WAHA E-News 2-29-08

Artis Lane Reception, Sat, Mar 1 - and More! An artsy weekend ahead, plus community events.

1). WAHA PRESENTS: A RECEPTION WITH THE ARTIST, ARTIS LANE

A Woman's Journey: The Life and Work of Painter/Sculptor Artis Lane Saturday, March 1, 1 p.m.

California African American Museum, 600 State Drive (Exposition Park) RSVP requested: 323-732-4223

Please join WAHA at a very special gathering with the artist Artis Lane, in honor of her first museum retrospective. This exhibition, on view through March 2, explores Lane'' 50-year career as a painter, printmaker and sculptor, with works ranging from drawings, bronzes, studio nudes, traditional portraits and busts, to more abstract creations.

Lane is famed for her painted portraits of such luminaries as Oprah Winfrey, John F. Kennedy, Armand Hammer, and Aretha Franklin. Her portrait of Rosa Parks is on display at the National Gallery, and many well-known art patrons (including Bill Cosby, Gordon Getty, and Walter Annenberg, among others) have collected her works.

We invite you to join us as Lane talks about her life and career. Admission is free, but parking in Exposition Park is not. The California African American Museum is located at the northeast section of the park. Please do RSVP so we are sure to be able to accommodate you.


2). L.A. HERITAGE DAY

Sunday, March 2
Noon to 4 p.m.
Heritage Square Museum, 3800 Homer Street (Highland Park)

Please join WAHA and 31 other historic preservation organizations, historical societies and museums from all over Southern California at Heritage Square this Sunday as they (and we) present their communities and Los Angeles's heritage. This special event is the first time Los Angeles's diverse historical communities have been brought together to preserve and share the past.

Along with West Adams Heritage Association, participating organizations include the Venice Historical Society, San Fernando Historical Society/Andres Pico Adobe, Lomita Railroad Museum Foundation, Historical Society of Southern California, Los Pobladores 200, Echo Park Historical Society, the Culinary Historians of Southern California, Boyle Heights Historical Society, and the Art Deco Society, Los Angeles, among other groups.

Heritage Square is a living history museum reflecting the settlement and development of Southern California from the Civil War to the early 20th Century. Heritage Square Museum offers visitors a look into the everyday lives of Southern Californians at the close of the 19th Century. The eight historic structures located at the museum, constructed during the Victorian Era, were saved from demolition and serve as a perfect background to educate the public about Southern California's early development.

Along with the faire, Heritage Square also will have its regular roster of tours of the historic houses at the site, plus L.A. Heritage Day visitors may also view the current exhibit, "Women in Art, A Celebration of the Women of Los Angeles." Rock Rose Gallery and Heritage Square Museum teamed up to present an exhibition highlighting the struggles and celebrating the accomplishments of women in Los Angeles. This exhibit is appropriately placed in the childhood home of Mamie Perry, an early supporter of the cultural scene in Los Angeles, and her daughter, Mona Bonneli, a documentary filmmaker and chronicler of American theater and music in the 1930s. Furthermore, the exhibit pays homage to the Arroyo Seco's history as an artist community during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Adult Admission: $10 ($5 with a discount coupon - hit reply to this e-mail if you want one). Heritage Square is located alongside the 110/Pasadena Freeway; exit at Avenue 43. 323-225-2700

3). CRENSHAW BOULEVARD MASTER PLAN WORKSHOP

Saturday, March 1
10 a.m. to Noon
West Angeles Church, North Campus, Crystal Room, 3045 South Crenshaw Blvd.

You are invited to attend the second in a series of three workshops to help develop a vision and concept plan for a key segment of Crenshaw Boulevard from the I-10 freeway to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

Topics for discussion include:

  • Appropriate land uses to support 21st Century economic opportunities;
  • Types of residential products to accommodate the full range of current and future urban households;
  • Sidewalk and streetscape improvements that will enhance community identity and support emerging retail; and
  • Street improvements aimed at balancing parking, traffic and pedestrian demands.

Based upon community input gathered over the past months and comments received at January's Community Workshop, the consultants will share a range of ideas that they think could be appropriate for Crenshaw Boulevard. They would like to hear what you think of these concepts. Information gathered at this second workshop will be used to develop a vision plan and implementation program, which will be brought back to the community during a third workshop for comment and input.

Light Breakfast will be available. Free parking available across the street. For more information, contact 323-669-7654 or visit: http://www.urbanstudio-la.com/crenshawvision


4). NANDC ELECTION

Tuesday, March 4
Noon to 8 p.m.
Ahmanson Senior Center, 3990 S. Menlo Ave. (Exposition Park, southwest section)

The Empowerment Congress North Area Neighborhood Development Council (EC NANDC) Neighborhood Council's elections are next Tuesday. All "stakeholders" may vote. You do not have to be registered to vote with L.A. County. To be a stakeholder you must do ONE of the following within the EC NANDC boundaries:

  1. Live;
  2. Work;
  3. Own property;
  4. Own a business;
  5. Attend school; or
  6. Attend a religious institution (like a church, mosque or temple).

When you come to vote, you will be asked for the address of the activity above that qualifies you as a stakeholder. Please do vote, and make your voice heard - the neighborhood council system in Los Angeles is maturing into an important element affecting community decision-making, land use and the delivery of city services.

For candidates statements, NANDC's exact boundaries (generally speaking, they include the eastern portion of Historic West Adams), and more information about the election, log onto: http://www.nandc.org/


5). SUBMIT YOUR NEWS

We welcome your contributions to the WAHA E-News and West Adams Heritage Association's monthly publication, "West Adams Matters." Please understand that we do have deadlines. Material for the print newsletter should be submitted no later than the 1st of the prior month (i.e.: April 1 for the May issue). If your event is scheduled for early in a month, we suggest you request coverage for the prior month (i.e.: May issue for a June 3 event), because it's entirely possible that not all of our members will have received their newsletter by then (we do try hard.) We reserve the right to edit submitted material. For the WAHA E-News, we prefer to only send it out once or twice a month. Please don't wait until two days before an event to let us know about it. It may not be sent out.

EXCEPTION
If you suddenly hear of an important city hearing or other public meeting that is important to West Adams, we will endeavor to send out a special bulletin.

Submit your material to Laura Meyers, editor, lauramink@aol.com.