Hollywood Community Studio

Antebellum art gallery will open a Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) show on November 2^nd featuring artist Raymond Sandoval. The opening will be from 6 pm to 9 pm at the gallery on 1643 North Las Palmas Avenue.  The opening is for adults only.  For more information call (323) 856-0667 or visit the website.

Sculptor Raymond Sandoval is based in New Mexico.  He is well known for his bronze pieces, and especially for his colossal Tamanend located on Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia, which commemorates the contributions of Native Americans.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Paul Gleason

If you walk into the Paul G. Gleason Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard any given morning, you might just find actors reading through a script of a new production over coffee and donuts.  As the only ground-level equity theater on the Boulevard, the theater has been serving the community at its current location for more than twelve years.  Paul Gleason, head of the theater, states that the idea was to create an actor’s café, or “coffee des artistes” he quips, evoking the French tradition of creative communities congregating in street cafes.  Indeed, with its comfortable seating and wooden bar, one can easily imagine a group of actors holding a modern day salon, like those of early 20th century Paris.

Gleason came to Hollywood when he was seventeen, arriving by bus from Portland, Oregon.  Within a year he received a contract at MGM and a scholarship from the American School of Dance. Since, he has been head of graduate acting at the Pasadena Playhouse,  selected by the California Arts Council to teach theater in Pasadena schools, and served as a grant review panelist with the National Endowment for the Arts.  A seasoned performer and now a mentor, Gleason advises that teaching is about “diagnosing and prescribing” as no two actors are alike. His seminar series of ninety lectures was recently published as a book, Acting for Love & Money: Connecting the Craft to the Industry.

The Paul G. Gleason Theatre is a place where professional actors can hone their skills and new shows can run before an audience.   Gleason confides that students of the nearby American Musical and Dramatic Academy rehearse at the theater, as dormitory rules restrict practicing because of noise level concerns. By renting space for performances and rehearsal at affordable rates, the theater makes it possible for small companies to stage productions.  As such, the venue contributes to the culture of theater in Hollywood and greater L.A.  And for those in the know, it is also an intimate environment in which to catch a show by a big name artist. The likes of Russell Brand and Aqualung have graced the stage. Not to be missed upcoming events at the Paul G. Gleason Theater:

10/23   7-11 p.m.                   “The Tutor” Live Art Show

10/24   7:30-9:30 p.m.           Belly Dance

11/6     7, 8:30 & 10:00 p.m.   Homeless Teens with Hollywood Dreams

Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Thanks to everyone (all 82 of you!) who took our survey at Streets for Feet! And we were thrilled with the results! Here’s a quick summary of what we found:

*97% of respondents would use Hudson Plaza if it were permanent, and 87% either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I would support a permanent plaza on Hudson Avenue.” The two folks who said they wouldn’t use the plaza mentioned they would like to ensure the space had adequate safety measures, or would be more likely to use it if there were food being sold in the plaza.

*98% of respondents would support a pavement-to-plaza project in their own neighborhood. Almost half of respondents were from the 90028 zip code (where the demonstration project took place), and the majority of other respondents were from around the City of Los Angeles. When asked where they would like to see this type of project, many wrote in Hudson Avenue; other Hollywood streets recommended included Highland, Orange, Cherokee, Cosmo, Ivar, Las Palmas, Fountain, and all of Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Vine.

*80% of respondents would like to see benches, tables and chairs, as well as trees and greenery, in a pavement-to-plaza project. 70% would like to see outdoor movies, 60% want outdoor dining, 40% would like vendor stalls and access to community services, and only a handful (27% and 12% respectively) would like a dog park or exercise equipment. Write-in suggestions included a community garden, public art and performance space, and food trucks.

*We also asked folks to tell us their favorite public space in Los Angeles. The number one winner was Griffith Park, with 14 responses. There were a handful of shout-outs to Barnsdall Park and Runyon Canyon, and several folks listed more urban spaces like the Hollywood Farmers’ Market and Hollywood Boulevard itself.

*Finally, we asked for additional comments on the project, and we’re happy to report that all of them were positive! Some of our favorites include “We need green!”, “Awesome idea, always looking for a cozy spot to sit, relax & enjoy cup of coffee and chit chat with friends and neighbors” and, best of all, “I’m planning to organize some of these in my community with an emphasis on transforming blighted and neglected spaces.”

Thanks to all of you who took the time to answer our survey. If you have any thoughts on the Streets for Feet! demonstration project, please leave them in the comments!

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Saturday, September 18

We started off Saturday’s Streets for Feet! event with crochet lessons from Emilie from Artstring Boutique.

