space at The Geffen
Contemporary at MOCA in his honor.
“Paul’s contributions to MOCA’s curatorial program and permanent collection over the past two decades
have made an indelible mark on the legacy of the museum,” said MOCA Board Co-Chair Maria Arena Bell.
Co-Chair David G. Johnson added, “With his vast knowledge of art, and keen curatorial eye, we look forward
to following his work beyond MOCA, and will continue to maintain our close relationship with him. We thank
Paul for this legacy, and we wish him much success.”
“Paul has been a champion of modern and contemporary art, and has been a leader in firmly establishing Los
Angeles as an international art center, recognized throughout the world,” said MOCA Director and CEO
Jeffrey Deitch. “The works that came into MOCA’s collection under Paul’s curatorial leadership are
extraordinary, and will be appreciated by MOCA audiences for years to come. All of us at MOCA thank Paul,
look forward to his continued consulting with MOCA, and wish him well.”
Mr. Schimmel reflected, “MOCA has given me an opportunity to come of age with the institution during an
exciting period in its history, and has allowed me to work with an extraordinary community of artists over the
past two decades.” He added, “I am deeply honored by the naming of the exhibition space at The Geffen
Contemporary at MOCA.”
MOCA ANNOUNCES ANNOUNCES NAMING OF PAUL SCHIMMEL EXHIBITION SPACE AT THE GEFFEN CONTEMPORARY AT MOCA
MOCA CHIEF CURATOR HONORED FOR 22-YEAR TENURE AS HE STEPS DOWN AND BECOMES INDEPENDENT CURATOR
Page 2 of 3
The space at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, which will be named in Mr. Schimmel’s honor, is a
dynamic exhibition platform. The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, which opened in 1983, is a former police
car warehouse in Little Tokyo renovated by the architect Frank O. Gehry. It includes 40,000 square feet of
exhibition space and has been host to scores of exhibitions curated by Mr. Schimmel.
MOCA’s collection of works by visionary contemporary artists grew significantly under Mr. Schimmel’s
curatorial oversight, with the additions of works by internationally renowned artists including: Diane Arbus,
John Baldessari, Alighiero Boetti, Chris Burden, Richard Diebenkorn, Peter Doig, Marlene Dumas, Olafur
Eliasson, Llyn Foulkes, Sam Francis, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Robert Gober, Felix Gonzalez-Torres,
Jasper Johns, Mike Kelley, Liz Larner, Gordon Matta-Clark, Paul McCarthy, Bruce Nauman, Cady Noland,
Chris Ofili, Charles Ray, Jason Rhoades, Nancy Rubins, Edward Ruscha, Robert Smithson, Fred Tomaselli,
Luc Tuymans, and Franz West. Mr. Schimmel developed the Acquisition and Collection Committee (1995),
the Drawing Committee (2000), and the Photography Committee (2005). Since 1990, MOCA’s collection
grew by 5,749 objects, from 987 at its founding to 6,735 objects today.
Major collections acquired for MOCA during Mr. Schimmel’s 22 years at MOCA include The Ralph M.
Parsons Foundation Photography Collection (1995), the bequest of Marcia Simon Weisman’s collection of
83 prints and drawings (1996), the Lannan Foundation’s gift of 114 works by 53 artists (1997), and the
Blake Byrne gift of 123 works (2004). Schimmel also organized two of the most significant permanent
collection exhibitions to take place in both MOCA museum spaces simultaneously, A Room of Their Own:
From Arbus to Gober, From Rothko to Rauschenberg; and Collection: MOCA’s First 30 Years.
Mr. Schimmel has been a prominent figure in the international art community during his time at MOCA.
Overseeing some of the most memorable exhibitions in MOCA’s history, Mr. Schimmel has organized an
impressive list of visionary shows, many of which traveled to major museums on national and international
tours.
Mr. Schimmel has organized numerous major group exhibitions, including Helter Skelter: LA Art in the
1990s; Hand-Painted Pop: American Art in Transition 1955–1962; Out of Actions: Between Performance
and the Object, 1949–1979; Ecstasy: In and About Altered States; and, Under the Big Black Sun:
California Art, 1974–1981. In addition to Mr. Schimmel’s own exhibitions, he has supervised a program of
over 350 exhibitions, including over 100 devoted to the permanent collection. This program is internationally
recognized both for its deeply researched and critically acclaimed, historical exhibitions, including WACK!
