Counties | Artbound

Counties

Artbound explores the cultural ecology of eleven Southern and Central California counties; utilizes a broad-based, participatory methodology to identify and uncover artists, arts groups and communities engaged in creative practices informed by geography, history and place. From Imperial, to Los Angeles, to Kern and beyond, Artbound is Southern California's Cultural Journalism.

Imperial

Although agribusiness, migration and labor are the main staples of Imperial County, the Salton Sea, an area of deep environmental decay, continues to inspire artists and writers today.

Inyo

At the turn of the 20th Century, Inyo County was the subject of inquiry for many visual artists and photographers seeking to define the West.

Kern

A rugged sense of independence created what is now known as the Bakersfield Sound and influenced a new generation of California singers and songwriters.

Los Angeles

The constant flux, push and pull of cultural binaries and identities, has given Los Angeles is current status as the preeminent cultural and artistic capital of the world.

Orange

Who is to question the cultural importance of Mickey Mouse? Last time we checked, hundreds of O.C teens flocked into the park with a critical understanding about theme park design and a dash of punk rock rebellion.

Riverside

The cultural ecology of Riverside County is as diverse as its geography.

San Bernardino

Like an early piece of land-art, San Bernardino County boasts two breathtaking artificial reservoirs that accentuate the contradictions between the natural and the built environment with the cultural history of the area.

San Diego

The county's physical and imaginary line has become a laboratory for experimentation as artists explore the militarized territory of the border.

San Luis Obispo

The distance from the main urban hubs has afforded SLO the capacity to retain, preserve and celebrate its agrarian Mexican and Spanish past and allowed its cities and towns to grow at a sustainable rate.

Santa Barbara

Artists and writers in Santa Barbara acknowledge a shared common cultural history of a not-so-distant past where California and the West were ruled by others.

Ventura

In Ventura, Ojai’s experimental music and poetry scene, coexists with suburban hardcore punk and manicured lawns.

Los Angeles + Film/Media Arts

The Transformative Nature of David Wojnarowicz's ITSOFOMO

by Jennifer Doyle

May 23, 2013 1:00 AM

"ITSOFOMO: In the Shadow of Forward Motion" is considered one of the most intense works of art produced during the years that the AIDS crisis cut through the art world.

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Los Angeles + Visual Arts

Uncovered Olympic Glories: Murals Restoration on the 101 Freeway

by Carren Jao

May 23, 2013 1:00 AM

Willie Herrón III, the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles' official restorer, and his assistant Melody Betancourt, are working on one of the city's prized possessions: Frank Romero's "Going to the Olympics."

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Los Angeles + Visual Arts

Common Fragility: Vincent Tomczyk's Paper Chairs

by Meher McArthur

May 22, 2013 1:00 AM

Crafted meticulously from paper and mixed media, Tomczyk's chair sculptures tease the mind.

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San Diego + Multi-Disciplinary

From the Center of the Margin: Contemporary Art Galleries in Downtown Tijuana

by Misael Diaz

May 20, 2013 1:00 PM

After violence desolated the city center of Tijuana starting in 2007, artists and musicians began to reimagine the function of this area, known as "El Centro" -- the historic tourist district that stretches about 10 blocks along Avenida Revolucion -- by opening small independent, largely self-funded art galleries and spaces.

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