CONCERNED
ARTISTS
ACTION
GROUP
Artists
for Artists and the Community's Children
|
HISTORY
& Activities
|
|
CAAG's
first meeting was
on
June 9, 1998
at 9307 South Central Avenue.
|
We
are artists
determined to maintain and celebrate
Watts' unique history
of community creativity.
|
We
have joined together to have a positive impact for artists
and our community's children.
|
WINTER-SPRING
2001 |
NEWS
(SEE
CAAG NEWS ARCHIVE) |
On
April 1, 2001 5-7 pm
A Reception to Welcome the New General
Manager of Cultural Affairs for the City
of Los Angeles:
Margie J. Reese
Sunday April 1, 2001 5-7 pm, Watts
Towers Arts Center
1727 East 107th Street Los Angeles, CA
90002
213-847-4646
Sponsored
by Concerned Artists Action Group, Apollo
West Carson Players
Friends of the Watts Towers, Watts Towers
Community Action Group
Watts Prophets Community Education Association
PROGRAM
INCLUDES ENTERTAINMENT, POETRY, BUFFET
Welcome: Mark Greenfield. Concerned Artists
Action Group Welcome: Shirley Hamilton
& Marvin Clayton
Song: APOLLO WEST VOICES OF SOUL
Poetry: STUDENTS OF THE WATTS PROPHETS
WORKSHOP
Remarks by MARGIE J. REESE
Followed
by Social Celebration
with music by Judson Powell,
Art Exhibit by Judson Powell (Regional
Arts Council mini-grant)
Poetry by Students of the Watts Prophets
Community Eduction
Video by Students of the Watts Towers
Arts Center
With
thanks for the Support of Charles R. Drew
University Place of Family, Bradley Milken
Family Youth Center, City of Los Angeles
Department of Recreation and Parks,
Congresswoman Juanity Millender-McDonald
(37th Congressional District), Councilman
Rudy Svorinich, Jr. (15th Council District,
City of Los Angeles), One
Stop Capital Shop, Dendrite Forest, Inc.and
Sweet Pea Communications for the webnotice
ANNOUNCING
A
FREE
TEN WEEK TRAINING WORKSHOP
ACTING
SINGING DANCING LIGHTING
SOUND STAGECRAFT
APOLLO
WEST CARSON PLAYERS, Inc.
and the
CONCERNED
ARTIST ACTION GROUP
and the
WATTS
PROPHETS COMMUNITY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
are proudly holding sign-ups
for a
FREE
THEATRE ARTS and TECHNICAL TRAINING WORKSHOP
for the
Watts Community
|
SIGN
UPS:
all interested Males & Females
16 years to Adult
MONDAY
- FEB. 12 to FRIDAY- FEB. 16, 2001 3:00
TO 6:00 PM DAILY
at Bradley/Milken Center 1773 E. Century
Blvd.
for further information please telephone
310
835-5922 or 323 971-5672
begins
Thursday, March 1, 2001
Workshops held EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY
3:00-6:00PM
|
to
culminate in the play
"DON'T
BOTHER ME,
I CAN'T COPE"
on Saturday April 28, 2001
|
ACTING
SINGING DANCING LIGHTING
SOUND STAGECRAFT
This
production is partially funded by CULTURAL
AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT/ CITY OF LOS ANGELES
|
|
|
SUMMER
1999
|
NEWS
|
CAAG GETS AWARD
YOUTH
TALENT SHOW PROPOSAL
PERFORMANCE EVENTS:
PRISON
PROGRAM
AUDITIONS
FOR YOUTH PROGRAM:
|
THE
CONCERNED ARTISTS ACTION GROUP received an award from
the Cultural Affairs Department this summer for our
contribution to the community. We are in discussion
with Al Nodal regarding upcoming programs in South
Central L.A.
CAAG is ready to submit a grant for Shaquille O'Neill
for ongoing support of our Youth Talent Shows.
August
7, 1999 ST. Elmo Village Rhythm and Rhyme Fest
August
8, 1999 Poetry on Domestic Violance -- Watts Towers
Arts Center
August
8, 1999 Charles Wright at Westchester Park
August
14, 1999 Grand Performances Tribute to Horace Tapscott--8
pm at the beautiful California Plaza Water Court
( 350 South Grand Ave At the Water Court, Downtown
Los Angeles between Grand Avenue & Olive, north of
3rd & south of 2nd street. Take 4th street exit off
110, Left on Olive, Left again into first parking
garage. Show is free; parking in garage is $5.00)
The
Watts Prophets' tour to universities
around the United States will resume in the Fall.
They will be in RENO, NEVADA September 12-24, then
rock on over to ROCKLAND, ILLINOIS September 27 to
October 10. By November 7-14 they'll be bundling up
to visit LINCOLN, NEBRASKA and then be back home before
Thanksgiving! They hold seminars with students about
their work, their history, and the role of the griot
in the community.
