Phase Two: Fall 2019
What is (NE)LA Stories?
(NE)LA Stories engages with community members who have lived and shaped the local cultural landscape of Los Angeles from the second half of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, with a particular focus on the distinctive community of Northeast Los Angeles.
This project is a continuing portion of a sustained effort by the Institute for the Study of Los Angeles (ISLA); Oxy Arts; and Occidental Library, Special Collections and Archives to document this region's rich history through personal interviews of its inhabitants and cultural contributors.
For this second phase of the (NE)LA Stories project, our interviews were conducted in teams of two by undergraduate students in two sections of Professor Jeremiah B.C. Axelrod and Professor Jan Lin's course “Los Angeles Urban Cultures and Countercultures” [CSP 19] during the Fall semester of 2019.
Interviews
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Ismael de Anda
Ismael de Anda is an artist working in the mediums of digital photo-collage, drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, and interactive, site-specific projects, de Anda's work is inspired by his pluralistic upbringing on the U.S./Mexico border and living in Los Angeles.
Bryant Argueta
Bryant Argueta is an illustrator and designer from Los Angeles. His passion is capturing everyday life and culture as an LA native. His work encapsulates many of his personal interests including music, film, comedy, and beautiful LA Scenery.
Daniel Cervantes
Daniel Cervantes is a local muralist and tattoo artist. He;lived in Highland Park for 38 years and painted about 10 large murals in throughout the neighborhood.
Kjeld Clark
Originally hailing from Leeds in Yorkshire (UK), Kjeld is a passionate life-long cyclist who now owns a bloc coffee shop in Highland Park. Interviewed by Sydney Shipp.
Christian Espinosa
Mr. Espinosa is a local Handyman and artist in Northeast Los Angeles. He creates T-Shirts and is involved in local politics. Mr. Espinosa is an LA native and has lived in Burbank and Los Angeles all his life.
Darryl Gussin
Daryl Gussin is a writer and musician who has performed with Marriage Material, Spokenest, God Equals Genocide, and many more, as well as being integrally involved with Razorcake Magazine. Interviewed by Adin Raphael.
Heather Hoggan
Heather Hoggan is the co-president and long standing board member of the Arroyo Arts Collective (AAC), a community based arts organization dedicated to the development and presentation of creative events in the Northeast Los Angeles area.
Leanna Lin
Leanna Lin is an Eagle Rock store owner that had been in business for the last nine years. Today, you can find her at one of the coolest places in Eagle Rock at Leanna Lin's Wonderland.
Martin Marquet
A Franco-American living in the US since 2005, Martin Marquet studied at the Atelier de Sèvres in Paris, then began his career at Films de Mon Oncle, dedicated to the restoration, distribution, and promotion of the films of Jacques Tati. Since that time he has worked on the releases of more than two hundred audiovisual projects around the world.
Rosamaria Marquez
Rosamaria Marquez, is the creator and director of the Rock Rose Gallery a space that has influenced many in and out of Highland Park. She continues to pursue her passion in the arts and spreads creativity and culture through the gallery.
Lisa Marr
Lisa Marr is an award-winning filmmaker, musician and the Operations Director and Youth Film Coordinator at Echo Park Film Center. Interviewed by Molly Knopf.
Tanya Melendez
Tanya Melendez is the curator of Nena SoulFly, a jewelry business that is based out of Northeast LA and focuses on jewelry inspired by Puerto Rican culture. Melendez is of Puerto Rican descent and was born, raised, and still resides in Highland Park, LA.
Buddy Coan Nichols
Buddy Coan Nichols is a local filmmaker known for his 1999 skate classic Fruit of the Vine. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 90s and has called it home ever since.
Eddika Organista
Eddika Organista is a musician and full-time singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the band El Haru Kuroi, whose music incorporates jazz, punk, Central and South American musical traditions and styles to create a unique sound. They’ve played venues and cultural events across LA, as well as having toured Japan with other East LA bands in 2016. Ms. Organista is currently writing El Haru Kuroi’s new album.
Noelle Reyes
Noelle Reyes is the owner of Mi Vida Boutique, which has been in Highland Park for nine years. Their first location was on the border of El Sereno, South Pasadena, Alhambra. They have always been a community based business, selling artwork to their local community. PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXTPLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT
Edmundo Rodriguez
Edmundo Rodriguez is a Cchicano businessman and teacher who grew up in Venice, CA before going to college. Before owning Elsa’s Bakery on York Boulevard, he was a teacher, principal, and central office administrator for Los Angeles schools. During his time in Highland Park he has been committed to community building through the bakery and events hosted by the bakery.
Jesus "Jesse" Rosas
Moving to LA when he was 18, Jesus “Jesse” Rosas is a man with many interests. Originally starting an Auto Parts shop out of Highland Park, Rosas’ business interests quickly turned to community interests. He started the Highland Park Car Show, been with the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative, the Historical Neighborhood Council, and ran for city council three times.
Harry Shabazian
Harry Shabazian is a retired teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District. He worked at Boyle Heights High School, a continuation high school in the Boyle Heights community, for 29 years.
Raoul De la Sota
Raoul de la Sota is a painter, printmaker, and sculptor who has lived in Northeast LA for over four decades. PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDERTEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT
Barbara Suzette
Suzette Vidal is a neuropsychologist in private practice, working specifically on patients with mental health and with female adolescents who have been victims of sex trafficing. She is a resident of Lincoln Heights. PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXTTEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT
Yim Tam
Yim Tam is a teacher at Franklin High School, and is actively involved in her community politically and socially. She has helped to spur many different artwork projects in her neighborhood, as well as has contributed to multiple political campaigns.
Jamie Tijerina
Jamie Tijerina is a researcher in cytometry at Caltech and a candidate for the LA City Council District 14 in the 2020 election. She grew up in the Highland Park, Garvanza, and Lincoln Heights communities with her mother. She has served on the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, Neighborhood Council Funding Equity Working Group, Highland Park Heritage Trust, and as a Budget Advocate for Region 8 Northeast Los Angeles.
John Urquiza
John Urquiza is a photojournalist and the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Practice, Urban & Environmental Policy, Sociology appointed in 2019 at Occidental College. He grew up in NELA and has continued to live in NELA. His photographs have been displayed throughout the world, at the time of this interview, his work focused on gentrification.
Briana Valdez
Briana Valdes, Texas born and raised, came to Los Angeles looking for more opportunities. She opened Homestate Tacos, which has now expanded to three locations, looking into a fourth. Talia and I sat down with her at her Highland Park location on a Friday morning. Even at 9:30 in the morning, restaurant was vibrant with people, music and food. PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT
J. Michael Walker
J. Michael Walker is an artist living in Montecito Heights, and has been creating works of art ever since he was a child. His portraits focus around uplifting the stories of people, primarily women, whose lives are often overlooked. He was involved in Self-Help Graphics and a founding member of the Avenue 50 Studio board. PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT
Paul Waller
Paul Waller spent his formative years were in Highland Park when I lived on Mount Washington Drive in the 1940s.
Leticia White
Leticia White is a creative, talented, and an admirable artist of Highland Park.
Jessica M. Wilson
Jessica M. Wilson is the founder of the LA Poet Society. She is a Poet, Writer, Artist and Educator, who has chosen to live the Poet and Writer life. PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXTPLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXT PLACEHOLDER TEXTKathy Kohner Zuckerman
Kathy Zuckerman, AKA Gidget, is a former surfer who was involved in the early surfing subculture of the 1950s. Interviewed by Prahlaad Das.