Art and the Feminist Revolution, A Minimal Future? Art as Object 1958–1968; and, the current exhibition,
Ends of the Earth: Land Art to 1974.
Solo exhibitions he has curated include Sigmar Polke Photoworks: When Pictures Vanish; Robert Gober:
Untitled; Charles Ray; Willem de Kooning: Tracing the Figure; Laura Owens; Robert Rauschenberg:
Combines; and, © MURAKAMI. In addition to Schimmel’s solo exhibitions, major shows have been
presented of Roy Lichtenstein, Cy Twombly, Bruce Nauman, Richard Diebenkorn, Ed Kienholz, Cindy
Sherman, Andy Warhol, Juan Munoz, Marlene Dumas, and Alan Kaprow, as well as the MOCA-originated
standard reference exhibitions for Barbara Kruger, Martin Kippenberger, Dan Graham, and Robert Smithson.
MOCA ANNOUNCES ANNOUNCES NAMING OF PAUL SCHIMMEL EXHIBITION SPACE AT THE GEFFEN CONTEMPORARY AT MOCA
MOCA CHIEF CURATOR HONORED FOR 22-YEAR TENURE AS HE STEPS DOWN AND BECOMES INDEPENDENT CURATOR
Page 3 of 3
MOCA's curatorial vision will continue to remain strong under Jeffrey Deitch’s leadership, and with the
support of the MOCA curatorial team, as well as guest curators, who will bring pioneering international
perspectives to MOCA's collection and exhibitions. In this way, MOCA will continue to serve and grow its
diverse audiences, which recently have increased from 147,000 to 400,000 annually.
Highly anticipated, upcoming exhibitions curated by guest curators, working closely with Jeffrey Deitch,
include a solo show of artist Urs Fischer, curated by Tate Modern’s Daskalopoulos Curator, International Art,
Jessica Morgan (spring 2013), and a major retrospective of Jeff Koons (January 2014), organized with the
Whitney Museum of American Art, curated by Scott Rothkopf. Mr. Deitch, together with the MOCA team,
has planned an exciting roster of summer programs that reflect the museum’s mission to attract varied and
expanded audiences, including the recently announced FRAMEWORK, a new series of three site-specific
dance performances by L.A. Dance Project/Benjamin Millepied and Los Angeles artist Mark Bradford, in the
galleries at MOCA Grand Avenue, to take place July 19, August 2, and August 9, 2012, at 7:00 p.m.
Destroy the Picture: Painting the Void, 1949–1962 will open at MOCA Grand Avenue on September 29,
2012–January 7, 2013, and will travel to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The exhibition will be
accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog including essays by Nicholas Cullinan, Astrid Hagna-Gagnard,
Sorichi Hirai, Paul Schimmel, and Robert Storr.
More About Paul Schimmel:
Paul Schimmel has been the Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), since
1990, and previously served as the Chief Curator of the Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, CA
(1981–89), as well as the Curator (1975–77) and Senior Curator (1977–78) of the Contemporary Arts
Museum, Houston, TX. He has won numerous awards, including two awards from the Association of Art
Museum Curators (AAMC), six awards from the International Association of Art Critics (AICA), and the
Award for Curatorial Excellence given by The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College (2001). Mr.
Schimmel currently serves on the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, the La Caixa
Contemporary Art Collection Acquisition Committee, and is a co-Director of the Mike Kelley Foundation for
the Arts.
# # #
MEDIA CONTACTS
Lyn Winter Sara Fitzmaurice
MOCA FITZ & CO
Tel. 213-633-5390 Tel. 310-395-2900
lwinter@moca.org sara@fitzandco.com
www.moca.org www.fitzandco.com
That is a considerable honor - particularly given the awkward nature of his severance from the museum. The detailed description that follows of his 22 year career at MOCA is also particularly well done and gives him the full credit he deserves.
To my amazement, it is a far better send-off than I think anyone could have imagined when the news first broke. It even manages to have his career at MOCA end on a now expected high-note. Long after the personality and other differences that led to his leaving MOCA are forgotten, his name will remained attached to the space where he more than once not just redefined contemporary art in Los Angeles - but contemporary art, period, during the late 20th and early 21st Centuries.
