THE
PUBLIC
SCHOOL
TELIC ARTS EXCHANGE

sorry about the typos & words pressed together. i cut and pasted it from an email.

Here's a great resource to start see the development of the city over time:
http://hypercities.ats.ucla.edu/

It's an interactive map of LA with some history built-in & a layering of different time periods to reflect changes in the urban space.

what is the reading list for this class? thanks.

Well let's all figure out a reading list together. What lost communities would you want to look at?

I have a couple ideas:
Norman Klein's History of Forgetting (good chapter on Chavez Ravine)
http://www.amazon.com/History-Forgetting-Angeles-Erasure-Haymarket/dp/18...

Mike Davis's City of Quartz is a classic, especially dealing with gentrification & homelessness (and still relevant to contemporary downtown development).
http://www.amazon.com/City-Quartz-Excavating-Future-Angeles/dp/0679738061

Here's a photo book on Chavez Ravine in 1949, before they put in Dodger stadium
http://www.amazon.com/Chavez-Ravine-1949-Don-Normark/dp/0811840573/ref=p...
There's supposed to be a really good book about this but I forgot the title...

Punk Rock LA 80's: We Got the Neutron Bomb
http://www.amazon.com/We-Got-Neutron-Bomb-L/dp/0609807749

Also, I know Chinatown was originally closer to Union Station and torn down to make way for it...don't know about this book, but it could be a start, especially for the more visually inclined. (Probably not much of a history)
http://www.amazon.com/Chinatown-Los-Angeles-Images-America/dp/0738569569

We could also try to find folks who used to work with the South Central Farm to come talk with us.

I've also been fascinated with Montecito Heights and displaced Victorian homes...although none of those are actually from Bunker Hill.

I would like to help organize this class. zendochterman, are you planning to lead this class? Or are thinking of it as more self organized?

Naoko,

Awesome you're getting involved. I am definitely not "leading" it. I think that a committee of organizers would be a good idea, especially since there are so many areas of LA & lost histories that we could cover as well as so many ways to approach the site-specific projects. Ideally, it would be as self-organized and collaborative as possible. What texts & projects would you like to see, Naoko?

I think Caleb you were interested in helping organize it now. Are we still looking at a tentative April start date?

I would like to be part of that "committee" of organizers. I'm swamped until the end of February, but could possibly take a more active role in helping to organize the class beginning in mid'march. A group I know has done interventions around this theme: For a plaque on chavez ravine check out:

http://www.hijadela.com/projects/prs/invismonum/chavez.html

Great. I a glad you are involved, Sandra. It seems like this is your forte. I am interested in history of L.A. urban planning. (Mike Davis's City of Quartz was exactly what I was thinking but need some more research... ) zendochterman, would you also like to be involve in organizing?

Sure, I would want to be on the organizing committee too. Let's start posting some ideas about specific lost communities and texts that would address them, so we can formulate a reading list. We might just do a chapter or two from the Mike Davis, and a chapter from a few others...

hello!

this class sounds really fascinating. i'm new to public school/telic arts exchange. to participate, should I just show up on the 19th? or are there other steps I should take in getting involved? thank you! -m.

I too want to know how to officially get involved in this class. Do we just show up the first day? and where do we show up? will there have been an assignment for the first class?
Awesooooooooooomeeeee!-Sasha

Dear Spectres of LA,

Well the first class is almost here -- so we wanted to give an idea of what to expect for this class:

Overview:
Specters of LA will run about 6-7 classes long, meeting about once a month (except I believe in August, when the school is closed) from now until approximately December.

The first class, on the 19th of June, will allow us to meet each other, discuss our interests in LA lost communities & artistic resurrections, & come up with ideas for "site visits." (see next comment)

Site Visits:
People who want to research a specific lost community (say, the 41st/Central Jazz Community of the 40's) will then form groups and plan to organize some combination of speakers, artists, historians etc...who will meet us AT the site (41st/Central in this example) on a given date in the future. You may include readings for the rest of the class as well.

Site-Specific Resurrections:
Our final one or two classes (in winter) will then be comprised of the planning & execution of site-specific resurrection projects (artistic, performative, creative literary etc...) These can be individual or collaborative.

