Call for Artists for a Cooler Grand Park

Overview:
As winners of the Goldhirsh Foundation’s My LA2050 Grants Challenge to make Los Angeles the best place to play, this summer Grand Park will pilot the installation of a permanent shade structure featuring the design of a local artist at the Park for Everyone in Downtown Los Angeles.

Grand Park’s Olive Court, a highly trafficked central gathering space for park events & weekly food truck events (22K DTLA residents & employees a year). Visitors consistently request additional shade particularly for our most vulnerable visitors; children and elders. Adding shade areas will increase capacity and enhance the comfort of the 1M people who access Grand Park annually to play, enjoy quiet green spaces and attend free events in downtown LA.

The theme of the design should reflect the park itself and its role in civic life in Los Angeles County. Artists are encouraged to draw on their own experiences with and at Grand Park in developing their designs. The inaugural design will be featured in the space for 2 years. The selected artist will receive a commission of $15,000. Prior public art experience is not a requirement.

Artist Commission: $15,000

Eligibility: This call is open to emerging and established professional Los Angeles based visual artists who are legally authorized to work in the United States (per U.S. Department of Labor).

Application Deadline: 5:00 PM (PST) Friday, February 26, 2016

Info Meeting Date: 5 PM, Wednesday, February 10, 2016 @ Grand Park on Olive Court (between the fountain and the Performance Lawn). Please visit our page, Getting Here for tips on how to arrive. If you plan on attending please email us at [email protected]. Thanks!

Entry Procedure: Entries are officially closed, thank you to all who have submitted!

You can review the Call for Artist request at Grand Park LA2050_Call to Artist.

Finalist Announced: Saturday, March 12, 2016

Questions?
Contact: Alejandra Cisneros
Email: [email protected]

HEART BEATZ OF #NYELA

My oh my, it’s the 5th year for Grand Park + The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A. and it’s going to be amazing! There is an awesome lineup of artists, food vendors, family-friendly photo booths, a digital dance zone, and a 3D video mapping projections on (go ahead and nerd out) of City Hall, to ring in the 2018.

Needless to say, there is A TON of excitement and a whole lot of juicy energy encompassing thoughts of 2017’s wrap up, the future of L.A. and its heartbeat, told through the lens of our closest friends and family.

We asked some N.Y.E.L.A. artists to share their insights on how they see the future of L.A. and to capture this moment in the form of a playlist. This is the the music that is inspired by our beautiful, vibrating, Angeleno energy as we transition from 2017 to 2018.

This page will be updated with every new playlist delivered in the spirit of #NYELA, the dopeness starts here:

Raquel Rodriguez

Francesca Harding

++++++More awesome playlists from last year’s artists:++++++

Louis Vivet

“We’re most looking forward to unveiling our live show in 2016. After working tirelessly on it for the past year, we cannot wait to share it with you all and debut the full vision for our music. But most importantly, we are extremely grateful for the year we’ve had in 2015 and our amazing supporters; we couldn’t have done it out without all of you. So here’s to an even better 2016!” -Louis Vivet

Lost Midas

“I look forward to sharing new music in 2016.” -Jason Trikakis, Lost Midas

DJ Ry Toast

Waterbed

“2016 will be a year of growth and new music!” -Waterbed

++++++More awesome playlists from last year’s artists:++++++

Omid Walizadeh

Chris Douridas (KCRW)

Garth Trinidad (KCRW)

“With a myriad of variables encouraging a state of flux across the city, LA’s modern creative renaissance will continue to flourish. I envision a brilliant future for it as an idyllic metropolis. This is a chilled out play list with some of my recent favorites from LA based artists and labels. Something to toast the new year to and say a prayer for better public transit and less traffic.”

Alex Hwang & John Chong (Run River North)

Alex: I picked upbeat/energetic tracks that were released in 2014, since they are the most recent. It seems like people want more raw emotion and energy at shows.