Amde's
PRISON PROGRAM WORKSHOPS "are on hold, we're
told, until the FBI investigates him again again again,"
according to a report from CAAG Central. "We
had four prisoners set to start in late July, "but
as usual, the government is in our DNA, so we continue
the struggle of the artists," writes Shirley
to CAAG's members.
SINGERS,
DANCERS, RAPPERS AND MORE came out for rhyming good
time on
MARCH 16, 1999 at the historic
MAFUNDI 1827 E. 103RD STREET, Los Angeles. More
opportunities yet ahead! Call Shirley or Amde Hamilton
323.971.5672 for details.
|
HOT,
HISTORIC AND HAPPENIN'
|
1999 DAVID MOSELY POSTER ART RETROSPECTIVE at LEIMERT
PARK MUSEUM and WATTS
TOWERS ART CENTER
Famed
pioneer
of Poster Art, DAVID MOSELY has a stupendous retrospective
exhibition at Liemert Park Fine Arts Museum. It showed
at the Watts Towers Art Center through April 25. This
is powerful history of our national struggles for
equal rights, with portraits of men and women who
have inspired us all. SEE IT!
David's work has been exhibited across America and
Africa. Thirty years ago he revolutionized art, being
a leader of the Art Poster movement. It is estimated
that 6-10 million prints of his posters have been
distributed around the world, adorning the walls of
dormitories, cafeterias, schools, homes and businesses.
His work shows a powerful history of our national
struggles for equal rights, with portraits of men
and women who have inspired us all.
|
NEWS
COVERAGE
photo
credit: By Odie Hawkins
The Watts
Prophets: Anthony "Father Amde" Hamilton,
Richard Dedeaux, Otis O'Solomon
|
The
SPRING WRITER'S CLASS with NOVELIST ODIE HAWKINS at
MAFUNDI
(1827
E. 103RD STREET, Los Angeles) was a great success.
Watch for the next one.
Odie
Hawkins' story "HEY WORLD" in the
New Times about the Watts Prophets and the authoršs
days in the Writers Workshop
L.A.
THEATER CENTER HOSTS FATHER AMDE'S TIME TRAVEL
DAMU
VUSHA provided music and AMDE HAMILTON was at the
controls of a trip back into time with their performance
of "FEBRUARY 21, 1965" at the LOS ANGELES
THEATER CENTER showcase of LA Artists. (Sponsored
by Los Angeles Cultural Affairs, Performing Arts Dept).
|
INNTON
YOUTH TALENT SHOW
|
APRIL
24, 1999 THE "INNTON" YOUTH TALENT SHOW
AT MAFUNDI
was
great fun for all. Congratulations to all the talented
youth who came out to give us all a glimpse of the
power of creativity.
|
CAAG
PROPOSAL BEING PREPARED
|
GRANT
WRITERS WANTED!
Sharpen
those pencils and give us a call. We are now working
on proposals for raising grant money for CAAG's activities.
Please contact Shirley Hamilton at 323.971.5672 if
you have ideas, suggestions and skills to contribute
to this goal. We seek to raise funds for public presentations,
website communications and public outreach. See our
GOALS page
for the good work we are doing.
|
ALL
ABOARD!!
|
Judson Powell gave
a tour of Watts
Towers Art Center, Mafundi and The Wellness Center
to Nadine BeauVilla, who is writing a story for a
French cultural magazine about the summer program
for youth. Patric Hedlund took pictures of the mosaic
mirror furniture and art, to create a gallery
for Watts artists on the World Wide Web.
|
UPDATE
on meetings between CAAG and the City of Los Angeles
|
CURRENT
DISCUSSION
CAAG continues to meet
productively with AL NODAL of the Cultural Affairs
department.
These are our goals
in these talks:
We want a Fine Arts
Center in Watts.
We want to have control
of our community culture, art and historical
preservation. We want to preserve our
community memory, culture, traditions
and unique history.
We want to see community artist working
with our community children.
We want the Los
Angeles City Council, city government
employees, businesses and those who love
the arts and recognize the vital role
they play in building healthy, thriving
communities, to support us in these goals.
|
|
Here
is a report from our initial meeting:
|
|
CAAG
WINTER 1999 ACTIVITIES
|
During
February, the Dunbar Hotel, Oasis and the City of LA presented
"HISTORY
ON CENTRAL AVENUE",
including programs with CAAG members performing music, dancing,
telling stories and presenting an art exhibit at the Dunbar Hotel,
4207 So. Central Avenue in LA.
|
"HISTORY
ON CENTRAL AVENUE"
Historically,
The Dunbar Hotel became L.A.'s happening center for hot gatherings
of America's Jazz Legends.
The
Dunbar was the place where black musicians traveling with the
1930's and 40's era 'Big Bands" stayed while their white
counterparts registered at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood.
