Acrylic on canvas, 18x24in.
Statement: When I was younger, whenever I felt the need to escape from my day to day struggles or feeling lonely in a city full of individuals who never understood me, I always found refuge in nature. To me, nature was where I grounded myself and where my troubles felt so far they could never reach me. The LA River was the closest thing I had to a distant land where the humming of the freeway transformed into a cascade which I could only hear and see if I closed my eyes. I enjoyed going to the river bed by myself when the sun was setting and always found that even though I liked to go alone, I was never lonely because the elements were always present. My spirit became one with the fresh breeze that blew against my hair, the warm sun against my face, the water running closely by my side, and the earth beneath my feet. Although the water in the river has never been clean enough to jump into and the night sky never showed more than five stars because of the light pollution, I often envisioned and re-imagined a colorful night sky where I could see the many stars in the milky way and see how such beautiful skies reflected themselves upon the clean, healing waters of the river. For many years the LA River was a sanctuary where I could escape, it was there down by the river bed where I always found myself and gained the strength to return to the life I was meant to live.
About the Artist: I moved to SELA at a young age and since then I still reside within this community. SELA is where I blossomed into an adult and it's also the place where I discovered who I was meant to become. I am a proud SELA artist because despite all my hardships, here is where I learned to overcome all of my obstacles so that everyday I can become the best version of myself and share my gifts with the community.
Hometown: South Gate, CA
Connect: instagram: @arte_estrella1115
Mixed Media, 20x24in.
Statement: My art is about surreal landscapes and memories. In this one I decided to depict part of the LA River (Hollydale Entrance) and the train tracks that are by the Azalea Shopping Center on Atlantic Avenue to serve as background for a woman riding her bike. The woman represents all the folks who often leave SELA in search for their identity. The glitter on the ground and on the woman signify that the search for self often brings us straight back home, or where we came from.
About the Artist: Joan Zamora is a mixed media artist who came to the United States illegally at the age of eight from Mexico. Her addresses have included: Bell Gardens, Panorama City, Sun Valley, London, San Francisco and East LA. She earned a bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University with an emphasis in painting and photography. She currently lives in South Los Angeles and works with special education students in Koreatown.
Hometown: South Los Angeles, CA
Contact: https://www.nisantas.org/joan , Instagram: @joan_zeta
Acrylic on paper, dimensions unknown
Statement: This collection of works represent my life and aspirations as a young person growing up in South East Los Angeles.
About the Artist: Sophie Cruz was born and raised in South East Los Angeles. When she was 3 years old she participated in a Grupo Folclórico Huaxyacac where she performed many traditional dances of Oaxaca. Through this formative experience she learned to recite a poem in front of an audience which initiated a passion for public speaking. When she was really small she told her parents she wanted to go to Mexico and they replied that she could not at the time due to not having particular documents because they were not born in the US. This inspired her to make a movement. Her largest address was to over 470,000 people in Washington D.C. at the 2017 Women's March, a worldwide protest the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump. She is an activist for immigrant and human rights, enjoys art, sports and public speaking.
Hometown: South Gate, CA
Digital Rendering, dimensions vary
Statement: Stark, gray, shadow, concrete, unsettling, mysterious, monumental, performative, explorative, artistic... river.
The ecological succession of the Los Angeles River has played out amidst a sea of recent proposals for its “revitalization”, contending that the water course, through its channelization, had completely lost touch with the natural eco-system that once existed there. This is not untrue, but this is not the whole story either. What has emerged in the river is an alternate/artificial ecology, with attributes, though unexpected, are not without value or character. Perhaps accepting that the grit and grime of its channeled walls as a veritable terrain for occupation and use could be leveraged to create something beautiful and monumental, rather than familiar and comforting.
As a prototype for an artificial landscape, this project posits that a new type of public space could emerge with all the same qualities the current LA River already possesses - one that does not seek to tame or revitalize the existing ecological conditions, but rather seeks to amplify the potential they possess as peculiar and fascinating opportunities for artistic and creative exploration.
About the Artist: Aaron Levine is a Designer and Musician working in San Francisco. He is fascinated and inspired by the seam between nature and constructed environments, as well as the performative relationships therein. Having found music to be a bridge to architecture and visual art, the need for a feedback loop between mediums weighs heavily on his creative process and design sensibilities. Levine was born and raised in Los Angeles and moved to San Francisco in 2007. He holds a Master's of Architecture from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor's of Art in History from UC Santa Cruz.
Hometown: Los Angeles/San Francisco
Connect: instagram: @aveclaudenum
Digital Poem
LA River Expedition, Kayak tour, 2019
Since the beginning, cities were built by many waters.
Now, your generation’s ready to cross the bottom of the river to break the chains of racial oppression.
The river can come back. We can come back.
I spent my teenage years exploring the edge
of the concrete channel and once ventured
onto the channel bottom to fill
my pockets with bright stones.
This was my first experience with that corporate channel as a real river, not the cool walls
of my father’s basement.
I fled to the stream to pull out confessions
(I came out in the 90’s),
emotional moraines, promises,
to write my name in water,
green signature of the city.
Then nothing.
And now I am pushing the kayak out treading time
not water. Go back before
the city grew and the army corps of engineers
paved the riverbed to “prevent floods.”
Don’t give the order to dynamite boulders
and channels, turn the main stem into one
big flume with trash high in the trees
left over from last year's flooding.
The river can come back. We can come back.
I lived in L.A. but never heard of this.
One minute you're driving the 405
the next you are transported to what feels
like a tributary of the Amazon.
Remind yourself that the place is beautiful:
look at “the” turtle, Great Blue Herons, Egrets,
Snowy Egrets, fish.
Paddle through some rapids,
lush green islands;
weave your way through the rocks,
look for the best openings. Navigate
through class 1 rapids.
Turn left at the "rock garden."
Stop.
You’re right in the heart of Los Angeles
in the Frogtown area (north of Dodger Stadium).
See why we need a plastic bag ban in LA—
branches wrapped in wind-blown plastic
like a Cristo wrapped coast line.
If you get stuck on some shallows
its because floods removed the concrete
from this section and a filter system keeps
the water relatively clean
(not for drinking).
Let the water heal itself as a protected river;
legal status. Get out
of the kayak, move it off of rocks.
Go on a pilgrimage 200 miles upstream
all the way to the headwaters of the LA River in
the Owens Valley to the source of
all this.
Statement: My work directly connects to the theme of “Geofictions” in the way my poem documents and describes how Angelenos interact with LA nature and the urban jungle through Kayaking tours of the LA River and surrounding Sepulveda Basin. The theme of my poem is also the revitalization of the LA river. My poem documents Kayak tours of the LA river that began several years back, and this tour has been a local source of activism to increase wildlife/water quality protection. The poem describes how some 10 minutes from downtown LA you can launch kayaks to see diverse flora, urbana, herons, egrets, green islands, a rock garden, and tranquil green areas that would have you forget that you're in the middle of such a large city. The tour has changed the way many see and experience LA and the LA river: It becomes a tangible presence, a space of tranquility.
About the Artist: John Paul Calavitta earned his MFA in creative writing and his PhD in Literature from the University of Washington. His current book of poetry draws upon Yelp and Trip Advisor Reviews to critique histories of tourism, colonialism, and heterosexism. His work can most recently be seen at ace/121 Gallery, a community gallery for all.
Hometown: Long Beach, CA
Acrylic on canvas, 16x20 in.
