LA Digs - Northeast LA Real Estate Blog

It's always hard to get back into work mode after a 3 day weekend, so if you're wishing it was the weekend again, jot this down on your calendar for Saturday, July 10. It's NELA's Second Saturday Artwalk, of course!

From Amy Inouye:
Future Studio Gallery
5558 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles 90042
323 254-4565

Second Saturday and Opening Reception for An Exhibition of Quilts by Ruby Nishio

Ruby Nishio grew up in Los Angeles and was interned at Heart Mountain relocation camp during WWII. After returning to Los Angeles she began working at Cahill in Beverly Hills, sewing and designing wedding gowns. She was very talented and adept at doing patterns and creating wonderful gowns and custom clothing. For the past 18 years she has used her talents in creating beautiful quilts. Ruby Nishio is an amazing quilt artist and has won many awards for her work. This is her first one- person show.

Nishio has been sewing for over 70 years. She has done all types of handwork, from custom dressmaking, knitting, tatting, crocheting, and embroidery. In 1992, she transitioned into making quilts. The imagery she uses is taken from her personal interests. She loves gardening and many of the patterns she uses are of flowers and nature. She stitches fabric pieces together to form repetitive patterns that are then hand quilted. One quilt in the exhibition, Trip Around the World (1998), includes 2193(!) two-inch squares of flowered fabric where the stitched edges of each piece loses its sharpness and blends with the piece next to it, forming an impressionist patterned garden. In New York, New York (2005), echoes of the Statue of Liberty are depicted in the patterns, while the colors and fabrics are reminiscent of Broadway by way of the Ginza. Expressing her love of gardening and traveling, Nishio has created wonderful pieces that are truly works of art.
The exhibition will run till July 31 (on view by appointment).

Join us for a special Artist's Tea: Sunday, July 25 from noon - 4 p.m.

Also, don't forget to pick up July's trading cards (Chicken Boy trading card #9 and a Ruby card)--they'll be waiting for you in a bin inside the front door.

PS: Chicken Boy Shop will be open Second Saturday. We've gotten a few new items in to check out... like Tyvek pop art wallets and some magnetic jewelry...

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On deck at Future Studio Gallery:
August: Manuel Gonzalez
September: Liz Mamorsky returns!
October: Fig Knit-On* (a Yarn-Bombing exhibit curated by Heather Hoggan)

November: Arroyo Arts Collective Discovery Tour
December: an exhibit of artists' stuffed toys* curated by Edith Abeyta

*if you'd like to participate or get more info, sign up at the gallery Second Saturday

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BOOK BOOTH HIGHLAND PARK is located next to the entrance of La Arca de Noe restaurant, 5570 N. Figueroa Street, LA 90042.

BOOK BOOTH is a free community art/literature project. The books and magazines found at BOOK BOOTH are all donated by your neighbors and are looking for new homes, so if you see something that interests you, please take it. If you have family-friendly books and magazines that you would like to pass along—just leave them at BOOK BOOTH. Please help keep BOOK BOOTH neat and trash-free.




*Some of the books at BOOK BOOTH are registered with bookcrossing.com, a free online book tracking service. If you find a label inside a book, there will be a an ID number that you can enter at the site and make a journal entry about the book and its ongoing journey.




A big gushy thank you to everyone who has been supporting BOOK BOOTH HIGHLAND PARK!

It empties out almost as soon as it fills up (we can't figure out exactly what's going on but we aren't seeing the streets littered with pages, so we're hoping it's all good). We've pulled out The Tipping Point, Stephen Colbert's I Am America (and So Can You), and Susan Sontag's The Volcano Lover. (They'll all go back to the booth as soon as we're done reading them.) So, please keep bringing books and magazines (even CDs and DVDs) and taking stuff too. If it's all filled up, drop them off at the gallery (ring the semi-hidden bell). You can drop them off Second Saturday also.

We plan on identifying other vacated phone booths so others can make their own Book Booth. Watch this space for the latest.

