A Vibrant Arts & Crafts Scene In Los Angeles, Ca

A cultural locus, Los Angeles is renowned for its thriving arts & crafts scene. In downtown LA, the arts district was founded around 1976. Many artists gravitated to the location, from nearby cities like Venice, Santa Monica and Long Beach. Professional and amateur artists scrambled to find large affordable spaces in previously abandoned downtown buildings.

In the past, artists were compelled to hide their living status. Frequently, the local fire department would conduct impromptu fire inspections. Fortuitously, artists dwelling in the numerous lofts usually had a few hours warning, and would quickly conceal any signs of living there.

To help the denizens out, the Artists In Residence ordinance was enacted. This law allowed artists and craftsmen to legally live in buildings which conformed to city safety requirements. The desirability of the downtown studios raised rental prices from about 30 cents a square foot to more than one dollar per square foot. During the 1980's arts & crafts areas were so plentiful that people made money by conducting bus tours of the district.

Currently, more than twelve hundred artists and craftspeople reside and work in the arts district, and hundreds more in the nearby areas.

The City of Los Angeles, CA also supports a public arts program, which compels area builders to give one percent of their construction costs for new buildings to a public art fund.

Los Angeles is renowned for its mural art, and the thousands spread throughout the city are believed to be more than in any other city in the world. Native Mexican muralists like Diego Rivera and Jose Orozco have painted noted murals in the area.

Around the 1960's and 1970's, the Chicano arts & crafts movement was founded in the city. A good bit of the material produced was in the tradition followed by Mexican muralists. Murals generated in this era by artists and crafters are still extant in East Los Angeles. The Chicano arts & crafts in Los Angeles also led to the internationally known D�a de los Muertos annual festival.

In conclusion, among the most widely-known art museums on the globe can be found in Los Angeles. Among them are the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Getty Center, and the Hammer Museum. Smaller arts & crafts museums in Los Angeles include the Craft and Folk Art Museum, the California African American Museum, and numerous sculpture gardens.

About the Author:
Matt Paolini is the editorial director for CityBook.com, the family-safe business yellow pages, which carries an extensive directory of performing arts industry-related businesses located in Los Angeles.

Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com

Tags: arts

, crafts

, Los Angeles

, culture

, murals

Related....

Videos...

Recent Arts-and-Entertainment Articles

Firesteel - What Is It? By: Tommy y Holland | May 27th 2012 - A firesteel is a rod of material including magnesium that is scraped with a specially developed scraper or the back of a knife to make sparks that in turn set light to tinder and thence the kindling and mos ...

Three Periods In The History Of Kannada Language By: jakson1952 | May 27th 2012 - Kannada is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and has an antiquity of not less than two thousand years. Kannada is one among the first 30 most spoken languages in the world; spoken mostly in the state of ...

Hbo Hard Knocks Team 2012 By: aaro0a0mkn | May 26th 2012 - "Hard Knocks" is like an orphan knocking on the doors of NFL teams looking for a home. With a deadline set, they've had no luck finding shelter yet.

hbo hard knocks team 2012

Cancun Tv By: Robert Nickel | May 26th 2012 - We all hope for the best when we head to Cancun for a much-deserved getaway, but let's face it, there will be at least a little bit of time with the television on. Sure, we say things like "why would I turn ...

How To Operate An Art Gallery Successfully By: David Tatham | May 26th 2012 - Art is amongst one of the old forms of expression on the planet judging by the numerous rock drawings in various parts of the world. People have for long appreciated art and it remains an important part of ...

wings

signed prints

limited editions

How Shoppers Use Custom Gifts For Difficult Individuals By: David Sheath | May 26th 2012 - Finding the right gift for a discerning individual is challenging. Gift seekers can spend hours shopping for a person who has unique tastes or seems to already own everything. Shoppers do not want to waste ...

Vincent Van Gogh By: Bobby Buys | May 26th 2012 - The tremendous appreciation that van Gogh's works evoke in modern times makes it hard to believe that the artist sold just one painting during his life time!

Pearl Gemstones Jewellry Fashion By: Gems Stone | May 26th 2012 - Pearls, at the same time make great gifts. This is a very beautiful way to show that you care for the bride and wish her happiness in her conjugal life.

Pearl gemstones

precious gemstones

natural gems

Watch Online Tv By: hetalia parker | May 26th 2012 - You may find Satellite Direct to be the best place to watch online TV while on the internet, the type of television that will slowly but surely replace the television set that is old. Finding music, sports, ...