Los Angeles Visionaries Association

LAVA - The Los Angeles Visionaries Association

"[LAVA is] a network of creative types and thinkers working to grow Los Angeles up." - The New York Post

Gentle reader,

Welcome to the LAVA dispatch, an invitation to ease out of your comfort zone and explore uncharted territories in this most beguiling of cities. The real Los Angeles reveals itself slowly, and rewards the ernest seeker.

We urge you to make this coming weekend LAVA-esque with a visit to the monthly Sunday Salon, an opportunity to engage, explore and connect with people who share your passion for the city and all its possibilities. That's this Sunday, August 29, noon through 2pm, at the historic end of Route 66, Clifton's Cafeteria in Downtown Los Angeles. And if you consult our calendar, you'll find the entire weekend is packed with LAVA gems, most of them free, some with very limited space available . So tune in, turn on and keeping reading for the LAVA news you can use.

EVENT CALENDAR
Here are some brief highlights from LAVA's calendar – visit http:// lavatransforms.org for full details and new additions. We hope you can join us for some of these Visionary-hosted events. If you can make just one each month, make it our Sunday Salon from noon to 2pm (next Salon: August 29). This is a regularly scheduled lunchtime gathering held on the last Sunday of each month at Clifton's Cafeteria, and it's where the LAVA will really start flowing, as we get to know each other better over confetti-flecked jello and other delights. 

*SATURDAY, AUGUST 28*
Slum Circus Indy Comic and Art Show: a day-long art and shopping experience featuring live painting and drawing, demon tattoos, breakdancing ninjas and live draping by Visionary A. Laura Brody. Contributing artists and vendors include Alex Chiu, Donna Letterese, Beee Bello, DCastr, DWAP Prod, Ezra, Dreams By Machine (A. Laura Brody's repurposed leather and hardware designs), Taco Comics, Hyperwerks, Brandon Bracamonte, Jimmy Bell, Karl Altstaetter, Crude Dude Comix, Rebornz Art, Splatter Beast, James Riot, Scott Aicher, SMIF, Alexandra Gonzales, Amer Shihab, Tony Acosta, Drippy Bones Books, John Tomason, Tom Neely, Nathanial Ossello, Yuki Miyazaki, Miki Harris, Boleep, Lefty Joe, Nature's Mistake, Muze Wear, Edukation Athletics, Breakstarz and People Mover. Visionary A. Laura Brody says: I'll be vending all day at the show, and while I'm there I'll be doing more detailed style of draping than I demonstrated at the LAVA Sunday Salon. These drapes will become patterns, which I'll use to create finished pieces as part of my line. Some fun and fabulous models have graciously agreed to come and be draped, including Prince Poppycock of "America's Got Talent" fame and the lovely burlesque queen Jewel of Denial. $5-8, Chuco's Justice Center, Inglewood, 10am-6pm. Info http://lavatransforms.org/slumcircus

All About The Hollywood Pantages Theatre: The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation  in association with Hollywood Heritage and the Nederlander Organization present ALL ABOUT THE HOLLYWOOD PANTAGES THEATRE (1930) a free comprehensive insider’s tour of a beautifully restored Broadway road house, operated by The Nederlander Organization. HEAR and SEE the story of the Hollywood Pantages, the third and grandest of Alexander Pantages Los Angeles theatres. Pantages/Arcade (1910) on Broadway and Pantages/ Warner (1921) at 7th & Hill.  POWERPOINT HISTORY – theatre historian Ed Kelsey is preparing a comprehensive overview of the Pantages history and magnificent restoration.  TOUR BEHIND-THE-SCENES – get a real insider’s look at the Pantages. Tour backstage, dressing rooms and see the performer’s view from the stage – behind the footlights. Learn how the theatre accommodates complex Broadway shows and other events. From backstage to the original projection booth, you’ll see it all.  RESTORATION! SEE & LEARN – about the $10 million restoration/renovation. How the magnificent interior has been brought back to its silvery Art Deco glory – about finding the right carpeting and new seats - about restoring the marquee and restoration of the ticket foyer.    ADVOCATE – find out how you can become involved in the LAHTF’s ongoing theatre preservation work around Southern California. Brief updates on the United Artists, Inglewood Fox, Golden Gate, Belasco and others.  Many people are fascinated by the architecture of fantasy so beautifully on display in Southern California’s great historic theatres. People are also curious about how the theatres work. What does it look like backstage? What do the performers see when they look out across the footlights?   Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation's "All About" series gives the public an insider's look at these wonderful theatres and share parts of their histories - good and bad - as a way to encourage people to become actively involved in protecting and ensuring their futures. $7 (free for LAHTF members), 10:30 am, Pantages Theatre, Hollywood. Info http://lavatransforms.org/pantages

ALMOST SOLD OUT! The Visionaries of Esotouric present  Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles: The Lowdown on Downtown bus tour. This is a tour about the populated, vibrant mid-20th Century Downtown Los Angeles you've only heard about, and about the 21st Century Downtown which will rise again with a richness of heritage and quality of life that leaves natives and visitors gaping in disbelief. This is a tour about Downtown's invisible neighborhoods and great public spaces which managed to escape the wrecking ball. This is a tour about how gentrification sprung up on the city's meanest streets, with all the conflicts that go along with a major socio-economic shift in a small community. This is a tour about the real Los Angeles, the city even natives don't know. Get on the bus for the real Lowdown on Downtown, as no one but Esotouric's Richard Schave can reveal it. $58, departs from Philippe, Chinatown, 11am. Info http://www.lavatransforms.org/lowdownaugust10