Lastly, the one other expected note. It was the last line in his resume. He was described as 'the co-director of the Mike Kelly Foundation for the Arts'.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2012
THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, LOS ANGELES (MOCA), ANNOUNCES NAMING OF
PAUL SCHIMMEL EXHIBITION SPACE
AT THE GEFFEN CONTEMPORARY AT MOCA
MOCA CHIEF CURATOR HONORED FOR 22-YEAR TENURE
AS HE STEPS DOWN AND BECOMES
INDEPENDENT CURATOR
Los Angeles—The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), announced today that Chief
Curator, Paul Schimmel, has resigned from his position to become an independent curator, after 22 years
with the institution, organizing some of the museum’s most successful exhibitions. Mr. Schimmel will continue
working with MOCA on the upcoming exhibition Destroy the Picture: Painting the Void, 1949–1962
(September 29, 2012–January 7, 2013), which explores abstraction and destruction in the period. In
recognition of his many contributions to MOCA, where Mr. Schimmel has been Chief Curator since 1990,
the Board of Trustees announced the naming of The Paul Schimmel Exhibition Space at The Geffen
Contemporary at MOCA in his honor.
“Paul’s contributions to MOCA’s curatorial program and permanent collection over the past two decades
have made an indelible mark on the legacy of the museum,” said MOCA Board Co-Chair Maria Arena Bell.
Co-Chair David G. Johnson added, “With his vast knowledge of art, and keen curatorial eye, we look forward
to following his work beyond MOCA, and will continue to maintain our close relationship with him. We thank
Paul for this legacy, and we wish him much success.”
“Paul has been a champion of modern and contemporary art, and has been a leader in firmly establishing Los
Angeles as an international art center, recognized throughout the world,” said MOCA Director and CEO
Jeffrey Deitch. “The works that came into MOCA’s collection under Paul’s curatorial leadership are
extraordinary, and will be appreciated by MOCA audiences for years to come. All of us at MOCA thank Paul,
look forward to his continued consulting with MOCA, and wish him well.”
Mr. Schimmel reflected, “MOCA has given me an opportunity to come of age with the institution during an
exciting period in its history, and has allowed me to work with an extraordinary community of artists over the
past two decades.” He added, “I am deeply honored by the naming of the exhibition space at The Geffen
Contemporary at MOCA.”
MOCA ANNOUNCES ANNOUNCES NAMING OF PAUL SCHIMMEL EXHIBITION SPACE AT THE GEFFEN CONTEMPORARY AT MOCA
MOCA CHIEF CURATOR HONORED FOR 22-YEAR TENURE AS HE STEPS DOWN AND BECOMES INDEPENDENT CURATOR
Page 2 of 3
The space at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, which will be named in Mr. Schimmel’s honor, is a
dynamic exhibition platform. The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, which opened in 1983, is a former police
car warehouse in Little Tokyo renovated by the architect Frank O. Gehry. It includes 40,000 square feet of
exhibition space and has been host to scores of exhibitions curated by Mr. Schimmel.
MOCA’s collection of works by visionary contemporary artists grew significantly under Mr. Schimmel’s
curatorial oversight, with the additions of works by internationally renowned artists including: Diane Arbus,
John Baldessari, Alighiero Boetti, Chris Burden, Richard Diebenkorn, Peter Doig, Marlene Dumas, Olafur
Eliasson, Llyn Foulkes, Sam Francis, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Robert Gober, Felix Gonzalez-Torres,
Jasper Johns, Mike Kelley, Liz Larner, Gordon Matta-Clark, Paul McCarthy, Bruce Nauman, Cady Noland,
Chris Ofili, Charles Ray, Jason Rhoades, Nancy Rubins, Edward Ruscha, Robert Smithson, Fred Tomaselli,
Luc Tuymans, and Franz West. Mr. Schimmel developed the Acquisition and Collection Committee (1995),
the Drawing Committee (2000), and the Photography Committee (2005). Since 1990, MOCA’s collection
grew by 5,749 objects, from 987 at its founding to 6,735 objects today.
Major collections acquired for MOCA during Mr. Schimmel’s 22 years at MOCA include The Ralph M.