We would encourage people to try to think beyond "monumentalizing" lost communities (e.g. plaques, memorials) since this is what official history already does. Instead, we would hope to recreate the forces, energies and tensions within those communities as they would effect the lived social reality of the present. Resurrections could take place at sites already visited by the class or sites of your own choosing.

What sites would you like to go to? What readings should we do? What do you know about LA history you'd love to share? Other ideas? Great! Post them all here.

See you all on the 19th!

-Zen

SPECTERS OF LA: CLASS 1 & 2 (JUNE 19TH & 26TH)

JUNE 19TH
The first class will be an opportunity for us to meet each other, discuss our interests in LA lost communities, and plan out the future "site visits" to explore.

To begin with, I thought we could all look at two short articles by Mike Davis available here:

http://ifile.it/zvyom59/Mike%20Davis.ZIP

They are "Sunshine & the Open Shop" and "How Eden Lost its Garden"

These articles do a good job of showing how the early history of LA (roughly 1890-1930) continues to "haunt" the present, in terms of the racial, economic and environmental problems it created. We can have a discussion of the articles.

Next, we will share our interests in LA lost communities, and brainstorm places to visit. Hopefully, we can come up with groups who want to tackle some of the same issues and ideas. (Also feel free to post them online, here in the next week!)

This first class is also a great chance to bring in ideas for readings, new proposals or ways to improve the class!

JUNE 26
On June 26, we will re-visit chicano muralism of the 70's. This will include a visit of murals at Estrada Courts (3232 Estrada Street, Los Angeles, CA‎ ) with muralists from that era and speakers with a knowledge of Chicano Urbanism in L.A.

Themes: Psychedelic influences in Chicano Murals , murals as a response to the built environment, the mural as a temporary occupation of space & the social dynamics that murals spurred in that community.

Remember: show up at the Estrada Courts! (We may decide to plan a carpool from the Public School too.)

p.s. to mariashka & sasha and anyone else new to the Public School, just show up and bring a $5 suggested donation. Most importantly, bring your ideas, since all classes are collectively created!

Zen -

Great idea for a class! I have long awaited the right opportunity to check out places and ideas related to communities and cultures that have vanished from the LA area. The Native Americans who used to live here are worth exploring; they were called the Tongva Indians before Spaniards started calling them the Gabrielinos in the 17th C. There are traces of their lives around if you know where to look. One site in particular offers a fascinating glimpse at the intersection of then and now: the most prolific fresh-water spring in this area, called the Kuruvungna Spring, was once a sacred Tongva spiritual site. Technically, the spring still belongs to the Tongva tribe, but it sits on the grounds of a high school in west LA. Another sacred Tongva site, a former village and burial ground, sits on the Cal State Long Beach campus.

Anyway - I'm into it. I have several more ideas that I'll bring with me on the 19th!

-JJ

I'm totally down for this class but can't make the first meeting. I'll keep up with the notes and come to subsequent meetings. In the meantime, here are some more suggestions for the reading list.

Ancient LA by Michael Jacob Rochlin. Obscure little book that traces how LA's freeways and infrastructures mirror ancient indigenous settlement patterns.

Unmasking LA: Third Worlds and the City, ed. Deepak Narang Sawhney. Haven't read this but it looks like an interesting collection of essays about LA's hidden communities.

Visionary State: A Journey Through California's Spiritual Landscape, by Erik Davis. Basically a history of CA cults, w/lots of LA material.

Looking for Los Angeles: Architecture, Film, Photography, and the Urban Landscape, ed. Salas and Roth (essay collection)

Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon

Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Obviously there's a lot out there... I'm a relative newcomer to LA so I'm interested in everything.

Carol

I have just added an issue on aaaaarg called "Specters of LA." The Mike Davis articles are there, and all future readings should be posted there. The issue is public so upload / scan and add anything related to LA History!

http://aaaaarg.org/issue/14896/specters-los-angeles

First class will meet at 951 Chung King Rd, right?

yes jsquared, the first meeting is at The Public School.

how would I attend this class?

