Category: Arts & Culture
The best dance workout in L.A. is in Glassell Park, and that’s just one of NELA’s dance offerings
By T.A. Hendrickson
When the Los Angeles Times went looking for the best dance workouts in L.A., it found Pony Sweat in Glassell Park. Described by its founder Emilia Richeson-Valiente as “fiercely noncompetitive,” the twice weekly workout won raves from the Times for its great play list “designed to help you let go of any idea of perfection and simply move your body in a way that feels good.” More workouts abound. T, A, Hendrickson tells you about them here, too.
Staycation: How to have a memorable summer without leaving NELA
Picks from the people who bring you the Boulevard Sentinel Art, music, nature, books, movies, food, theater and comedy: There’s summer fun for everyone at locales in and near Northeast Los Angeles in the days and weeks ahead. Vincent Price Art Museum If you are into sound, Latinx art and/or performance, you have until July […]
Continue ReadingFun things to do in NELA this weekend and beyond
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia
Be entertained. Be creative. Laugh. Browse the art fairs. Buy local. Express yourself. There’s plenty to do in Northeast Los Angeles, starting this weekend. Click here to see what’s happening.
Continue ReadingNew streetscape art comes to Highland Park
By Bill Hendrickson Sixteen works of art by 14 local artists now grace the concrete “K-Rail” barriers along the east side of North Figueroa Street between Avenue 59 and Avenue 60. Conceived and spearheaded by Arroyo Arts Collective, the project, dubbed “Good Fences,” is the collective’s latest effort to connect the creative community to the […]
Continue ReadingEric Warren, local historian compares and connects the past with the present
Want to know more about Eagle Rock, check in with the Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society and Eric Warren, in particular. Warren said he started to work in local history in 2004 after he discovered some archives that were moved from Eagle Rock City Hall, he’s written the books about Eagle Rock and continues updating the Eagle Rock story to this day. Read more about Warren here.
Continue ReadingGet to know: Tania Verafield
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia
When you see Tania Verafield at Swork Coffee or Trader Joe’s or other Eagle Rock venues, she is one of those people you think you have met before, because, in a way, you very well may have.
Verafield, 39, is an actor who moved to Eagle Rock from Echo Park when she was 10. She started acting locally as a child. Today she stars in “Anna in the Tropics,” a Pulitzer Prize winning play by Nilo Cruz at A Noise Within Theater in Pasadena. It’s a “must” see at an intimate “off-Broadway” theatre. Read on if you like, but get tickets now – the play moves on after this Sunday, April 17.
Continue ReadingEleven NELA Student Photographers win CD-1 Hi Res Photo Contest
By Alexandra Epstein
The winners of Councilmember Gil Cedillo’s second annual photo competition were announced yesterday.
“What is your new normal?” asked the Councilmember of photographers enrolled in high schools located in Council District One. Over 100 students from 11 high schools submitted their artwork. Click here to see who finished first and the photo art submitted by all eleven finalists.
Continue Reading15 fun things to do around NELA this weekend and beyond
By Pablo Nukaya Petralia and T. A. Hendrickson Whether you’re into food, theater, music, dance, art or books, there’s something for you in and near Northeast L.A. this weekend and in the weeks to come. Here’s a rundown: FOOD Tickets are on sale now for the 5th Masters of Taste food and beverage festival at […]
Continue ReadingDiep Tran used to run the hottest restaurant in Highland Park. Now she has co-written a cookbook about its not-so-secret ingredient.
By Mary Lynch
From 2009 to 2018, when chef Diep Tran owned the award-winning Good Girl Dinette in Highland Park, she and her restaurant were an anchor and a sensation in the changing neighborhood.
Tran is the news again: In a lively interview this weekend with the Los Angeles Times food critic Bill Addison, Tran and her partner, Tien Nguyen talk about “The Red Boat Fish Sauce Cookbook,” which they co-wrote with Cuong Pham, the founder of the Red Boat Fish Sauce company.
11 fun things to do in NELA this weekend and beyond
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia [Editor’s note/Mar. 15: The Ty Segall performance at Zebulon on Mar. 18 has been cancelled.] Don’t stay home, but don’t leave town either. Here are 11 fun things to do in and around Northeast Los Angeles this weekend and in the week to come. The York Blvd. Art Market returns to Ave. […]
Continue ReadingPaintings by artist Nick Taggart, a longtime resident of Glassell Park, have been acquired by the Museum of Contemporary Art
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia
Punk girls in a parking lot; desert landscapes in Beverly Hills; religious artifact shops.
This was the L.A., circa 1980, of Nick Taggart, an artist in Glassell Park who used bright plasticine colors, smooth textures and a personal, street-level attitude to paint the early days of L.A.’s underground art and music scene.
