The Los Angeles City Council is working on a plan to clean up, restore, and improve all 31 miles of the LA River that run through the city’s borders. Nonprofits are working with the city to organize clean ups, build parks and bike paths.
Environmentalists are enhancing the wildness of the natural parts of the river. Developers are building at the banks.
This is all happening right now to so people will seek out the LA River.
This is a perfect time for artists to explore, paint, draw, and photograph any or all 51 miles of the river, for musicians to play along the banks, on overpasses, or in venues along the river, for writers to write about the river, and for performance artists to incorporate the river into their work.
The Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation (LARRC) is the nonprofit organization that is focused on connecting the missing LA Greenway path segments. They work to improve the river corridor with cafes, benches, drinking fountains, bike racks and other features that will make the LA River an attractive outdoor destination.
What can we, as artists, do to plug in to the LARRC's mission?
1. Get hooked up with “Play the LA River”, created by Project 51—a collective of LA River-loving artists, designers, planners, writers & educators. “Play the LA River” is a come-one-come-all project inviting Angelenos to explore, reclaim & reimagine the mighty LA River. www.playthelariver.com
2. Join the new group on LinkedIn - Los Angeles River Group for Artists. This group was started so that artists could post information and updates about the river, schedule meet ups, plein air outings, gigs, and share news about possible exhibition, performance, and publishing opportunities for artists that are related to the river.
3. Schedule your own plein air outing or event along the river and create a Facebook book event page to publicize it, post it on the Play the LA River calendar, LinkedIn group, and Twitter. Let’s support one another in promoting and attending fellow artists’ river projects!
For more information on the Los Angeles River developments, click on these links:
Los Angeles Has a Plan to Start Fixing Up the Whole LA River
Curbed Los Angeles http://la.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/los_angeles_has_a_plan_to_start_fixing_up_the_whole_la_river.php
Play the LA River: Using Games to Engage Open Spaces
KCET
http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/los-angeles/play-the-la-river-project-51.html
Army Corps Now Reevaluating Billion-Dollar LA River Rehab
Curbed Los Angeles
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2014/12/army_corps_now_reevaluating_billiondollar_la_river_rehab.php
LA River Corp
http://www.larivercorp.com/
Play the LA River calendar of events
http://playthelariver.com/find-post-events/river-calendar/