Magazine, Entertainment, Ricky Richardson
KARLA T VASQUEZ_PHOTO
Los Angeles- Residents of Los Angeles are self quarantined in their homes, due to the recent outbreak of the coronavirus COVID 19. These are the Stay Safe at Home Orders from State, City and County Officials.
People all across the United States, and the World, for that matter, had to get used to the “new normal” while coping with these uncertain times.
It does my heart good to read and hear about people pitching in to help out where needed for the greater good of their community, State and Country.
This also meant that people had to devise some creative ways to distract them from boredom before Cabin fever sets in.
Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles took it up a notch to provide an eclectic virtual lineup of entertainment, represented of the diverse communities of Los Angeles. Gather your family and friends in the living room for Grand Park’s popular Spring arts experience. Grand Park’s Our L.A. Voices: A Pop-Up Arts Culture Fest goes virtual as Grand Park celebrates the richness and resilience of Los Angeles’s arts community with a free performing and visual arts exhibition featuring more than 20 LA based artists.
Mujeres Market, Gloria Lucas and Monica Zamora
The public will be engaged and entertained while enjoying the vibrant joyful two-day event online at www.grandparkla.org, Facebook Live and Instagram Live with continuous programming on Saturday, April 25, 2020, from 9:00 a.m.-3:30p.m., and on Sunday, April 26, 2020, from 9:00a.m.-6:00p.m.
Representing the distinctive cultural and artistic voices across Los Angeles county and brought together by The Music Center’s Grand Park Team in the virtual space. The family friendly festival features live music, film screenings, poetry readings, cooking demonstrations, children’s activities and photography and visual arts exhibits that all can enjoy while staying safer at home.
Each hour features a different creative genre with a 15-minute virtual set change between each act. The event also includes fun hands-on activities and arts workshops empowering at home participation.
Highlights from each hour features a different creative genre, nothing repeats and all of the contents is newly curated for the event, nearly 18 hours of total programming including:
-live music Puerto Rico’s indie band Balun and DJ sets by Beatmakers Samurai Guru, Linafornia, and JansportJ
-poetry reading with former LA Poet Laureate Luis J. Rodriguez
-a Salvadoran cooking demonstration with Karla Vazquez
-short films from Asian American Filmmakers about identity and place
-photography exhibition by photojournalist Samanta Helou Hernandez; a children’s sing-a-long with La Labreira (LA’s Premiere Spanish Bookstore)
-online workshop hosted by Head Wraps in the Park and GURL Museum Day
Our Voices is very representative of the different perspectives and cultural identities of the county. Appreciating the diversity and celebrating what makes us “LA” is what is going to get us through this!
KARLA T VASQUEZ Cooking Demonstration
“With the use of digital technology, the park for everyone is also the park everywhere for this year’s iteration of Grand Park s Our L.A. Voices, said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. We’re so pleased the artists are able to join us in a new format for this event that responds to the current times and provides an innovative platform to showcase the arts and cultural landscape of Los Angeles. Our L.A. Voices continues to represent community pride as we learn, discover and discuss what it means to be a part of the dynamism and creativity that define Los Angeles. While we may be distant, we’re still socially connected through this year’s virtual programming.”
“After more than a year of planning for our third annual Our L.A. Voices, Grand Park quickly worked with our artist partners to adapt the in-person presentations for the
digital sphere. We also planned new programs designed to meet this
Fatima Dodson
specific moment we’re all experiencing in our community. Through these artists narrative and voices, people will find inspiration and strength in tough times,” said Julia Diamond, director, Grand Park. Grand Park creates a home for artists and audiences where cultural equity and inclusion are core values in our endeavors to welcome, entertain and engage all Angelenos. We’re committed to celebrating what s unique about our county from screen-to-screen until we’re able to meet face-to-face once again.”
For updated information, visit grandparkla.org and grandparkla.org/event/our-la-voices-2020/. Follow Grand Park on Facebook (GrandParkLosAngeles), as well as Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (@GrandPark_LA).
About Grand Park
A vibrant outdoor gathering place, Grand Park is a beautiful public park for the entire community in Los Angeles County. With expansive green space for gatherings large and small, Grand Park celebrates the county s cultural vitality and is host to community events, cultural experiences, holiday celebrations, and many other activities that engage and attract visitors from all communities. The 12-acre Grand Park stretches from The Music Center on the west to City Hall on the east and is easily accessible by Metro via the Red/Purple line to the Civic Center/Grand Park station. The park was named one of American Planning Association s 10 Great Public Spaces in the U.S. for 2013. Working closely with the county, The Music Center is responsible for all operations and programming for the park. For more information, visit grandparkla.org. Follow Grand Park on Facebook (@GrandParkLosAngeles), as well as Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (@GrandPark_LA).
About The Music Center
The Music Center convenes artists, communities and ideas with the goal of deepening the cultural lives of every resident in Los Angeles County. The non-profit performing arts organization has two divisions: The Music Center Arts (TMC Arts) and The Music Center Operations (TMC Ops). TMC Arts, The Music Center s programming engine, provides year-round programming inside The Music Center s four theatres, on The Music Center Plaza, outside at Grand Park a 12-acre adjacent green space and in schools and other locations all over Los Angeles County. TMC Arts presents world-class dance with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, free and low-cost public concerts and events, as well as K 12 arts education programs. TMC Ops manages the theatres, the Plaza and Grand Park on behalf of the County of Los Angeles. The Music Center is also home to four renowned resident companies Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera and LA Phil. For more information, visit musiccenter.org. Follow The Music Center on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @MusicCenterLA.