*SUNDAY, AUGUST 29*
LAVA's Sunday Salon. On the last Sunday of each month, LAVA welcomes interested individuals to gather on the third floor of the historic Clifton's Cafeteria in Downtown Los Angeles, for a loosely structured conversational Salon featuring short presentations and opportunities to meet and connect with one another. If you're interested in joining LAVA as a creative contributor or an attendee, we recommend Salon attendance as an introduction to this growing community. We also recommend the shortbread. Special program at the August 29 Salon: LAVA Visionaries will host curated conversations and presentations at tables around the room. Presentations include: Visionary David Kipen, proprietor of Boyle Heights' new bookshop and lending library Libros Schmibros, will be talking about his ambitious plans for the space and how he made the transition from director, National Reading Initiatives at the National Endowment for the Arts to shopkeeper in one of L.A.'s most multi-layered and intriguing neighborhoods.  • Eva Batonne is the nom de plume of LAVA Visionary Eva Montealegre. At the Salon, she will be talking about the creative process behind her debut Joan Lambert mystery novel, Resurrection Diva (2009), how the real city of L.A. informs her characters and their experiences, and the influence of past L.A. mystery writers on her work. Set in seamy Hollywood and Venice milieus, and featuring New Orleans fortune tellers, S&M club scenes, a dead opera singer and a high-powered producer, Resurrection Diva is a police procedural with a metaphysical twist.  Signed copies will be available for purchase.   • Visionaries Holly Witham and Nicholas Hosking, co-founders of The Moveable Theatre Company, will discuss the Company's mission and projects, including their latest show, the winning play from The Zane Grey Playwriting Contest, held in May at the Western author's former home in Altadena, and their upcoming staged reading of Yasmina Reza's Tony award winning Art, at  LA Contemporary Exhibitions. Free, Clifton's Cafeteria, downtown, noon-2pm. Info http://www.lavatransforms.org/salon810

25th Anniversary of the Capture of Richard Ramirez “The Night Stalker” Guided Tour. Join Visionaries Al Guerrero and Crimebo the Clown on the debut of a most unusual event. To commemorate the 1985 capture of the infamous Los Angeles serial killer Richard Ramirez, Eastside Desmadre Tours will conduct a guided walking/public bus tour to explore the downtown L.A. haunts and dwellings of the “The Night Stalker.” Included in the tour is a visit to the East L.A. street where he was captured, as well as interviews with local witnesses involved in his apprehension. $25, departure info received after reservation, 12-4pm. Info http://www.lavatransforms.org/nightstalker

Walking Tour of Broadway Theatres: Join Visionary Nick Matonak of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation after the Sunday Salon for a one-hour walking tour down Broadway discussing the various historic theatres and their contributions to the history of Los Angeles from the early 1900s until today. The tour will be exteriors only and will span Broadway from 8th Street to 3rd Street. Theatres included in the tour are the Tower, State, Million Dollar, Palace, Los Angeles, Arcade and Cameo. This tour is limited to 20 people, and reservations are required (contact nickmatonak AT gmail DOT com to reserve). The tour is free, but donations to the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation are welcomed. Free (reservations required), 2:45pm, Clifton's Cafeteria, Downtown, info http://lavatransforms.org/broadwaywalk

War Child Show. LAVA Visionary David Caldwell presents his War Child Show on the evening of LAVA's monthly Sunday Salon. Enjoy yourself downtown until nightfall, then head over to Caldwell's Arts District loft, where there will be wine and snacks and a most unusual multi-media art presentation. Doors open 7:00pm for this free event, and the show starts around 8pm. No one will be admitted after the show begins.
"War Child is a Monumental Sculpture.
An Installation in the form of,
a Magically Elaborate Altar.
14 feet high, 40 feet wide, and 26 feet deep,
It gives Birth to a 40 minute Experience.
A Video, Sound, and Light Show Performance.
The Video Juxtaposes Manipulated Images,
Of Nature, Civilization, Creation, and Destruction.
War Childs 3 Dimensional and Technical Wizardry,
Entice the Audience on a Journey.
The Paradigm of Duality,
That Shapes Human Existence.
A Synthesis of Multiple Systems,
War Child becomes a Living,
Breathing, Speaking, Organic Entity.
All of the Technology is Embedded,
and Fully Integrated into the Performance.
The Living Installation Impacts,
Space, Sight, Sound, and Memory.
A Shifting, Constantly Changing Environment,
Envelops the Audience,
and Transports Them,
to Another Dimension.
Free, David Caldwell's Loft, 7pm. Info http://www.lavatransforms.org/warchild810

UPCOMING LAVA EVENTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT:
* SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 *
Esotouric presents a downtown double feature bus adventure, Hotel Horrors and Main Street Vice. Info http://lavatransforms.org/hotelhorrors0910

Future Studio Gallery in Highland Park has an open house. Info http://lavatransforms.org/futurestudio910

* SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 *
Maja's Magic School is back in session with "Electricity, Ectoplasm & Spirit Rapping." Info http://lavatransforms.org/maja0910

* SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24 / SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7*
Crime lab tours - sold out, but use the LAVA contact link to get on the waiting list for future events of this type.
______

Visit the LAVA Calendar for full details on all of these and other provocative events added regularly - http://lavatransforms.org/lavacalendar

Subscribe to LAVA's community blog for a steady stream of Things We Love About LA and LAVA event reviews  - http://lavatransforms.org/blog

Express yourself in the LAVA forums - http://lavatransforms.org/forum

Support LAVA's mission and feed your mind when you browse our curated online bookshop - http://astore.amazon.com/lavatransforms-20

Are you a prospective LAVA Visionary interested in joining our creative community and sharing your events on our calendar? Visit the link below for application materials. http://lavatransforms.org/apply