The other day I came upon an article in Newsweek that truly caught my interest.  The article was titled “The Creativity Crisis” and the headline read “For the first time reasearcg shows that American creativity is declining.  What went wrong – and how can we fix it.”  As I read the article it occured to me the writer’s statement was just not correct.  There is plenty of creativity today in America and from Americans, it’s just that past generation fails to recognize the new gereration’s creative contributions. 

Years ago creativity was defined by invention of mechanical products.  The the cotton gin, the telephone and the assembly line were regarded as creative feats, which they were.  Today, video games are more complex than ever, televison shows and feature films are less formulaic than in the past, and art expands far beyond the canvas.  Americans are constantly looking to break new ground and explore what has not been yet discovered.

While it has been asked, what changed creativity in America, there are a few areas to visit in our educational system.  From an early age children are asked to color within the lines and are graded for such.  The better grades go to those who stay within the lines.  But it is those who see no boundries that are expressing their creativity in another way. 

The article in Newsweek continued to focus on the educational system in our country as well, noting that with the packed curriculum there is very little time for creative classes.  Art and music departments are being cut and replaced with higher level math and English courses.  Our children are being educated, but only to fit into corporate America.

As I read on it was mentioned that a prime leadership requirement is creativity.  With all that is focused every day within our schools you would think we would be preserving the creative courses somehow.  But then again, why would we – the education system in our country has been designed to help children grow into adults who fit into society’s little box.  But leaders are born, not taught.  To bring America’s creativity back we just have to begin to accept those that do differently than we do and appreciate their efforts.

The Brewery ArtWalk is a twice annual open studio weekend at the art complex. With over 100 participating resident artists, you will have the opportunity to see new works, discover new favorites, speak with the artists, and purchase artwork directly from the artists at studio prices.

Brewery ArtWalk
Spring 2010 – April 17 & 18
11:00 am – 6:00 pm

2100 North Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90031.
http://breweryartwalk.com/ 

Art & the City: Los Angeles An Ovation TV Original Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 9:30pm Explore the Los Angeles art scene from home – Just Program your DVR. Host David Keeps uncovers discoveries of arts and design in highly regarded attractions as well as uncovered corners throughout the US and Europe. In this episode, David explores the scene in Los Angeles. Ovation is a television specialty channel that airs programming dedicated to the arts and contemporary culture. It features programming devoted to performance, people, art, music and film. In addition, Ovation features in-depth profiles on various artists and performers, Arts news from the U.S and around the world. 

City Councilmen Tom LeBonge has been kicking around an idea for some time now that would connect the Southern California Institute of Architecture to the Arts District located just south of the campus using an existing rail line that has been previously abandoned. This idea didn’t gain much support from the Mayors Office when it was first introduced four years ago. So when LaBonge was asked by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to sit in on the Feb. 25 Metro board meeting in the place of Councilman and Metro board member José Huizar, LaBonge made his pitch again.

Lebonge commissioned a feasibility report to be completed by Metro Staff. The report would include the environmental impacts of adding a service car to the Red and Purple Lines that would service a new station at Sixth Street near Santa Fe Avenue. Lebonge wanted to make it clear that no new track would need to be constructed and a platform could easily be erected either there or near Third Street.

LaBonge envisions the line extension as a way for people to get to and from SCI-Arc and the Arts and Industrial districts, and possibly as an opportunity to reduce congestion at Union Station’s Patsaouras Transit Plaza.

“If I can use a baseball analogy, a lot of times you try to get a hit and maybe you get a hit to the outfield but you don’t score,” LaBonge said. “I didn’t hit this one out of the park, but we’re at least in play to get around the bases.”

Fashion designer Juan Carlos Obando spent Valentine’s weekend showing his latest collection at Fashion Week in Bryant Park, New York. Juan Carlos, a former advertising and marketing guru, is regarded in the fashion world as one of the top up and coming designers.  Style.com, who appear to have their hands on the pulse of all the happenings in Bryant Park, have already reviewed his most recent show for his fall 2010 collection and noted that “Obando’s scissor skills were plainly on display and his tailoring indeed proved to be flawless.” His spring 2010 show last year also drew great reviews from Style.com as they explained, “Obando’s message…pondered the macro idea of new frontiers and the micro one of imparting the patina of history and natural forces to textiles.” They went on to say that, “His jackets certainly hit the nail on the head, with perfect hand finishing inside and out—elegant enough for lunch uptown but so innovatively crafted that they can be crumpled up like a jean jacket with no consequence.”Juan Carlos Obando’s base of operations is one of LA’s truly urban and modern loft developments, The Westmoreland Lofts. Located on the border of Silver Lake and adjacent to Downtown and Hollywood, the lofts have a unique look and character to match the equally unique and extremely diverse tenant base. Along with Juan Carlos, the creative complex boasts make-up artists, photographers, screen printers, production companies, writers, hair salons, musicians, dance performers as well as marketing and advertising firms—to name a few. Needless to say this eclectic group interacts and network in a way unlike most office or apartment complexes. With the ability to both live and work in their spaces, the individuals and businesses thrive in an inspirational and creative community. As Juan Carlos once explained in an interview with Style.com, having a break every now and then from fashion forces him to “… take the blinders off and spend a little time in the world where, you know, fashion actually lives.” It is possible that the Westmoreland Lofts provide him with the perfect atmosphere to do just that.

HOW MANY BILLBOARDS? ART IN STEAD

The MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House announced its most ambitious project to date: How Many Billboards? Art In Stead. This large-scale urban exhibition debuts 23 new works by leading contemporary artists, presented simultaneously on billboards throughout Los Angeles for seven weeks from February 5 through March 26, 2010.

The exhibition will be accompanied by an overview exhibition and orientation station at the Schindler House, which opens on February 23, as well as a series of public programs and bus tours. Twenty-three artists working in the vein of California’s conceptual art movement have been commissioned to create a new work that critically responds to the medium of the billboard and interprets its role in the urban landscape. The exhibition looks at California’s conceptually-orientated art history and examines the relationships between outdoor media and architecture in the city, and also suggests in-depth consideration of participating artists’ broader contributions to contemporary art. Investigating art as an idea as well as art as a media for critical intervention, the exhibition highlights the interaction of Pop, conceptualism and architecture in Los Angeles since the late 1960s.

To get more info on this event, go to: www.howmanybillboards.org