Seems our beloved Art Walk has been going through changes… or stages as we might like to say.
Over the past 6 years we’ve watched our monthly event grow from a couple of galleries, with just a few hundred people, to a swarming mass of art admirers from all walks of life.
It’s true having the largest self guided tour event in history comes with high risk, and a high price tag, but at the same time it’s loads of fun, offering great exposure for independent artists, a chance for future generations to become inspired, and extra revenue for local businesses. Now if we could continue and use the Walk to generate money for the City of Los Angeles directly without compromising the events allure, we’re sure it will continue to grow in popularity, support local businesses and inspire visiting artists from around the world.
As more and more people crowd the streets every second Thursday of the month, we agree the next stage of the event should continue to steer towards public safety and population control.
More effort should also be made to support the arts, and the independent artists while instilling in the visitors that buying art work during the event is just as important as attending.
In the last year and a half we’ve watched some of DTLA’s finest galleries come and go, Cotrutza, Crewest, Dialect, Lexington, Gallery MUJO, ZZYZX & Temple of Visions, just to name a few; only to be replaced many times by empty spaces.
Does anyone seem to have an explanation for this?
And what has become of the independent Art Marts who accepted independent art vendors as part of the festivities in the past? The one night where an indie artist could set up a table and expose their craft with the honor that came from finding support from an interested crowd seems to have faded away.
First went the I Heart U DTLA at Medallion, then the ART Mart at the Alexandria, Arts Square at Spring Arcade, and now TruckIt Fest on 3rd and Spring has been told that having vendors around food trucks isn’t safe.
We are asking our readers, the citizens, visitors and especially artists and anyone with a voice to present the City with creative ideas for the Walk. Ideas and solutions that promote independent artists, local businesses, entrepreneurship and attendees. Our coalition will work together with the City to produce the coolest, safest and most lucrative Art Walk, that our great city has to offer. Your ideas will be offered up as part of our monthly column we are calling..
ART POWERed...
Gallery MUJO on the MOVE
MUJO is the Buddhist concept of impermanence, of nothing lasting forever. That Buddhist concept is founded on the fact that nothing is everlasting and thus subject to change. So is the story of the Gallery MUJO owned by artist/collector Bob Mishima, a downtown resident who in the last few months relocated from 6th and Spring to 137 East 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
A bit off the beat and path of the usual Art Walk crowd flow, the visit to Gallery MUJO is always intriging as Mishima, known for collecting spiritual artworks in the gallery, plays host to a number of famous Japanese artists. His collections will certainly cause you to react with deep heart-felt emotion, and are worth the extra steps from the Old Bank District and Spring Street epicenters of the monthly Art Walk event.
If you like your art with a bit of intoxication, while in the vacinity, visit the Lexington Bar, where owner Tim Mars keeps comedy, live bands, and a hefty supply of specialty beers on tap ready for Art Walkers at amazing specialty prices.
It may seem like a lonely area, yet, 3rd and Main has become an epicenter of its own with long standing Suede Gallery, one of the last medical cannabis centers, a scooter shop and the new downtown headquarters for International ANSWER (Act Now To Stop War And End Racism), all residing on the same block.
