- please distribute last WTCGI announcement -
Watts Towers Common Ground
Art, Migrations, Development
Conference Program
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October 22-24, 2010
UCLA & Watts
www.WattsTowersCommonGround.org<
http://www.wattstowerscommonground.org/>
Friday, October 22, 2010
Sequoia Room, Faculty Center, UCLA
2:00 Welcome & Introductions
Thomas Harrison, Department of Italian, UCLA * Olga Garay, Director, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs * Keith Parker, Associate Vice Chancellor of Government and Community Relations, UCLA
The Watts Towers * Film by Michael McNamara, 2005
Luisa Del Giudice, Los Angeles * The Watts Towers Common Ground Initiative
3:15 The Watts Towers and Art Movements: Local & Global I * Chaired by Paul Vangelisti, Otis College of Art & Design
Jo Farb Hernandez, S.P.A.C.E.S. & San Jose State Univ. * Local Art, Global Issues: Tales of Survival and Demise Among Contemporary Art Environments
Guglielmo Bilancioni, Univ. of Genova * Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere: Simon Rodia and Fantastic Architecture
Amit Wolf, UCLA * The Art of Doing Your Thing: Rodia's Towers in Architectural Thought and Practice, 1965-1972
4:45 Break
5:00 The Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts (CSRTW):
Rare Reflections by Early Members * Chaired by Paul A. Harris, Loyola Marymount University
William Cartwright, Co-Founder CSRTW * In conversation with Edward Landler
Bud Goldstone * Film, introduction by Seth Strongin, The City Project
Jeanne Morgan * Film, introduction by Edward Landler, Filmmaker
6:30 Timothy Watkins, Watts Labor Community Action Committee, Los Angeles * "Don't Move, Improve!" Watts Labor Community Action Committee, Past and Present (Introduction by Darnell M. Hunt)
7:00 Opening Reception, with Poet, Otis O'Solomon, Watts Prophet
Saturday, October 23, 2010
121 Dodd Hall, UCLA
9:00 The Watts Towers and Art Movements: Local & Global II * Chaired by Thomas Harrison, UCLA
Susan D. Anderson, UCLA * Preserving the History of Watts as a Progenitor of the Avant-Garde
Paul A. Harris, Loyola Marymount Univ., Los Angeles * The Poetic Concrete of Sam Rodia's Watts Towers and the Concrete Poetry of Ronald Johnson
Richard Cándida Smith, Univ. of California, Berkeley * An Era of Grand Ambitions: Sam Rodia and California Modernism
10:45 Artists in Conversation * Chaired by Rosie Lee Hooks, Watts Towers Arts Center
John Outterbridge * Judson Powell * Charles Dickson * Augustine Aguirre * Bettye Saar
12:00 Lunch, St. Alban's Episcopal Church, 580 Hilgard Ave., LA 90024
1:15 Visit to Powell Library Exhibition: Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts, UCLA Special Collection No. 1388, with Luisa Del Giudice (optional)
2:00 Conservation of the Towers * Chaired by Jo Farb Hernandez, S.P.A.C.E.S.
Steve Colton, Art Conservator, Los Angeles * Conservation Work at the Towers: A Brief Overview of Conditions, Causes, Treatment Campaigns, and Results Over Five Decades
Jeffrey Herr, Hollyhock House/Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts, DCA * Simon Rodia's Towers: A Status Report
Mark Gilberg, and Frank D. Preusser, Conservation Center, LACMA * The Watts Towers - Preservation Impossible?
3:30 Break
3:45 Migrations * Chaired by Dominic Thomas, UCLA
Kenneth Scambray, Univ. of La Verne * California and the Italian Immigrant Experience: The Artistic and Literary Contexts of Simon Rodia's Watts Towers
Linden Beckford Jr., Los Angeles * The Black Southern Migration in Watts: Post-WWII Facelift
Katia Ballacchino, Univ. of Rome Sapienza * Towers of Memory: Images and Visual Community Symbols Between Italy and the United States
Istituto Italiano di Cultura
1023 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, 90024 (Westwood)
("Settimana della Lingua Italiana")
6:00 I Build the Tower * Film by Edward Landler and Brad Byer * Exhibition: Sabato Rodia's Watts Towers, Curated by Rosie Lee Hooks & Jo Farb Hernandez
7:30 Reception
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Day in Watts
(by pre-payment only)*
Watts Towers & Watts Towers Arts Center (WTAC)
1727 East 107th St., LA 90002
8:30 Departure, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, 1023 Hilgard Ave., LA (Westwood) 90024 Westwood
9:00 I - Guided Tour of the Watts Towers, Watts Towers Arts Center, Charles Mingus Youth Arts Center (including Exhibition: Migrating Towers: The Gigli of Nola and Beyond), Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts, Conservation Headquarters (Transportation to WLCAC)
Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC)
10950 South Central Ave., LA 90059
II - Guided Tour of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee campus, including Civil Rights Museum
11:30 Lunch, Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC)
12:30 Art Environments & Cultural Contexts * Chaired by Luisa Del Giudice
Joseph Sciorra, John D. Calandra It. Am. Inst., Queens College, NY * "Why a Man Makes the Shoes?": Italian-American Art and Philosophy in Sabato Rodia's Watts Towers
Laura E. Ruberto, Berkeley City College * A California Detour on the Road to Italy: The Hubcap Ranch, the Napa Valley, and Italian American Identity
Alessandro Dal Lago and Serena Giordano, University of Genova * Art Without Nation
Thomas Harrison, UCLA * Sam Rodia-Outsider Artist?
