NEIGHBORHOOD INTERPRETIVE CENTER
The Neighborhood Interpretive Center is a hyperlocal initiative of cultural programs that focus on and uplift the MacArthur Park/Westlake neighborhood and surrounding areas. An open call for cultural workers and creatives sought innovative and engaging projects, relevant to the MacArthur Park/Westlake community. Extra consideration was given to the following: cultural workers and creatives that live or work in the MacArthur Park/Westlake community or surrounding areas; proposals that demonstrate a greater understanding of the unique history, dynamics, heritage, and distinctiveness of the area; proposals that include work from artists that qualify as under-recognized and that contribute to the on-going commitment to diversity.
For 2023, the selection committee chose three projects from a large number of proposals.
Graffitinspire
In celebration of 40th anniversary of Radiotron Hip Hop youth center that opened across from MacArthur Park in 1983, the Goethe-Institut will serve as the venue for GRAFFITINSPIRE. This multidisciplinary graffiti art exhibit will feature artists that attended the Radiotron as teens or were inspired by the graffiti art movement and participated in other projects organized by Youth and Culture Advocate Carmelo Alvarez. These iconic Los Angeles graffiti artists and crews have influenced the art form worldwide. Additional planned programming events for GRAFFITINSPIRE will include Hip Hop elements workshops (breaking, popping, DJs, rapping, beat boxing, graffiti art) as well as film screenings
Unlocking Sacred Spaces-The Public Art Movement in MacArthur Park
The story of how Public Art can return the land back to the people. Artists unite to create interactive public art installations that demonstrate the power of “Functional Community Art” to shed light upon the unseen, fight gentrification, decolonize and create radical connections. Together the installations call upon the creation of permanent Public Art spaces that can be activated by NGOS, Activists and Artists for ceremony and programming in Los Angeles’ most vulnerable communities.
While on view at the Goethe-Institut, installation lead artist, Marlené Nancy Lopez, and the first generation of Art Corps artists will host story-art circles, documentary screenings, discussions and art happenings to explore the mission and provide examples of future programming and ceremony possible in these sacred spaces. In the spirit of the “Aesthetics of the Oppressed”, the exhibition serves as a launching point to begin legal and political negotiations for the permanent installation of the art pieces in MacArthur Park.
Tahanan: Home Is Where Your Paról Is
“Tahanan,” the Tagalog word for “home,” can be anywhere for millions of Filipinos around the world: whether in the Philippines, the United States, or the many other countries to which they have immigrated. With immigration comes feelings of fear and displacement, and immigrants often embrace old traditions to help overcome adversity and feel closer to their heritage. For Filipinos, one of those traditions is the paról—ornamental stars that are hung near the front of the home, to be seen by visitors and passers-by. Not only have they become a symbol for the Christmas season, but also a symbol of solidarity in the Filipino community. The paról connects them through shared experience and signals, “A Filipino lives here.” Whether homemade or store-bought, it’s a tradition that Filipino immigrants have brought with them into the diaspora—a relic of their upbringing that makes their adoptive countries feel more like home. This holiday season, artist Jaana Baker transforms the exhibition space of the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles into a colorful, illuminated celebration of the Filipino-American experience with her large-scale installation “Tahanan: Home Is Where Your Paról Is.”
In the fall of 2021, the Goethe-Institut opened an interdisciplinary project space in the MacArthur Park/Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. The Goethe-Institut Los Angeles has worked together with local partners and cultural workers to conduct focus groups to better understand what the community would like the new space to be. The Goethe-Institut Los Angeles was invited to join the community advisory council initiated by the Levitt Pavilion, where they could connect to and listen to the thoughts of various initiatives and organizations in and around the neighborhood. Through this process, the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles determined to use the project space as a host for people and cultures in the area and as a platform to present projects directly relevant to the MacArthur Park/Westlake community and surrounding neighborhoods. This focus on direct cooperation with local communities is also at the heart of the Goethe-Institut's work globally.
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