Statement:"EL Rio de SELA" is a painting dedicated to the beautiful mountenous northern view from South East Los Angeles. It is dedicated to a moment in time. It was 2016 when I captured this photograph that in 2020 became the inspiration to my first painting with my Artist name - "Beto RoSELA. As the river begins to take its new shape in the next few years, this painting is a time stamp in the geographical history of SELA.
About the Artist: Rey Sepulveda AKA "Beto RoSELA" is a South East Los Angeles raised artist exploring different mediums of expression. The goal of my work is to inspire and uplift the next generation of SELA artists.
Hometown: Florence-Firestone
Connect: https://www.cultivartestudios.com , instagram: @betorosela @cultivartestudios
Digital Photography
Statement: In order to revitalize the Los Angeles River, we must first examine our current and historic associations with this watershed and reimagine our cultural and ecological confluence with this waterway.
About: Daniel G. Hernandez is a recent PhD graduate from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. As an ecologist and oceanographer, issues of environmental justice are of great significance to Dr. Hernandez. In the coming years, Dr. Hernandez aspires to become involved with the large-scale revitalization of the Los Angeles River.
Hometown: Downey, CA
Connect: instagram: @Man_and_Wolf
Acrylic on canvas, 9x12 in.
Statement: When I was younger, whenever I felt the need to escape from my day to day struggles or feeling lonely in a city full of individuals who never understood me, I always found refuge in nature. To me, nature was where I grounded myself and where my troubles felt so far they could never reach me. The LA River was the closest thing I had to a distant land where the humming of the freeway transformed into a cascade which I could only hear and see if I closed my eyes. I enjoyed going to the river bed by myself when the sun was setting and always found that even though I liked to go alone, I was never lonely because the elements were always present. My spirit became one with the fresh breeze that blew against my hair, the warm sun against my face, the water running closely by my side, and the earth beneath my feet. Although the water in the river has never been clean enough to jump into and the night sky never showed more than five stars because of the light pollution, I often envisioned and re-imagined a colorful night sky where I could see the many stars in the milky way and see how such beautiful skies reflected themselves upon the clean, healing waters of the river. For many years the LA River was a sanctuary where I could escape, it was there down by the river bed where I always found myself and gained the strength to return to the life I was meant to live.
About the Artist: I moved to SELA at a young age and since then I still reside within this community. SELA is where I blossomed into an adult and it's also the place where I discovered who I was meant to become. I am a proud SELA artist because despite all my hardships, here is where I learned to overcome all of my obstacles so that everyday I can become the best version of myself and share my gifts with the community.
Hometown: South Gate, CA
Connect: instagram: @arte_estrella1115
Short Story
Off the 710, Somewhere in L.A
I hear the sputtering of cars, of people eagerly pressing on the gas, strained bikes pushing onwards. There’s a small wooden sign with the city name stenciled on top of two trees, the logo in between. From what I can see trees are sparse in this area, but there are railroad tracks that divide Maywood and the city besides in a man made border so as not to forget.
On Atlantic Ave. each inch of space is occupied by a business of some kind. I pass a fish market and a mariscos restaurant in the same lot. As I walk in, a cold wet gust of air rushes to me, heavy with the smell of fresh fish, and falls on my face like mist. People yell out the kind of fish they want and how much they want of it, all in Spanish. I’m tempted to buy a shrimp cocktail for the road. The kid next to me presses his face to the glass, poking it with his finger, staring at the whole salmon and its bulging eyes.
There is a feeling that this city is bigger than it actually is, with people coming in and out of stores and families walking past, there’s a bigger picture here. Not one second is ever still, my ears dancing to the rhythm of Spanish and high inflections, songs meant to be celebrated. It is also the type of city that people don’t know exist, existing only in the minds of the people who live here.
Maywood is a city of immigrants, most of them undocumented where each day is one of uncertainty and yet they live no slower. They wake up early in the mornings, dark and hazy ones, and wait for city buses. Some of them work on their hands and knees, some wear back support belts for long shifts, some only see their children when they come home and find them already in bed sleeping. It is like that every day, every night.
Music blasts through the speakers in the corner store, songs about cheating lovers and broken hearts. Bright decorations hung on walls in red, green and white. On the shelves by the cash register, there are different kinds of candy with chile, tamarind, mango lollipops, everything chile. Spanish once again spoken throughout like a declaration of its existence. The man behind the counter recognizes me as the daughter of the man who parks a light blue Volkswagen in the store parking lot overnight.
The houses here look almost like they are stacked on top of each other. Narrow streets. I imagine two cars may fit at a time only if the drivers really tried. There’s an apartment complex and a tortoiseshell cat sits by the window, watching the bulldog in the front yard. Everyone is in other people’s space that way, but they don’t mind, it’s communal, they all share what they have with each other. All the animals in the block strut by the fences to watch me go by, I try saying hello to all of them too.
It’s hard to describe a place, my home, when I know it as it is. It’s even harder when people ask you where it is and you start naming surrounding cities until Maywood starts becoming a name on a map so far away you don’t recognize it anymore. It’s the type of place you have to experience and fall in love with. It’s to understand the feeling of familiarity– that we are all linked somehow by the decisions our families made to give up their home for another.
It only took twenty minutes to walk from the start of city limits to the end. It’s a city too small for its people. At the finish line I am rewarded by the view of the glittering downtown skyline. I then remember. I’m inside Los Angeles. It is Home. The River runs through the city like the bloodlines of our ancestors trying to build better lives and reminding us of its permanence in our own.
Statement: Anyone who lives in SELA has most likely run into the problem of naming their city of residence to someone who has never heard of it and defending or explaining its existence. I sure have. In this piece, I tried to do more than that. To illustrate the city of Maywood into something more than a caricature or a name on a map, and transcend it into a feeling of pride and fullness.
Maywood has been taken for granted by a lot of people for a long time. It is the home to many. I closed my eyes and walked from Randolph street to the bridge overlooking the river and downtown skyline, taking mental notes of the things that make it so special, which always are the "little" things. The words spoke, the smells, the music that dances in your ear. It's all of that and more.
About the Artist: Aidée Arellano received her Bachelor's degree from UC Riverside in Creative Writing and is currently working on her Master's degree in Bilingual Education.
Her home since forever is Maywood CA, where she currently resides also. Hobbies include starting things and never finishing, alongside other unexciting stuff.
She lives with her three cats and family, the former caring more about being fed than her writing, the latter caring equally.
Hometown: Maywood, CA
Connect: instagram: @mdaydreams
Digital Photography, 12x24 in.
Statement: As a landscape photographer one of my goals is to show other photographers that you do not need to travel to far out destinations to capture amazing landscapes. I see the LA River as a natural space to bring back the beauty of nature to our plains of asphalt and power lines trees.
In my photograph, I wanted to capture the power and beauty of the sun. It has this otherworldly feel to it but it is disturbed by billboards, asphalt, and power lines.
My hope is that this photograph shows that beautiful landscapes could be captured in our neighborhoods and that the LA River provides a haven for landscapes to flourish and encourage others to preserve our communities.
About the Artist: A self-taught photographer born and raised in South Gate, CA. I have been photographing for over 10+ years. My main passion is landscape photography but I always just enjoy being outside and with my camera even if it is for a cup of coffee or a walk at the park. I also run the SELA Photography Club on Instagram (SELAPhotography.Club).
Hometown: South Gate, CA
Connect: instagram: @Billy.MJ
Watercolor on paper, 9x12 in.