To anyone who wants to attend the first class on the 19th (this Saturday at noon) or has never taken a class at the Public School:

Just show up to "The Public School" gallery 951 Chung King Road in Chinatown. You don't need to do anything else! And bring your ideas for lost communities you would like to explore in Los Angeles, reading suggestions & anything you can to improve the class!

Future classes will be held at different sites throughout the city.

MAP TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Los+Angeles&state=CA&address=951+Chung...

Hey hey

So I work every Saturday until 1:30...pleaaaase don't tell me that means I can't participate in the class..?? Does it meet the same time every week? Oh man oh man, I have been looking forward to it!

S

Sasha,

The first class is scheduled to start at noon, but after that we have no firm times set. We'll use the site to coordinate the future sessions and I don't imagine they will all take place at the same time(s).

-c

Hi. I can't make it to the first class tomorrow, but would love to participate, anyway. I vote for making a trip to the native Tongva Indian sites I mentioned previously. If you draw up a schedule for site visits, please consider them. See you next weekend!

Dear Specters,

If you missed the first class, no problem! Here is a quick summary. You can find a more extensive version in the NOTES (http://la.thepublicschool.org/node/1984/notes), which will function as the class blog.

The class decided on a rough schedule for the next 5 "Site Visits"

1. June 26: Estrada Courts & Chicano Muralism. Meet at Olympic and Lorena at NOON sharp! Sandra. (for more details: http://la.thepublicschool.org/note/2567)

2. July 31st: Communism in Echo Park. Andrea & Katherine, more co-organizers wanted! (for details: http://la.thepublicschool.org/note/2564)

3. August TBD: The Los Angeles Street Car System: Bike Ride.
Solomon & Cybelle, more co-organizers wanted! (for details: http://la.thepublicschool.org/note/2563)

4. September TBD: Tongva & indigenous L.A. J.J., more co-organizers wanted!

5. October TBD: Specters of the Riot. Caleb & Zen, more co-organizers wanted.

There was also interested expressed in a class on the theory of "resurrecting" past histories in artistic and social practice. This will be proposed as a separate class and is tentatively set for September or October.

Best,
Zen

hey! thanks for updating us. i just found out about this, and am very excited. see you at estrada courts.

Where will we be meeting for the July 31st meeting, "Red Hill" discussion, visit?

Hey all,
The Spectres class on "Red Hill" will be postponed until the end of August. The organizers needed a bit more time to organize! A new date and time will be posted soon.

Hello all, I just found out about this school and it's pretty awesome. I'm glad you guys have done so much work. I can't wait to see the outcome and attend a class.

After a summer break, Specters of LA will be starting up again! We will contact the organizers in the coming days and lay out the schedule as soon as possible.

Has anyone collected new ideas? New sites we should explore? Is there still interest in the theory of the Specter class?

Talk talk talk here....

And don't forget the Specter!

Zen

Hey - any chance we can meet again to get everything set post-summer?? Don't want to see this class turn into a specter itself....

Hey all Specters fans,

Two bits of good news. We are right now we have tentatively scheduled to visit important Tong-va sites on September 25th as well as learn about some of the indigenous plants & their uses. Final confirmation of the date to come very soon!

Second, you will see that we now have a theory & planning section of the class!
http://la.thepublicschool.org/class/2768

This will give us a chance 1. to discuss theories of LA, of urban memory, spectrality etc...and 2. give us a chance to reconvene and plan our October site visit. This will be a great chance to get involved if you didn't make the initial planning meeting in June! And for those of you who did, it will be a good chance to discuss what we've been thinking about over the summer.

Ok, I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Best,
Zen

Hi, Specters Gang

Here's an update on the research and preparation for the Tongva site visit:

I've scheduled a meeting (tentatively) on the 18th with the person who led the native Angelinos mural project at Franklin High School. His name is Arturo Ernesto Romo-Santillano; he's been incredibly helpful so far. I'll go see the mural and discuss the possibility of Arturo becoming more involved in the site visit.

I've scheduled another meeting on the 22nd with the Cultural Liaison for the Tongva tribe. She's going to show me some artifacts, possibly, and talk about what the Tongva traded (carved soap stone and blue abalone, among others).