John: I picked a mix of two of my favorite tracks released this year and two that I will always listen to every year. There’s a tension of push and pull, of hold or let go in these tracks that speak to me about how to approach the transition into the new year. From the fun middle finger waving of Jenny Lewis to the introspective, communal waiting of James Vincent McMorrow – there’s always that battle to enjoy the ride, be grateful of where you been, and how to look ahead. But I think the Local Natives say it best – Who Knows, Who Cares.

Aaron Byrd (KCRW)

Big Ups On City Hall

Read up to prep for this year’s bigger, better celebration which includes Grand Park and The Music Center. Grand Park + The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A. is the flagship West Coast New Year’s Eve celebration and is THE place to ring in the New Year alongside not just all of Los Angeles, but also with the world’s capitols.

Mitchell Colley asks “WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT N.Y.E.L.A.?” Here’s the skinny-minny on the brains behind the operation, why no fireworks, the purpose of public countdowns and the down-low of what makes us tick as the clock strikes midnight.

PLAYERS INCLUDE:

Julia Diamond, Grand Park’s Programming Director

Garson Yu, Artistic Director of yU+co, GP’s collaborators (and technical geniuses!) in creating Hall’s projections this New Year’s Eve.

Julia Diamond, Grand Park’s Director of Programming. Photo by Javier Guillen.

MC: How do you begin to wrap your head around countdown celebrations? What do you see their purpose as?

JD: New beginnings are so exciting. They mean limitless possibility. When we mark the transition from old to new in a festive and communal way instead of alone, it means not only are our new beginnings about intimate personal things, they are about bigger picture parts of our lives. When we celebrate together, we can feel excited about the possibility of what we will achieve and experience together whether that is about a couple, a family, a team, a neighborhood, or a county.

MC: New York has this long-standing event involving a ball dropping and swaths of people gathering in Times Square. How did you begin to distinguish the characteristics of a Los Angeles ‘style’ of countdown?

JD: L.A.’s countdown reflects its role as the creative epicenter of our world. LA has always been home not only to creative artists but to artists who are harnessing technology to push new mediums forward. We have done this particularly in filmmaking and animation. N.Y.E.L.A., with its use of 2D and 3D mapping technology sits at the forefront of what art and technology can create. I like to say that it is a true 21^st century countdown. The ball is analog.

MC: How did the idea of video mapping City Hall come to the forefront of your mind?

JD: A video mapping artist approached me in early 2013 and told me that City Hall was a dream for anyone in his world. He planted the seed of interest and the realization that Grand Park was well suited for mapping projects. When we started planning last year’s N.Y.E.L.A., our collaborators were also excited about the possibility. It has just felt like a natural fit from day one.

MC: So I have to ask, why not fireworks?

JD: 2 reasons:

1. We do fireworks at 4^th of July so we like to switch it up.

2. Fireworks are not story-telling mediums. They pretty much just go boom. It doesn’t leave a lot of room to talk about L.A. and to customize the show every year.

MC: The event has grown significantly from the first year. What can patrons expect to find that is new? What has the Grand Park team improved upon?

JD: We did a lot of listening and we appreciate that L.A. gave us feedback after the event last year. We have worked hard to improve the infrastructure of the event, those things that really impact the audience experience. So that means:

– More bathrooms

– More food vendors

– More room in the streets for people to stand

– Two additional live music stages so you can really explore the whole event space and pick the experience that suits you

– Added photo booths = shorter wait times

– The projection on City Hall will be on two sides of the building. It will also enable more people to have a great view.

MC: What / Who should I bring with me?

JD: Bring your whole family and all of your friends! Bring your whole block with you. Just bring ‘em all. Except maybe doggies who might get spooked by a crowd.

I would also bring a camera, a jacket, a comfy pair of shoes, a snack, and a smile. Please check the website to be sure about what you can’t bring in so you don’t have any frustrations day of.

MC: Any resolutions on behalf of yourself or Los Angeles you’d care to share?

JD: For me: To keep exploring. As Programming Director of Grand Park, my job is to keep learning about L.A. County and bringing what I find to the audiences that come to Grand Park.

