Metamorphoses

Summer 2012 Report: Hibernation and Ranger Tales

News from the LA Urban Rangers:

You haven’t heard from us in a while, as the Los Angeles Urban Rangers have been in relative hibernation since our Engagement Party residency at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) last summer. Huddled together in the den, we’ve been busy whittling a new video about Public Access 101: Downtown L.A., expanding our virtual ranger station, reflecting on our active past, and imagining trails into the future.

We want to announce to you, our steadfast cohort, that we’ve decided to enter into a phase of temporary dormancy (i.e. you won’t see us out and about, at least in uniform, in the coming months), partly due to long-distance migrations and other exciting metamorphoses among our rangers. Rest assured, our spirit of exploration runs strong and we will keep you posted of any and all adventures ahead.

In the meantime, we’re eager to share several new tales about the Rangers that have appeared in recent months:

  • KCET collected over 30 stories from hikers on our L.A. River Ramble last August, which can be found on Departures. If you have any field notes of your own about experiences on the L.A. River, please let us know!
  • Amelia Foster reflected on our Critical Campout last September in the Fall/Winter 2011 issue of Public Art Review
  • Meredith Drake Reitan wrote a short piece about our Malibu safaris in David C. Sloane’s new book, Planning Los Angeles
  • Bill Kelley’s recent article for KCET’s Artbound is a thoughtful reflection on the topography and artistic climate in which we Rangers continue to explore.
  • Longer “external guides” about the Los Angeles Urban Rangers are expected soon and we will keep you posted.

As always, we enjoy hearing your stories of urban trail exploration! We’ll add your field notes to our Ranger logs.

Your Faithful Stewards,

The Los Angeles Urban Rangers

laurbanrangers.org

via Summer 2012 Report: Hibernation and Ranger Tales.

Theater Matters – notes from EMOS 2009 Part III

Today has been a bit slow at EMOS for me. I did attend the 2pm matinee of the University of Oregon’s student production of Metamorphoses in the Robinson Theatre, however, and even though I happened to see the Tony-award winning Broadway production in 2002, I was mightily impressed with the production here. It helps, of course, when the show is lined with a cast of beautiful teens and twenty-somethings. (makes even a late thirties [nameless]theater artist and blogger feel old!)

I sat with Moe Beitiks of the Green Museum Blog for the performance, and you may or may not be happy to hear that prior to the show she convinced me why she thought ecoTheater remained valuable to the ongoing “green art” discourse. Thanks, Moe: after some thought, I’ve realized that I needed to hear that — especially in the way you put it.

Speaking of which…

It’s been nothing short of a pleasure to have met and spent time with both Ian Garrett of the CSPA and Moe. I’ve corresponded and followed their work closely over the last two or three years, and though their reputations preceed them, they have been entirely pleasant, and wonderful, articulate, honest sounding boards. Artists in America — indeed, across the globe — are lucky to have them working so tirelessly.

I’m sure I’ll have yet more to say tomorrow about my entire, albeit abbreviated, EMOS experience as I travel back to the Midwest. Until then… 

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