I have also contacted a person who knows a lot about Tongva sites around town. Haven't heard back, but will plan the scouting day according to what I learn from him. If I don't hear from him, I'll go on what I discover via research. The preliminary scouting trip to decide on which site to visit will still happen next Sunday, the 19th.

Lastly, I plan on going to the Highland Park farmers' market on Tuesday evening around 7:30 to speak to the survivalist and So-Cal plants expert who can expound on the native plants that fueled the Tongvas. I'll ask him to come speak during our main site visit, if he's available. (Typically, he charges for his lectures and foraging/nature walks, so he may not be able to come talk to us.)

At this point, the 25th still seems feasible for our main site visit, though pushing it back to Saturday, October 2nd may be wise. I'll know more about that in the next couple days.

And for those interested in helping with research or coming along for these various outings, please contact me at 213-709-2366 or jenniferjune@gmail.com

Thanks!
-JJ

Looking forward to it regardless of the date.

Sorry for the confusing RSVP message (although do RSVP). It should have also said:

Tongva site visit in the Lower Arroyo Seco, 12-2pm September 25th.

JJ will post all the details.

Hi, Everyone!

Here's the skinny on the Tongva site visit coming up this weekend.

The visit will be held at the Lower Arroyo Seco Park in Pasadena on Saturday the 25th, from 12-2:30 PM.

Park address:
Corner of S. Arroyo Blvd & Norwood Drive, Pasadena, CA 91105

Park web site:
http://www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=644

Mapquest link:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Pasadena&state=CA&address=S+Arroyo+Blv...

Directions from the east side:
- Take Glendale Blvd/CA-2 east until the CA-2 forks off and becomes a highway. Follow the CA-2.
- Merge onto I-134 E toward Pasadena.
- Merge onto W COLORADO BLVD via EXIT 13A toward ORANGE GROVE BLVD.
- Turn LEFT onto N ORANGE GROVE BLVD.
- Turn LEFT onto W HOLLY ST. (This will be your FIRST left after driving over the highway, so be nimble)
- Turn LEFT onto ARROYO DR.
- Turn LEFT onto N ARROYO BLVD.
- End at S ARROYO BLVD & NORWOOD DR. (The entrance to the parking lot is at this intersection. There should be plenty of parking.)

If you want to CARPOOL, please meet at The Public School starting at 11:00 AM on Saturday morning. Carpoolers will leave for the Arroyo Seco by 11:30 AM.

A few notes about the Lower Arroyo Seco Park:

1. It's beautiful.
2. It's beautiful, but there's poison oak about, so please remember, "Leaves of three, let them be!" Here's a link to an image of poison oak so you can identify it: http://www.troop5paloalto.com/pages/firstaid/poisonoakgraphics/PoisonOak...
3. We'll be doing some light hiking, so please wear comfortable kicks.
4. Sunscreen is a always a good idea.

If you have trouble finding the park, feel free to call me (213-709-2366) or Zen Dochterman (646-642-7963).

Because the legacy of the Tongva is not visible in the landscape in the shape of structures or buildings, we will be focusing on the land itself, the plants the Tongva used for various purposes that are still available today, and loads of information about their culture. I'll discuss the follow-up site-specific resurrection that will take place in the near-future, as well.

If you have questions in the meantime, feel free to email me: jenniferjune@gmail.com.

Zen - do you have anything to add??

Thanks!
-JJ

One more thing: We'll meet in the parking lot. The location should be clear since the lot is fairly small.

It may be worth it to arrive a bit early so you can wander around and get a feel for the place on your own. The park runs under the Colorado bridge to the north, and, incidentally, on the east bank near the bridge are the old run-down river rock walls of the original Busch Gardens amusement park (1905-1937), which stood where the Colorado bridge stands today.

This is a bonus specter...

-JJ

hi... i haven't been to any meetings of this class, but am interested in joining. can i just show up saturday? do i need to pay first?

I was wondering the same thing...

For those who have not been but want to come:

Yes! Just show up at the Public School between 11 & 11:30am if you want to carpool to the Arroyo Seco, or meet us there before noon.

You can call me or JJ at the phone numbers above if you have any questions or concerns day or or beforehand. Please RSVP if you can!

