Clockshop

Today (3/4) from 5-6:30pm PST, join California African American Museum for In Conversation: Lynell George and adrienne maree brown on Octavia E. Butler. The two guests will discuss the great resurgence of interest in Butler. RSVP here for Zoom instructions: https://caamuseum.org//in-conversation-lynell-george-and-a

Calling all high schoolers and change-makers! Join Heal the Bay’s Virtual Advocacy Youth Summit tomorrow 3/2 at 6PM PST to learn about the history of the LA River, get a rundown of the LA River Master Plan, and learn how you can have your voice heard regarding the plan. Sign up at the link below!

Join the chorus of community voices that are calling for the LA River Master Plan to bring together people and nature, while protecting all of us from climate change and flooding. The County’s LA River Master Plan Update is a once in a generation opportunity to provide creative solutions to improve our communities, the LA River, and the County of Los Angeles. Our County Supervisors and Public Works team need to hear from you. Please submit a letter at the link below. And ple...ase share! Friends of the Los Angeles River #LARiver #LARiverMasterPlan #LosAngeles #LosAngelesRiver

Today at 4pm PST, a Symphony Space celebration of Octavia E. Butler Actors and authors come together for an evening of readings and conversation to celebrate the work of the visionary author whose Afrofuturistic feminist novels and short fiction have become even more poignant since her death. Her award-winning novels, including Parable of the Sower, Kindred, Dawn, and Wild Seed, have influenced a generation of writers. Audience members will be invited to join the conversation with questions for the panelists. Produced in cooperation with Grand Central Publishing and The Library of America. #OctaviaEButler #OEB

In case you missed it Check out our 2020 Black Californians Book Bundle! This bundle celebrates works by and about Black Californian women. The book bundle includes A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The world of Octavia E. Butler by Lynell George, Trailblazer: Delilah Beasley’s California, with fiction by Dana Johnson, and Inhabitants and Visitors by Robin Coste Lewis. With all of us continuing to shelter in place, now is the perfect time to curl up with a good book (or three). Purchase yours today for the amateur historian, poet, or bookworm in your life! https://clockshop.org/shop

A much-circulated image from Butler’s archives, held at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, shows a notebook cover flooded with exhortations. It begins: ‘I shall be a bestselling writer . . . My novels will go onto [the bestseller list] whether publishers push them hard or not, whether I’m paid a high advance or not, whether I ever win another award or not . . . This is my life. I write bestselling novels.’ And goes on: ‘I wil...l find the way to do this! So be it! See to it!’ With Parable’s posthumous bestsellerdom, her 1980s prophecy seems to have come true. #OctaviaEButler

From BOMB Magazine, a list of vital resources for ALL artists, newly updated with Los Angeles resources for Latinx communities.

This Tuesday, February 23rd from 6pm to 7:30pm PST-- "Los Angeles County recently released the L.A. River Master Plan, their plan for revitalizing the iconic river. The health and safety of L.A. County’s people and wildlife depend on a comprehensive and just Plan, a plan that transforms the river into something better. It must create effective improvements to the river ecosystem as well as correct the many environmental injustices facing the communities surrounding the river.... Tune in to [this online] advocacy training to learn about the history of the L.A. River, get a rundown of the L.A. River Master Plan, and learn how you can have your voice heard. Representatives from local NGOs will share their thoughts on the plan and equip you with the knowledge you need to weigh in on this important issue." East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice | Friends of the Los Angeles River | Heal the Bay | Los Angeles Waterkeeper | The Nature Conservancy | The Trust for Public Land | Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust #LARiver #LosAngeles #LARiverMasterPlan

‘One of the things that they’re saying is, ‘think of the views that you’ll get from the gondola,’ but think of the views that you’re stealing from the park to have that gondola,’ said Julia Meltzer, executive director of arts nonprofit, Clockshop. . . . . Clockshop and its partners, which in addition to the Los Angeles River State Park Partners, include Friends of the Los Angeles River, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the The California Endowment, among ot...hers, aren’t about to give up park space the community fought so hard to get without a fight. ‘That park took 16 years to build and 65 community meetings, that will not be let go of easily. There will be a fight,’ Meltzer said. ‘Basically, we’re just trying to work with partners and to notify people in the community that this project is happening, and it’s not a done deal.’ Spectrum News 1 SoCal #LASHP #ClockshopLA #LosAngeles #LosAngelesStateHistoricPark