For L.A.: Not to forget that the drought is very real even in winter when we are getting rain. We have to resolve to remain vigilant, adaptive, and resourceful.

MC: Tell us a little bit about your work, expertise, and a bit about yU+co

GY: I am a film title designer with a fine art and graphic design background. I have always been interested in time-based story telling. I design short sequences for the beginning of a film, setting up the tone and mood for the audience to enter the film maker’s world. I also design motion graphics for television show opens, commercials, and new media.

Recently, I have started shifting my focus into multi- media public art projects. A year and a half ago, I created my first large-scale multimedia public art installation at Pier 57 in New York City, called The Interactive New York (T.I.N.Y. Show). The installation was a collaboration with Madrid-based architect Jose Maria de Churtichaga and incorporated projection mapping and interactive sound.

yU+co was founded in 1998. We have evolved from being a title design company into a multi-disciplinary design agency. We have a division called yU+co(lab) that focuses on experiential design and multimedia interactive projects. We have expanded from one office in LA to include 6 offices in China.

MC: How was the experience of working with Los Angeles’ City Hall as a canvas? How has the architecture informed the work?

GY: City Hall is a very unique building. It’s a long vertical tower. There are 18 stories with windows centered vertically between 2 pillars plus another 4-story high triangular tower on the top. The architecture informed me to design the flow of imagery entering from the bottom to the top. I took advantage of applying my images to the canvas vertically. However, in some cases I break the rhythm, entering horizontally.

MC: What was the process like? (Give us a taste)

GY: It’s been a very creative collaboration with Julia and the Grand Park team. The biggest challenge at the beginning was to come up with the theme and concept. Based on Julia’s direction on what Grand Park wants to communicate to Angelenos, we developed the concept of “The Beat of The City”. Once awarded the project, we free-floated ideas, and we tested each other’s brain waves. I thought, “Should we do what everyone expects — 3D visual tricks and illusions, cool motion graphics? Or should we try something unexpected and give Angelenos an experience?” Julia was pretty keen on the narrative and I knew people would want to see 3D effects. I also wanted to bring an interactive component to the projection mapping medium. The result is a show that gives it all to the people in the park on that evening.

MC: Has your perception of public countdowns changed since taking on the N.Y.E.L.A. project?

GY: I don’t know yet. I look forward to experiencing it on NYE I hope this short-form narrative will touch people at the park when they are watching it. It is a moment that we will all share together, a feeling about our unique city and life. I hope to bring people together emotionally. Taking on the Grand Park + The Music Center project definitely changes my perception of how public countdowns can be different. This will mark a new milestone in public countdowns. I am proud to be part of it.

–Mitchell Colley, Grand Park’s Resident Walter Cronkite

COMMON ROOTS: A CONVERSATION WITH DIANE RODRIGUEZ

Puppets Grandmother and Grandfather. Photo by Javier Guillen

Travel back to the beginning of time with El Teatro Campesino and Center Theatre Group, at Grand Park October 10^th and 11^th.

On October 10^th and 11^th, El Teatro Campesino, the renowned Chicano theatre company, will be at Grand Park to perform their latest work “Popol Vuh: Heart of Heaven”. Brought to Los Angeles by Center Theatre Group, they are set to share a stunning visual rendering of the Mayan creation myth.

Generated by a yearlong process between company members and Boyle Heights’ residents, “Popol Vuh” brings the heartland of California within the heart of Los Angeles.

Diane Rodriguez, Associate Artistic Director at Center Theatre Group, shares personal experiences with with El Teatro Campesino. In her formative years as a theatre artist, she traveled the world as a member of ETC. She stopped by Grand Park to offer a unique perspective on this upcoming collaboration.

“It’s an authentic California company that grew out of the land practically”, says Rodriguez. In 1965, founder Luis Valdez approached Cesar Chavez in Delano.

“He went to Cesar and said ‘I want to start this theatre company that would organize farmworkers and educate them on the issues of the day, within the strike’, and Cesar said ‘You can do that, but you have to be an organizer, and you have to do that at night.’ And so that’s what he did.”