Parsons Foundation Photography Collection (1995), the bequest of Marcia Simon Weisman’s collection of
83 prints and drawings (1996), the Lannan Foundation’s gift of 114 works by 53 artists (1997), and the
Blake Byrne gift of 123 works (2004). Schimmel also organized two of the most significant permanent
collection exhibitions to take place in both MOCA museum spaces simultaneously, A Room of Their Own:
From Arbus to Gober, From Rothko to Rauschenberg; and Collection: MOCA’s First 30 Years.
Mr. Schimmel has been a prominent figure in the international art community during his time at MOCA.
Overseeing some of the most memorable exhibitions in MOCA’s history, Mr. Schimmel has organized an
impressive list of visionary shows, many of which traveled to major museums on national and international
tours.
Mr. Schimmel has organized numerous major group exhibitions, including Helter Skelter: LA Art in the
1990s; Hand-Painted Pop: American Art in Transition 1955–1962; Out of Actions: Between Performance
and the Object, 1949–1979; Ecstasy: In and About Altered States; and, Under the Big Black Sun:
California Art, 1974–1981. In addition to Mr. Schimmel’s own exhibitions, he has supervised a program of
over 350 exhibitions, including over 100 devoted to the permanent collection. This program is internationally
recognized both for its deeply researched and critically acclaimed, historical exhibitions, including WACK!
Art and the Feminist Revolution, A Minimal Future? Art as Object 1958–1968; and, the current exhibition,
Ends of the Earth: Land Art to 1974.
Solo exhibitions he has curated include Sigmar Polke Photoworks: When Pictures Vanish; Robert Gober:
Untitled; Charles Ray; Willem de Kooning: Tracing the Figure; Laura Owens; Robert Rauschenberg:
Combines; and, © MURAKAMI. In addition to Schimmel’s solo exhibitions, major shows have been
presented of Roy Lichtenstein, Cy Twombly, Bruce Nauman, Richard Diebenkorn, Ed Kienholz, Cindy
Sherman, Andy Warhol, Juan Munoz, Marlene Dumas, and Alan Kaprow, as well as the MOCA-originated
standard reference exhibitions for Barbara Kruger, Martin Kippenberger, Dan Graham, and Robert Smithson.
MOCA ANNOUNCES ANNOUNCES NAMING OF PAUL SCHIMMEL EXHIBITION SPACE AT THE GEFFEN CONTEMPORARY AT MOCA
MOCA CHIEF CURATOR HONORED FOR 22-YEAR TENURE AS HE STEPS DOWN AND BECOMES INDEPENDENT CURATOR
Page 3 of 3
MOCA's curatorial vision will continue to remain strong under Jeffrey Deitch’s leadership, and with the
support of the MOCA curatorial team, as well as guest curators, who will bring pioneering international
perspectives to MOCA's collection and exhibitions. In this way, MOCA will continue to serve and grow its
diverse audiences, which recently have increased from 147,000 to 400,000 annually.
Highly anticipated, upcoming exhibitions curated by guest curators, working closely with Jeffrey Deitch,
include a solo show of artist Urs Fischer, curated by Tate Modern’s Daskalopoulos Curator, International Art,
Jessica Morgan (spring 2013), and a major retrospective of Jeff Koons (January 2014), organized with the
Whitney Museum of American Art, curated by Scott Rothkopf. Mr. Deitch, together with the MOCA team,
has planned an exciting roster of summer programs that reflect the museum’s mission to attract varied and
expanded audiences, including the recently announced FRAMEWORK, a new series of three site-specific
dance performances by L.A. Dance Project/Benjamin Millepied and Los Angeles artist Mark Bradford, in the
galleries at MOCA Grand Avenue, to take place July 19, August 2, and August 9, 2012, at 7:00 p.m.
Destroy the Picture: Painting the Void, 1949–1962 will open at MOCA Grand Avenue on September 29,
2012–January 7, 2013, and will travel to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The exhibition will be
accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog including essays by Nicholas Cullinan, Astrid Hagna-Gagnard,
Sorichi Hirai, Paul Schimmel, and Robert Storr.
More About Paul Schimmel:
Paul Schimmel has been the Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), since
1990, and previously served as the Chief Curator of the Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, CA
(1981–89), as well as the Curator (1975–77) and Senior Curator (1977–78) of the Contemporary Arts
Museum, Houston, TX. He has won numerous awards, including two awards from the Association of Art
Museum Curators (AAMC), six awards from the International Association of Art Critics (AICA), and the
Award for Curatorial Excellence given by The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College (2001). Mr.