Happy Black History Month! Join us in a few weeks for a conversation about Black historian, journalist, and trailblazer Delilah L. Beasley as a part of The Autry’s What’s Her Story exhibition. Everyone who registers for the event will be entered into a giveaway to receive a copy of our book , and all attendees will receive a discount code to get $5 off the book in our shop. We hope to see you there! Learn more and register here: https://clockshop.org//what...s-her-story-a-conversation-abou #BlackHistoryMonth

Clockshop is honored to be one of 18 Los Angeles arts groups to receive an organizational support grant from the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. ‘These organizations, nonprofits, are always having difficulty supporting their programs, even in the best of times,’ foundation Executive Director Mary Clare Stevens, said. ‘Layer that with this great hit, which seems to be continuing closures, cancellations, losing revenue it’s really challenging. Our intention with thes...e grants is to move into a place where we’re being as responsive as we can.’ . . . . ‘There seemed to be a great need in terms of basics paying salaries, rent, utilities, just keeping the lights on,’ Stevens said. ‘And to continue to support programming. I’ve been incredibly impressed with just how much resilience these organizations are showing in the face of all this.’ The late Los Angeles artist Mike Kelley, who started the foundation, was a devoted supporter of small arts organizations, particularly experimental ones. Artist project grants typically are dispersed among eight or nine recipients from across the county and announced in mid-spring. Stevens said all of this year’s grantees embrace experimental practices, critical thinking, risk taking and provocation, ‘values that are informed by Mike Kelley’s life and practices.’

Issue 2 of Air/Light Magazine is out! Think of this issue of Air/Light [as] a mirror. Think of it as a signpost of its time. The work here grows out of upheaval and uncertainty: the pandemic, the election and its aftermath. Like all of us, these writers and artists and musicians are trying to figure it out as they go along. That they can only see it in pieces is as it should be; art and literature are about asking questions, after all. If we knew the answers, there would be no need to be creative. We would not have to imagine a different world. So join us, if you will, on this journey. Join us in navigating this moment through image and sound and word. Everything is only what we make it. David L. Ulin, Editor

....last summer, USC and the Getty Research Institute announced that they had jointly acquired Williams’ archive a trove of approximately 35,000 architectural plans and 10,000 original drawings, in addition to blueprints, hand-colored renderings, vintage photographs and correspondence. The acquisition will, for the first time, allow public access to the breadth of the architect’s work. Williams’ granddaughter, Karen Elyse Hudson, who has been the steward of her grandfather...’s papers, says the archive contains ‘the story of a man and his influence on the city.’ That influence is formidable. Alongside architects such as Welton Becket and William Pereira, Williams helped give L.A. its look. The renewed attention to Williams couldn’t come at a more critical time. At a moment in which violent white supremacy is ascendant, Williams’ buildings are a reminder that Black people not only helped build U.S. cities they also designed them. Carolina A. Miranda in the Los Angeles Times

So Be It! See To It! Our Octavia E. Butler tote bags are back! Octavia E. Butler’s stories, through their worldbuilding and critical exploration, seem to have predicted many of the things we’ve watched play out over the past year. 2020 alone has brought more heat, dust, thirst, stench, misery and fire than any of us have ever asked for. To help us all cope, we're bringing back both designs of our beloved tote bags for a limited time.... We are also celebrating Lynell George's new book "A Handful of Earth, a Handful of Sky" by selling a super limited number of Prophetic Octavia bundles! Bundles include a copy of George's book and a tote bag, and sell for $100. All proceeds from these bundles will go straight to funding the Bowtie Youth Council. #ClockshopLA #AHandfulOfEarthAHandfulOfSky #LynellGeorge #OctaviaEButler #octaviabutlerbookclub #bowtieyouthcouncil @lynellgeorgewriter @wanderingfoot Link in bio!