The activist spirit rang loud amongst the company. They drew from the land, they worked with their surroundings. Performing in the backs of pick-up trucks, Valdez summoned artists from the midst of the farm community, to share their message throughout the Central Valley.

A performance of El Teatro Campesino featuring Don Sacato, location unknown. John A. Kouns. 1966

By the mid 1970’s, ETC had become a force in the global theatre scene, touring the world and worked with artists such as Peter Brook. Their collaboration with Center Theatre Group came in 1978 with Valdez’s landmark “Zoot Suit”, forging a relationship with the Los Angeles community that still runs deep.

Birthed directly from the community, the concept of a collaborative ensemble has always been important. “Within El Teatro, it was an ensemble”, reflects Rodriguez “we would improvise the work, and Luis Valdez would then script it.” That same collective spirit is alive in the “Heart of Heaven.”

In this case, locals are thrown right into the ring and are letting their creativity thrive, allowing the collective ensemble consciousness to steer the play. “On top of that”, adds Rodriguez, who has sat in on rehearsals “they’re larger than life! You have these community members being treated as professionals.”

The puppet Kukumatz. Photo by Javier Guillen

Diane was blown away by how quickly these 40 performers adapted to the work. “They’re moving, they’re tumbling balls, and they’re carrying puppets, and its like, ‘Oh My God, it’s so complicated!’”

Staging the piece in Grand Park seemed ideal to those involved. “El Teatro’s project was perfect because it worked with a community that is very close to us, the Boyle Heights community and East Los Angeles. They were able to do a whole yearlong process with these community members, and culminate in the presentation right in the middle of Downtown Los Angeles,” beams Rodriguez, “It’s a very symbolic claiming of the land.”

“How Popol Vuh: Heart of Heaven, in terms of being a creation myth it told, is visual, which makes it very universal.” The universality, as it seeks to break down cultural preconceptions, make the Grand Park a fantastic backdrop. “Sharing a creation myth from another culture is always universal. And the physicalization, people will relate to it.”

“It’ll be a great gift for Los Angeles, even if you pass by and happen to catch it”, Rodriguez added. Get ready to turn back the clock to the beginning of time, in the Park for Everyone.

https://vimeo.com/141746509

Fall and Winter in Grand Park

Falltime in Grand Park is just magical. The blooms change, the weather shifts, but the love and joy that comes out of this park pink paradise remains a constant beat emanating from the core of Los Angeles. Let’s continue to share space together this season as we transition from 2015 to 2016:

SAT OCT 3 – PROUD STORIES

Hear stories of love, acceptance, and joy through the powerful voices of LA’s LGBTQ and ally community.

SAT & SUN / OCT 10 & 11 – POPOL VUH: HEART OF HEAVEN

Under the direction of Music Center resident company Center Theatre Group, the famed Chicano theatre company El Teatro Campesino will create an epic visual feast, Popol Vuh: Heart of Heaven. This performance tells the story of the Mayan creation myth with an L.A. twist through towering puppetry, music, and dance.

SUN OCT 18 – THE BIG DRAW along CICLAVIA

Take a break along the Ciclavia route and get creative on the park’s Event Lawn. Experiment with colored tape to create giant geometric patterns along the sidewalks, or collaborate on comics, masks and banners. All art materials are provided free of charge.

SAT OCT 24 – NOCHE DE OFRENDA

Grand Park partners with Self-Help Graphics & Art to present a traditional Noche de Ofrenda ceremony honoring the dead and featuring prayer led by the local indigenous community. 40 altars and large sculptures will be revealed this night and will be on display throughout the park.

SAT – MON OCT 24 THRU NOV 2 – ALTARS: DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS

See 40 altars focusing on both traditional and contemporary topics and explore the connections between the holiday’s origins and the daily lives of Angelenos as well large scale sculptures by L.A. artists throughout the park.

¡LUNCHTIME! YOGA, CONCERTS, CRAFTING …Y MÁS

Something to do during the lunch hour of power, including yoga sessions, lunch trucks, crafting, concerts, and more!