Statement: The LA River is a living being. We at times forget that. We relegated it to a system ever since it was converted into a flood-control channel, desensitizing its properties of material and spiritual sustenance. What was once a rapacious waterway is now mostly a drainage system for wastewater that worsens as it runs down south. The consequences of this running system disproportionately affect PoC communities. The River would not want this, it never did.
We must preserve the river’s integrity while finding ways to work with it. I believe that PoC communities and the houseless deserve to enjoy and share a synergic spiritual-cultural place with the river: a resting area where one can commune with nature, learn about the ecosystem through sustainable beautification and food garden efforts, indulge in culture through music and the performance arts, and - for whomever is houseless along the river- to be able to dwell in safety while nurturing one’s holistic health within an adjacent Rose-shaped wellness center.
The river must be seen as what it is, essential life support that allows living beings to grow, develop, and adapt. It wants to flow, and nurture. It wants to coexist with us in ritual, sharing, and renewal. Like veins, it carries life essence through the Earth's body, all the way down to its tips that open onto the Sea. Just like our blood it flows with so many stories; stories of hope, and loss.
It is time we listen to it with respect and face humanity’s systemic faults. As we commit to move the river and culture forward in unison, may we realize that we behold the resilience to manifest our wildest eco-dreams.
About the Artist: Alba Castro is a slow-blooming artist from Monterey Park. She is a roamer of LA’s varied scapes, appreciator of design in color, and a smile lover. Zine-making, graphic design, poetry, watercolor and photography have allowed her to journey freely into self-discovery. She is currently focusing on generating new print design for Dopeminas (a small business ran by her friend Laurie and herself), working on a few photo zines of imagery created in collaboration with her partner Jonathan (collectively known as Miel y Fuego), setting up online meetups for Artists, and exploring design at the intersections of architecture and feminism.
Hometown: Monterey Park
Connect: instagram: @rulfodekievan
Color pencil on paper, 11x14 in.
Statement: The river was here before us, and will continue to prevail long after our society has changed. Its structure has changed because of human interaction, but in many ways, its essence is still intact. We have seen our communities prosper because of this natural formation, much like most other societies that have successfully established themselves near bodies of water. Here in SouthEast LA, we are currently experiencing a “rebirth” in social, cultural and environmental consciousness. With the ongoing threats of gentrification, homelessness, and socioeconomic shifts that may result from viewing our SELA as “Progress”, it is important that all the members in our communities take ownership of, and celebrate the places that have nurtured all of us this far, while taking civic responsibility. “SELA Renaissance” is an homage to the ever swinging pendulum of social and environmental reconstruction of our natural landscapes.
About the Artist: Edlin G Lopez is an artist, community organizer, and educator who grew up in South Gate, CA. She is a first generation American whose work deeply centers Mexican culture and tradition. Described by the artist as symbolic narratives, her art aims to examine feminist identity politics, multi-nationality struggles, and issues of mental health and socioeconomic status. She is one of two founding members of Open Walls, a project-based artist studio dedicated to providing artist spaces to the SouthEast Los Angeles region.
Hometown: South Gate, CA
Connect: www.open-walls.org, instagram: @lina_lupita
Acrylic on wood, 58x54.5 in.
Statement: My work stems from my exposure to the lowriding world as a female lowrider owner. I am able to bring other women’s stories to a wider audience that would otherwise be unaware about women who cruise. Using bold colors, portraiture and the urban landscape I create compositions that emphasize femininity in a male-dominated world. The color palettes, architectural references and signage are all from the environments that these lowrider cars cruise through. I adorn my compositions with imagery that is directly linked to the communities these women come from because of the importance of finding beauty in everyday things. By highlighting these women’s environments I strive to show that even areas that are overlooked are in fact important and beautiful. In full my work is a love letter of sorts that reinforces the importance of these women and their neighborhoods. The artwork demands that the audience not overlook the real-life experiences of these women, their candied cars and a concrete jungle.
About the Artist: Jacqueline Valenzuela is an East L.A born artist currently living in Whittier. She obtained her Drawing and Painting BFA from Cal State Long Beach. Jacqueline is a first-gen Mexican-American. Jacqueline had always been influenced by the subcultures that were common within her community. This ranged from the underground punk scene in East L.A. to the candied lowriders she saw cruising Whittier Blvd. on Sunday mornings. Eventually, as an adult she would come to own her own lowrider, a 1975 Cadillac El Dorado. Upon becoming a lowrider owner, she became more aware of the lack of representation for women lowriders. Usually within this world women were seen merely as sexual objects to be placed near these beautiful cars. This is when her work flourished as it began to magnify the important role women lowriders play. By focusing on women lowriders like herself she is able to bring their stories to a wider audience that would otherwise be unaware about women who cruise. Using bold colors, portraiture and the urban landscape she creates eye-catching compositions that emphasize femininity in a male-dominated world. She has shown her work in various non-profits, artist-run spaces and galleries within the L.A. county. Most recently she has had her first solo show in Baldwin Park.
Hometown: Whittier
Connect: https://jacquelinevalenzuela.com , instagram: @pieldemazapan
Acrylic on canvas, 60x48 in.
Statement: In my art work I respond to the social and political conditions in Compton. The city of Compton is notorious for gang violence, corruption and urban decay. I illustrates stories based on my experiences as a pedestrian in the city. My long walks around the city of Compton served as a creative path, which allowed me to observe, document and express urban blight. The goal of my artwork is to shine a light on places often neglected by the public eye. I believe there is a certain beauty that can be found in these places. One particular place I reference in my art work is the bridge on Rosecrans and Alameda. This structure contains a staircase that obtains 100 steps. In order to get to school, every morning I was forced to climb them. I saw weeds and moss flourish from underneath. I believe the bridge and the plants became a metaphor for me which represented my experiences and hardships I witness living in the community.
About the Artist: Jessica Farela is a fine artist currently living in Compton California. She is inspired by urban landscapes and her person experience as a resident of the city. She was recently accepted at University of California Irvine, Claire Trevor School of the Arts as an undergrad student. Her works have been displayed in local galleries including the long beach city college art gallery.
Hometown: Compton, CA
Connect: instagram: @jessfarla_
Acrylic on wood, 58x54.5 in.
Statement: My work stems from my exposure to the lowriding world as a female lowrider owner. I am able to bring other women’s stories to a wider audience that would otherwise be unaware about women who cruise. Using bold colors, portraiture and the urban landscape I create compositions that emphasize femininity in a male-dominated world. The color palettes, architectural references and signage are all from the environments that these lowrider cars cruise through. I adorn my compositions with imagery that are directly linked to the communities these women come from because of the importance of finding beauty in everyday things. By highlighting these women’s environment’s I strive to show that even areas that are overlooked are in fact important and beautiful. In full my work is a love letter of sorts that reinforces the importance of these women and their neighborhoods. The artwork demands that the audience not overlook the real-life experiences of these women, their candied cars and a concrete jungle.
About the Artist: Jacqueline Valenzuela is an East L.A born artist currently living in Whittier. She obtained her Drawing and Painting BFA from Cal State Long Beach. Jacqueline is a first-gen Mexican-American. Jacqueline had always been influenced by the subcultures that were common within her community. This ranged from the underground punk scene in East L.A. to the candied lowriders she saw cruising Whittier Blvd. on Sunday mornings. Eventually as an adult she would come to own her own lowrider, a 1975 Cadillac El Dorado. Upon becoming a lowrider owner, she became more aware of the lack of representation for women lowriders. Usually within this world women were seen merely as sexual objects to be placed near these beautiful cars. This is when her work flourished as it began to magnify the important role women lowriders play. By focusing on women lowriders like herself she is able to bring their stories to a wider audience that would otherwise be unaware about women who cruise. Using bold colors, portraiture and the urban landscape she creates eye catching compositions that emphasize femininity in a male-dominated world. She has shown her work in various non-profits, artist-run spaces and galleries within the L.A. county. Most recently she has had her first solo show in Baldwin Park.
