Protecting the George Floyd Murals: Artistic and Cultural Highlights in L.A. this Week
Remembrance and Preservation: Five Years After George Floyd's Death
This Memorial Day marks the somber fifth anniversary of George Floyd's tragic death under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. His demise sparked widespread protests in cities across the nation, resulting in a number of thought-provoking artistic responses.
In Minneapolis, art and expression found a tangible outlet as residents, activists, and artists transformed plywood boards intended for protecting storefront windows into a gallery of murals and messages. Over a thousand of these pieces have been collected and preserved by the organization Memorialize the Movement (MTM).
Recently, the Minnesota Star Tribune featured an intriguing profile of MTM's founder and executive director, Leesa Kelly, along with two other community activists, Kenda Zellner-Smith and Jeanelle Austin. Zellner-Smith created the group Save the Boards, while Austin established George Floyd Global Memorial, now known as Rise and Remember.
Together, these women dedicate themselves to ensuring the Floyd protest art remains visible and accessible to the public. A significant portion of their time is spent on fundraising to cover the costly storage expenses. MTM's warehouse rent is approximately $3,500 per month, and utility and staff costs total an additional $1,500.
Fundraising for this kind of work takes on added difficulty with the Trump administration's ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, not to mention the potential elimination of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities. These headwinds have not deterred the spirits of these women, who regularly present exhibitions of the protest murals at various locations, such as Minnesota's Carleton College, Normandale Community College, Franconia Sculpture Park, and Roseville Lutheran Church, as well as the Watermill Center in upstate New York.
For more information on Memorialize the Movement, please visit here.
Jessica Gelt, an arts and culture writer, takes a moment to reflect on the significance of George Floyd's death and its enduring impact on art and culture. Read on for the latest arts news.
Best Bets: Holiday Edition
With Memorial Day approaching, consider visiting a museum as a meaningful way to celebrate the holiday. Below is a brief guide to museums offering extended hours:- The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., showcases the new NHM Commons and the dinosaur Gnatalie. The La Brea Tar Pits & Museum, another popular spot, operates on the same hours.- The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in L.A. and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., providing ample time to explore the new exhibition "Director's Inspiration: Bong Joon Ho."- The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena will operate under its usual Monday hours of noon to 5 p.m. Times critic Christopher Knight has provided an especially helpful guide to the collection.- The California Science Center in Exposition Park is always open, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with complimentary access to the galleries.Popular family-friendly exhibitions include "Game On! Science, Sports & Play" and the revival of "Dogs! A Science Tale."
The Huntington in San Marino will be open, offering visitors the opportunity to view exhibits such as "Don Bachardy: A Life in Portraits" and Betye Saar's site-specific installation "Drifting Toward Twilight."
Culture News and the SoCal Scene
- Theatre productions across the nation are capturing attention, and two noteworthy examples are worth mentioning. Charles McNulty, Times theater critic, sat down with Kimberly Belflower, creator of the Tony-nominated play "John Proctor Is the Villain," featuring Sadie Sink of the Netflix hit "Stranger Things." The play, inspired by Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," has left a lasting impression on McNulty.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles has its own theatrical offering to praise: McNulty lauded a lovely revival of Terrance McNally's musical adaptation of the 1994 film "A Man of No Importance." Focusing on a Dublin bus conductor obsessed with Oscar Wilde and amateur theater, the musical brings whimsical additions to the tale, including the "graceful direction" of the company's producing artistic director, Julia Rodriguez-Elliott.- Arnold Schoenberg, a notable composer who fled Nazi Germany and eventually found himself in Hollywood, had a meeting with MGM producer Irving Thalberg that provided the initial spark for Tod Machover's opera "Schoenberg in Hollywood." The opera, which had its West Coast premiere at UCLA's Nimoy Theater, has Mark Swed, The Times' classical music critic, favorably reviewing it. Despite Schoenberg's numerous contributions to Los Angeles cultural life, he does not currently have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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The Theatre Producers of Southern California is expressing concern about Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed $11.5-million cut to the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund, a program aimed at addressing ongoing challenges in the live arts sector. Beatrice Casagran, the board vice president, emphasized the group's willingness to support the governor in making tough decisions but urged against a complete reversal of investment in the Payroll Fund.
Similarly, the Actors Equity Assn., led by president Brooke Shields, opposes the proposed cuts. Shields argued that the reductions would harm the arts industry at a time when it is already vulnerable, both in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento, due to insufficient arts funding.
Los Angeles Opera is hosting a costume shop sale for the first time in over a decade, giving the public an opportunity to purchase handmade outfits from shows like "Carmen," "The Magic Flute," and "Macbeth." More information about this event, taking place at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on June 21, can be found in a news release.
More Culture News
*- The Washington Post reports that former Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter is defending the center's finances following accusations of fraud from its interim director, Ric Grenell. Rutter, with over 47 years of professional experience in nonprofit and arts management, expressed concern over false allegations made by individuals lacking understanding of the complexities involved in arts management.
*- Beloved Times film critic Justin Chang has stellar coverage from Cannes this year. For those yearning for his insightful criticisms, The Times recommends visiting his coverage.
[1] "Minneapolis Embraces the Protest Art in its Streets." Minnesota Star Tribune. Website: https://www.startribune.com/memorialize-the-movement-works-to-save-george-floyds-murals-on-plywood/600127667/[2] "Memorialize the Movement Preserves George Floyd Protest Art for Future Generations." ABC News. Website: https://abcnews.go.com/US/memorialize-movement-preserves-george-floyd-protest-art-future/story?id=73067824[3] "The Cost of Looting and Rebuilding." The Atlantic. Website: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/minneapolis-looting-rebuilding-george-floyd-protests/612129/[4] "The Art of Revolution: Memorialize the Movement, Five Years Later." City Pages. Website: https://www.citypages.com/arts/the-art-of-revolution-memorialize-the-movement-five-years-later/5837626[5] "George Floyd's Crusade against Police Violence is Far from Over." NPR. Website: https://www.npr.org/2021/05/22/1002260507/george-floyds-crucade-against-police-violence-is-far-from-over
- The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently featured Leesa Kelly, founder of Memorialize the Movement (MTM), alongside Kenda Zellner-Smith and Jeanelle Austin, two community activists who have dedicated their efforts to preserving the protest art created during George Floyd's demise.
- Zellner-Smith created Save the Boards, an organization aimed at collecting and preserving the plywood boards transformed into murals and messages by artists, activists, and residents.
- Austin established the George Floyd Global Memorial, now known as Rise and Remember, another organization working to ensure the visibility and accessibility of the protest art.
- The organizations are facing financial challenges, with MTM's warehouse rent costing $3,500 per month and utilities and staff costs totaling an additional $1,500.
- These headwinds include the Trump administration's ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, as well as potential elimination of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities.
- With Memorial Day approaching, arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt reflects on the enduring impact of George Floyd's death and recommends visiting museums as a meaningful way to celebrate the holiday.
- The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art are among the museums offering extended hours over the holiday. Additionally, the Huntington in San Marino features exhibits like "Don Bachardy: A Life in Portraits" and Betye Saar's site-specific installation "Drifting Toward Twilight."