"Torn-off wiring stuck out all over these blasted buildings like hair standing on end, and your hair did stand on end to see the remains of so many rooms that once enclosed people, providing, in the best case scenario perhaps, the illusion of safety and permanence, which was elusive in this city, even in this city, which was said to be among the world's most important, this most powerful, most desirable, most influential, most visited, most expensive, innovative, sustainable,... most-of course-investment friendly, most popular for work city in the world." Excerpted from 'Holes' by Emily Berry @no1_emily Read @carmen.argote in conversation with @no1_emily in our beautiful broadsheet designed by @katiemanos. #ClockshopLA #LastLight #HandDogGlove Photo by @ginaclyne. See more

Today would have marked Octavia E. Butler’s 73nd journey around the sun . . ... #OctaviaEButler #OEB #ClockshopLA @octaviaebutler See more

On this #Juneteenth2020 we celebrate trailblazer, historian, and journalist Delilah Beasley who dedicated her life to recording black history in California so it was not lost. Delilah hoped that her book would be in every public library in the Golden State. Clockshop is working on a curriculum for high school students about : ’ so we can help, in some small way, to fulfill part of her dream. Pictured: Madame Sul-Te-Wan, Actor and dancer. Visit our link in bio to learn more. #DelilahBeasley #DanaJohnson #ClockshopLA

Angelenos! Take action today to tell the Los Angeles City Council that we need to fund #CareNotCops. To learn more, visit #PeoplesBudgetLA. @blmlosangeles @streetwatchla @ Los Angeles, California

Welcome to another throwback history lesson on the Los Angeles River. On February 27, 1938, it began raining in Los Angeles. By the time the torrential downpour subsided, five days later, the city experienced one of the most damaging floods in its history. As heavy rain fell on the already wet creeks and canyons of the watershed, a tremendous amount of water flowed toward the Los Angeles River. Such intense rainfall and flash floods were not unusual in the region’s natur...al cycle. In fact, the rainfall in 1938 barely came close to the Great Flood of 1862. But this was the first of the 50-year floods that hit Los Angeles after its population grew in the early twentieth century. An article from the Los Angeles Times, looking back on the flood describes the damage: At least 96 people died across Southern California, the toll scattered among several counties. The dead included five members of a family in North Hollywood; a family in Orange County lost three children. More than 1,500 homes in Los Angeles alone were rendered unlivable, and 3,700 residents were sheltered by relief agencies. Schools were closed for two days. The pictures above show aerial views of how the river flooded in Elysian Valley, including over the land that today makes up the Bowtie. Sources: @latimes and @kcet Photos courtesy of the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. #ClockshopLA #tbt @ The Bowtie Project See more

Among the highlights of the past year at Clockshop was learning about the amazing work of Delilah Leontium Beasley, a black California historian and the subject of , our most recent publication. In an effort to continue activating the book and spreading the gospel of Delilah L. Beasley, we're excited to announce one of Clockshop's safer-at-home projects: the Curriculum Guide! Using as a primary text, we are developing a curriculum ...guide that meets Common Core State Standards for both English and History/Social Studies classes grades 8th through 12th. Highlighting Delilah L. Beasley's legacy and work in , and now in the curriculum's writing prompts and activities, has been a labor of love. Delilah had always hoped to see her book, , in every library in the country. We're not quite there yet, but this feels like a step in the right direction! Stay tuned for the release of this Curriculum Guide, coming soon Photos by @ginaclyne. #ClockshopLA #DelilahBeasley See more

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, grandmothers and maternal ancestors who have inspired us to create and imagine new possible and impossible futures. #laurenolamina #earthseed #parableofthesower #change #OEB #ClockshopLA @thehuntingtonlibrary

Even though we had to pause our 2020 Bowtie Storytellers program, all of the participants were able to become Certified Interpretive Hosts and have started receiving their certificates in the mail! Now on their resumes, just like folks with MAs and PhDs, they can include "CIH" next to their name #ClockshopLA #BowtieStorytellers

