Glendale, CA. Beth Gates Warren, prominent historian and curator of photography, will discuss her book “Artful Lives: Edward Weston, Margrethe Mather, and the Bohemians of Los Angeles,” on Thursday, June 14, 2012, at 7:00 pm at the Glendale Public Library, 222 E. Harvard, Glendale, CA 91205, in the auditorium. A book-signing will follow the presentation.
This captivating biography, recently published by the J. Paul Getty Museum, reveals the previously untold love story of Edward Weston and Margrethe Mather. Both were photographic artists at the center of the bohemian cultural scene in Los Angeles during the 1910s and 1920s. The base of their creative collaboration and growth as artists was “The Little Studio” on south Brand Boulevard in Tropico (now southern Glendale). Weston would go on to become a world renowned Modernist photographer while Mather, whom Weston expunged from his journals, would fall into obscurity. The book reveals how they and their entourage sought out the limelight as the Hollywood film industry came of age.
Based on ten years of research and illustrated with extraordinary images, some never published, this history has a captivating range of characters, including Charlie Chaplin, Imogen Cunningham, Max Eastman, Emma Goldman, Tina Modotti, Vaslav Nijinsky, and Carl Sandburg. The lively text brings to life the ambiance of this exciting time in Los Angeles history as well as its darker side. “Artful Lives” exceeds any previously published account of this key period in Weston’s development and reveals Mather’s important contribution to it, making it an essential reference in the study of Weston.
The book will be available for purchase and Ms. Warren will sign copies after the presentation.
“…this absorbing read will appeal to students of art and California.” – Library Journal
“An illuminating insight into both the creative process and into the lives of a group of people infuential in creating the cultural world in which we still live today.” – Photographica World
“A meticulously insightful account of the decade of collaboration between southern California photographers Edward Weston and Margrethe Mather, an interval little examined by art historians because Weston – in an attempt to reinvent himself – destroyed his eary journals and belittled his own work from 1913 to 1923….photographic historian Warren spent ten years of her own life scrutinizing every scrap of documentation for these lost years, a period in which photography evolved from mere portraiture into a new aesthetic. Mather is revealed as Weston’s model, lover, and studio partner, as well as a creative artist in her own right whose concepts Weston readily adopted as his own. The backdrop for this tale is equally fascinating, as Mather and Weston’s circle of friends included many artists, poets, silent film stars, anarchists, pacifists, and eccentrics who either lived in or passed through early 20th century Los Angeles…” – College & Research Library News
THE L.A. RIVER “GRAN LIMPIEZA” IN ATWATER VILLAGE – SUNNYNOOK SITE, THIS SATURDAY APRIL 28TH!
Saturday, April 28th, 2012
9:00 am to Noon
At the Sunnynook Bridge (Sunnynook Dr & Legion Ln), Central Atwater Village
Join Friends of Atwater Village (and Dahlia Heights Elementary, Echo Park Orinthology Club, and Girl Scout Troop #13151) for FOLAR’s “Gran Limpieza” to cleanup Atwater’s section of the Los Angeles River. Bring work gloves and lots of energy!
The Sunnynook Footbridge is located in the scenic “Glendale Narrows” in Atwater Village, the central and longest natural area of the LA River. The site features a footbridge over the River with tremendous views. The soft-bottom river has tall willow trees, and plenty of ducks and other water fowl.
Thank You Atwater Village!
Friends of Atwater Village would like to give our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make our 2012 Spring Cleanup a success.
Special thanks go to Atwater Village residents Marie Conte, Cynthia Veneuad and Max Rios and to Northland Church members Jamie Olsen and Rene Chun who all worked hard pulling weeds, picking up trash, cleaning tree wells and clearing storm drain covers to make our Village shine.
Another special thanks goes to Luis Lopez Automotive for hosting our cleanup and donating the water used by the MTA for cleaning the sidewalks and bus stops along Fletcher Dr.