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futurestudio.com
nelaart.org

chickenboy.com
http://www.chickenboysouvenirstand.com
FutureStew Vintage at etsy

lavatransforms.com

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FYI: My Taco (6300 York Blvd.) has late night tacos (starting at 11 pm) on Saturday nights for your after art-ing snacking pleasure.

Over 100 artists in 51 locations all over Highland Park, Eagle Rock, and Mt. Washington opened their homes and studios to hundreds of ticketholders on a beautiful, sunny Sunday, November 22, this year. No one can possibly do the whole tour—it’s that big! So we go back, year after year—this was the 17th year—finding new treasures, new artists, new studios. There’s always a discovery of one kind or another.

My discovery this year was The Recording Kitchen, a music recording studio in the former Ray’s Market at the corner of Avenue 50 and El Paso in Highland Park. This is hidden LA, folks. The security gates across the front were open just enough to allow us to pass through the doorway, but inside was a whole new world. Friendly, smiling Roxy Sosa, her family, and Chris, the art restoration specialist, welcomed me, offered me refreshments, and showed me through the whole facility. Who knew this was here? Go to http://www.RecordingKitchen.com for details about their facilities and the variety of classes and services they offer.

I took one of the 4 shuttle busses in the afternoon which was a wonderful way to see several studios. But it’s not just the art and the studios, it’s the homes, the surprising variety of people, many of whom have lived in northeast Los Angeles for decades, that offer the treasures of discovery.

What I love about this tour is the chance to meet working artists in their studios and see a part of the community that you never get to see otherwise.

What is the Eagle Rock Business Model? It's a unique, usually individually owned, business that offers good style and good value. That's my definition--what might yours be?

Cacao Mexicatessen
Eagle Rock and Roll Farmer's Market

Blue Dot is having their grand opening next Saturday, July 11, and is serving free yogurt and half-price Acai bowls at the Eagle Rock Block Party 7-9 pm.

Let's start off with an interesting sign noted at The Loft, a cool hair salon, at 5112 Townsend Avenue, right up from Colorado Blvd in Eagle Rock. You know, the corner where Pollen, the Botanical Studio (great orchids, special floral arrangements, soy candles, honey and more) is.   In case you can't make it out, the sign at Loft says: "Bare Hair Jen, waxing Brazilian, Manzillian what?" Go check it out, then tell me what a Manzillian is, ok?

Right next door, the long-awaited Blue Dot at 5110 Townsend is open at last and serving very refreshing frozen yogurt with various fresh and tasty toppings, as well as Acai (ah-sigh-ee) berry bowls. Acai is the new Superfood, the flyer says, and you will lose weight, become (appear? feel?) younger, be more energetic, sleep better, and improve your sex life if you have some. Hm. How could you go wrong?
I tried some yogurt with fresh peaches and it was really yummy. The Acai was interesting, not real sweet, very berry. Blue Dot is having their grand opening next Saturday, July 11, and is serving free yogurt and half-price Acai bowls at the Eagle Rock Block Party 7-9 pm.

If you are on Facebook, you can become a fan of the Eagle Rock Block Party. Or google it and find updates there. Here is what the Fan Page says about what it is: "The Eagle Rock Block Party is about creating local stimulus and reinforcing community spirit so that small town walking areas remain a part of the Los Angeles experience."

That's very cool, don't you think? I went last month and made it down a couple of blocks each direction from the corner of Eagle Rock and Colorado Blvds. I had a lot of fun, some free snacks, ran into friends, and bought some really good deals. The participating stores all offer various discounts or deals or snacks and it's in conjunction with the NELA Second Saturday Art Walk. You can go to the NELAart website for a downloadable map, links to the bike tour (yes, you can bicycle with other people to the various art galleries), find links to participating galleries, shops, restaurants and bars.

While the Artwalk goes from 7 till 10, the Block Party goes from 3 till 9 pm. Have fun! Buy local! Be healthy!

Go to the source:

www.thelofthairlounge.com/

www.bughouse.com (why is this website here when it's not mentioned in the article? Because Jeff Bughouse invented the Eagle Rock Block Party. Check it out, Jeff and Rebecca have cool stuff.

www.bluedotacai.com

http://pollenstudio.com/

www.nelaart.org