Thursday, January 20, 2011

Los Angeles Art Association & ANACAFÉ, Guatemala's National Coffee Organization, proudly present "Hecho a Mano" juried by Idurre Alonso, Curator Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) Los Angeles Art Association & ANACAFÉ, Guatemala's National Coffee Organization, proudly present "Hecho a Mano" juried by Idurre Alonso, Curator Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) Hecho a Mano LAAA & ANACAFE


Michael Giancristiano

Work by Steve Fujimoto

Patricia Yossen

Ching Ching Cheng

Gwen Samuels and Melissa Pugash


























Work by Patricia Yossen





















Hecho














Los Angeles Art Association & ANACAFÉ, Guatemala's National Coffee Organization, proudly present "Hecho a Mano" juried by Idurre Alonso, Curator Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA)

Hecho a Mano (Made by Hand) is a special collaborative exhibition featuring contemporary artwork created by Greater Los Angeles-area emerging artists exploring issues of quality workmanship and cultural heritage. Also included are selections from ANACAFÉ's 50th Anniversary exhibition titled Inspired by Coffee that débuted at the International Coffee Organization's World Coffee Conference in February 2010. The collection showcases images of Guatemala's coffee-growing regions by photographers from Belgium, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, France and the U.S. along with panoramic views captured by Anglo-American photographer Eadweard Muybridge in 1875. Idurre Alonso, Spanish art historian and curator at the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) juried the exhibition.

F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc., makers of Don Francisco's Coffees Family Reserve are proud to be the Platinum sponsor of this multi-media, cross-cultural exhibition presented by ANACAFÉ, the 90,000-member national coffee board of Guatemala and LAAA.The exhibition is presented with the support of Bunn-O-Matic Corporation and InterAmerican Coffee, Inc., and will be on display at Gallery 825 until February 11, 2011. Hecho a Mano will be presented in conjunction with Los Angeles Arts Month.

Featured artists include:
Ruben Acosta, Santiago Albert, Ange Bourda, Moisés Castillo, Ching Ching Cheng, YaYa Chou, Mitchell Denburg, Fulvio Eccardi, Brad Fielder, Steven Fujimoto, Libby L. Gerber, Michael Giancristiano, Naohiko Hoshino, Koji Iijima, Wim Kempenaers, Jim Keville, Laura Larson, Martha Martínez, Juan Carlos Menéndez, Eadweard Muybridge, José Domingo Noriega, Raksha Parekh, Patrick Quinn, Gwen Samuels, Heather Scholl, Susan M. Sironi, Agostino Someliani, Byron Wolfe and Patricia Yossen.

Reception: 7-9pm, Saturday January 15, 2011
Admission: Free
Location: Gallery 825
825 N. La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Show runs through February 11, 2011.

For information call 310.652.8272 or e-mail gallery825@laaa.org 

Top images by Jim Keville, Steven Fujimoto and Ching Ching Cheng











Thursday, January 6, 2011

Los Angeles ART MONTH is launched Downtown as Artists and Leaders gain recognition for transforming the art scene! Story and Photojournal by Ginger Van Hook

            A member of the LA ART MONTH Steering Committee since it's inception three years ago, Peter Mays described today's event as an important milestone in the transformation of the Los Angeles Art Scene. Mays stated that Gayle Garner Roski and Kim Martindale  are two of the prominent artists and business leaders who are credited with coming up with the idea to incorporate all the arts in the celebration, including a variety of visual arts, sculpture, film and adding the musical arts, plus the magical Cirque du Soleil acrobatics performers and theatrical actors as well. The January 5, 2011 launching of LA ART MONTH involved a steering committee of approximately 20 members of the Los Angeles Art Community plus encouraging remarks and support from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LA Council District 4's Tom LaBonge. In addition to various art publications booths and vendors, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs had an important presence in a booth near the stage where they were Featuring special performances by: David Hidalgo & Louie Perez of Los Lobos, Theatrical selections by About Productions and performances by Cirque du Soleil, including an appearance by cast from Zumanity. 
LA Art Month Steering Committee member and 
Executive Director of Los Angeles Art Association and Gallery 825
 together with LAAA/G825 Program Manager Nancy Kaye 
help kick off Los Angeles Art Month in Downtown Los Angeles 
at the Music Center Plaza on January 5, 2011.
 LAAA member artists featured during this event included
 Ching-Ching Cheng, Tm Gratkowski and Joe Davidson. 
Photo by Ginger Van Hook©2011
Yoichi Kawamura also an LAAA artist member
stopped by to support fellow LAAA "featured artist" member 
Ching-Ching Cheng 
during the celebration of LA Arts Month in Downtown Los Angeles 
on January 5, 2011. 
Photo by Ginger Van Hook©2011
Camera artwork created by "featured artist"
 Ching-Ching Cheng. 
Photo by Ginger Van Hook©2011
LAAA "Featured artist" member Tm Gratkowski took a moment to pose beside his collage art for the launching of LA ARTS MONTH held at the Music Center Plaza on Jan 5, 2011.
 Photo by Ginger Van Hook©2011
 LAAA member "Featured Artist" Joe Davidson created artwork while the celebrated launch of 
Los Angeles Art Month was in progress and the audience enjoyed the performances by 
David Hidalgo and Louie Perez of Los Lobos
Photo by Ginger Van Hook©2011
New FilmMakers! Photo by Ginger Van Hook©2011
LA Inc., Cirque Du Soleil and Experience LA contribute their part 
to the revitalization of the ARTS in DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. 
Photo by Ginger Van Hook©2011
In front of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 
the audience was enthralled with the young artist on stage 
who performed complicated choreography of arial acrobatics representing
Cirque du Soleil. 
Photo by Ginger Van Hook©2011
One of the largest noon audiences ever in Los Angeles
celebrated the arts as they enjoyed a very flexible arial routine 
by a performer from Cirque du Soleil. 
Photo by Ginger Van Hook©2011



Creative and extraordinarilly flexible, the Performer from Cirque du Soleil 
captivated her audience during the LA ARTS MONTH kick off festivities. 
Photo by Ginger Van Hook©2011



LA Council District 4's Tom LaBonge thanked Cirque du Soleil's artist 
for her wonderful performance during the launching of 
LA ARTS MONTH at the Downtown Music Center Plaza 
on Grand Street in Los Angeles, California. 

In a brief exuberant speech between performances, Tom LaBonge 
stated the latest acronym for Los Angeles means "LOVE ARTS!"

Performing to standing room audiences in Downtown's Music Center Plaza in Los Angeles, 
David Hidalgo and Louie Perez of Los Lobos perform a melody of their popular songs! 
Photo by Ginger Van Hook©2011


Music Center Plaza
135 N. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles City and County officials as well as the

cultural arts leaders and movers and shakers of the 

LA art world celebrated Los Angeles Arts Month, 

an opportunity for Angelenos and visitors alike to 

discover the rich cultural fabric of our city.

A Featured special performance by David Hidalgo 

& Louie Perez of Los Lobos with theatrical 

selections by About Productions also made the celebration an event to remember!

For more info, visit