Skid Row Arts Festival This Week, Events District and Bike Registration
Previously, the L.A. Loft Blog has called Lincoln Heights “the new Arts District,” and today we’re calling Skid Row the new Arts District as well. Let’s compare the three evolving neighborhoods and take a look at where they are today, where they’ve been and where they’re headed. #dtla #skidrow #arts
Blight and struggle are the root of much creativity, while suffering and toil are often considered to be linked to salvation and redemption. While the Arts District of Downtown L.A. is now one of the most expensive real estate neighborhoods on planet, with average selling prices approaching $900,000, the Arts District was forged through the challenges of LA’s neglectful urban blight period from the 1970s through 2000.
Artists see beauty in run-down buildings and neighborhoods, especially if the buildings were from creative beginnings with industrial and historic architecture. As industrial neighborhood rents stagnated for decades, thousands of artists were able to take advantage of the economic large spaces where they could create oversized works with relatively cheap production costs. Today that has changed. Due to gentrification of the once-affordable loft neighborhood, most struggling artists have been forced to live in Skid Row or the desert areas. Some successful or lucky artists have been able to move to places like the Alta Lofts in Lincoln Heights, with nicer, larger and cheaper lofts for sale.
Take your broken heart, turn it into art. Today, the most economical (and blighted) place for artists to live in urban L.A. is Skid Row in the middle of Downtown Los Angeles. While it’s best known as Southern California’s capital of poverty and homelessness, the city center provides the economy and challenges that launch and foster a wealth of creativity.
Festival for All Skid Row Artists Nov 3-4, 2018
Created by the Los Angeles Poverty Department, the 9th annual Festival for All Skid Row Artists has become one of the most anticipated grassroots cultural events in the vibrant artistic community. It’s an occasion to celebrate and preserve the rich artistic heritage of Skid Row.
Since 2010, every year on the 3rd weekend of October (normally in Gladys Park in Skid Row), the festival encourages neighborhood artists, well-known and soon to be discovered. It will be in San Julian Park this time. The Los Angeles Poverty Department helps by collecting information about the artists, documenting their work and keeping a registry of Skid Row artists, which now numbers more than 700. #events
Skid Row Arts Festival November 3 & 4, 2018 each day from noon – 4pm at SAN JULIAN PARK, 312 E 5th St. Los Angeles, CA 90013
SKID ROW EVENTS DISTRICT
The best hope for solving the problems of Skid Row requires public and private funds with efforts stemming from a revolutionary idea such changing California laws to create a family-friendly Skid Row Casino District entertainment area that could generate billions required to fully clean up Skid Row and house the bulk of the homeless while creating hundreds of new businesses and many thousands of new jobs.
Until that happens, we have smaller steps that are already occurring to beautify and employ city center resources and nearby talents. One example of this re-invention is Valentine, a unique event space for weddings, receptions and productions among bountiful art, verdant gardens and storied historic industrial architecture.
These beautiful events and powerful creations build on Downtown’s energetic history to illustrate today’s exciting potential and to manifest bright future possibilities for the coming new Arts District.
Nearby lofts that are affordable and popular with Loft Blog readers include Little Tokyo Lofts and Santee Village.
PROTECT YOUR BIKE WITH REGISTRY
The Los Angeles Police Department uses Bike Index to aid owners of stolen bicycles to recover their possessions. The website has helped to reunite more than 5,000 owners with their lost or stolen green mode of transportation.
Bicycles, and bike theft, are growing in popularity in DTLA. To protect your set of two wheels, register it free online at www.bikeindex.org
Affordable Lofts — Creativity is contagious. Hanging out with artists increases access to creative resources, ideas, motivation and opportunities. Get a free list of affordable lofts. Fill out the online form:
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