2:30 Art & Development * Chaired by Edward Tuttle, UCLA
Gail Brown, "Where I'm Standing," Los Angeles * From Where I'm Standing Photo-Documentary Workshops at Watts Towers Arts Center: Building Community Through Self-Awareness and Self-Expression
Monica Barra, Rutgers University * Teaching the Watts Towers, Learning Los Angeles: Public Art, Storytelling, and Urban Pedagogy
Darnell M. Hunt and Ana-Christina Ramon, UCLA * Watts This About "Black Los Angeles?" An Anthology on Space, People, Image, and Action
Melissa Hayes, Chicago History Museum * Watts California; Branding Communities for Cultural Tourism
4:00 I Build the Tower, Film by Edward Landler and Brad Byer
_____________________
*Day in Watts Tour - 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (optional return at 4:15 p.m.)
[Made possible, in part, by a grant from S.P.A.C.E.S. - Saving and Preserving Arts and Cultural Environments]
Includes return transportation to Westwood, guided tour & lunch. Reservation by $15 pre-payment only (payable to "Italian Cultural Institute"). Check last-minute availability with conference registration desk or by writing to: info@???
%0A>%20(%22Settimana%20della%20Lingua%20Italiana%22)%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%20Sunday,%20October%2024,%202010%0A>%20Day%20in%20Watts%0A>%20(by%20pre-payment%20only)*%0A>%20%0A>%20Watts%20Towers%20&%20Watts%20Towers%20Arts%20Center%20(WTAC)%0A>%201727%20East%20107th%20St.,%20LA%2090002%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%20Watts%20Labor%20Community%20Action%20Committee%20(WLCAC)%0A>%2010950%20South%20Central%20Ave.,%20LA%2090059%0A>%20%0A>%20II%20-%20Guided%20Tour%20of%20the%20Watts%20Labor%20Community%20Action%20Committee%20campus,%20including%20Civil%20Rights%20Museum%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%2011:30%20%20%20Lunch,%20Watts%20Labor%20Community%20Action%20Committee%20(WLCAC)%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%2012:30%20%20%20Art%20Environments%20&%20Cultural%20Contexts%20%20*%20%20Chaired%20by%20Luisa%20Del%20Giudice%0A>%20%0A>%20Joseph%20Sciorra,%20John%20D.%20Calandra%20It.%20Am.%20Inst.,%20Queens%20College,%20NY%20%20*%20%20%22Why%20a%20Man%20Makes%20the%20Shoes?%22:%20%20Italian-American%20Art%20and%20Philosophy%20in%20Sabato%20Rodia's%20Watts%20Towers%0A>%20%0A>%20Laura%20E.%20Ruberto,%20Berkeley%20City%20College%20%20*%20%20A%20California%20Detour%20on%20the%20Road%20to%20Italy:%20The%20Hubcap%20Ranch,%20the%20Napa%20Valley,%20and%20Italian%20American%20Identity%0A>%20%0A>%20Alessandro%20Dal%20Lago%20and%20Serena%20Giordano,%20University%20of%20Genova%20%20*%20%20Art%20Without%20Nation%0A>%20%0A>%20Thomas%20Harrison,%20UCLA%20*%20%20Sam%20Rodia-Outsider%20Artist?%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%20Gail%20Brown,%20%22Where%20I'm%20Standing,%22%20Los%20Angeles%20%20*%20%20From%20Where%20I'm%20Standing%20Photo-Documentary%20Workshops%20at%20Watts%20Towers%20Arts%20Center:%20Building%20Community%20Through%20Self-Awareness%20and%20Self-Expression%0A>%20%0A>%20Monica%20Barra,%20Rutgers%20University%20%20*%20%20Teaching%20the%20Watts%20Towers,%20Learning%20Los%20Angeles:%20Public%20Art,%20Storytelling,%20and%20Urban%20Pedagogy%0A>%20%0A>%20Darnell%20M.%20Hunt%20and%20Ana-Christina%20Ramon,%20UCLA%20%20*%20%20Watts%20This%20About%20%22Black%20Los%20Angeles?%22%20%20An%20Anthology%20on%20Space,%20People,%20Image,%20and%20Action%0A>%20%0A>%20Melissa%20Hayes,%20Chicago%20History%20Museum%20*%20Watts%20California;%20Branding%20Communities%20for%20Cultural%20Tourism%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%20*Day%20in%20Watts%20Tour%20%20-%208:30%20a.m.%20-%2012:30%20p.m.%20(optional%20return%20at%204:15%20p.m.)%0A>%20%0A>%20%5BMade%20possible,%20in%20part,%20by%20a%20grant%20from%20S.P.A.C.E.S.%20-%20Saving%20and%20Preserving%20Arts%20and%20Cultural%20Environments%5D%0A>%20%0A>%20Includes%20return%20transportation%20to%20Westwood,%20guided%20tour%20&%20lunch.%20%20Reservation%20by%20%2415%20pre-payment%20only%20(payable%20to%20%22Italian%20Cultural%20Institute%22).%20%20Check%20last-minute%20availability%20with%20conference%20registration%20desk%20or%20by%20writing%20to:%20%20info@???%0A>%20%0A>%20 "Nachricht beantworten")