And now, some four decades later, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in downtown L.A has acquired two of Taggart’s paintings from that era — “Rochelle and Sandy” and “Fender Buddies.” Take a look / click on the photo above.
Continue ReadingSix fun things to do in NELA from now ’til New Year’s Day
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia The time between now and New Year’s Day doesn’t have to be a rush. Here are six ways to chill and have fun in Northeast L.A. in the days and weeks ahead. Holiday movie nights for the whole family In the run up to Christmas, Eagle Rock-based Street Food Cinema and the […]
Continue ReadingFive ways to have more fun this weekend
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia
For theatergoers, record buffs, art lovers, film fans, here’s what’s happening in and near Northeast Los Angeles this weekend.
Several of the events are free though may require advance tickets. All the events are taking place in person; masking protocols apply.
Continue ReadingThroop House in Garvanza clears first hurdle on way to historic cultural monument status
By T.A. Hendrickson
The Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC) of the city of Los Angeles voted unanimously on Nov. 18 to consider the nomination of Throop House in Garvanza for Historic Cultural Monument status, the Highland Park Heritage Trust announced today.
The vote is an important hurdle to clear, but there are more hurdles to come. There’s more. Read on.
Continue ReadingNew mural honors the greats of Lincoln Heights
By T. A. Hendrickson The newest mural in Los Angeles, by artist Sergio Daniel Robleto, is arguably the most inspiring. Located in Albion Riverside Park in Lincoln Heights and entitled “Champions of Change,” the mural depicts six people from Lincoln Heights who have changed the world for the better. “The Champions of Change mural is […]
Continue ReadingThe Highland Park film festival returns to the Highland Theater, Oct. 1 and 2
By Mary Lynch The 8th annual Highland Park Independent Film Festival opens Friday night, Oct. 1, with red carpet fanfare and a screening of the feature, “Playing with Fire,” a exploration of the life and art of Carlos Almaraz (1941-1989), a towering Chicano artist who lived and worked in Highland Park and other L.A. […]
Continue ReadingTake part in art in NELA
By Pablo-Nukaya Petralia Programs to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month and Los Angeles Textile Month, art that blurs the line between virtual and real, and live theater for a cause are just some of the art and culture offerings in NELA in the days and weeks ahead. Arroyo Seco Regional Library To celebrate Hispanic Heritage […]
Continue ReadingChicano history in Highland Park gains official recognition
By T.A. Hendrickson
The Los Angeles City Council has voted unanimously to grant Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) status to two locations in Highland Park where Chicano art and culture flourished in the 1970s.
Continue ReadingArt and Culture in NELA: Picks for rest of August
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia
Theater, exhibitions and music making are taking place throughout Northeast L.A. during the rest of August. Many of these art-and-culture events in Northeast Los Angeles are free.
Click on the image for details.
Get to know: Leticia Maldonado, local neon artist
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia In mid-July, as a one-woman show by neon artist Leticia Maldonado was set to open at Bermudez Projects gallery in Cypress Park, word went out that Maldonado’s next stop would be the Museum of Neon Art (MONA) in Glendale, where she will have her first ever museum solo exhibition in September 2022. […]
Continue ReadingSix ways to enjoy art and culture in NELA this August
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia Art and culture offerings in NELA in August include historic preservation events, a street fair, a live-music jam and outdoor theater performances. Here are six picks, including a reminder to artists and art nonprofits that applications for grants are now being taken by the Eastside Arts Initiative. Historic preservation/Rockhaven On Sunday, Aug. 8 at 2 […]
Continue ReadingHappening Now: Art and Culture in NELA
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia The art and culture offerings in NELA in July range from new art exhibits, the return of live theatre, film and and a major new mural underway in Highland Park. ODD•ARK LA The Highland Park art gallery ODD ARK•LA will feature the work of artist Nick Taggert in the closing weeks of […]
Continue ReadingSusana Porras: A local poet makes a pilgrimage
By Christopher Nyerges Susana Porras, a Pasadena native and the District Liaison for Pasadena City Councilmember John J. Kennedy, is also an inspired and inspiring poet. Her new book, entitled “To Compostela and Beyond! A Poet’s Chronicle of the Camino de Santiago,” is a collection of 39 sonnets composed on 39 days and nights in 2018 […]
Continue ReadingArt and Culture in NELA, July 2021
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia The art and culture offerings in NELA in July range from new art exhibits, the return of live theatre, film and and a major new mural underway in Highland Park. ODD•ARK LA The Highland Park art gallery ODD ARK•LA will feature the work of artist Nick Taggert in the closing weeks of […]
Continue ReadingCity moves closer to official recognition for Highland Park’s Chicano heritage
By Bill Hendrickson
The drive to gain recognition for Highland Park’s pivotal role in the Chicano Art Movement of the 1970s is entering a critical phase — and you can help ensure that the neighborhood gets the recognition it deserves. You can make a difference. Read how and why here.
