FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

for more information or to be
on the Tour list contact info below

ARTS DISTRICT OPEN STUDIO TOURS
DATE: May 2, 2010
TIME: Noon- 7:00 pm
LOCATION: Downtown Los Angeles Arts District
TRANSPORTATION: Free shuttle

LOFTS AND STUDIOS PARTICIPATING:
Traction Avenue Lofts (Traction Avenue), Neptune Building (E. 3rd Street), Art Share LA (with group exhibition and student performances 1pm and 5pm, Crazy Gideon store front (Traction Ave), Café Metropol (3rd Street) , 900 Building (1st/Vignes), River Front Loft (Santa Fe Ave),
Toy Warehouse Loft (Santa Fe Ave), Barker Block,
Toy Factory Lofts – Daniel Lahoda Fine Arts - Biscuit Lofts – 1820 Studios – LACE building (Industrial Street), Factory Place Lofts (Factory Place), EVFA (on Alameda,
Seaton Street Lofts (Seaton Street)

PRESS CONTACT AND PARTICIPATION:
Lilli Muller (213.247.8800) or lillim99@gmail.com

   On May 2, the TRUE Downtown Arts District
will open the doors of cafés, galleries, performance
venues, and 40 studios (and counting) in the first of
a new Open Studio Tour series.
  Orchestrated by artist/ curator Lilli Muller and the help of Qathryn Brehm, Jericho Woggon, Edgar Varela of EVFA Gallery, Martha Mitchell and Sia Aryai the events are somewhat of a revival.
   Since Bohemian squatters were followed by controversial city zoning in 1981, this turn of the century industrial neighborhood has had everything from crack dens to half-empty high-rises confusing its reputation within the city.
A 1983 Reader (free weekly of LA’s past) declared that
“The Loft Scene Is Dead,” and the most
recent district event was in 1997.”
  Regardless of public opinion (or awareness), artists, designers, architects, writers, and performers new and old have continued to make extensive and impressive work in the area.  The May Open Studios are part cultural reminder that the post-industrial downtown never stopped producing. The District also hosts internationally well-known graffiti walls that draw many visitors on a daily basis.
  The self-guided tour will include lofts (821 Traction Ave; the Toy Factory and more), private galleries as EVFA Gallery, Tarryn & Theresa Gallery and ADC Gallery and many of the areas well-known restaurants as Metropol, Zip Fusion, e3rd and Wurstkuche.
  Bordered by Alameda on the west, the Los Angeles River on the east, Temple on the North and 7th Street on the South, the parameters are contiguous enough that a shuttle will make rounds on the quarter-hour. 

The event will be held, free of charge, from noon ‘til 7:00 PM on Saturday,May 2, 2010.  For more information or for a place on the map, please contact lillim99@gmail.com or call at: 213.247.8800.  Artist and business participation should be applied for no later than November 2nd; cost is $35, a portion of which goes toward programming at Art Share LA.