THEY float above us -- Santa Monica, St. Andrews, San Julian, Santa Fe, Saint Albans -- not the saints themselves -- but their names. A spirit roll call, if you will, that un-scrolls across so many of the city street signs de-marking the criss-cross roads we traverse daily in our attempt to get from here to there and back again -- if lucky, unharmed.
Not so long ago, poet and visual artist, J. Michael Walker embarked on an ambitious project to weave together the city's history through the story of its "Saint" streets -- from wide, screaming boulevards to the afterthoughts of hidden cul-de-sacs -- 103 in all. "It was an exercise in storytelling," he says, "It was a challenge to come at this city's story in so many different ways." The story bloomed -- in painting poetry and prose -- much of it informed by a reporter's-style technique, which required him to dig deep: interviewing, researching, reporting -- and simply hanging out.
It was a way of understanding the city itself as well as explaining it to others, says Walker. All the Saints of the City of Angels, became a book and an extensive exhibit that was on display at the Gene Autry Museum in Griffith Park. But really, says Walker, the project lives on in his mind as a "loopy valentine to this amazing city of lost angels and sometimes saints."
Walker will be speaking to the class this week about this project and other projects in which L.A. has either been the muse or the subject over the last few years. Please take a look at his website to get a feel of the work and the artist's intentions.
(image: santa rosa de lima, by j. michael walker, via jmichaelwalker.com)
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