Continue ReadingArt, Culture and You in NELA in June
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia As the economy reopens, opportunities are increasing to view and create art and participate in cultural activities. Here’s a sampling of what’s on offer in Northeast Los Angeles in June. L.A. River Public Art Project The LA River Public Art Project seeks artists, writers and makers to compete for the 2nd annual […]
Continue ReadingHappening now: Art and culture in NELA
By Pablo Nuykaya-Petralia
Deadlines are approaching to participate in the Highland Park Independent Film Festival and the L.A. River Public Art Project, so act soon if you want to enter.
Local museums, including the Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights and the Southwest Museum in Mount Washington, continue to reopen, revealing treasures from eras past.
Top Award for Renaissance Arts Academy in Glassell Park
By T.A. Hendrickson
Renaissance Arts Academy, a K-12 public charter school in Glassell Park, has won an Exemplary Arts Education Award for 2021 from the state Department of Education.
Renaissance Arts is one of six schools in Los Angeles and 27 statewide to receive the award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in arts education.
Continue ReadingArt and Culture This Week in NELA
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia
Highlights from the week of May 15 to May 22 include livestream concerts by local bands at local venues, the opening of a gallery exhibition featuring Asian American and Pacific Islander artists, a major museum reopening and the latest York Boulevard Cruise Nights car show.
There’s also still time to get out and view several ongoing exhibitions or pick up a new book by local writers and artists.
Continue ReadingSomething for everyone: Art and culture in NELA in May
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia
Puppets join forces with movie lovers this month in Northeast Los Angeles, and that’s just the start of ways to experience the arts this month in NELA.
There are also in-person exhibitions at museums and galleries, a new art installation and a new book out this month on L.A.’s parks, illustrated and authored by local artists and writers. Get the details here.
Art and opera in NELA this week
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia
A new exhibition opens and opera returns this week, along with several ongoing cultural events in NELA: You can view the work of contemporary local artists at Bermudez Projects in Cypress Park, the Autry Museum of the American West in Griffith Park and the Huntington Art Museum in San Marino. You can even enter your own art in a juried art show in Elysian Valley. Here’s the latest.
Continue ReadingNew opportunities to create and display art in NELA now
By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia Update: We have expanded our art and culture listing for the month of March with the following three new opportunities to exhibit and view art in Northeast Los Angeles. Display your artwork à bloc cafe on York Blvd. currently seeks local student artists who are interested in having their work featured in […]
Continue ReadingArtistas seleccionados para crear el nuevo mural de Highland Park
Por Angela Guglielmino Traducido por Eduardo Garcia Se anunciaron el 22 de febrero los ganadores de la competencia para ver quienes pintarán el nuevo mural de Highland Park: Ernesto de la Loza, un muralista chicano estimado, y Sandra de la Loza, una artista, experta en murales y la hermana de Ernesto, trabajarán juntos para traer el diseño de Ernesto, Earth Mother, a la […]
Continue ReadingArtists selected to create new mural in Highland Park
By Angela Guglielmino Winners were announced on Monday in the competition to paint Highland Park’s next major mural: Ernesto de la Loza, an esteemed Chicano muralist, and Sandra de la Loza, an artist, mural expert and Ernesto’s sister, will work together to bring Ernesto’s design, Earth Mother, to the side wall of the new Planned […]
Continue ReadingYour Guide to Art and Culture in NELA
By Pablo Nukaya
As art and culture organizations have changed their ways in response to the pandemic, the result has been a creative outpouring of virtual exhibitions, online workshops and streaming performances.
Here are upcoming art and culture opportunities in Northeast Los Angeles, many of which are free and all of which can be experienced remotely or at a safe distance.
Continue ReadingCity commission recognizes the Chicano heritage of Highland Park
By Bill Hendrickson
Continue ReadingSpeaking up for Highland Park’s Chicano heritage
By Bill Hendrickson
Continue ReadingWinners announced in high school photography contest to document local impact of COVID-19
By Bill Hendrickson City Councilmember Gil Cedillo has announced the winners in “High Res 2020,” a photography competition that challenged local high school students to portray the impact of COVID-19 on their families, friends, classes and communities. Leo Phillips, a freshman at Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts in downtown L.A., took first place. […]
Continue ReadingVote for Highland Park’s Next Mural
By T. A. Hendrickson
Continue ReadingArt in NELA now: Where to buy it, view it, create it
Picks from the people who bring you the Boulevard Sentinel Here’s how to experience art in NELA now: The Bermudez Projects art gallery in Cypress Park is a focal point this holiday season for buying and viewing art. A major artwork from a major exhibition is on display now in the seating area of Go […]
Continue ReadingCouncilmember Gil Cedillo’s Latin Jazz and Music Festival Goes Virtual This Year!