Schimmel currently serves on the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, the La Caixa
Contemporary Art Collection Acquisition Committee, and is a co-Director of the Mike Kelley Foundation for
the Arts.
# # #
MEDIA CONTACTS
Lyn Winter Sara Fitzmaurice
MOCA FITZ & CO
Tel. 213-633-5390 Tel. 310-395-2900
lwinter@moca.org sara@fitzandco.com
www.moca.org www.fitzandco.com
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Discover the Secret History Of Historic Downtown LA This Weekend! Four Walking Tours Starting at THE LAST BOOKSTORE!
The Last Bookstore Presents
(and it's just opened 2nd floor with 100,000 books at a buck each!)
Presents….
... The Secret Lives of Historic Downtown Los Angeles!
The HISTORIC DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES 101 2 hour walking tours will take place this Saturday June 30th and this Sunday July 1st at 2 PM at 11 AM and 2 PM AND next Sunday July 8th at 2 PM. That is two tours each of the next two Saturdays and one tour each of the two next Sundays.
NEXT... the HOW DOWNTOWN LOS ANGLES INVENTED THE WILD WEST (and why no one knows it) walking tour will take place this Sunday July 1st at 11 AM and next Sunday July 8th at 11 AM - and each tour will be followed by the Historic Downtown LA 2 PM tours.
All tours begin at THE LAST BOOKSTORE at 453 S. Spring Street in the Spring Arts Tower and will be led by long time Downtown resident Brady Westwater who, besides being involved with the Downtown LA Neighborhood Council, the Historic Downtown BID, Gallery Row, Art Walk, and the BOXeight and the CONCEPT Fashion Weeks, has brought over 150 businesses, artists and non-profit institutions to Downtown. All tours are only $15 per person.
If you are a participant in Saturday's 'Historic Downtown Los Angeles 101' Tour, you will see the first motion picture theater built, the place where Babe Ruth signed his contract with the Yankees, the hotel where Charlie Chaplin lived when he made his early films (and the place where he made his Los Angeles vaudeville debut in 1910) - plus the homes and haunts of everyone from actor Nicholas Cage, the Black Dahlia, Rudolph Valentino, LA’s version of Jack the Ripper, President Teddy Roosevelt, the Night Stalker, western outlaw Emmet Dalton, actor Ryan Gosling and more. And you will also visit where O. J. Simpson bought his knife.
You’ll explore an intersection where all four buildings were often visited by gunfighter/sheriff Wyatt Earp since they were all built or occupied by friends of his from Tombstone during the shoot-out at the OK Corral. At this intersection you will also discover what John Wayne, a prime minister of Italy, Houdini, Winston Churchill, boxer Jack Dempsey, Greta Garbo, President Woodrow Wilson and multiple Mexican boxing champions all had in common here.
The HISTORIC DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES 101 2 hour walking tours will take place this Saturday June 30th and this Sunday July 1st at 2 PM at 11 AM and 2 PM AND next Sunday July 8th at 2 PM. That is two tours each of the next two Saturdays and one tour each of the two next Sundays.
NEXT... the HOW DOWNTOWN LOS ANGLES INVENTED THE WILD WEST (and why no one knows it) walking tour will take place this Sunday July 1st at 11 AM and next Sunday July 8th at 11 AM - and each tour will be followed by the Historic Downtown LA 2 PM tours.
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| BRADBURY BUILDING |
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| Wyatt Earp |
If you are a participant in Saturday's 'Historic Downtown Los Angeles 101' Tour, you will see the first motion picture theater built, the place where Babe Ruth signed his contract with the Yankees, the hotel where Charlie Chaplin lived when he made his early films (and the place where he made his Los Angeles vaudeville debut in 1910) - plus the homes and haunts of everyone from actor Nicholas Cage, the Black Dahlia, Rudolph Valentino, LA’s version of Jack the Ripper, President Teddy Roosevelt, the Night Stalker, western outlaw Emmet Dalton, actor Ryan Gosling and more. And you will also visit where O. J. Simpson bought his knife.