A tradition sprang up, as jazz greats took out their horns every
night to jam with the sizzling local
talent of Watts.
|
This year CAAG helped celebrate the renovation
of the Dunbar Hotel as a cultural center in the Watts community
with these activities:
|
FEBRUARY
23, 1999
10 a.m. and again
at 6 p.m.--- Poetry with the FRONT LINE POETS
FEBRUARY
25
10 a.m. -- Reggae Music with RAS MICHAEL
FEBRUARY
26
10 a.m. -- a demonstration by novelist ODIE HAWKINS
|
FEBRUARY
26 continued:
1:00 p.m.-- a performance by THE
APOLLO WEST CARSON PLAYERS
7:00 p.m.-- a powerful time travel performance by FATHER AMDE,
"BACK TO THE 1960'S"
FEBRUARY
27
7:00 p.m. -- a jumping musical performance by R&B funk maestro
CHARLES WRIGHT of the WATTS 103rd STREET RHYTHM BAND. Special
guest Reggae master RAS MICHAEL also appeared.
|
CAAG
HELPS RETRIEVE HISTORY AT SOUTHWEST COLLEGE |
CAAG
brought former BSU students to the school over a four week period
with art, lecture, drama, and music.
Our goal is to reflect the struggles and success of the 1960's
era BSU, and to emphasize the importance of keeping the BSU active.
|
CAAG
met with Southwest College in LA to present a Black history week.
Many students attending that school were unaware of how the Black
Student Union (BSU) helped make it possible for that college to
be built in the 1960's.
|
BLACK
HISTORY MONTH PRESENTATIONS AT LOS ANGELES SOUTHWEST COLLEGE:
(Imperial Highway at Western Avenue),
9a.m. to 2 p.m. each day |
FEBRUARY
4, 1999-- KARAMOU "FEAST"
Lecture -- PROFESSOR WALTER
JONES
Poetry -- A CORNUCOPIA OF POETS
Music -- DRUMMING
|
FEBRUARY
11, 1999-- KUUMBA "CREATIVITY"
Art Show Presentation -- DAVID
MOSLEY, famed poster artist and ELLIOT PINKEY
Reggae Music -- RAS MICHAEL
|
|
FEBRUARY
18 -- MUSUNDI, THIRD WORLD CULTURE DAY
Featuring CHARLES WRIGHT of
the WATTS 103rd STREET RHYTHM BAND
|
FEBRUARY
25 -- UMOJA
Lecture and Poetry -- AMDE HAMILTON,
OF THE WATTS PROPHETS
|
MORE
TRACKS IN THE SAND:
|
January
9, 1999 -- CAAG youth presented
TalentShow'99 at Mafundi 1827 E. 103rd St., 6pm
January
16, 1999 -- CAAG was at the Long Beach Convention Center
with a display from the upcoming David Mosley retrospective art
exhibit
|
January
31, 1999-- CAAG presented "AMDE" , a one
man performance at The Watts Towers Art Center 1765 east 107th street |
SUMMER
1998
|
|
|
REGIONAL
ARTS COUNCIL FUNDRAISER WORKSHOP |
On
August 27, 1998 CAAG members Donald Bakeer, Richard Dedeaux, Enoch
Mack and Anthony "Amde" Hamilton attended the Regional Arts Council
fundraising workshop. |
Another
significant accomplishment of CAAG was the networking with The
Watts Towers and Mafundi Institute. Outcome of those meetings
include arrangement of a retrospective show at the Watts Towers Art
Center for David Mosely's breakthrough poster art, and securing access
to The Mafundi Center for our regular public CAAG meetings. |
CAAG
MEETS WITH AL NODAL, L.A. CITY CULTURAL AFFAIRS
DEPARTMENT
On
Monday, August 10, 1998, six members of the
Concerned Artists Action Group met with Aldolfo
Nodal, General Manager of the Cultural Affairs
Department of Los Angeles.
The members of the Concerned Artists Action Group
came to discuss
- the
lack of avenues for our community's talented people,
- the
lack of venues for development of creative activities,
- the
need for more funds to be spent for programs that
would be administered by artists for artists,
- the
necessity of having artistic outlets for our youth,
the
broad range of issues (including the need for a fine
arts academy) that are responsible for the creation
of the CAAG.
The meeting was cordial and
Mr. Nodal seemed to be quite willing to consider our
concerns. He made us aware of community-oriented programs
that are called Regional Councils.
|
The
Regional Councils, according to Mr. Nodal, will have
a significant impact on the artistic scene in the
districts that they represent
Internships
were offered to the youngest members of our group.
Donald Bakeer was offered the opportunity to
become involved with secondary school activities because
of his academic experience.
The meeting ended on an upbeat; we have been invited
to return in 30 days to determine what progress has
been made in relationship to our concerns and to update
the Cultural Affairs Department on the activities
involving our group.
Perhaps
the most important point of this whole meeting is
simply this: the Cultural Affairs Department of the
City of Los Angeles is now fully aware of the fact
that we, artists for artists, are now in the mix.
CAAG
members participating in this meeting were Roylene
Walker, Anthony "Amde" Hamilton, Donald Bakeer, Elegba
Earl, Innton Tagger, and Odie Hawkins.
|
|