Hometown: Whittier
Connect: https://jacquelinevalenzuela.com , instagram: @pieldemazapan
Statement: I have a music video for my songs "Lessons" that was filmed and edited by Polaris Castillo (South Gate native). The song is about growing up in the city of Huntington Park and is organized in a timeline fashion describing my life from childhood to now. The music video was shot in Huntington park, Downey, and Lynwood.
About the Artist: Out of Southeast Los Angeles, Silvandgold--pronounced like "Silver and Gold" 'cause she's "so refined in temperature so high"--surfaced in the L.A. underground hip-hop scene in 2019 with a her debut project Catch the Kite, an EP with Las Vegas producer 12twlv released in August. The five-song project introduced Silvandgold as a mellow poet discussing her struggles as a female trying to break into Hip-Hop all the while showcasing both Spanish and English rhymes over lo-fi and boombap beats.
Her second project and debut LP, Gaby Guerrero LP--named after her nickname "Gaby"--Executive Produced by Los Angeles veteran Destruct was released just three months later in November 2019. The 11-song album, with production from notable producers Figub Brazlevic from Germany and Depakote from Los Angeles, was commenced and concluded during a 3-month period with all songs recorded in Area 52 studio in Van Nuys, California. The album, with only one feature, Destruct, in the songs "True Lies" and "Abilities to Trust," is sample-heavy with a 90's boombap and jazzy flavor and contains Silvandgold's notable wordy yet poetic flair.
Silvandgold credits artists Tupac, RZA, One Be Lo (One Man Army), The Fugees, The Beatnuts and JGivens as early inspiratons. Her music is often inspired by spirituality, the female experience and 90's backpack rap culture. She hopes, above all, to continue making music her nieces and nephews could listen to all the while maintaining the culture of Hip-Hop pure.
Hometown: Huntington Park
Connect: https://linktr.ee/Silvandgold , instagram: @silvandgold
Acrylic on birch panel, 48x36x1.5 in.
Statement: My work for Geofictions LA refers to the impacts that the built, industrial environment has on the experiences of our communities living in South East Los Angeles. The built environment creates the scenery people experience and negatively impacts the health of our communities, which is a deep-rooted issue we have to contend with as we move forward to revitalize the LA River.
In “Steel Grinding: Since 1950”, the factory facade in the painting is characteristic of the many factories along the industrialized areas of the LA River which have shaped how I have interacted with and experienced the Los Angeles River. My portrait is juxtaposed with the industrial facade as a reflection on the industrial history of the area but also as a look forward into potential futures. The infrastructure of the river was not designed to maximize the health of our communities but in many ways has been repurposed out of a necessity to have natural, open spaces. As time moves forward, the space is being continually reimagined as a more inclusive space.
About the Artist: David Martinez is an artist, print maker and educator centralized in Los Angeles. He is a first generation American born and raised in South East Los Angeles from Durango, Mexico descendants. David holds a BA in Public Health and Art Practice from the University of California, Berkeley.
David's explores the complex effects of the built environment and collective narratives of life in Los Angeles. I make narrative scenes that refer to history, geography, biology and my own experiences in order to encapsulate and reclaim a complex urban experience in Los Angeles. I am drawn to the history of the American southwest and want to explore how the built environment, migration and internalized narratives shape new narratives we create and our trajectory into the future.
Hometown: Bell, CA
Connect: instagram: @david.arenas.martinez
Color pencil on paper, 4x6 in.
Statement: My artwork depicts a lost dog crying in front of a littered river bank. The dog weeps because it used to be a wolf. It weeps because it has lost its identity and when it looks at the land it too has been altered beyond recognition.
About the Artist: Kevin Montenegro's latest artistic endeavor is to highlight the importance of self-reflection and self-actualization. The goal is to help people realize their goals and real happiness defined by the individual. After an individual learns to love themselves they are effective proponents of change with themselves and everyone around them.
Hometown: South Gate, CA
Connect: instagram: @Thetrashcat
Acrylic on canvas, 72x72 in.
Statement: These pieces were created as part of the SELA Arts Fest project :Rolling Canvas 2019.
About the Artist: Danny Gamboa, born in Cicada Juarez, Chihuahua is a multi disciplinary artist based out of North Long Beach. Danny is passionate about creating in the mediums of visual and performance art and art that can be used as a medium for social change. His dedication to the Ghost Bike project blends art and advocacy and led him to establish Healthy Active Streets, a community based organization that empowers communities of color as active transportation advocates and organizers for mobility equity.
Hometown: North Long Beach, CA
Connect: dannygamboa.com instagram: @iamdannygamboa
Acrylic on canvas, dimensions unknown
Statement: This collection of works represent my life and aspirations as a young person growing up in South East Los Angeles.
About the Artist: Sophie Cruz was born and raised in South East Los Angeles. When she was 3 years old she participated in a Grupo Folclórico Huaxyacac where she performed many traditional dances of Oaxaca. Through this formative experience she learned to recite a poem in front of an audience which initiated a passion for public speaking. When she was really small she told her parents she wanted to go to Mexico and they replied that she could not at the time due to not having particular documents because they were not born in the US. This inspired her to make a movement. Her largest address was to over 470,000 people in Washington D.C. at the 2017 Women's March, a worldwide protest the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump. She is an activist for immigrant and human rights, enjoys art, sports and public speaking.
Hometown: South Gate, CA
Mixed Media, 42x45.6 in.
Statement: In my art work I respond to the social and political conditions in Compton. The city of Compton is notorious for gang violence, corruption and urban decay. I illustrates stories based on my experiences as a pedestrian in the city. My long walks around the city of Compton served as a creative path, which allowed me to observe, document and express urban blight. The goal of my artwork is to shine a light on places often neglected by the public eye. I believe there is a certain beauty that can be found in these places. One particular place I reference in my art work is the bridge on Rosecrans and Alameda. This structure contains a staircase that obtains 100 steps. In order to get to school, every morning I was forced to climb them. I saw weeds and moss flourish from underneath. I believe the bridge and the plants became a metaphor for me which represented my experiences and hardships I witness living in the community.
About the Artist: Jessica Farela is a fine artist currently living in Compton California. She is inspired by urban landscapes and her person experience as a resident of the city. She was recently accepted at University of California Irvine, Claire Trevor School of the Arts as an undergrad student. Her works have been displayed in local galleries including the long beach city college art gallery.
Hometown: Compton, CA
Connect: instagram: @jessfarla_
Acrylic on canvas, 72x72 in.
Statement: These pieces were created as part of the SELA Arts Fest project :Rolling Canvas 2019.
About the Artist: Danny Gamboa, born in Cicada Juarez, Chihuahua is a multi disciplinary artist based out of North Long Beach. Danny is passionate about creating in the mediums of visual and performance art and art that can be used as a medium for social change. His dedication to the Ghost Bike project blends art and advocacy and led him to establish Healthy Active Streets, a community based organization that empowers communities of color as active transportation advocates and organizers for mobility equity.
Hometown: North Long Beach, CA
Connect: dannygamboa.com , instagram: @iamdannygamboa
Oil on masonite board, 17x23 in.