Crocheting lessons from Emilie, Artstring Boutique

We were thrilled when the United Capoeira Association Los Angeles read about our temporary plaza and decided to practice in the middle of Hudson!

Mestre Guatambu and students

Practicing capoeira in the middle of Hudson

Multi-generational headstands!

LACE also stopped by to offer their Fundreds programming, and we had a fair number of hula hoopers over the course of the day as well!

Sunday, September 19

On our final day in “Hudson Plaza,” we hosted Carlos Chiropractic Center, who offered amazing free massages, and the Hollywood YMCA, which offered free 7-day passes to passersby. Jazzy the Clown also did free face-painting and gave out balloon animals!

Dr. Carlos' amazing free massages!

Ricardo from the YMCA offers free guest passes to Hudson Plaza visitors

Jazzy the Clown and another happy face-painting customer

We were able to catch lots of folks walking home from the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, as well as more visitors from around the city, country, and the world! Next up: results from our survey conducted on-site at Streets for Feet!

Taking our pavement-to-plaza survey

Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Streets for Feet's "Hudson Plaza"

Thanks to all the people and organizations who participated in, donated to, or just visited our Streets for Feet! event this past weekend. We had a great time, and enjoyed meeting so many Hollywood residents and visitors and getting their reactions to the temporary plaza. (We collected almost 100 surveys to get folks’ opinion on the temporary “Hudson Plaza,” as well as on the idea of pavement-to-plaza projects in general, and will be posting the results of the survey later today.) Here are a few highlights from the first day of the event!

Road Closed Ahead (to cars... but open to feet!) Banner donated by P as in Print

Friday, September 17: Park[ing] Day!
We arrived on-site first thing Friday morning to receive the donation of eight beautiful trees from Diamond Landscaping, that would provide the greenery for our temporary plaza. Then we put up the barricades at Hollywood Boulevard, and two more rows of barricades about 200 feet to the north of the Boulevard, as well as signs at Hudson and Yucca notifying cars that there was no through traffic allowed. For the first couple of hours, we had some confused drivers making U-turns, but as the weekend wore on, hardly any cars were surprised by the plaza.

Next, we visited Space 15Twenty, which generously loaned us their uber-hip stools and benches to provide seating throughout the space. Then the amazing Lori Antoinette and her partner in crime Keith DuBois began their amazing chalk art portrait of Natalie, Lori’s co-worker’s daughter, dressed as a pixie.

Chalk Art Mural in Progress

Soon, we received a delivery from the Hollywood Business Improvement District, who loaned us their great cafe tables and chairs to fill out the seating options for folks passing by. Then, we set to work talking to passersby about Park[ing] Day and the Streets for Feet! demonstration project. We spoke with about as many residents as tourists, as well as lots of folks touring various park[ing] spots around the city. Almost everyone we spoke with was very excited about the project, and enthusiastic about the prospect of having more pavement-to-plaza projects throughout the city.

Many of the staff from the Hollywood office of the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles (a generous sponsor of Streets for Feet!) came out to the plaza to eat lunch and do some hula hooping. We were also excited to have visits from LAist and LA Weekly (who covered the event here and here), and got to speak with Stephen Villavaso from CicLAvia, and Marcel Porras from Council President Eric Garcetti’s office (whose office  assisted us with the event).

Stay tuned for our wrap-up of Saturday and Sunday, and the results of our survey!

The finished product!

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Bank of America in Hollywood (located at 6300 Sunset Boulevard near Vine Street) is hosting a career fair on Wednesday, October 6th from 9:00AM to 12:00PM to find qualified tellers to join their team. Visit the BofA website here to create an online profile before the event. Even if you can’t attend the job fair, you can submit an application through their web site. If you ARE able to attend, do not forget to dress for success and bring your resume! For more info, please contact the Armenian American Chamber of Commerce at (818) 247-0196.

If you feel as though you could use some job preparation assistance prior to the career fair (or for any other job), visit the Hollywood FamilySource Center (located at 5500 Hollywood Boulevard near Western Avenue) every Wednesday from 10:00AM to 12:00PM for their FREE Job Club. Brush up on interview skills, learn resume writing techniques, and discover how and where to apply for a job! Job leads will also be provided in each session. For more info on the Hollywood FamilySource Center Job Club, call (323) 836-0055 or download their informational flyer here.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

RSVP today to attend a town hall with new City of Los Angeles Planning Director Michael Lo Grande, tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Mayberry Elementary in Silver Lake. If you can’t make it to the meeting, submit a question to ask Mr. Lo Grande online!

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »