Thursday, February 16, 2017
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Guardian Mural with Beautify Earth- Santa Monica Stop Motion Video/ Shaunt Berberian
The Guardian Mural- Santa Monica Red Crosswith Beautify EarthStop Motion by Shaunt Berberian |
| The Guardian Mural- Francisco Letelier |
Like a Third World country- Washington DC
X la VIDA
1971 Washington DC
I am in the Mercedes sitting in the backseat, a khaki backpack, my father brought me from Algeria is on my lap along with a sweater knitted from natural wool by my grandmother in Chile. My fathers driver, Luis Sepulveda is at the wheel. Luis keeps the car clean and polished.
Luis is from the Chilean Army, a bodyguard appointed to keep my father and family safe. On some afternoons when he is not driving my parents, he picks us up after school in the new Mercedes, its always impeccably shiny
Luis appears to be clumsy or slow, but he has a gun under his jacket in a well worn leather holster. We find him servile in his ass kissing of “Don Orlando,” my father, but he’s gotten to be a familiar part of our lives, and he’s a good driver.
Traffic stops, and I hear shouting in the street. Our driver comes out of a slouch and turns down the radio. A bearded guy with long hair is picking up a metal trashcan and throwing it into the street. Luis watches him, one hand on the wheel, the other reaching reassuringly into his holster as he smoothly turns into our driveway.
Luis ushers us inside through the side door, I change and go out the front a short while later. I walk past fine buildings and residences, many have watchful guards standing outside. I arrive at my favorite record store and instead of the usual crowd, it's peculiarly empty. I look down the street towards the Plaza, and it seems jammed with people. I hear music and think there must be a concert. I walk quickly, I know the streets and businesses along the way. I am kind of jogging now, excited to see what is going on. I think I smell incense.
My eyes and throat are irritated, there is something in the air. I hear someone talking over a loudspeaker and criss cross streets so I can walk up to the circle from the North. There are no cars on the street as I turn into the last block.
The fountain is covered by a pink curtain of fog that turns grey and brown at its edges. Soldiers are standing around the perimeter of the circle, wearing gas masks and cradling M-16s . I am astonished, not afraid, as I watch a parachutist come down on the lawn as a fog of gas engulfs me. I feel like my nose is bleeding and I run in the other direction, along the Massachusets Avenue sidewalk, eyes watering. I wipe my face on my sleeve, the mansions on the street are closed up now, I hear sirens.
I remember how Sister Mansueta makes us pray for the healing of the injured when sirens sound along the River Road Highway near the school I attend. I think of saying a prayer for myself, my head hurts and I feel disoriented and lost. The boulevard bends before it comes to the rotunda, the dirty fog is carried towards the river and I can breathe again. Just three blocks away from Dupont Circle, cars appear, early rush hour traffic. I make it up to Sheridan Circle stumble in along the service entrance to the Chilean Embassy and climb stairs to the third floor. When I get to the bathroom I throw up.
Curled up in a ball on my bed, I watch a huge black and white TV, but there is nothing on the news. From the window perched above the street I hear police sirens, helicopters and explosions.
Muffled, as if thunder were brewing in the distance, distinctly, I hear a crowd chanting but the sound is lost in the darkening humid afternoon. I wander down the hall, listening, straining to know more, smelling the air, mild currents of nausea riding through me. My brother Juan Pablo is at his window looking towards the street.
“Lean back in man, they might shoot you.” I stage whisper towards him.
He smiles and brushes the hair out of his eyes, and calls me over,
“Dude! Take a look at this!”
From the window we watch 150 riot-equipped police blocking the street in a three-deep line.
Later, I learn that 30,000 protesters are camping near the Potomac river, gathered for May Day. They think they can stop the military, but they have awoken a dragon Every traffic circle, park and monument of the city is surrounded by troops, brought in from outlying bases. In the stadium where my father takes us to watch my second favorite soccer team, the Washington Whips ( the Chilean team Colo-Colo is my favorite) and where I saw Pele play for the first time, they erect a chain link fence.
A famous Parachute Infantry Regiment has been deployed by helicopter throughout the city. By evening the forces of order arrest over 7,000. By the end of the May Day weekend the number doubles to almost 14,000. The city is occupied.
When we returned to Washington DC people often asked me what it was like to have witnessed the coup in Chile. It was as if those scenes of violence, political confrontation and imprisonment were not woven into the the heart of the United States as well, a country in the grip of the Cold War, post Vietnam. The land of political exile is sometimes a known one. My exile only continued when I came home, to America.
The largest mass arrest in U.S. history occurred during the
1971 May Day demonstrations against the Vietnam War
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Bachelet encabezará en Washington ceremonia por 40 años de asesinato de Letelier
http://www.la-razon.com/mundo/chile-bachelet-ceremonia-letelier_0_2561143916.html
Bachelet encabezará en Washington ceremonia por 40 años de asesinato de Letelier
“Todas las Manos” at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/museums/looking-for-art-free-of-politics-dont-look-here/2016/09/08/da535a28-7457-11e6-8149-b8d05321db62_story.html
The political is personal in all of these shows, but especially in “Todas las Manos” (“All Hands”), a series of five mural-style paintings on canvas. These depict Orlando Letelier, Ronni Karpen Moffitt and Rodrigo Rojas, all killed by agents of the former Chilean government. The artist, who worked on the project with children from the District’s Latin American Youth Center, is Francisco Letelier, Orlando Letelier’s son.
To Washingtonians, these are not distant events. Moffitt and the senior Letelier were killed by a car bomb detonated at Sheridan Circle 40 years ago. Rojas, who died in Chile 30 years ago after being set on fire, grew up in the District, where he was friends with the younger Letelier. Yet the painter recalls these crimes without anger. The mural prominently features a bloom known in Chile as “the flower of reconciliation.”
Thursday, May 5, 2016
VENICE ART WEEK MAY 15-MAY 22, 2016
Experience the first ever Venice Art Week, May 15-May 22, 2016,
through three independent events:
The Venice ARTBLOCK
Open Studios Sunday May 15, 11-6PM
The Venice Art Crawl Thursday May 19, 6-10PM &
The Venice Art
Walk Sunday May 22, 12-6PM
The
sixth Venice ARTBLOCK Open Studios takes place on Sunday May 15 from 11-6. Offered
free to the public, the highly anticipated event showcases the
art and artists that make up the soul of Venice, providing a fascinating
glimpse into established studios and emerging artist’s spaces. Centered in the
Oakwood neighborhood and Abbott Kinney Boulevard, ARTBLOCK calls attention to
the vitality and importance of the arts in Venice and the diverse art district
that is undergoing rapid change.
In their sixth
event with an estimated 70 venues and many more artists, ARTBLOCK 2016
emphasizes new forms of access to the arts and invites the public of all ages
to join in public arts activities and workshops along its route.
Endorsed
by a wide range of cultural and civic organizations, ARTBLOCK is a
grantee of the Arts Activation Fund, created by Mayor Eric Garcetti to support
creative community-benefit projects in Los Angeles.
Pick up a map at: 1003 Gallery and
Lounge -1003 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Weir/Quiton Studio - 360 Sunset
Ave.- (4th and Sunset Ave.) Letelier Studio – 567 ¾ Brooks Ave and adjoining
alley- 6th Avenue at Indiana Court
David Tanych/ Meryl Lebowitz
Studio - corner of 5th Avenue and Westminster Blvd.
The Distillery/ Artist Studios-
361 Vernon Ave. (Sunset Court)
Social and Public Art Resource
Center /SPARC - 685 Venice Blvd.
Venice, California 90291
Look for the Yellow flags, grab a map and explore. Shuttle
buses and pedicabs will be available. For info and to download a route map: www.Veniceartblock.com
The Venice Art Crawl takes place Thursday
May 19 from 6-10PM and it's FREE.
The VAC promotes
businesses and studios opening up their spaces to share art diversity in
various neighborhoods including ten homes on the one block street Park Place
between Main Street and Pacific Avenue, as well as new participants on Lincoln
Boulevard near Venice Boulevard. "BEAUTY is the EYE of the BEHOLDER"
will be on display by international photographers Bobbi Bennett, featuring
traditional color prints. This exhibit is housed at the Bobbi Bennett Studio,
1145 Harrison Ave one block north of Washington Boulevard. There will be a unique student show of
various mediums at Venice Arts, 1702 Lincoln Boulevard, a nonprofit arts
organization committed to providing high-impact arts education for low-income
youth, www.venicearts.org. The Venice
Art Crawl spreads as far north as Rose Avenue and as far south as Washington
Boulevard, and has a western border of Pacific Ave and an eastern border of
Lincoln Boulevard. The information booths will be at Venice Arts 1702 Lincoln
Boulevard, Love Shack 2121 Lincoln Boulevard and Danny's Venice 23 Windward
Avenue. Hop on the Venice Art Crawl shuttle, the Rasta Bus that will transport
people up and down Lincoln Boulevard throughout the celebratory evening. For
more information and to download the VAC map with all the participants and pop
up galleries go to www. veniceartcrawl.com.
Venice Family Clinic’s
Venice Art Walk & Auctions is happening Sunday May 22, Google Los Angeles,
340 Main Street. Tickets for the Art & Architecture Tours, Angel events and
Artist Studio Tour can be purchased online www.venicefamilyclinic.org
or at 310-664-7916. With the support of artists, volunteers and 6,000+
attendees, Venice Art Walk & Auctions showcases emerging and established LA
artists and raises over $750,000 to fund health care for the 24,000 low-income,
uninsured and homeless patients of Venice Family Clinic. Experience exceptional
art and make a meaningful impact in your community at this not-to-be-missed
annual event. Hosted at Google Los Angeles, Venice Family Clinic’s Art Walk
& Auctions is free and open to the public and showcases a gallery-quality
contemporary silent art auction. Don’t miss the accompanying artist studio
tours, artisan shops, family activities, entertainment, music, food and more.
For further details www.venicefamilyclinic.org.
Come celebrate art, artists, community and
the spirit of Venice, May 15-May 22.
Venice Clown Rekindled
A
10' x 10' cloth mural, stretched on plumbing pipe, featuring the Venice
Ballerina Clown with tattoos on his arms representing homeless victims
of violence this summer in Venice, homeless people at the top
background, people taking selfies near a sign that says "STOP calling it
Silicon Beach," drawings by evicted Venice artist William Attaway in
the lower right corner and an artist working on a chalk mandala, which
was also happening at the Abbot Kinney Festival yesterday. — with Francisco Letelier at On Broadway between Electric Ave. and Main St.
ARTBLOCK Open Studios- Sunday May 15, 2016 11-6pm
PRESS RELEASE
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Venice
ARTBLOCK Open Studios
May 15th, 20016
A journey into the heart of Venice
The highly anticipated Venice
ARTBLOCK Open Studios 2016 will be held on Sunday
May 15th from 11-6pm.
The
event is offered free to the public, providing a fascinating glimpse into
established studios and emerging artist’s spaces tucked away throughout the
neighborhood giving visitors imaginative opportunities to join in public art
activities and other creative events. Centered in the Oakwood neighborhood and Abbott Kinney Boulevard and spreading to
other locations, ARTBLOCK calls attention to the vitality and importance of the
arts in Venice and the diverse art district that is undergoing rapid change.
In
their sixth event with an estimated 70 venues and many more artists, Venice
ARTBLOCK Open Studios 2016 ARTBLOCK is included in the first cohort of grantees
for the Arts Activation Fund, created by Mayor Eric Garcetti, to support
creative community-benefit projects in Los Angeles.
The
ARTBLOCK map, listing studios and activities, invites the public to share a
sense of place and community as they guide themselves along the route on the
streets and alleys of Venice. Winding
through murals, street art, live art and chalk mandalas, there is something for
art lovers of all ages, including critically acclaimed exhibitions and the work
of noted contemporary artists.
A wide range of cultural and
civic organizations endorses the group, including Venice Community Housing
Corporation, The Venice Arts Council, The Office of City Councilman Mike Bonin,
The Venice Neighborhood Council, The Social and Public Art Resource Center, The
Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles and The City of Los Angeles Department of
Cultural Affairs. The public is encouraged to walk or ride the route on bikes;
however, shuttle buses are available for transport to all locations on the
route.
Pick up a map along the route, or at:
Pick up a map along the route, or at:
1003 Gallery and Lounge
-1003 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Weir/Quiton Studio - 360 Sunset Ave.-
Letelier Studio - 6th Avenue at Indiana Court
David Tanych/ Meryl Lebowitz Studio - corner of 5th Avenue and Westminster Blvd.
Letelier Studio - 6th Avenue at Indiana Court
David Tanych/ Meryl Lebowitz Studio - corner of 5th Avenue and Westminster Blvd.
The Distillery/ Artist
Studios- 361 Vernon Ave.
Wndow Space - 361Vernon Ave
Social and Public Art
Resource Center /SPARC - 685 Venice Blvd.
Rohitash Rao Studio 1637
Electric Ave. Venice, California 90291
VENICEARTBLOCK.COM
VENICEARTBLOCK.COM
Sunday, April 3, 2016
 |
| Photo Kelly Layne 2016 |
Guardian Mural Rekindled.
After waiting more than 2 months we finally get word that the Red Cross has signed our contract. Having lots of fun at this great site. All the folks that work on the Avis lot are kind, helpful and supportive even though they have to move cars and watch out for the guy overhead. We are all bilingual and the mural really seems to create bridges of understanding between all of us including customers, pedestrians and the guys that live in the alley.
It has been a remarkable experience; working in the hot sun on a South facing wall, hearing the traffic and occasional beep from friends and passerby. Lost in a field of orange, I sway in the afternoon deftly controlling a mechanical beast that makes it possible for me to reach new heights.
Thanks to Beautify Earth, Heather Rabun, The Santa Monica Red Cross and all the individuals that made the project possible through their support of out Indiegogo campaign.
Friday, October 23, 2015
The Guardian Mural Project with Beautify Earth for the Santa Monica Red Cross
A mural for the Santa Monica Red Cross
Francisco Letelier with Beautify Earth
http://igg.me/at/guardianmural/x/11582124
For more than three decades I have been making murals and public art that express the dreams and histories of communities and individuals.