REMEMBER: The visit will be held at the Lower Arroyo Seco Park in Pasadena on Saturday the 25th, from 12-2:30 PM.

Park address:
Corner of S. Arroyo Blvd & Norwood Drive, Pasadena, CA 91105

TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS!

just signed up, looking forward to the visit.

Dear Fellow Specters,

Thank you all for a great class on Saturday on the Tongva, with special thanks to Arturo and Reies! I'd like to quickly mention that our next Specters class is tentatively scheduled for the last week of October or first week of November, and will cover the History of Red Hill: Communism in Echo Park. If you want to get involved please email Caleb Waldorf or me.

I am providing a summary of Saturday's session here:

Saturday, we did our site visit to the Lower Arroyo Seco and learned about the Tongva, the indigenous people of the Los Angeles basin.

The day began with the social and political history of the Tongva, from what we know of their pre-Spanish life, to the missionary period, conquest by the Spanish & the uprisings against the missions, their work on LA ranchos during the Mexican and early US (post 1848) period, vagrancy laws, the "Mexicanization" of the Tongva (cultural mixing for the sake of protection) their ongoing struggle for Federal Recognition, as well as larger cultural and social recognition.

The issue of Federal Recognition was particularly important, given that it allows indigenous groups more access to educational grants, land uses, burial sites and money for cultural and linguistic preservation. At present, the Tongva have been denied access to documents that can help establish them as the indigenous inhabitants of the area. The Tongva language also has not been as well formalized and preserved as the Chumash (for instance) and linguistic identity constitutes one of the key components for establishing a Federal Recognition claim.

Second, we took a walk through the Arroyo Seco in order to understand the Tongva culture through their use of indigenous plants. We looked at the willow (used for making huts), the live oak (edible acorns), california rose (for tea & rose hips), jimson weed (a psychedelic / entheogenic plant), elderberry, mugwort (used to keep embers burning) and more. This part was lead by Arturo Romo Santillano & Reies Flores, who gave an amazing account of the Tongva relation to the environment, their cultural practices and what they can tell us about our modern world. The two collaborated on the Franklin mural project, which is a 4 part mural at Franklin high that depicts the history of Los Angeles (the first part, on the first floor, depicts, pre-Spanish Los Angeles, & the Tongva).

We ended where the Arroyo Seco meets the Colorado bridge, a former site of "ceremonias," markets & religious gatherings that took place on special occasions.

We will do 1 to 2 more classes on the Tongva, including one that is a "resurrection." Ideas thrown out for the resurrection included building Tongva huts & preparing traditional dinners to be eaten inside them.

Best,
Zen

I am interested in joining the next excursion, which I believe is the communism in echo park trip? I can't seem to find the information on it now; when and where is that class going to meet?

Dear Specters,

After a break, Specters of LA is back on the map with two big bad events.

First on November 21st at the Public School @ noon, there is a theory and planning session, for those who want to get involved with reading about LA. Additionally this class will plan future site visits, so if you have a great idea be sure to come! http://la.thepublicschool.org/class/2768

However, from everyone in Specters, we are excited to announce that our next site visit is now planned for December 4th at 12 noon. We will visit Red Hill in Echo Park in order to learn about the history of communism in the area! This site visit will almost certainly end with a "tour" of one of the local bars, so it is not to be missed!

The meeting location will be at Park and Echo Park Ave. (Northeast corner of Echo Park) at 12 noon. Spread the word! This is gonna be banging!

Best,
Zen

Dear Specters,

A reminder that the walking tour of Communist Echo Park will be Saturday December 4th.

Please RSVP if you can, and change your RSVP status to "no" if you can't make it. We are trying to realistically gauge numbers, as we expect this to be quite big.

Remember we will be meeting at the northeast corner of Echo Park at noon! This is gonna be great!

Best,
Zen

Don't see where/how to RSVP, so consider me reserved here.

-JJ

RSVP! too

RSVP! too

RSVP! too

Just a reminder that Specters of LA is tomorrow! We'll meet at noon at the northeast corner of Echo Park (the park).

Best,
Zen

useful information for me.

exin itil