PAST EVENT

Take Me to Your River

Community Launch: Take Me to Your River

PAST EVENT

Take Me to Your River

Community Launch: Take Me to Your River

Details

Sunday

September 24, 2023

1–3pm

Clockshop

2806 Clearwater St

Los Angeles, CA

takemetoyourriver

Description

On September 24, we welcomed guests to explore Take Me to Your River: A Cultural Atlas of the LA River, the beginning of a three-year collective history and cultural mapping project of the Northeast LA neighborhoods that surround the LA River, including Elysian Valley, Atwater Village, Cypress Park, and Glassell Park.

Take Me to Your River Community Launch
Sunday, September 24, 2023
1:00-3:00 PM
Clockshop

Clockshop has collected initial oral histories from individuals that reflect the diversity, contentions, and lived experiences of these Northeast LA communities. The atlas will be a space to preserve the histories of these neighborhoods, as ongoing gentrification displaces local residents and uproots their cultural and social fabrics. 

During our community launch, we invited guest to explore our new Cultural Atlas website and hear from some of these residents as they shared their stories about the past, present, and future of the place they call home. Listen to the stories that were shared in our storytelling circle here.

Residents like Helen Leung, born and raised in Elysian Valley and current Executive Director of local non-profit LA Más, shares:

“Frogtown feels like home to me because my family is still there. My parents, and surrounding my parents’ home, are all these memories and connections I have to neighbors to places I grew up with. Everyone is so welcoming because everyone is struggling to make it.”

Spend the afternoon with us to hear more stories like this during our storytelling circles, with a short discussion and opportunities to share to follow. There will be delicious tacos and aguas frescas to enjoy as we explore the cultural atlas through demonstrations of short documentaries, an interactive timeline, and illustrations by Jian Giannini that encapsulate the visual narratives of these communities.

This program was free and open to the public.

If you are unable to attend, but would like to recommend a local Northeast LA cultural practitioner, community leader, resident, or local business or organization to tell their story, please fill out this form.

ACCESSIBILITY
Elysian’s courtyard and building are wheelchair accessible.
There are two all-gender, single-stall restrooms on-site.

ARRIVAL 
By Car – There is street parking surrounding the building. If you are driving, we recommend searching for parking on Clearwater St, Fruitdale St, and Worthen Ave. Please be mindful of two-hour parking on Ripple Street. We always recommend carpooling or ridesharing as parking availability can be impacted by neighbors like Salazar and Zebulon.
By Bus – There are two bus stops nearby: 603 on Fletcher/Ripple and 182 on Fletcher/Crystal.
By Bike – If you are planning to bike, you are welcome to bring in your bike for safe keeping during the event.

SUPPORT
Take Me to Your River, and related programs, is supported through generous funding from the Mellon Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant, the California Arts Council, The Nature Conservancy, and Clockshop’s generous community of individual donors.  

As we prepare for the launch of this project, we would like to express our gratitude to community members who have agreed to participate in the pilot phase of this project, and to all who have advised us along the way. Thank you.

Photographs by Mathew Scott