Statement: My work for Geofictions LA refers to the impacts that the built, industrial environment has on the experiences of our communities living in South East Los Angeles. The built environment creates the scenery people experience and negatively impacts the health of our communities, which is a deep-rooted issue we have to contend with as we move forward to revitalize the LA River.
“Looking Out My Window” reflects on the juxtaposition of the natural and industrial areas of our neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The LA palm tree is ubiquitous but also historically charged; studying the history of the palm tree sheds light on the drastic changes LA has experienced over the years. I have a good view of one of those trees from the window of my living room.
About the Artist: David Martinez is an artist, print maker and educator centralized in Los Angeles. He is a first generation American born and raised in South East Los Angeles from Durango, Mexico descendants. David holds a BA in Public Health and Art Practice from the University of California, Berkeley.
David's explores the complex effects of the built environment and collective narratives of life in Los Angeles. I make narrative scenes that refer to history, geography, biology and my own experiences in order to encapsulate and reclaim a complex urban experience in Los Angeles. I am drawn to the history of the American southwest and want to explore how the built environment, migration and internalized narratives shape new narratives we create and our trajectory into the future.
Hometown: Bell, CA
Connect: instagram: @david.arenas.martinez
Poetry
No More Rain
Just a Californian desert of pain.
Only the sun.
Only slow and heavy heat waves.
No more rain.
Just long yellow fields
smeared like yolk along the 5.
Dead crops with signs that say
Save Water,
Save Jobs,
but the farmers
already stuffed their lives
into bags and ran from the rays.
Too many sunsets without tears.
Goodbye Yosemite.
Bear skulls puncture the earth.
No more squirrels to bury acorns.
Yellow weeds sting like knives.
Clear dry skies laugh from up high.
Grapes dry like lizard skin.
No more wine and dine.
No more slip and slide.
No more super soakers,
water balloons,
or buckets of ice
to the dome.
Just thirsty ducks
crawling on stones.
Just frail alley cats
fading on asphalt floors.
Just brittle cows
melting along highway roads.
No more rain.
Just 12 dollar avocados,
6 dollar apples,
10 dollar cheeseburgers
from McDonald’s.
No more rain.
Just a gun pointed at a head
for Aquafina water bottles.
Just baseball bats cracking glass
to steal vegetables.
Just knees on the floor,
praying for stormy skies.
Just vehicles buried in dirt.
Just water fountains covered in cobwebs.
No more rain.
Just fists to the face.
Neighbor against neighbor.
A firestorm of desperation and rage.
No more rain.
Just a code of ethics
that dried out a long time ago
when the redwoods
were stripped
of their clothes.
Just empty nests
because the birds
all knew to fly away.
No more rain.
No more rain.
Just regret
for the changes we failed to make.
Statement: "No More Rain" is a dystopian poem bringing to light the very dark truths that will come to our society if we do not take active steps today to protect our environment. Too often, we ignore the natural world around us - as individuals, as community - and our actions will only negate the beautiful opportunities nature has to thrive around us. If we allow big corporations to keep abusing our mother earth, the environmental impacts will be hazardous for all of us, turning neighbor against neighbor in a feeble attempt to survive.
About the Artist: Eric Eztli is a poet, community organizer, educator, and the founder and host of Alivio Open Mic, a garage salon in Bell, California. A native of Southeast Los Angeles, and proud descendant of Mexican immigrants, he believes it’s his calling to speak the emotional truths of his people and use his words to challenge social injustices around the world. Eric calls himself a "voice-builder," a person creating spaces and energy in order for people to speak themselves into existence.
Hometown: Bell, CA
Connect: instagram: @ericeztli
Digital Photography, 12x18 in.
Statement: As a landscape photographer one of my goals is to show other photographers that you do not need to travel to far out destinations to capture amazing landscapes. I see the LA River as a natural space to bring back the beauty of nature to our plains of asphalt and power lines trees.
In my photograph, I wanted to capture the power and beauty of the sun. It has this otherworldly feel to it but it is disturbed by billboards, asphalt, and power lines.
My hope is that this photograph shows that beautiful landscapes could be captured in our neighborhoods and that the LA River provides a haven for landscapes to flourish and encourage others to preserve our communities.
About the Artist: A self-taught photographer born and raised in South Gate, CA. I have been photographing for over 10+ years. My main passion is landscape photography but I always just enjoy being outside and with my camera even if it is for a cup of coffee or a walk at the park. I also run the SELA Photography Club on Instagram (SELAPhotography.Club).
Hometown: South Gate, CA
Connect: https://billymjphotography.com/ , instagram: @Billy.MJ, @selaphotography.club
Mixed media, 24x18 in.
Statement: In my art work I respond to the social and political conditions in Compton. The city of Compton is notorious for gang violence, corruption and urban decay. I illustrates stories based on my experiences as a pedestrian in the city. My long walks around the city of Compton served as a creative path, which allowed me to observe, document and express urban blight. The goal of my artwork is to shine a light on places often neglected by the public eye. I believe there is a certain beauty that can be found in these places. One particular place I reference in my art work is the bridge on Rosecrans and Alameda. This structure contains a staircase that obtains 100 steps. In order to get to school, every morning I was forced to climb them. I saw weeds and moss flourish from underneath. I believe the bridge and the plants became a metaphor for me which represented my experiences and hardships I witness living in the community.
About the Artist: Jessica Farela is a fine artist currently living in Compton California. She is inspired by urban landscapes and her person experience as a resident of the city. She was recently accepted at University of California Irvine, Claire Trevor School of the Arts as an undergrad student. Her works have been displayed in local galleries including the long beach city college art gallery.
Hometown: Compton, CA
Connect: instagram: @jessfarla_
Acrylic on canvas, 72x72 in.
Statement: These pieces were created as part of the SELA Arts Fest project :Rolling Canvas 2019.
About the Artist: Danny Gamboa, born in Cicada Juarez, Chihuahua is a multi disciplinary artist based out of North Long Beach. Danny is passionate about creating in the mediums of visual and performance art and art that can be used as a medium for social change. His dedication to the Ghost Bike project blends art and advocacy and led him to establish Healthy Active Streets, a community based organization that empowers communities of color as active transportation advocates and organizers for mobility equity.
Hometown: North Long Beach
Connect: dannygamboa.com instagram: @iamdannygamboa
Community project documentary
Statement: Artist Sabree works with Charles Dickson to document his art making process in the creation of the Watts Towers Community Garden Gate. Community projects tend to have a lot of red tape in order to them to get completed. It is always important to put the needs and desires of the community before the interest of bureaucracy.
About the Artist: “'I am consumed with how thing work in a mechanical, creative, spiritual and political contest. As a Sculptor that has embraced many mediums, I have explored the nature of the materials that I use in order to understand and challenge their properties in traditional and unique applications. At the core of this process, is a compelling inquiry of, how do I learn to speak through the materials. To discover the truth about the materials and express the beauty of my artistic version.”
Charles Dickson, born and raised in Los Angeles, currently lives and works in Compton, CA. He is primarily a self-taught sculptor whose work has been exhibited throughout Southern California.
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Digital Illustration, 3300px x 5100px
Statement: The piece I'm submitting is about a group of cowboys in Compton that, against the modernization of the city, continue to practice horseback riding and equestrian culture to provide a positive influence for the youth and combat the negative stereotypes of Black folks in Compton. The re-imagining of their landscape is a powerful sign to anyone who doubts they can change their surroundings.
About: Erick Pepper Rivera is a Los Angeles based composer and cartoonist. His graphic Watts-based graphic novel The Hat Boyz was published in 2019 by One Peace Books and he occasionally composes music for TV.
