By Jesus Figueroa
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art collaborates with the East Los Angeles College Foundation Board and East Los Angeles College to bring LACMA9 Art+Film Lab to Monterey Park from Jan. 10 to Feb. 9.
The Art+Film Lab launched last June brings engaging programs to nine communities throughout Southern California – Redlands, San Bernardino, Altadena, Monterey Park, Hacienda Heights, Montebello, Compton, Inglewood and Torrance.
The Art+Film lab will be located next to the Vincent Price Art Museum during it’s stay on ELAC’s campus.
An opening night party will be held on Jan. 10 with an open house from 6 to 8 p.m., a live music performance by cumbia group Buyepongo starting at 7 p.m. and a special screening of “Searching for Sugarman” starts at 8:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts S2 Recital Hall complex.
There will be free art, film programming and a space for the members of the community to learn and experiment with art and the filmmaking processes.
Among the activities during the five weeks at the ELAC campus are an opening-night celebration, hands-on art and filmmaking workshops, a diverse selection of weekly film screenings and a gathering of oral-history from local members.
Activities include free workshops in which participants learn how to use technology for personal expression. These workshops will include creating soundtracks, cinematography, in-camera editing and more. The lab provides equipment, tools and materials for these projects.
The Art+Film Lab is a collaboration with acclaimed artist Jorge Pardo and Nicole Miller that offers unique perspectives about community, design and space.
Acclaimed artist Pardo created the mobile structure that houses the art, film and the areas for recording oral-history.
Installation artist Miller works with residents in each city to gather oral history that explore subjectivity and self-representation as tools for the possible reconstitution of lost histories.
Contributors from the community have an opportunity to contribute to Miller’s work by sharing personal anecdotes or interviewing friends and family members on camera.
Participants are encouraged to bring a thumb drive to take home an audio copy of the recording and a video portrait.
Hours for drop-in contributions from members are Jan. 12, 17, 24, 26 and 31 and on Feb. 7 and 9.
LACMA9 Art+Film lab will also have a special Valentine’s Day celebration on the final day at the ELAC’s campus when contributors will be encouraged to share a sweet story of love or confess one’s true feelings in the “Oral-History Workshop.”
After the program’s run, Monterey Park residents will be invited to a special community day at LACMA on April 6, visitors will receive free admission to the museum.
Miller’s new video which will include the Monterey Park community will be exhibited at LACMA on the Monterey Park Community Day on April 6.
Alongside the structure, a wide range of films, from Hollywood classics to foreign films, will be screened every weekend —”Searching for Sugarman” on Jan. 10 starting at 8:30 p.m., “Little Fugitive” Jan. 17 starting 7 p.m., “Up” on Jan. 24 starting on 7 p.m., “LACMA9 Short Program,” “Daybreak Express,” “Olivia’s Place,” “Kristallnacht,” “The Sound we See: A Los Angeles Symphony” and “Red Ballon” with English subtitles on Jan. 31 starting at 7 p.m., “The Horse” and “The Three Burials of Melquiades” on Feb. 7 starting at 7 p.m., and “To Live” with English subtitles on Feb. 8 starting at 7 p.m.
The LACMA9 Art+Film Lab is supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.
For more information visit lacma.org/artfilmlab