To find out more about the Hive Gallery here’s a link to their website.  Check out the pics below, the rest are posted here on the Cali Green Fan Page.

Stay Hungry.  Stay Foolish.  Stay Inspired.
~cg

jimmy bell

Cali Green photo wall, Giveaways and Drink Specials. Enter the Turkey Gobbling contest to WIN a Thanksgiving Dinner for six with all the trimmings from Lazy Acres, $25 gift certificate for The Burger Bus or Cali Green Giveaways…

Hope you all can make it and celebrate with us as Cali Green takes over Sandbar  Sat Nov 20th 514 State Street Santa Barbara , Ca

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The history of Logan Heights and Barrio Logan dates back to the late 1800’s.  It was primarily a residential area during the turn of the century, making it one of San Diego’s oldest communities.  Until 1905 it was just known as the East End before it was renamed after Congressman John A. Logan, who wrote legislation to provide federal land grants and subsidies for a transcontinental railroad ending in San Diego.

Mexican settlers began arriving in the East End during the 1890’s and the number increased significantly after refugees left Mexico during the Mexican Revolution in 1910.  During this time the community began to transform as Mexicans became the majority ethnicity and expanded from the southern part of Logan Heights, eventually creating the neighborhood of Barrio Logan where Chicano Park is located.

During World War II, the community’s access to San Diego Bay was cut off by the expansion of San Diego Naval base as well as other military facilities which occupied the waterfront.  The area was re-zoned to include industrial uses beginning in the 1950’s.  This brought a lot of pollution, junkyards, and loud noises to the residency.  In 1963, Interstate 5 was built directly through the heart of the community, separating it with elevated on-ramps and painting the former residency in concrete gray.  1969 brought the construction of the Coronado bridge directly over Barrio Logan, creating a high concrete ceiling over houses, installing giant concrete support beams, and further deteriorating the community.  All this was done without the consent or input from the Logan Heights community, a practice that the residents were growing tired of.

The City Council’s 1969 promise to build a park was to compensate for the loss of over 5,000 homes and businesses removed during the construction of the I-5 freeway and Coronado Bridge.  This came after several demands by the community to build a park  to off-set the aesthetic degradation created by the overhead freeways supported by several large concrete piers.  The bulldozing of the park site in 1970 was more than the neighborhood could tolerate.  After being alerted to the construction, the local residents, several San Diego students, and other San Diego residents staged a non-violent protest in the form of a land takeover.  On April 22, protesters formed human chains around bulldozers while others planted trees, flowers, and cactus.  One protester commandeered a bulldozer to flatten the land for planting.  Groups from Los Angeles and Santa Barbara also joined the protesters in the occupation to show support and solidarity amongst Mexican-Americans.   The occupation lasted twelve days while negotiations between community residents and city officials took place.  The construction was eventually called off and the land was designated for the creation of a park, which was to be designed by the community.

The idea for painting murals on the support pillars of the Coronado Bridge was first mentioned during a meeting the day after the occupation by a local artist named Salvador Torres.  The work began in 1973 after the money was raised to cover materials cost.  Chicano and non-Chicano artists from all over California were invited to contribute.  Many of the images represent the struggle in the community of Logan Heights as well as nationally with the repression of Hispanic communities.  The phrase “Hasta La Bahia!”, meaning “All the way to the Bay!”, represents the original goal of expanding the park to San Diego Bay and reclaim the land that was taken away from the neighborhood by Naval expansion.  Other images depict community pride, activism, Mexico’s indigenous roots, field workers, support for education, Mexican culture, and religion.

Chicano Park was designated an official historic site by the San Diego Historical Site Board in 1980 and in 1987 the San Diego Public Advisory Board officially recognized the murals as public art.  Chicano Park Day is celebrated every year on the weekend nearest to April 22.  The park itself is easily accessible, but even easier to miss since it is located directly under the on-ramp that connects the Coronado bridge to Interstate 5.  It is one of San Diego’s hidden gems and a historical site for the Chicano Movement.  The murals themselves have received recognition internationally and their care and restoration by the local community continues to this day.

Some of the most impressive works I have seen were created by Japanese sculptor and skateboarder, Haroshi.  The first thing that captured my attention was the quality and creativity displayed in his sculptures.  He incorporates three-dimensions, mosaic, and pixelation to transform a rough medium into a smooth and structured piece of fine art.  Just as a gardener uses dead leaves to create compost for future planting, Haroshi does not revive the battered, scraped, and broken skateboards.  Instead, he transforms them into something new and in many eyes:  something better.

The finished product, as visually stunning as it may be, is not all it may seem.  There is a soul inside each of Haroshi’s creations in the form of a broken metal piece from a skateboard.  It cannot be seen, but it is present inside the wooden carving.  This practice is similar to “Unkei,” a Japanese sculptor of Buddhas who was active in the 12th Century and used to place a crystal ball in the position of the Buddha’s heart.

Haroshi is another great example of artists thinking outside the box and blending innovation with creativity and Eco-mindedness.  These decks could have very easily ended up in a land-fill, but instead they draw our attention in art galleries.  As I stare at the sculptures myself, I wonder if perhaps I am missing something.  Is it possible to find potential and beauty in everything?  Right now, I am thinking YES.

Screaming My Hand, 2010

Screaming My Foot, 2010

Mad Skull, 2009

Tattoo Bear, 2009

Moose, 2010

Mario Series, 2009

Mario Series, 2009

Mario Series, 2009

Piles of skateboard decks in Haroshi's studio

]]> http://caligreen.com/blog/post/recycled-skateboard-art-by-haroshi/1420/feed 0 http://caligreen.com/blog/post/make-if-funky/1251 http://caligreen.com/blog/post/make-if-funky/1251#comments Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:19:45 +0000 caligreen http://caligreen.com/blog/?p=1251 Here are some photos from the “Make it Funky – arts & music festival”.  It was the second year for this China Town event largely put on by the Flock Shop, an independent boutique who supports the arts and handmade goods (clothing / accessories / etc).  The whole scene was bursting with creativity from the vendors to the live arts to the live music.  We had the please of meeting Nathan from the Hive Gallery who does amazing sculptures and paintings (*see the second picture below), copped a CD from the funky hip-hop crew Simple Citizens and our booth neighbor, Janie XY hooked up some hand made stuffed animals.  So we’ll say it was a good day, you can see official coverage from the event at www.makeitfunkyfest.blogspot.com and more photos by Cali G on flickr and our Facebook Fan Page.
See you next year Funky Fest!
~cg

Nathan Cartwright - Curator at the Hive Gallery

Janie XY - hand made toys

So, the Earth Day festival in Isla Vista was a hit!  What started out as a cloudy morning turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day in IV.  Groups of people came out to support Earth Day, taking in the music and sunshine.  Cali Green was out there with some merchandise soaking up all the good vibes of the day and meeting new people.  As well as Cali Green, tons of other vendors were out raising awareness for their causes that included recycling, sustainable energy, and even solar powered backpacks.  From henna tattoos and face painting to free grapefruit sorbet and hula hooping, people were out and about enjoying themselves in the festivities.  With nothing but positivity flowing, everyone who came out ended up having a blast while supporting a great cause!

CG

CHARCOAL SERIES

Free iPhone wallpapers: Charcoal Series - scriptly cali

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CG.