The sun was blazing, but that didn’t stop 600 community members in Los Angeles from embarking on a unique civic journey with Procession, a moving arts festival that traced multiple historic paths of the Los Angeles River. This dynamic social art project celebrated the vital importance of water through three walking performances across the city streets, converging at the iconic Los Angeles State Historic Park. The performance was led by local artists, including members from multiple tribal communities.
Orchestrated by artists Debra Scacco and Joel Garcia, Procession has been five years in the making, with a goal of building awareness of both natural and cultural resources that have been erased from the urban landscape, as well as growing a sense of unity around global issues such as climate change. (Source)
Lazaro Arvizu Jr. (Gabrielino/Tongva), Tina Calderon (Gabrielino/Tongva, Chumash, Yoeme), and Little Tokyo’s Nobuko Miyamoto guided participants along the river’s former paths, with each artist sharing their distinct cultural practices and traditions along the way. Community members carried light-weight sculptures representing local river flora and fauna, to highlight the importance and sensitivity of riparian ecosystems such as the L.A. River’s, which have largely been destroyed. Read the artists’ statement about Procession here, and find local news coverage here.