NOV 29 – DEC 25 GRAND PARK LIGHTS UP THE HOLIDAYS

Grand Park gets dressed up for the holidays. Take a stroll after sunset to enjoy the lights of the season.

DEC 31 – N.Y.E. L.A.

Welcome 2016 with family and friends in one remarkable countdown, featuring 3-D digital video mapping on two sides of City Hall.

FEB 13 – PROUD Love

PROUD Love is a Valentine’s Day celebration and dance party for the LGBTQ and ally community in the Park for Everyone.

DON’T FORGET TO ENJOY GRAND PARK’S FOUNTAIN, PLAYGROUND, WALKING PATHS, GARDENS, DOG RUN, and LITTLE LIBRARIES ALL YEAR ROUND. SEE YOU IN THE PARK!

Park PROUD

https://vimeo.com/145930131

“There doesn’t need to be 500 of us in a picket line on the steps of City Hall. We are out here, taking in the sun, our children are here, our families. This is history right here.”

— PROUD Patron

This past Saturday, August 22nd, 2015, marked the first event in Grand Park’s PROUD Series, The PROUD Picnic.

I arrived at the park on my bicycle, in the early afternoon, to celebrate this simple and undoubtedly profound moment in Los Angeles.

Azul 213 | Photo by Javier Guillen.

I was embraced by the energies of those I knew and some that I was about to meet. As I walked on to Grand Park’s event lawn, I noticed that Azul 213 was looking out from behind the decks at the groups that had began to gather, finding refuge as patrons claimed spots in the shade. The music beamed into the summer sun. The sense of community was astounding. We had arrived.

Love Exists In… | Photo by Javier Guillen.

On April 26, 1928, Los Angeles City Hall opened its doors.

One of the things you notice about the Civic Center of Los Angeles, when you spend enough time, is that it carries a weight. It is a place of civil dissension, a place where you go to get divorced, a place to be declared innocent or guilty, a place to dream up public policy, a place where legislation gets enacted and becomes history; it is a place in constant flux.

On October 6th 2012, Grand Park opened to the public and quickly became the beating heart of the Civic Center, a place where every Angeleno in the county could take refuge. The gem of Los Angeles County, it is the park for everyone.

<3 | Photo by Javier Guillen.

Grand Park is a place to relax, to connect with others, to bring the whole family, to exercise, to walk the dog, and, unsurprisingly, to get married. Despite the shadows of the surrounding buildings that make up the Civic Center, Grand Park has quickly grown to be a place that everyone can utilize, enjoy, and be proud of.

Once I had my footing at the picnic, I raced over to check out the pop-up installations. Volunteers from Jovenes Inc. were there to greet me and asked if I wouldn’t mind writing some small moments of where I thought love exists. I placed notes on walls dedicated to love existing in the past, in places, and in people.

As I read the other notes, I got this supreme sense of togetherness within a community of strangers; each note a window, each window a world.

On June 26, 2015 the United States Supreme Court ruled that state-level bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional, almost exactly two years after Proposition 8 was ruled unconstitutional in the State of California.

Photo by Javier Guillen.

The LGBTQ community is no stranger to obstacles and has undeniably overcome many, same-sex marriage being one. The community has many factions, many individuals, many voices, and many priorities. These do not all consistently gel in perfect harmony. The need to overcome obstacles can provide a common ground in the search for equality. It is in itself an equalizer.

Joseph Shuldiner, Director, The Institute of Domestic Technology. | Photo by Javier Guillen.

As I came upon Joseph Shuldiner, the Director of The Institute of Domestic Technology, as he was leading sauerkraut-making workshops, I had a thought that food is also an equalizer. We all deserve to eat, just as we deserve to be treated fairly and provided basic rights. We all deserve to take our seat at the table; or, in this case, at the picnic blanket.

Game on. | Photo by Javier Guillen.

I spent the afternoon playing badminton, watching the board games as they expired the time, reconnecting with some of my best friends, and taking small moments to meet new ones.

