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.

Santa Barbara + Film/Media Arts

Barbara Parmet's Fine Art Photojournalism

by Charles Donelan

May 17, 2013 1:00 AM

In her photographic work, Barbara Parmet addresses the degree to which witnessing remains the fundamental constitutive human act.

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Los Angeles + Music

Tidal Waves and Quiet: The Heavy Dynamics of Sleep Lady

by Drew Tewksbury

May 16, 2013 1:00 AM

Sleep Lady guitarist Michael Hayden exlains how the musical environment of San Diego cultivates his band and why instrumental can often say more than music with words.

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Los Angeles + Visual Arts

From FX to Fine Art: The Evolution of Special Effects Artists in the Digital Age

by Oliver Wang

May 16, 2013 1:00 AM

Traditional visual effects specialists have shifted their creative focus from movies into other realms as pre-digital make-up and costuming decline.

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Los Angeles + Performance

Passing the Balanchine Baton: LAB's Next Generation of Dancers

by AC Remler

May 15, 2013 11:15 AM

Balanchine Festival 2013, hosted by the Los Angeles Ballet, celebrates the work of George Balanchine, one of the greatest choreographic masters of all time.

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