Some Place Chronicles Arts Unincorp- orated Festival Thru Oct. 24

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Florence-Firestone Community to Enjoy Animation, Spoken Word, Voice, Theater, and Musical Workshops – Free to Public and Suitable for All Ages
 

LOS ANGELES COUNTY (October 1, 2015)—The County of Los Angeles Public Library proudly introduces the “Some Place Chronicles Unincorporated Arts Festival at Graham Library” starting this week through Saturday, October 24, 2015. Made possible by funding from Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, the L.A. County Arts Commission and Cal Arts, the festival features a series of films, performances and hands-on workshops that bring artistry directly into the unincorporated Florence-Firestone neighborhood at Graham Library.
 

Events are free, open to the public and suitable for all ages. Graham Library is located at 1900 Firestone Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90001.
 

“The ‘Some Place Chronicles Unincorporated Arts Festival at Graham Library’ is a creative place-making project featuring the people, histories and cultures of the Florence-Firestone region,” said Acting County Librarian Yolanda De Ramus. “We’re bringing artists, residents, business owners, civic leaders and community stakeholders together at Graham Library to assess the unique physical and social character of Florence-Firestone through creative activities, research and conversation. The results will help ensure that local perspectives and knowledge inform future community development initiatives – and, hopefully, they’ll help foster an even stronger sense of civic identity and neighborhood pride. ‘Some Place Chronicles’ fits in perfectly with the County Public Library’s mission to go beyond books by helping create a sense of community cohesiveness and we are proud to host this endeavor.”
 

The series kicked off on Tuesday with an afternoon “CalArts Cartoons” workshop. It was conducted by Aron Bothman – a Los Angeles-based animator and Princess Grace Award winner who currently works at JibJab Media – along with Erica Larsen-Dockroy, an experimental animator presently teaching at both CalArts and Inner-City Art in downtown L.A. .
 

“Whether it’s listening to a spoken word performance or learning how to make animation, we invite everyone to visit the arts festival with their family and friends and partake in all that it has to offer,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.
 

Details on the remaining “Some Place Chronicles Unincorporated Arts Festival at Graham Library” workshops are as follows:
 

Saturday, October 3

1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

“DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Animation”

Bothman and Larsen-Dockroy will return for a “DIY Animation” workshop, where participants either will get the chance to make a hand-held animation device or bring their Smart phone and help make a live-action photographic animation. All materials provided (except Smart phones)!
 

Tuesday, October 6

4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

“Sounds of Latin America, Yesterday and Today”

Musicians Alfredo López Mondragón and Jerónimo (Jxel) Rajchenberg will play classical/traditional songs and their own compositions on a variety of instruments including guitar, requinto and mandolin. Listen to beautiful music and hear how “old school” sounds inform contemporary melodies. Lopez Mondragón is a composer and the founder of the folkloric music ensemble Quetzalcoatl whose music has been featured in films such as American Me, The Net, Luminarias and The Maldonado Miracle. Rajchenberg is a performer-composer who uses traditional and altered instruments to create playful interactions between musicians and audience.
 

Saturday, October 10

1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

“You Don’t Need an Instrument to Make Music”

López Mondragón and Rajchenberg will return to guide participants as they discover the musical possibilities of everyday objects and explore group music-making through games and creative play. Attendees might even record a song or two. All materials provided!
 

Tuesday, October 20

4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

“Spoken Word Performances: Going Solo on Stage”

Shaina Simmons and Sayda Trujillo will explore the magical and courageous worlds of personal stories and public histories. Shaina Simmons will perform a selection from her original work Bayou Blues – a watery dream story from the time of Hurricane Katrina that is filled with the rich history of New Orleans through Mardi Gras, Congo Square, Bounce music and more. Sayda Trujillo will perform her original work I Was Raised Mexican using movement, song, words and a ladder to tell the story of her journey from Montreal, Canada to her parents’ village in Guatemala to Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles. Simmons is a multi-disciplinary performance artist whose most recent work, Bayou Blues, received its international premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Trujillo is an actress and educator whose three solo shows – Banana Leaves, Definitely Oops and I Was Raised Mexican – have been presented in Europe, Latin America and Asia.
 

Saturday, October 24

1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

“Voice and Movement for Theater Workshop”

Simmons and Trujillo will return to guide participants in discovering how spoken word artists develop stories for performances using just their voice and movement. Attendees will work on stories of their own. No prior theater experience necessary!