Late in the afternoon, I came upon Javier Guillen, Grand Park’s Social Media Manager, engaged in a conversation with a woman. It was her first time at the park. She had come to witness this day in history. A day in which one community, with all its unique faces and identities, could be together; one community with no political agenda, with no immediate discrimination near, celebrating being together for real.

All smiles. | Photo by Javier Guillen.

“There doesn’t need to be 500 of us in a picket line on the steps of City Hall. We are out here, taking in the sun, our children are here, our families. This is history right here, right now. I came out here to see it and I’m glad that I met you. I’m glad that we had this conversation today.”

On October 3rd, 2015, Grand Park will hold its second event in the PROUD Series, PROUD Stories. I plan to be there with my loved ones, waiting to have another conversation.

–Mitchell Colley, Grand Park’s Resident Blog-O-Tron 3000

LA Artists on Grand Park’s Little Libraries

Cornerstone Theater Company, performing THEATER UNDER THE STARS in Grand Park JUN 18-20, helped connect Grand Park with some of LA’s best artists for much needed love and care for its LITTLE LIBRARIES. Grand Park interviews the art and minds of the energy behind the artist collaborators.

SUSU ATAR (Q&A)

Where are you from and what do you do?

“I was born in Baghdad, I was raised all over LA County. I currently live in Koreatown. My parents moved from Baghdad when I was six months old and settled in Los Angeles which was a former home to my father and that’s where we’ve been ever since.”

What inspires your art?

“I am a multimedia artist. What inspires my art is life itself. People’s similarities, differences and my personal experiences and observations. Basically everything inspires my art!”

When did you know you wanted to become an artist?

“I have always known that art moved me in a certain way. It’s always been the primary way of communicating fully for me. I’ve been making images since I was three-four years old. I think it I was around high school, probably junior year of high school when I was planning for a college career… that I really knew… that I really wanted to direct myself towards a serious art profession.”

What inspires your art?

“I am inspired by life around me and my own experiences. I love to draw from peoples interconnectivity and differences. I think everything in life is a source of inspiration if you’re paying close enough attention.”

What’s the story behind the art on your Little Library?

“This Little Library is intended to be a space for people to use donate and share information. So this imagery is about human interconnection, togetherness, and ways individual forms can create a larger meaning such as a house or a community. In general peoples togetherness. These (pointing at the Little Library) are people in the city creating the city.”

#LAstory @ #NYELA

While ringing in 2015 at Grand Park this #NYELA, there is so much that Los Angeles will be keeping its eyes on. Between catching some of L.A.’s best artists, savoring a moment with the loved ones at one of the #LA2050 photo booths, or finding that perfect spot for a midnight smooch after the epic 3D countdown, there are plenty of things to get loud and proud about.

One that park-goers would be hard-pressed to miss are the #LAstory photos on the side of the L.A. COUNTY HALL OF RECORDS BUILDING. Through the lens of some of LA’s best Instagrammers, Angelenos can find images of what the future and present of Los Angeles feels like, handpicked by DISCOVER L.A.

Of the 130 photos that will be projected at #NYELA, here is a sneak peek of some of L.A.’s best instagramable gems:

@andres55

@asteryx

@chris_blough

@goeastlos

@rachelroams

@slvrlyt + @slvrlyt_76

@snapshotlopes

@trevortraynor

@venice_sunsets

A Truly Angeleno Winter

Winter, sprinkled with family gatherings, fireplaces, hot chocolates, warm blankets, and tight embraces, is a time to look back at the year and seasons past. It is a time to take in the events and milestones, to celebrate successes and easily forget shortcomings.

When Angelenos speak about the seasons, it is usually to point out two options – rain or sunshine. In some ways, those humbling aspects that large Eastern storms bring are missed by Angelenos. School is never cancelled due to snow, the streets rarely close (construction on the 405 aside). For the most part, life goes on just 10 degrees colder and slightly moister.

The subtlety of changes in weather can also be applied to plant life, which is seemingly always green and blooming. At first glance, the plants and gardens that make up the 12 acres of Grand Park’s green space might look frozen in time, but the changes, though slight, are abundant.