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Connect: https://www.pepperrivera.com/ , instagram: @pepper.rivera
Found material sculpture, 24x24x36 in.
Statement: “Labyrinth” is a sculpture made out of found materials, including branches and recycled glass sourced from the city of Bell. I began exploring new mediums and forayed into glass cutting to create this sculpture. The glowing glass heart symbolizes the fragility and beauty of our river ecosystems and sits at the bottom of a thorny, wooden labyrinth. The protective labyrinth hides the heart and encourages us to find the heart within the thorns that is yearning to be found and loved.
About: Eleazar Martinez was born in Durango, Mexico in the year 1962. His life was divided between working in his stepfather's farm and studying in the city during his brief vacations. Between his work obligations and studies at school, Eleazar practiced many art mediums in Durango, Mexico. He worked as a calligrapher at age 15 and opened a private art studio at age 20. He received his BA in Agriculture and Administration in Mexico.
Eleazar migrated to Los Angeles to start his family and live out his dream as an artist. In Los Angeles, he first worked as a graphic designer and colorist for a silkscreen studio and eventually worked as a production manager. After gaining experience as a manager, Eleazar opened his own studio in the city of Downey which he ran for 15 years. During his time in the studio, Eleazar worked as an illustrator for different state education programs, created bronze sculptures for various cities, and had several solo shows in Los Angeles.
Eleazar is currently working to open a community workshop in his home state of Durango, Mexico to create economic opportunities for impoverished communities on the outskirts of the city. His goal is to create a community workspace that offers services and training in carpentry, wood carving, blacksmithing, welding, and glasswork.
Hometown: Bell, CA
Acrylic on canvas, 18x24 in.
Statement: The LOVE of LA city reflecting in harmony with my cultural back ground.
About the Artist: Growing up I watched my mother work as a sample maker for a clothing company, I knew then, I wanted to be a fashion designer. After working in the appeal industry myself I wanted to built my talent in the arts. I became very inspired and grew a love for painting after my trip to Europe and experiencing all of its antiquities. I went back to school to learn to paint. My great passion in life is to built my own business in conjunction to helping my community and the world. In some way, the power of love has been my force in all that I do. “El amor” and my Culture has been a big part of my passion for art. Sharing love and culture has brought a great sense of satisfaction that I cannot describe in words. I believe I can help make a difference with my art and the purpose behind it.
Hometown: Boyle Heights, CA
Connect: instagram: @Elamorx2
Variety of Textiles
Statement: Underneath the concrete there is life, in the water that flows in the small canal there is life. Let’s bring life back to our concrete river by celebrating our culture. I imagine a river full of color and mysteriousness. I see the river full of life like the top in this piece. Full of color but still in a blur since I still can’t pin point how it looks specifically to me. It’s still a dream and a blur. Let’s work together in this river like the women Guatemalan fabric does to create a masterpiece. The fabric is twisted and gathered because that is how I envision the visitors of the river. Entangled and confused by the amazingness of what can become of our river.
About the Artist: Jenn M. is straight out of Los Angeles by way of South Gate, California.
A culture enthusiast, loyal soul and dancing spirit, she received her BFA in Fashion Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, GA where her west coast style met and influenced the southern gothic.
A vibrant being, her personal and educational background brings an eye popping and unique edge to her signature looks. Looks that cross cultures and peoples, challenging perceptions and promoting personal expression.
The Jenn M. world is a world where colors + shapes = patterns.
Come see what she sees.
Hometown: South Gate, CA
Connect: instagram: @jenndamingo
Found materials sculpture, 43x44x16 in.
Statement: My works presented to Geofictions LA directly relate to the constructed and natural landscape of Southeast LA by incorporating recycled materials form the LA River into sculptural works that create narratives around the riverbed.
“Garza” is a sculpture depicting a great blue heron. The heron is a spiritual symbol of the Los Angeles River and represents the wild life that still survives in our riverbed despite the environmental pressure on their ecosystem. The sculpture is made of natural materials I found walking along the Los Angeles riverbed in Southeast LA.
About the Artist: Eleazar Martinez was born in Durango, Mexico in the year 1962. His life was divided between working in his stepfather's farm and studying in the city during his brief vacations. Between his work obligations and studies at school, Eleazar practiced many art mediums in Durango, Mexico. He worked as a calligrapher at age 15 and opened a private art studio at age 20. He received his BA in Agriculture and Administration in Mexico.
Eleazar migrated to Los Angeles to start his family and live out his dream as an artist. In Los Angeles, he first worked as a graphic designer and colorist for a silkscreen studio and eventually worked as a production manager. After gaining experience as a manager, Eleazar opened his own studio in the city of Downey which he ran for 15 years. During his time in the studio, Eleazar worked as an illustrator for different state education programs, created bronze sculptures for various cities, and had several solo shows in Los Angeles.
Eleazar is currently working to open a community workshop in his home state of Durango, Mexico to create economic opportunities for impoverished communities on the outskirts of the city. His goal is to create a community workspace that offers services and training in carpentry, wood carving, blacksmithing, welding, and glasswork.
Hometown: Bell, CA
Illustration, unspecified dimensions
Statement: A Female artist in love with the idea of love and spreading positivity throughout the community by connecting through art. Many original illustrations are reminiscent of the Hispanic culture with a Chicano-Type vibe. Other originals portray the music scene in all its diversity from different music genres, different artists, with different ethnic backgrounds perceived as one whole beautiful and evolving community. After all, music is the Language of Love. Any interaction with someone who questions the reasoning behind a concept or a piece is an opportunity to passionately share that in the end Art is the Universal Language and sharing our talents, whatever those may be, are our gifts to each other.
About the Artist: A Los Angeles based artist currently based in South Gate, California. Have been drawing since I picked up my first pencil. Studied and graduated with a degree in Fashion Design and have worked in the industry enough to know that pursuing a dream as an independent artist is something I will continue to cultivate in whatever form my heart speaks
Hometown: Huntington Park, CA
Connect: instagram: @goldheartofficial
Mixed Media, 16x20 in.
Statement: I really wanted to show the flying frog as an example of the type of species that can exist if we preserve or construct habitats. These creatures are very sensitive to environmental changes and I think a good indicator for our society on how we are progressing in saving or preserving our planet.
About the Artist: Igor Zusev was born in Russia, February 1979. He emigrated to the US with his family in 1989. His artistic photographic expressions started early in life with a gift of a point and shoot camera at the age of 8. A veteran of the US NAVY, Igor was his ship’s official photographer where he records military life as he lived it. Since then, Igor has continued to photograph a wide variety of subjects. In the last few years, he has also transitioned into mixed media paintings. His work is represented in a number of galleries and publications.
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Connect: https://www.zusev.art/ , instagram: @igor_zusev
Found material sculpture, 29x23 in.
Statement: “River Madonna” represents the divine core of the Los Angeles River. The spirit of the river forces us to look upon her face and acknowledge her presence in our city and ecosystems. This work is made of mud, branches, and found objects from the LA river.
About the Artist: Eleazar Martinez was born in Durango, Mexico in the year 1962. His life was divided between working in his stepfather's farm and studying in the city during his brief vacations. Between his work obligations and studies at school, Eleazar practiced many art mediums in Durango, Mexico. He worked as a calligrapher at age 15 and opened a private art studio at age 20. He received his BA in Agriculture and Administration in Mexico.
