Los Angeles artists – Vickie Vértiz

Toyoteria: Jaime Muñoz’s Apparitions of Faith

Spring 2021

Check out my essay as tribute to working class art, to those of us who didn’t see ourselves as artists because we had to earn a living otherwise. To those of us who are artists despite what anyone says. Follow @flan_jm Jaime Muñoz to witness all different kinds of apparitions of faith, memory, and beauty. Big thank you to Shizu Saldamando @saldamando who’s Instagram page introduced me to this work! And if you’re looking to write about art in ways that are not generally seen in main stream art criticism, I highly recommend you send a pitch over to Carribean Fragoza at Vicious Ladies, her new arts and culture magazine. Here’s to centering our communities, always. Support the arts and check out the “La Commute” blanket Muñoz collaborated with Fred Segal to produce. Finally, thanks to my brother @jessepaintsnow who helped me with this piece. #toyota #toyoteria #pomona #construction #rseries #toyotaminitruck #laart #chicanoart

Read the essay here, or visit:

https://www.viciousladies.com/articles/blog-post-two-glds2

KCET Story: Third-annual Southeast L.A. River Arts Festival held entirely online

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Where else are you going to see a Latinx Bob Ross in huaraches this weekend? And naturally, Beto RosSela (see what he did there?) will be painting pajaritos on a virtual riverbed. You can join Beto and dozens of other residents and artists as they perform this weekend for the third-annual Southeast L.A. River Arts Festival held entirely online.

The first art walk I covered in the Southeast was in 2014. On the corner of Atlantic and Gage in the City of Bell, the main stage stood proud in front of a spray-painted mural. The participating businesses included used car lots, a vintage thrift shop and a paleteria, among others. They featured grassroots organizations like Chicas Rockeras, visual art and DJs who could be seen up Atlantic all the way to Slauson. In the last three years, it’s moved from the street into the actual floor of the L.A. riverbed in South Gate, and last year, attracted nearly 8,000 visitors. Due to the pandemic, festival attendants will have to “walk around” and view art, watch modern dance and hear spoken word poetry via pre-recorded performances on the web instead.

Read the rest of the story below:

https://www.kcet.org/shows/southland-sessions/stories-in-the-stream-third-annual-southeast-la-river-arts-festival-goes

Watch the festival here!

https://www.selaartsfest.org/

KCET Communities: “Pioneers of Artistic Revolution: Making Art and Space in Southeast L.A.

As part of an ongoing project about the importance of the 710 corridor in Los Angeles, Vickie Vertiz contributed an article about the arts, teachers, and artists in Southeast Los Angeles, where she grew up. She names a few writers who also document the lives of the people in Southeast L.A., such as Steve Gutierrez’s short stories in Live from Fresno y Los and in Hector Tobar’s book, Translation Nation.

While the 710 freeway is considered the backbone of commerce in Southern California, the Southeast L.A. region is rich with writers, visual artists, amazing public school teachers, and community art activists. Read the article here.

Bell businesses. Photo credit: Cynthia Herrera