Kind morning /Բարի լույս* to you, dear neighbors, artists, collaborators, community partners, co-conspirators, supporters of arts in Skid Row and of doodles without borders,
*the morning greeting in Armenian translates as “kind morning” (բարի լույս [baree looys])
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SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL August Hightlights List AND here’s September 2023 Compiled Printable/Online Calendar Link
HIGHLIGHTS in and near SKID ROW, September 2023
Some neighborhood events, celebrations, and parties to join
1) Friday Sept 1, 7pm: MOVIE NIGHT “Chasing Coral” at Skid Row History Museum
2) Wednesday, Sept 6, 6pm Doors Open, Movie Starts ad Dusk – MOVIE IN THE PARK @ General Jeff (Gladys) Park (808 E 6th St)
3) Thursday, Sept 14th, 2pm: Ase Ashe Drummers and Dancers from the Heart @ General Jeff (Gladys) Park (808 E 6th St)
4) Fri, Sept 15, 7pm: MOVIE NIGHT, “Healing Justice” at Skid Tow Museum
5) Sat, Sept 16, 5-7pm: OPENING RECEPTION of Enough is (never) Enough: Hard Truths and the People Who Live Them atSkid Row History Museum and Archive (250 S Broadway)
6) Thur, Sept 21, 10:30am-12noon: Creative Writing monthly workshop at Skid Row Museum @ Skid Row History Museum and Archive (250 S. Broadway). If you are interested, please reply to let us know.
7) Fri, Sept 29, 5-7:30: OPEN MIC with Lorinda! @ Skid Row Museum (250 S Broadway)
8) Fri, Sept 29, 7pm: Movie Night near LAPD HQ by Stop LAPD Spying Coalition (check instagram.com/Stoplapdspying for updates)
9) Sept 29-30: The Conscious HIP HOP Summit, We Must Love and Protect One Another by Hip Hop Smoothie Shop. For details: https://www.instagram.com/creatingjusticela_/
Here you can find a Printable/Online Monthly Skid Row Calendar of some arts and community activities in and around Skid Row neighborhood.
ONGOING
Thur-Sat, 2-5pm from Sept 16th to Nov 18th: Enough is (never) Enough: Hard Truths and the People Who Live Them – exhibit features photographs and text by artist and educator David Blumenkrantz, along with works by four photographers who have lived experience with homelessness: Bobby Buck, Cleta Felix-West, Lelund Hollins and Ian Storm. On exhibit at Skid Row Museum (250 S. Broadway).
OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, September 16th, 5-7pm
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Oct 28-29: 15th Annual FESTIVAL FOR ALL SKID ROW ARTISTS by LA Poverty Department, UCEPP, and multiple community partners
THOUGHTS ALOUD
None of us are free until all of us are free
A few things on my mind
1) Hurricane Hilary hitting unhoused Skid Row neighborhood residents especially hard, deepened by the ongoing oppressive anti-poor and anti-Black policies of the American Empire. Follow @lacanetwork_official among others for more on a response that addressed the urgency as well as the politics.
2) Artsakh, an Armenian sovereign nation of about 120 thousand people near the edge of Armenian highlands, under a continuing genocidal blockade for over 8 months and suffocated by Azerbaijan and Turkey. You can follow @yerazadcoalition among others for more context and actions to take.
3) Anti-queer/anti-trans violence rooted in white supremacist manipulation of fear, with devastating murders of Adriana, a trans woman in Armenia, and shop owner Lauri Carleton who displayed a rainbow flag in aka San Bernardino, CA, may they rest in power! Anti-queer and anti-trans violence very much affects Skid Row neighborhood as well. You can follow @rightsidengo for LGBTQ+ work being done in Armenia, and @galas_la and @queernationla for aka Los Angeles region
None of us are free, until all of us are free.
We cannot pick and choose oppressions to struggle against en route to liberation. The struggle for liberation of the most marginalized and oppressed amongst us–poor, disabled, transgender, Indigenous, Black, rural, blockaded, etc, all of the above–is at the heart of the struggle for liberation of us all. It is critical to understand that naming and listing the many different oppressions around us does not make the work more narrow; exactly the opposite, by including often missed oppressed sub-groups within oppressed groups, it expands and collectivizes our struggle!
(A nod Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor’s “How We Get Free”)
Liberation is not just a fancy word. It’s a lot of hard work, and one key to this hard work is imagining, practicing, and growing a world not in opposition to, but beyond the oppressor-oppressed dichotomy.
(A nod to Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”)
None of us are free, until all of us are free.
doodles without borders (dwb)
Our weekly arts table is on a BREAK. We will return Thursday, November 2nd, 3:30-5p! At dwb art is the glue to collectively strengthen community, make local, diasporan, and global connections, and disassemble white supremacy, capitalism, imperialism and patriarchy.
dwb ONLINE:
1) Doodles without Borders (dwb) is now on Instagram / Facebook.
2) There is a monthly dwb Skid Row Community & Arts Calendar. If you do community strengthening work in Skid Row and know of an event/meeting that should be on there, please share.
3) Latest addition – dwb wishlist! You can find it here: bit.ly/dwbwishlist
Why support storage of Skid Row artist work?
Support Artwork Storage as a Human Right (and Collective Responsibility)
A shameless plug asking for your support of Community Arts Depot, a sister project addressing the vital need for artwork storage and access focused on Skid Row neighborhood members and residents.
Artwork Storage as a Human Right – a glimpse from the Community Arts Depot story.
UPDATE: We received a mini-grant from Skid Row Arts Alliance as well as a grant from CCI which will help to cover rent, insurance, and other expenses, many thanks to both groups!! And to all the individuals who have supported and continue to support us; we could not have gotten here without you!!! More details to come in the coming months, including possible additional resources we may be able to expand! We still continue to need support as this project’s sustainability is wholly dependent on grassroots support. To donate to the campaign click HERE!
Quote of the month:
“It is necessary to exercise communication in building self, family, and community. If we are not making efforts then that’s a sure sign of defeat. We must strengthen ourselves and each other. May we exercise Understanding.” ― Unkal Bean (@uncalbean, unkalbeanentertainment.com), from The Word on the Street column in Skid Row Arts Zine, Spring 2023
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You can see the full dwb newsletter #21 here.
Community Artivism 