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.
Avenue 50 Studio
These Daze, a virtual exhibition of the work of more than a dozen local Latino artists, is on view now through Feb. 28. Curated by artist Ramon Ramirez, the show brings together master and emerging talents. These artists, writes Ramirez, “have an up-to-the-minute pulse on our tumultuous times.”
Avenue 50 Studio is also sponsoring Art Hour on their Instagram, a series of free virtual talks with local artists. In February, Raul Baltazar and Salina Canizales — both of whom are featured in These Daze — will appear Feb. 12 and Feb. 19 respectively.
Avenue 50’s free poetry series La Palabra, hosted by poet and teacher Angelina Sáenz, resumes Feb. 28, with readings, over Zoom, by Don Kingfisher Campbell, Julieta Corpus and Marvin Dorsey. Login information is available here.
Oxy Arts
At Oxy Arts on York Blvd., an exhibit by artist Carolina Caycedo — designed to be viewed from the street — will open Feb. 19 and run until April. Titled Care Report, the exhibit considers environmental justice and activism through collage, banners, murals and other media.
One of Caycedo’s murals, titled “In Yarrow We Trust” has already been installed outside of the Oxy Arts building, teasing the exhibit that is to come.
The opening of the exhibit on Feb. 19 will include a virtual artist talk with Caycedo. On Feb. 25 there will be a virtual workshop on living in harmony with nature, titled Planetary Liberation through Activation: Mapping, Dreaming, and Creating in the Ecocene.
Leanna Lin’s Wonderland
Leanna Lin’s Wonderland in Eagle Rock is sponsoring Clover Scout Presents: XOXO Art Show, a virtual and in-person exhibition to celebrate love through art, curated by Ellen Surrey, Loris Lora and Patrick Hruby of Clover Scout.
The show, featuring 26 artists, will preview with an Instagram livestream Feb 12. Starting on Feb. 13, it will be available for viewing online and in-store (with limited capacity) through March 13. Every work in the show is 13×17 inches or smaller and available for $200 or less.
Vidiots
Non-profit video store and theatre Vidiots, slated to open at the Eagle Theatre on Eagle Rock Blvd., will host a virtual movie trivia event Feb. 21, guest hosted by author Josiah Howard. Participation is free (and will get you a 3-month subscription to stream service MUBI), but a donation is recommended. RSVP at the link.
Vidiots will also host a virtual watch party Feb. 26 of the 1986 film Out of Bounds. The party, thrown in collaboration with Alamo Drafthouse, will help raise funds for the Vidiots opening. Tickets, $7.99, can be purchased here.
Self-Help Graphics
Self-Help Graphics (SHG) in East L.A. will host a free family workshop on YouTube with artist Arleny Vargas, Saturday, Feb. 13. Available in English and Spanish, the workshop will guide participants through making Valentine’s Day arts and crafts. No experience is necessary.
On Feb. 17, SHG’s Wellness Wednesday will be hosted over Zoom by Sonia Maturano of SHG’s youth committee. Maturano will teach basketweaving, including how to practice mindfulness through weaving and repetition.
At Artist Lab, a free SHG YouTube event on Feb. 26, hosts Evonne Gallardo, an arts consultant, and Pamela Agustin, a community organizer, will cover information and resources for artists who may be struggling due to the pandemic.
For more info on all of SHG’s events, check out their calendar.
Clockshop
At a virtual roundtable on Feb. 20, the arts organization Clockshop in Elysian Valley will highlight the life of Black historian and journalist Delilah L. Beasley. Presented in collaboration with the Autry Museum of the American West, “Trailblazer: Delilah L. Beasley” will bring together writers, historians and professors to discuss Beasley’s influential work and the role of Black women historians and archivists. Registration is free and can be found here.
Bob Baker Marionette Theater
Bob Baker Marionette Theater on York Blvd. will present a special Valentine’s Day musical variety performance Feb. 14, featuring the theater’s trademark puppets. Tickets to the streamed performance are $10 and can be purchased here.
The theatre will also celebrate the 7th Annual Bob Baker Day Feb. 27. The event, a collaboration with Metro Art, will help raise funds for the theater as it weathers the closure of performance spaces during the pandemic.
Women’s Center for Creative Work
On Feb. 18, The Women’s Center for Creative Work will host its recurring FeM Synth Lab, a Zoom workshop for women and female-identifying musicians to share their music and receive constructive feedback. Space is limited to 10 and reserved for women. Participants are asked to share music files they are working on prior to the lab.
On Saturday, Feb 21, the center will host a remote version of its Community Chorus, which welcomes singers of all types with no commitment necessary. If interested, reach out to communitychorusla@gmail.com for more information.
The center’s next once-a-month book club meeting, organized in collaboration with the Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles, will take place on Feb. 27. In keeping with the club’s focus on social justice and art world justice, February’s discussion will address the forward to Civil Wars by June Jordan. You can RSVP and download the reading here.
Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock
Every Monday at 4 p.m. on Zoom, the center hosts Drawing Lab with teaching artist Riley Strom. Participants will spend an hour working through a drawing prompt with whatever materials they may have. Sign up here.
On Wednesdays at 4 p.m., the center hosts Doodle Hour with artist Miquela Davis. Find the sign-up link here.
Both Drawing Lab and Doodle Hour are free, however donations via Venmo and PayPal are appreciated.
Starting on Feb. 24 and running through April 7, the center will introduce a new virtual course, “Intro to Basketry,” where participants will learn how to make baskets in a variety of styles. The cost is $150 (materials are included in the fee). More info at the link.
Pablo Nukaya-Petralia is a writer and editor from Los Angeles, CA. An Eagle Rock native and graduate of Occidental College. He regularly covers local art and culture while also working as the social media manager for the Boulevard Sentinel. Feel free to contact him at ppetraila@me.com with tips and news.