We are saddened by the passing of Lewis MacAdams, the original evangelist for the Los Angeles River. Lewis' artful advocacy paved the way for Angelenos to recognize and fight for the future of their river. He sparked the River Movement in Los Angeles and was a catalyst for change that altered the character of our city for the better. His activism, that often bridged art and politics to enact change, has directly inspired Clockshop's and California State Park's work at the Bow...tie. Because of Lewis’ work, we’ve come to realize that art and arts programming is such a powerful tool in engaging urban communities, Sean Woods, Clockshop board member and former superintendent of California State Park's L.A. sector, said. That is probably Lewis’ greatest impact, changing the perception of the river, getting people to realize what a tremendous resource this is and how it connects so many of us in Los Angeles. In May 2014, Clockshop organized for the first Los Angeles River Campout. Lewis MacAdams attended along with Carol Armstrong, Mia and Michael Lehrer, Woods and our director, Julia Meltzer. Rest in peace, Lewis. It is fitting to celebrate your life on Earth Day. You helped us to reclaim and rename a foundational part of our city that had been concretized and forgotten. Thank you for breaking down fences, blocking bulldozers, and using art and language to bring the river back. : Los Angeles River Campout, May 2014. : Lewis MacAdams protests the destruction of vegetation in the Los Angeles River in 1995 by standing in front of the bulldozers and refusing to move. (Courtesy of Blake Gumprecht) : Sean and Lewis is at Lewis’ 70th birthday celebration. #LosAngelesRiver See more

We are excited to announce one of the newest members to our board! Alia Ali is a Yemeni-Bosnian-US multi-media artist. Having traveled to sixty-seven countries, lived in and between seven, and grown up among five languages, her most comfortable mode of communication is through image and multi-sensory mediums. Her work has been featured in many publicationsincluding the , , and and she was recently honored with the Chromatic Art Award as Photographer ...of the Year. She has exhibited internationally; in 2020 her solo exhibition, FRIEZE, traveled to New Orleans Museum of Art, Benton Museum of Art, the CAFKA Biennial, PhotoLondon and Art Dubai. We are very proud to welcome Alia to the Clockshop family and are grateful for her service in continuing our mission. Featured here: , FLUX Series, 2019, Alia Ali. Photo by @ginaclyne. #ClockshopLA See more

We were so excited to hear Karla Cornejo Villavicencio's voice when tuning into @thisamerlife this morning! We were lucky enough to have met Karla back in 2017 when she participated in our Counter-Inaugaural conversation series. Her book is out now! If you're anything like us and miss the days of gathering in-person to hear amazing folks talk about pressing social issues, you can listen to recordings of most of our past Counter-Inaugural events.... Link in bio. Photo by @ginaclyne. #ClockshopLA #CounterInaugaural See more

A welcome distraction from the news: listen to East Bay Yesterday’s latest podcast episode on : ’ . This episode explores Beasley’s life as a historian and journalist through a conversation with writers Dana Johnson and Ana Cecilia Alvarez (@_llorona). From @eastbayyesterday: "Delilah Beasley didn’t have much education or money, but when she saw that African Americans were being ignored by history books, she knew she had to do someth...ing. Beasley ended up spending nearly a decade interviewing elders and digging through crumbling archives to compile , a book that rescued dozens of notable Black figures from historical oblivion. Listen to the new podcast episode to hear her incredible story." The first picture featured in this post is of Delilah's home in Oakland, on 34th St. The second shows a group of local woman gathered at Delilah's grave, with flowers, in 1963. #ClockshopLA #DelilahBeasley #oakland #blackhistory #california #podcast See more

And finally, meet Julia! ? I am the founder and Executive Director of Clockshop. Clockshop began with the mission of activating public space through art and culture. 16 years later, we are still focusing on this core mission focusing on the LA River. I work with the Clockshop team to commission new work by artists and writers, develop programs and new partnerships and raise the money to make it all happen. ... ' ' ? I am remembering how to play the piano and read music after not playing for decades. I just re-learned one of Bach's minuets --- so satisfying. ' ? One of my regular dishes is a classic Moroccan Harira soup. I just learned how to make quick rising Moroccan street bread. Why buy pita bread when it's so quick n' easy to make? ? The name Clockshop is an homage to the business that my great-grandfather started when he came to Los Angeles at the turn of the last century. He sold clocks door to door and then opened Eastern Columbia Dry Goods at the corner of Broadway. That store then became Eastern Columbia department store complete with a clock tower, recognizing how the business began. Photo by @ginaclyne. #ClockshopLA #BowtieProject @ The Bowtie Project See more