You’ll explore an intersection where all four buildings were often visited by gunfighter/sheriff Wyatt Earp since they were all built or occupied by friends of his from Tombstone during the shoot-out at the OK Corral. At this intersection you will also discover what John Wayne, a prime minister of Italy, Houdini, Winston Churchill, boxer Jack Dempsey, Greta Garbo, President Woodrow Wilson and multiple Mexican boxing champions all had in common here.
You will also see where the first new lofts were opened, the places where Gallery Row and the Art Walk began and where Fashion Week returned to Downtown. You will see many of the new boutiques, designer showrooms and stores that have recently opened in the area along with getting a sneak preview of what will soon be happening in the area.
And if you take the "How Los Angeles Invented The Wild West (and why no one knows it"tour, you will discover that long before the famed Western cowtowns and mining camps Tombstone, Dodge City, and Deadwood existed, Los Angeles was the first town where everything that happened in the Wild West, happened here first and that everyone from Wyatt Earp to Judge Roy Bean came to Los Angeles first before going east to help start the Wild West. You will also discover LA was a far ‘wilder’ town than any Western town that followed after it.
And besides ‘inventing’ the original Wild West, Los Angeles also remained part of the Wild West for far longer than other place (from 25 years to over 90 years - compared to the average period of 3 or 4 years to 10 years of most cowtowns) and LA was also one of the few towns built upon both cattle and mining.
And if you take the "How Los Angeles Invented The Wild West (and why no one knows it"tour, you will discover that long before the famed Western cowtowns and mining camps Tombstone, Dodge City, and Deadwood existed, Los Angeles was the first town where everything that happened in the Wild West, happened here first and that everyone from Wyatt Earp to Judge Roy Bean came to Los Angeles first before going east to help start the Wild West. You will also discover LA was a far ‘wilder’ town than any Western town that followed after it.
And besides ‘inventing’ the original Wild West, Los Angeles also remained part of the Wild West for far longer than other place (from 25 years to over 90 years - compared to the average period of 3 or 4 years to 10 years of most cowtowns) and LA was also one of the few towns built upon both cattle and mining.
Tickets for either tour are only $15 per person - free for children under 8 - and reservations can be made by calling Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396 or emailing bradywestwater@gmail.com. All credit card orders will be processed at Last Bookstore and cash payments may be made at the start of the tour. All proceeds will go towards the revitalization and the study of the history of the neighborhood.
Lastly, future tours will feature specialized areas of interest such as architecture, art of all kinds, shopping and food, single streets, sports (from steer wrestling to luchador wrestlers to a Sumo wrestler), transportation, specific periods of history, the hidden Wild West history of Los Angeles, movie locations, Downtown after hours and many other aspects of the neighborhood. And custom designed can be developed by request for groups of four or more.
We will also be soon starting weekday and evening tours on what it's like to live in Downtown Los Angeles. You will be introduced to the many of stores, restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues (and often their owners, too) - along with being given previews of one of a kind special events - so you can get a feel for what it is like to live in Downtown Los Angeles.
We expect this tour to be popular with not only people considering moving to Downtown and people who work in Downtown and who would like to know what to do after hours in Downtown - but also to recent and even long established Downtown residents who want to know more about their neighborhood.
For future updates and more information go to www.historicdowntownlosangeles.blogspot.com
First Official Word From MOCA Regarding Paul Schimmel
MOCA Board Co-Chair David G. Johnson states: "Paul Schimmel is stepping down as MOCA's chief curator. It is amicable and there will be a press release tomorrow."
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Paul Schimmel Fired By MOCA!
According to Mat Gleason, editor of art journal COAGULA - the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art has just fired art world legend Paul Schimmel from his post as Curator. This - as of yet unannounced and unconfirmed - but not denied - move, has stunned the Los Angeles contemporary world.
MOCA Fires Curator Paul Schimmel
As I blogged about at CoagulaDotCom, the shuttering of ArtNetDotCom is no longer the top art story of the week.
Paul Schimmel was fired at MOCA - it was the end of the fiscal year and they tightened the belt. It is easier to have a corporate sponsor pay a guest celebrity curator - the curating has been outsourced.
The design department is outsourced to Sheppard Fairey’s design company, the education department gets grants and therefore competes with the Board for power so people there are being hacked away left and right, but the cutting off of Schimmel is a bold move by the Jeffrey Deitch Eli Broad consortium to advance the outsourced party time event based museum that will not function as a repository of great art but of great parties.