Eleazar migrated to Los Angeles to start his family and live out his dream as an artist. In Los Angeles, he first worked as a graphic designer and colorist for a silkscreen studio and eventually worked as a production manager. After gaining experience as a manager, Eleazar opened his own studio in the city of Downey which he ran for 15 years. During his time in the studio, Eleazar worked as an illustrator for different state education programs, created bronze sculptures for various cities, and had several solo shows in Los Angeles.
Eleazar is currently working to open a community workshop in his home state of Durango, Mexico to create economic opportunities for impoverished communities in the outskirts of the city. His goal is to create a community workspace that offers services and training in carpentry, wood carving, blacksmithing, welding and glasswork.
Hometown: Bell, CA
Digital Photo Collage, 16x21 in (2048x2732px)
Statement: I have to thank my immigrant family and the strong women in my life for helping me flourish into the woman I am today.
Each flower represents an important woman in my life that has helped mold me into who I am: my nana Alicia, my tia Flor, my cousins Dulce, Vivi, and Luisa, my tia Chuy, and my mother. The lavender represents the existence of my generalized anxiety disorder and poses as a reminder to relax and take it easy.
Every monarch butterfly is a representation of my immigrant family members who are responsible for my existence, such as my tío Pancho, my tía Chita, my grandpa who came to the US in the 1940s through the Bracero program, and my father who used a coyote to be smuggled across the border in his early 20s to make a living in Lynwood, and my mother who joined my father years later when they got married.
I will have them growing within me, en mis raíces para siempre.
About the Artist: Blanca E. Castro-De La Peña is a proud first-generation Chicana living in South Gate, CA. She graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. She enjoys listening to music, watching cartoons, and admiring all forms of art. You can always find her singing, drawing, or napping, but always stressing.
Hometown: South Gate, CA
Connect: instagram: @freckledcheeseee
Spray paint mural, 48x96 in.
Statement: Tetris uses public art as a vessel for social and community activism. “Justice for Vanessa Guillen” is a memorial to women who have lost their lives to abuses in the military.
About the Artist: Hector “Tetris” Arias graduated from CSULA in 2007 with a Graphic Design BA. In 2012, he ran a traveling mural program for LAUSD middle schools. In the program, he taught students the basics of creating murals, his team painted over 15 murals throughout Los Angeles.
Over the course of a decade he has worked with many organizations and non-profits. In 2016, he was chosen along with 5 other artists out of 68 applicants by the city of South Gate to paint utility boxes along Tweedy Blvd. He successfully completed a total of six utility boxes. Given his success with community projects, in 2017, he was accepted to be one of the artists for utility boxes by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Los Angeles by Rhonda Mitchell. During the same year (2017), he painted a mural on Cesar Chavez and Cummings named “Love Our Mothers” in Boyle Heights. This mural is protected by the city.
His artistic career has continued to flourish, he was chosen to paint live at the Dodger Stadium for the “World Baseball Classics,” “Viva Los Dodgers” and for the “Dodger Foundation FunRun 5/10k”.
Tetris painted the “Dodger House” two consecutive years during the World Series (2017-2018) to support our local MLB team. Both years the “Dodger House” received major coverage by local TV stations, radio, and newspapers such as: NBCLA, FOX, Ktla, CBS, ABC, Telemundo, Estrella TV, LA Weekly, La Opinion, LAist, Sport Illustrated, Sb Nation and Erazmo y La Chokolata, along with social media. In 2018 the “Dodger House” was viewed during Game Four of the World Series on National T.V.
Most recently, on March of 2019, the Mexican Consulate of Los Angeles commissioned Tetris to paint a mural on their brand new wall that will be revealed on March 16, 2019.
With his passion for art, experience and desire to unite communities through art, Tetris hopes to open an all ages school for art in Southeast LA. Tetris was born in Michoacan, Mexico and raised in Los Angeles, California. He currently resides in the city of Bell.
Hometown: Bell, CA
Connect: instagram: @tetriswai
Mixed media on masonite board, 48x36x1 in.
Statement: I use cartoon like drawing and expressionistic painting, and let intuition and fantasy take over the process when I am painting. I use unrealistic colors to show a world oscillating between dreams and reality. My art is influenced by Expressionism, Surrealism, the primitive and childlike drawing of CoBra, Abstract Expressionism, Bay Area Figurative painting, Beat Art and Symbolism.
About the Artist: My name is Katie McGuire. I live in the Los Angeles area. I have been showing my art in juried, group and solo shows since 2001. I have been working as a substitute teacher for LAUSD in regular education and special education elementary school in Southeast Los Angeles (South Gate, Bell, South Central) since 2001. I have been teaching Painting, Drawing, Art History and Art Appreciation part time at the Community College level since 2001. I have a B.A. in Art from U.C. Berkeley and a M.F.A. in Painting from Claremont Graduate University in 2001. I love painting, and some of my paintings (like this one) are documenting homeless people, street musicians, and street performers that I see in the city of Los Angeles.
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Connect: https://www.KatieMcGuireArtwork.weebly.com , instagram: @KatieSMcGuire
Digital illustration, 6288 x 7560 Pixels
Statement: For about the last two years (and most of my life), I have simply been going with the flow. Going through personal changes and nurturing myself to become who I want to be. At the same time, I have been aware of the changes that have been taking place around the world, socially and environmentally. While we have all been swept up by these generational currents, I feel as if I have let it wash over me. Not to dismiss it, but to not drown in it and ask myself, "What can I do?" What can I do to make a difference? How can I be more engaged? By listening, reflecting, and consciously acting without simply reacting. That is where I can set the sails across the tide. Hoping to shift the waves unto the shores of a more positive light.
About: I am an artist born in L.A. and raised in South Gate CA. (June 5th 1988) My work ranges from drawing, music, photography, and anywhere else my curiosity takes me. My work can be deeply personal while also very reflective. I am currently collaborating with my girlfriend Alba Castro under the name Miel y Fuego and focusing on a new body of work.
Hometown: South Gate, CA
Connect: instagram: @nadidah23
Mixed media on masonite board, 48x36x1 in.
Statement: This is a picture of a homeless man, with a background of a mixture of city and landscape that is somewhat made from my imagination. The painting is called "Man In A Field of Flowers and Arrows." It is made with spray paint, oil paint and collage elements on masonite. It is 3'x4.' The painting is a partial figure of a man walking in a landscape, with a slight aura around him. There is a concrete wall behind him. There are also hills and a starry night with clouds. There is a sign with three arrows pointing in different directions to show the different directions that he might go in. He is surrounded by flowers, showing blooming and hope. The landscape behind him shows a mixture of concrete city scape and nature, like the duality that we see in the city of Los Angeles. In general, he seems to be wandering aimlessly in a cityscape. The painting is supposed to show an image of a mystical person in a mystical world. It is supposed to show the soul of the person. I use cartoon like drawing and expressionistic painting, and let intuition and fantasy take over the process when I am painting. I use unrealistic colors to show a world oscillating between dreams and reality. The man has a heart on his forehead to show his third eye and direction coming from himself as he walks around the city. My art is influenced by Expressionism, Surrealism, the primitive and childlike drawing of CoBra, Abstract Expressionism, Bay Area Figurative painting, Beat Art and Symbolism.
About the Artist: My name is Katie McGuire. I live in the Los Angeles area. I have been showing my art in juried, group and solo shows since 2001. I have been working as a substitute teacher for LAUSD in regular education and special education elementary school in Southeast Los Angeles (South Gate, Bell, South Central) since 2001. I have been teaching Painting, Drawing, Art History and Art Appreciation part time at the Community College level since 2001. I have a B.A. in Art from U.C. Berkeley and a M.F.A. in Painting from Claremont Graduate University in 2001. I love painting, and some of my paintings (like this one) are documenting homeless people, street musicians, and street performers that I see in the city of Los Angeles.