The team at Rios Clemente Hale, the firm that designed Grand Park, suggested a few plants that might be worth taking a second glance at this fall and winter. Check out these 4 examples of plant life that will make you forget the fast-pace of the city, take a break, and cuddle up for a winter that is truly Angeleno at its core.

Ginko biloba, the Maidenhair Tree:

These beautiful (and very slow growing) specimens turn fully golden in the fall. Although impermanent (they lose all their leaves), you may enjoy a brief show of gold leaves on the ground – that is until all the scrapbookers scoop them up and press them into their albums. There is a small stand of Ginkos down by the water fountains and restrooms near the Marketplace between Spring and Broadway. Check out the reflections in the building to see even more!

Ginko biloba, the Maidenhair Tree. Photo by Javier Guillen.

Chorisia speciosa, the Floss Silk Tree:

If you have not gotten enough pink at Grand Park already, check out these trees at the Broadway Terraces, just above the N Broadway entrance to the Park. In Los Angeles their white and pink flowers tend to show in the fall and winter. The flowering is followed by large pods, but you will have to wait until spring until they explode with white floss. Year-round you can fear and savor their lovely, spiked trunks. Check them out and see why they are also called the monkey-no-climb tree.

Chorisia speciosa, the Floss Silk Tree. Photo by Javier Guillen.

Platanus racemosa, the California Sycamore Tree:

Their large leaves provide a lovely dappled shade in the summer. In fall, the leaves turn and… fall. The trees are mostly deciduous, letting through some extra sun to warm us on those chilly Los Angeles winter days. Perfect place to pick up a book in the wintertime!

Platanus racemosa, the California Sycamore Tree. Photo by Javier Guillen.

Koelreuteria bipinnata, the Chinese Flame Tree:

The show may have ended for these. It begins with a lot of yellow flowers and ends with a tree full of dusty rose-colored clusters of lantern-shaped capsules. They lanterns hang around through fall and dry while on the tree.

Koelreuteria bipinnata, the Chinese Flame Tree. Photo by Javier Guillen.

Koelreuteria bipinnata, the Chinese Flame Tree. Photo by Javier Guillen.

Koelreuteria bipinnata, the Chinese Flame Tree. Photo by Javier Guillen.

—Mitchell Colley, Grand Park’s Resident Green Thumb.

Grand Park’s Style Squad: Dressing Up for Summer’s End

For Angelenos, style isn’t defined merely by the best matching outfit, or what a designer says is the current “must have.” Style in Los Angeles is defined by personality, by creativity, and by those fashion fore-fronters willing to take risks, be bold and get crafty. At the final Sunday Sessions of 2014, Mark Arteaga and Veronica Meza of Grand Park’s Style Squad were back drooling over the droves of peeps rocking their best end-of-summer looks in LA. Here are the highlights of the sesh:

YOWZZA TROUZZAS!

“Check out these fancy pants! Never mind this heat wave, we saw plenty of people rocking pantalones. We don’t even know what to say about pants – so many types! So many thoughts! They’re just like, THERE for us, you know? Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall. We love the way our Sunday Session cuties made strong statements from the waist down: VELVET! STRIPES! FLORAL! WIDE LEG! SHEER! BELL BOTTOM! Ya’ll are making us have all the feelings. You’re beautiful top to bottoms.” -Veronica

Photo by Javier Guillen.

Photo by Javier Guillen.

THE FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT…

“Mirrored lens, bold colors, different shapes—when it comes to summer, sunglasses are the one accessory that can offer the most variety to suit your [ever changing] mood. Whether you’re feeling playful or chill, functional or daring your shades can complete any summer outfit as these Sunday Sessions peeps showed.” – Mark

Photo by Javier Guillen.

– Grand Park’s resident STYLE SQUAD

Look out for the Style Squad at Downtown Día de los Muertos on NOV 1. Oh… AND!! Follow Style Squad fashion with Mark Arteaga with his annual online magazine and Veronica Meza’s Insta for fashion passions.