Paul Schimmel was fired at MOCA - it was the end of the fiscal year and they tightened the belt. It is easier to have a corporate sponsor pay a guest celebrity curator - the curating has been outsourced.
The design department is outsourced to Sheppard Fairey’s design company, the education department gets grants and therefore competes with the Board for power so people there are being hacked away left and right, but the cutting off of Schimmel is a bold move by the Jeffrey Deitch Eli Broad consortium to advance the outsourced party time event based museum that will not function as a repository of great art but of great parties.
If Moca is downsized into a celebrity-curated kunsthalle style circus, it will give the blue chip Broad across the street more Gravitas. And then of course when MOCA is broke yet again - who will save MOCA by purchasing the best paintings in the collection because the museum is more concerned with event programming? The Broad Museum across the street of course.
Schimmel changed the course of institutional focus with his exhibit HELTER SKELTER which favored the energy of figurative art addressing American abjection. he rejected the party line of a formalist art history. For this he will have an impact that goes beyond his years. He curated some turkeys. Richard Serra told me that Schimmel's 1998 Out of Action exhibit would have made a better enyclopedia than an exhibition. Schimmel's cotton candy Takahashi Murakami exhibition was downright suspicious with the close involvement of the artist's American dealers and a high-end commercial boutique in the middle of the museum allegedly functioning as an art piece.
I wrote about Schimmel for the LA Downtown News and got into trouble for mentioning how fat he was in an article called "Curator Rates the Eats". His wife thaked me a few years later sayin she could never get him to the gym until that came out. MOCA pulled my press credential and I was barred from the Ellsworth Kelly retrospective press preview. That week a trustee who was going to be out of town gave me his invite to the big party. Paul almost crapped his tuxedo when they let me in... Actually MOCA events were always easy to crash with the whispered missive "I've got a delivery of an ounce of pot for Paul Schimmel, I can't just hand it to you and he has GOT to get it for the afterparty." Worked like a charm for many MOCA soirees. Now party crashers are reduced to sucking-off Sheppard Fairey's douchebag posse for a pass into MOCA events which are ind of blurring into a Hollywood version of what they think an art party at a bottle-service Vegas Strip nightclub should look like.
My bet is Schimmel lands on his feet at the Mike Kelley Foundation. What is that? You'll see.
Schimmel changed the course of institutional focus with his exhibit HELTER SKELTER which favored the energy of figurative art addressing American abjection. he rejected the party line of a formalist art history. For this he will have an impact that goes beyond his years. He curated some turkeys. Richard Serra told me that Schimmel's 1998 Out of Action exhibit would have made a better enyclopedia than an exhibition. Schimmel's cotton candy Takahashi Murakami exhibition was downright suspicious with the close involvement of the artist's American dealers and a high-end commercial boutique in the middle of the museum allegedly functioning as an art piece.
I wrote about Schimmel for the LA Downtown News and got into trouble for mentioning how fat he was in an article called "Curator Rates the Eats". His wife thaked me a few years later sayin she could never get him to the gym until that came out. MOCA pulled my press credential and I was barred from the Ellsworth Kelly retrospective press preview. That week a trustee who was going to be out of town gave me his invite to the big party. Paul almost crapped his tuxedo when they let me in... Actually MOCA events were always easy to crash with the whispered missive "I've got a delivery of an ounce of pot for Paul Schimmel, I can't just hand it to you and he has GOT to get it for the afterparty." Worked like a charm for many MOCA soirees. Now party crashers are reduced to sucking-off Sheppard Fairey's douchebag posse for a pass into MOCA events which are ind of blurring into a Hollywood version of what they think an art party at a bottle-service Vegas Strip nightclub should look like.
My bet is Schimmel lands on his feet at the Mike Kelley Foundation. What is that? You'll see.
Easy to Read Links to All the New Products Google Announced Today
Google announced today its new $199 tablet Nexus 7, a major upgrade in Google Maps, upgraded Apps for Android (Jelly Bean, Google Now & Google+), a social streaming media player - Nexus Q for $299 and another peak at the still beta Google Glasses.
The two best and quickest reads for non-hard core tech types I could find were at benzinga ....
... and at USA today.
The two best and quickest reads for non-hard core tech types I could find were at benzinga ....
... and at USA today.
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