Beautify Earth is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers love to neglected communities through the installation of public murals. They are working in communities across the United States, putting an end to blighted walls and fixtures by empowering artists, encouraging social responsibility, and instilling community pride in impoverished or neglected communities and streets.
I am working with Beautify Earth to create a mural for the Santa Monica Red Cross. We share the conviction that acts of imagination can lead to profound change. As part of the greater efforts of Beautify Earth, the mural will add to the momentum already started on Broadway Avenue, creating a cluster of murals situated near each other for a gallery effect.
The Santa Monica Red Cross is one of the oldest civic organizations in the city, founded in 1918 by the historic Santa Monica Bay Women's Club. A largely volunteer organization, the efforts of the Santa Monica Red Cross chapter have left a tremendous impact on the lives of thousands across generations. The chapter serves more than 90,000 people over 16 square miles. Nonetheless, many remain uninformed about the work they accomplish. Despite the organization's enduring commitment to its surrounding communities many overlook its heroic dimensions and take for granted the importance of its tasks. For every crisis, every fire, every earthquake within its district, the Red Cross shows up for those who are in need.
I am asking my extended community to help create a place of imagination and memory through a public art work. I invite you to join me in giving a sense of place and belonging to an organization that has responded to human need for close to a century.Through its staff and volunteers the Santa Monica Red Cross consistently acknowledges the power of cooperation and helps reveal the inherent strength of our communities.Together, lets create a public monument that celebrates that spirit for their upcoming centennial.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Already Home installation and public art project Venice, CA
I
began this installation amid the sounds of my neighborhood. Shopping carts and
the conversations of passersby mix with the shuffle of those who sleep down the
alley, the steps of mothers and children and the reverberation of car engines.
I
have lived in this neighborhood for many years and carry myriad details about
the people who live here. Towards
evening when I take a stroll, I look east through the alley hoping for a
glimpse of the soccer players who turn it into a field. I wonder how long it
will be before they must move elsewhere. In the garage next-door a famous
domino game was conducted for decades. Seven days a week Willie and his friends
played on, sometimes around the clock. Old timers and those who grew up around
here know this stretch of alley as a vibrant cultural landmark. Sometimes I
still hear a phantom slap as a domino hits the table.
Over
the years many shootings have occurred where the alley meets 6 th
Avenue. In front of the Viva Dogtown Mural, there is a new sidewalk. The roots
of the coral tree that stood there for a lifetime once created a tumbled and
treacherous walkway, a place where sellers and buyers could meet in shadows. 6 th
and Brooks was a place where crack flagged you down and addicts walked
searching the ground for a lost fragment of just one small hit please. Those of
us who still live here have witnessed our community change in significant ways,
but we have not yet forgotten the sound of ghetto birds and semi-automatic
gunfire.
Through
the last decades most of us were somehow making home, building a shelter the
size of our dreams. Throughout the good and the bad we were raising children,
holding on, growing gardens and hope. The police often arrived in the
neighborhood and treated most of us, if not all, as suspects: few escaped being
interrogated, questioned, harassed or arrested. It was hard then, but the truth
is that perhaps it has not become any easier.
Gangs
of one kind have been replaced by other innovations. A different kind of
violence, one that leaves people living on the streets and criminalizes poverty
has arrived in a more powerful and virulent way. It’s helpful to remember that
this was the ‘hood that no one wanted, where the weird and rebellious were
commonplace. Here you could still make things work on a shoestring and keep it
simple. Now other people want these alleys, these properties.
It’s
become difficult to keep a foothold and, if that happens, most cannot afford
the rent. Those who can pay erect mansions and replace the space where
communities built memory and myth. Cardboard encampments grow, new restaurants
and businesses arrive, while the diverse artists and cultures that once wove
the essence of Venice are displaced.
Few
see the parrots that fly through the high trees, or recognize the kestrels and
red-tailed hawks that perch in high branches, eluding the groups of crows that
mercilessly harangue them. Fewer recognize that these streets are full of
hummingbirds, their calls and the whir of wings is never far away. Fortunately,
some things persist. On Sunday morning in the house of the Lord on the corner
of Brooks and 5th Avenue people still sing Gospel even if they have
to drive from the valley to do it. Regardless of the changes the fruit and
vegetable truck still rolls by, the tamale seller makes her rounds.
All of us seek
shelter, a home. I join a multitude of others in believing that everyone has
the right to food and housing, regardless of circumstance. I also believe we
can gently help those around us to open their eyes and hearts to all who share
our community. May common sense prevail, may no one remain invisible or
neglected.
This installation
gathers thoughts about shelter, home and community and become a catalyst for
conversations that imagine a future for everyone. If it moves you, please make
an artistic contribution and be part of Already Home, a portable public and collective installation.
Participants at Venice Artwalk May 17 2015
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