Watch. Listen. Dance. Councilmember Gil Cedillo’s 7th annual Latin Jazz and Music Festival will stream live for FREE on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The festival will be previewed starting on Nov. 3, with special promos, photos and a live chat room about the event, the musicians and the music at […]
Continue Reading¡El Festival de Música y Jazz Latino del Concejal Gil Cedillo se vuelve virtual este año!
Vea GRATIS el Séptimo Festival Anual de Música y Jazz Latino del Concejal Cedillo en su página de transmisión personalizada y plataformas de redes sociales el sábado 7 de noviembre de 5 a 7 p.m. A partir del 3 de noviembre, vea promociones especiales, fotos y otros antecedentes sobre este increíble programa musical de jazz […]
Continue ReadingArt, the Pandemic and You
Picks from the people who bring you the Boulevard Sentinel These are challenging times and art is a way to process, explore and express the challenges. From Boyle Heights, Elysian Valley and Highland Park, here are three invitations to participate in the arts in October. Mes de los Muertos: The Ancestors Would Approve In advance […]
Continue ReadingBlack Lives Matter at Oxy Arts – Update
By Emily Jo Wharry
Continue ReadingMajor Exhibition Featuring NELA Artists to Open in the Fall
By T. A. Hendrickson Made in L.A. 2020 has been delayed but not waylaid. The high-profile exhibition of Los Angeles-based artists, originally scheduled for this summer, is now set to run from early September through January 3. This is great news for the 30 artists in the show, a group that includes five artists from […]
Continue ReadingBlack Lives Matter Mural on the Walls of Oxy Arts
Photos by T. A. Hendrickson Here are seven images from the new Black Lives Matter mural on the walls of Oxy Arts on York Boulevard in Highland Park. Central mural signed by Lucia Sano, Eagle Rock High School (ERHS) Class of ‘2023, and students from ERHS, Franklin High and Occidental College.
Continue ReadingNELA Artists to Participate in Major Exhibition
Five artists who live or work in Northeast Los Angeles have been selected to participate in the fifth Made in L.A. biennial exhibition, which will take place at the Hammer Museum in Westwood and the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino from June 7 through August 30.
Continue ReadingBig Grants for NELA Nonprofits
Children, Teens, Artists and Audiences to Benefit from grants by U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. Read how here.
Continue ReadingNew Recognition, Opportunity for NELA Art Scene
L.A.’s eastside has always had a creative core. The wider art world is taking notice.
Continue ReadingThe Highland Park Independent Film Festival Honors Danny Trejo
The Humanitarian Award of the 6th annual Highland Park Independent Film Festival goes to Danny Trejo for his strong faith, his art of reinvention and his ability and willingness to use film and fame as tools to help others.
Continue ReadingYour Guide to the 6th Annual Highland Park Independent Film Festival
With 50 films over three days, this year’s Highland Park Independent Film Festival is the largest and most ambitious in the festival’s six-year history. The screenings, at the Highland Theater (5604 N. Figueroa St.) include six world premieres, four Los Angeles premieres and an Academy Award-nominated short. There are films in virtually every genre: animation, documentary, sci-fi, action/adventure, noir and foreign. Here’s a moviegoer’s guide to festival:
Continue ReadingL.A. County Is Talking with the Autry About the Future of the Southwest Musuem
The Southwest Museum is holding its breath. Good news. Much needed help may be on the way. Read all about it.
Continue ReadingThe Mural on Marmion Way – Lost and Found
The prep work for re-painting of the 170′ mural on Marmion Way near the Southwest Museum has been completed and the re-painting has begun, Both the preparation work and the re-painting are creative adventures in their own right. See the work in process on the Boulevard Sentinel.
Continue ReadingArtwork by Ana Serrano Acquired by L.A. County Museum of Art
From the College of Art and Design to the LA County Museum, Ana Serrano evokes the look and feel of front-yard, window-ledge spaces in Latino neighborhoods. Read on for a view of the creative expression of what we pass by every day in NELA.
Continue ReadingYoung Violinist from NELA Excels
Ten-year old violinist, Cordelia Rachbach, of Glassell Park, is on her way to Walt Disney Concert Hall, where she will perform on June 19 in the intermediate ensemble of the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra (LAYO).
Continue ReadingNew Group Forms to Save the Southwest Museum and Lummis House
The Lummis Legacy League, a grassroots organization to preserve the legacy of Charles Fletcher Lummis, will hold a kick-off reception and presentation on March 17 at the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens in Cypress Park. Suzanne Lummis, the granddaughter of Charles Lummis, will be a guest of honor. The group hopes to draw more […]
Continue ReadingFrank Romero Mural Coming to Highland Park
By T. A. Hendrickson
When Frank Romero painted the mural “Going to the Olympics” for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, he was already famous as a founding member of Los Four, the artist collective that put Chicano art on the art-world map.
Continue Reading