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Connect: https://www.KatieMcGuireArtwork.weebly.com, instagram: @KatieSMcGuire
Digital photography, unspecified dimensions
Statement: As a madre of a bi- racial daughter, it is my responsibility to remind her who she is and the GUERRERA she will become. Growing up in BELL GARDENS all my life and now raising my bi - racial daughter in my hometown where there is so much inspiration to learn from is what connects me to the river and the multi-talented people that live around Bell Gardens. Just recently i took my daughter to HERITAGE PARK in Santa Fe Springs so i can show her the NATIVE AMERICAN grounds that we are blessed to have and out of that trip I was inspired to do another head piece.
About the Artist: “As a Latinx growing up in a diverse city with a rich culture my heritage goes in deep into the river. “My passion has being black and white photography. My headpieces which are all color have been inspired by going into quarantine. I don’t have any formal art education but I have been invited and done shows I was in SELA 2019 FESTIVAL look into my Instagram account for videos. All my photography comes from my passion my soul within.”
Hometown: Bell Gardens, CA
Connect: instagram: @pixturexhronixles
Digital photography, unspecified dimensions
Statement: As a madre of a bi- racial daughter, it is my responsibility to remind her who she is and the GUERRERA she will become. Growing up in BELL GARDENS all my life and now raising my bi - racial daughter in my hometown where there is so much inspiration to learn from is what connects me to the river and the multi-talented people that live around Bell Gardens. Just recently i took my daughter to HERITAGE PARK in Santa Fe Springs so i can show her the NATIVE AMERICAN grounds that we are blessed to have and out of that trip I was inspired to do another head piece.
About the Artist: “As a Latinx growing up in a diverse city with a rich culture my heritage goes in deep into the river. “My passion has being black and white photography. My headpieces which are all color have been inspired by going into quarantine. I don’t have any formal art education but I have been invited and done shows I was in SELA 2019 FESTIVAL look into my Instagram account for videos. All my photography comes from my passion my soul within.”
Hometown: Bell Gardens, CA
Connect: instagram: @pixturexhronixles
Digital photography, unspecified dimensions
Statement: As a madre of a bi- racial daughter, it is my responsibility to remind her who she is and the GUERRERA she will become. Growing up in BELL GARDENS all my life and now raising my bi - racial daughter in my hometown where there is so much inspiration to learn from is what connects me to the river and the multi-talented people that live around Bell Gardens. Just recently i took my daughter to HERITAGE PARK in Santa Fe Springs so i can show her the NATIVE AMERICAN grounds that we are blessed to have and out of that trip I was inspired to do another head piece.
About the Artist: “As a Latinx growing up in a diverse city with a rich culture my heritage goes in deep into the river. “My passion has being black and white photography. My headpieces which are all color have been inspired by going into quarantine. I don’t have any formal art education but I have been invited and done shows I was in SELA 2019 FESTIVAL look into my Instagram account for videos. All my photography comes from my passion my soul within.”
Hometown: Bell Gardens, CA
Connect: instagram: @pixturexhronixles
Statement: The SELA Self Portrait is a collection of artwork created in a three-day virtual workshop led by Chelo Montoya. The featured artists are youth from the community and beyond who are intuitively creative, brilliantly dynamic and represent the future. The project provided each of us an opportunity to reflect on the self and teach each other in a virtual studio environment. Each work unlocks a story of a creative individual with a future full of potential. It is up to us to cultivate those opportunities such as the Open Walls gallery and this festival.
This project can be done on any size or kind of paper or surface and in any medium such as pencil, crayons, markers and even Play-doh! Be inspired! Create your own self portrait and share it with us on instagram @SELAArtsFestival #SELASelfPortrait.SPECS: Digital Photography
About the Artist: Chelo Montoya is an artist and educator specializing in community engagement. She has been a part of the core organizing team of the SELA Arts Festival since its inception. She oversees public programs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, serves on the Board of Directors of the Vincent Price art Museum Foundation and was appointed to the California Arts Council by the Speaker of the Assembly, Anthony Rendon, in March of 2020.
Sophie Cruz is an inspiring 10-year-old entering 5th grade. She enjoys art, sports, and public speaking. Her largest address was to over 470,000 people in Washington D.C. at the 2017 Women's March, a worldwide protest on January 21, 2017, the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Sahara Cruz is 6 years old and in first grade. She is a complete joy and says “when I paint I feel happy.“
Mountain Montoya is a creative individual in all directions. He enjoys drawing, gaming and making videos on TikTok - you can follow him @XXXX. He is 10 years old and really looking forward to this pandemic being over.
Mia Suarez is 15 years old. She likes listening to and playing music. She enjoys drawing, singing, and playing guitar. She painted herself with music symbols around her because music has always been a really big part of her life.
Maya E. Landaverde is 13 in 8th grade. She loves music, math, Sonic the HedgeHog, and loves her brother David and sister Morenci. She is currently learning how to play electric guitar in LAUSD’s summer music program.
Matthew Suarez is a 9 year-old student of KIPP Academy, who was born and raised in South Gate CA. He enjoys playing with his friends, and going to the park to play. He drew himself playing in the park, enjoying himself after the quarantine is over.
Matthew Carranza is an artist in South Gate, California that is currently in the 7th grade. Art to him is a medium to express feelings, creations, and explore the imagination. He is currently working on drawings that show love for animals and the planet.
Luna Montoya is a Libra going on 2 years old. She enjoys making art, face painting and banging the drums.
Javier C. Macias Cortez is 7 years old and just finished 1st grade. His interests include drawing, clay sculptures, playing Stick War and Jurassic World the game. He also enjoys food, comedy, and that's all.
Digital Rendering, dimensions vary
Statement: Stark, gray, shadow, concrete, unsettling, mysterious, monumental, performative, explorative, artistic... river.
The ecological succession of the Los Angeles River has played out amidst a sea of recent proposals for its “revitalization”, contending that the water course, through its channelization, had completely lost touch with the natural eco-system that once existed there. This is not untrue, but this is not the whole story either. What has emerged in the river is an alternate/artificial ecology, with attributes, though unexpected, are not without value or character. Perhaps accepting that the grit and grime of its channeled walls as a veritable terrain for occupation and use could be leveraged to create something beautiful and monumental, rather than familiar and comforting.
As a prototype for an artificial landscape, this project posits that a new type of public space could emerge with all the same qualities the current LA River already possesses - one that does not seek to tame or revitalize the existing ecological conditions, but rather seeks to amplify the potential they possess as peculiar and fascinating opportunities for artistic and creative exploration.
About the Artist: Aaron Levine is a Designer and Musician working in San Francisco. He is fascinated and inspired by the seam between nature and constructed environments, as well as the performative relationships therein. Having found music to be a bridge to architecture and visual art, the need for a feedback loop between mediums weighs heavily on his creative process and design sensibilities. Levine was born and raised in Los Angeles and moved to San Francisco in 2007. He holds a Master's of Architecture from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor's of Art in History from UC Santa Cruz.
Hometown: Los Angeles/San Francisco
Connect: instagram: @aveclaudenum
David Landaverde, is a 9 year old in 4th grade from South Gate, Los Angeles, California. Interests include: family, painting, wild animals, dinosaurs, godzilla, fast cars, dragons, swords, outdoor activities, traveling, acting, and music.