KCET's "StoryShare" initiative Helps SPARC Celebrate Restoration of the Great Wall of Los Angeles
**Media Alert**
LA Murals: Stories of Struggle and Inspiration
KCET's "StoryShare" initiative Helps SPARC Celebrate Restoration of the Great Wall of Los Angeles
WHAT: The powerful stories of community members who have been inspired by muralism in Los Angeles will be chronicled by KCET's StoryShare multimedia initiative to help celebrate the restoration of the historical Great Wall of Los Angeles in North Hollywood, one of the longest murals in the world.
Angelenos, many from underserved neighborhoods, will reflect on their personal experiences with the art form and how murals have helped capture the city's vibrant multiculturalism.
Part of KCET's online Departures series, StoryShare was created to record the stories of individuals who have strong personal memories and history attached to their neighborhoods.
Judith Baca, SPARC's artistic director, who has devoted her life to public art, will also participate.
WHEN: Saturday September 17, 2011 at 3 p.m.
WHERE: The Great Wall of Los Angeles
1290 W. Oxnard St.
Valley Glen, CA 91401
WHY: To create a collective narrative cartography of neighborhood stories by exposing the subjective and personal history through the eyes of community members.
About The Great Wall
With a length of 2754 feet, The Great Wall is one of the longest murals in the world. Designed by Judy Baca of SPARC in 1976, the work for the mural was carried out by over 400 community members, many of them at-risk youths, over the course of 13 years. SPARC and its founder Baca has been a frequent collaborator with Departures.
About KCET Departures
KCET Departures provides a 360º people-centric experience; is participatory in nature; and serves as a central nexus in people sharing, commenting, collaborating, and finding ways to be involved in their communities. These relationships are fostered offline and on by engaging community residents, non-profit organizations, schools and students, in the creation and procurement of relevant and relatable content. From development to production, the neighborhood and its community (the stake holders) are involved in the process of production, resulting in a tight knit between the aspirations of the local community and the station. Departures is a participatory platform, a series, and a network where people can convene information and ideas about our city and its people, and engage in the interpretation of the city that we live in.
For more about Departures:
www.kcet.org/departures
For more StoryShare events:
http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/community/events/
About SPARC
The Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) is a non-profit community arts center based in Venice, California. SPARC hosts exhibitions, sponsors workshops and murals, and lobbies for the preservation of Los Angeles-area murals and other works of public art. According to its mission statement, "SPARC espouses public art as an organizing tool for addressing contemporary issues, fostering cross-cultural understanding and promoting civic dialogue."
