The Public School at TELIC.
12 Mar 20080
On January 25th, while artLA was working on its rebirth, TELIC launched The Public School on this busy night in Chinatown.
From the press release:
__The Public School is a school with no curriculum, located underneath TELIC Arts Exchange. It operates as follows: first, classes are proposed by the public (I want to learn this or I want to teach that); then, people have the opportunity to sign up for the classes (I also want to learn that); finally, when enough people have expressed interest, the school will find a teacher and offer the class to those who signed up.
Although I was there for the launch, musing around the proposed classes forms - sex applications, learning a new language or how to knit - it was at first difficult for me not to smile at all of this, I haven’t engaged in any classes yet. But, I am pretty excited about this proposed series, Walter Benjamin: The Arcades Project it doesn’t have a set date yet and still needs a teacher. If you are interested to help direct this reading, contact TELIC.
The next class, Ranciere: The Politics of Aesthetics (and/as an Ethics) will take place on Sunday March 16th from 11am to 1pm, for $25, and you can still sign up to participate.
(Image is a screen shot of the Public School website)
18th Street Arts Center and The Habeas Lounge.
5 Mar 20080
Linda Pollack curator of The Habeas Lounge located inside the 18th Street Arts Center Complex. This site specific installation by architect Mark Gee was designed to enhance and promote civic processes. Since its opening to the public back in September, the space has hosted a great amount of events, such as public readings of the U.S. Constitution (check also Pollack’s related project My Daily Constitution), a voter registration drive, and a college poll worker recruitment push, among others.
Irina Contreras, Christie Frields, Zeal Harris, Sara Hendren, Vincent Johnson, Hillary Mushkin, Meena Nanji, Adam Overton, Rebecca Ripple, Susan Silton, Pam Strugar and Shirley Tse: PATRIOT ACTS @18th Street Arts Center (January 12 - March 21, 2008)
Left image Hillary Mushkin. Right image Rebecca Ripple (wall) and Christie Frields (installation).
Christie Frields.
Left image Susan Silton. Right image foreground Vincent Johnson background Pam Strugar and Shirley Tse.
Sara Hendren.
Building Rome at Machine Project.
20 Jan 20081
24-Hour Roman Reconstruction Project (or, Building Rome in a Day) - A project by Liz Glynn @Machine Project (Saturday January 19, 2008 - 24 hours)
(I also want to submit this alternative title: 24-Hour Roman Reconstruction (or, Building Rome in a Day, sans Naked Ephebes to hold the Pillars, but with a pletoria of learn-latin-in-fortune-cookies). Yes, it seems more, let’s say adsumo (damn you rusty middle school Latin))
Then, Rome was Burning.
Patriot Acts, launch at the Habeas Lounge.
3 Oct 20070
LA based artist and activist Linda Pollack sent me the announcement for the launch of the Habeas Lounge, located in the 18th Street Arts Center, Santa Monica.
Sunday, October 7th, from 4 to 6 pm, come inaugurate this new Salon with a Bill of Rights Read Aloud (and other at risk portions of the United States Constitution) with Professor Allan Ides of Loyola Law School and others on hand, to answer questions live, in real time.
Concluding the read aloud will be a short improvised reflection in movement and spoken word on the material generated, by dancer - choreographer - writer Simone Forti.
Patriot Acts is a six-months series of events and began last June “to support civic processes, that brings together artists, lawyers, activists, scholars and other civilians.” The program marked the 18th Street Arts Center’s theme for the year, entitled The Future of Nations which is intentionally tied to the Presidential election in November 2008, and many of the issues which will determine the direction and future of our nation will be raised and examined in our exhibitions.
A Patriot Acts group arts exhibition will open at the gallery of the Arts Center in January 2008.
Make Poverty History at G8 Summit.
11 Jul 20050
Until July 9th, 8 world leaders are gathering in Scotland at the G8 summit. It’s never too late to show your support.
__”We’re asking people who have websites of any form, shape or kind, to advertise the Make Poverty History campaign, so that collectively we can raise awareness and as a result put pressure on our leaders to do the right thing.”
U.S. & G8 Cancel Debt For 18 of the World’s Poorest Countries.
13 Jun 20050
Following Years of Protests, U.S. & G8 Nations Agree To Cancel Debt For 18 of the World’s Poorest Countries. You can read more about it on Democracy Now! with the interview made by Amy Goodman of Neil Watkins, National Coordinator of Jubilee USA network and Andre, working with organizations in the UK to protest the G8 summit in Scotland.
__”For the first time this weekend, under a lot of pressure from movements around the world, the G8 agreed to a principle of 100% debt cancellation, which we think is really an important first step that we want to build on, that it’s critical that countries be freed of their burden of debt so that they can spend money that they desperately need to spend for health care, for education, for clean water, and for other basic needs.”
The french journalist from Libération Florence Aubenas and her Iraqi guide and interpreter Hussein Hanoun Al-Saadi have finally been released after 157 days of detention. You can visit “Pour Florence et Hussein”, in french & in english.