Additional thanks go the MTA Metro Team and their workers who trimmed and cleaned up the Bougainvillea at the Glendale Blvd underpass and filled many trash bags of debris along Glendale Blvd. Also, we’d like to thank the Students and Staff Member from Boys Republic for weeding the sidewalks of the entire Hyperion Bridge.
Lastly, thanks to Atwater Grill for providing lunch for the volunteers as a thank you for weeding the planters in front of their business. The lunch was delicious and it was a nice to have participation and acknowledgement of appreciation from a merchant.
Thank you again for helping make our Village sparkle n’ shine.
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Friends of Atwater Village will participate in the 23rd Annual Los Angeles River Gran Limpieza on Saturday April 28th. Our site will be the Sunnynook Bridge and we hope to see you there!
LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL REDISTRICTING COMMISSION PUBLIC INPUT HEARING
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 – 6:30 p.m.
Friendship Auditorium
3201 Riverside Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Public Testimony regarding City Redistricting (Each presenter is allowed no more than two minutes per speaker at the discretion of the hearing Presiding Officer. All written testimony will be accepted, as well as testimony submitted on-line)
For information concerning this Commission, please contact Myriam Lopez at (213) 922-7740 or e-mail myriam.lopez@lacity.org
Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission
www.redistricting2011.lacity.org
200 N. Spring Street, Room 275
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 922-7740
email: redistricting.lacity@lacity.org
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Currently, Atwater Village is divided among three council districts. Atwater’s industrial area north of Goodwin and equestrian district is located in Council District 4; Atwater’s residential areas and three main commercial corridors (Fletcher Dr and Los Feliz & Glendale Blvd’s) are located in Council District 13; and a small slither of industrial property south of the 2 freeway is located in Council District 1.
“ATWATER VILLAGE” BOOK STILL AVAILABLE AT THESE LOCATIONS
"Atwater Village" book cover
Get your own copy today! Books will be available with the following Atwater Village merchants:
Alias Books East – 3163 Glendale Blvd
Luis Lopez Automotive – 2751 Fletcher Dr
Pot-ted – 3158 Los Feliz Blvd
Speed Co Fax & Pack – 3371 Glendale Blvd
Vince’s Market – 3250 Silver Lake Blvd
The book is also available by mail order for a donation of $21.99 per book plus $5 (up to five books) shipping & handling. Click here to download order form (PDF file).
You can also contact us at 323.913.2999 or favboard@friendsofatwatervillage.org
NEIGHBORHOOD WIDE CLEANUP MAKES ATWATER VILLAGE SPARKLE & SHINE
Atwater Village residents, business owners, city agencies and volunteers came together on this past Saturday, October 1, to make our village sparkle and shine. Friends of Atwater Village (FAV) would like to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make our community cleaner and greener.
As part of a team effort the Atwater Village Chamber of Commerce and FAV was awarded a $2,500 “Clean and Connected Communities” grant for our “Make ‘em Sparkle Make ‘em Shine” beautification project. This joint project focused on sprucing up the commercial corridors of Glendale Blvd and Fletcher Dr. “Make ‘em Sparkle Make ‘em Shine” entailed steam cleaning, repairing and painting of the historic tile trash receptacles; as well as repainting and replanting the plant containers all along Glendale Blvd. Fletcher Dr will soon get its graffiti abatement murals cleaned and touched up – including a fresh application of anti-graffiti coating. And the river rock parkway at the corner of Larga Ave and Fletcher Dr also got weeded and cleaned.
Besides these projects many volunteers helped to remove weeds from around tree wells, curbs and gutters, picked up trash, swept the streets through out the neighborhood and some of the businesses had their sidewalks steam cleaned.
In addition, the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council (AVNC) was also awarded a separate grant and has already started working on improving and beautifying the landscaping of the median down Glendale Blvd. The AVNC has started their planting of drought tolerant plants on the Glendale Blvd median between Glenfeliz Blvd and Larga Ave.
It does take a village to keep our village beautiful. Again, thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make Atwater Village sparkle and shine.
Atwater History Presentation & Book Signing
