{"id":64,"date":"2019-05-10T19:11:57","date_gmt":"2019-05-11T02:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/?p=999949736"},"modified":"2019-12-19T14:49:45","modified_gmt":"2019-12-19T22:49:45","slug":"first-art-walk-under-arts-council-for-long-beach-to-launch-saturday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/art\/first-art-walk-under-arts-council-for-long-beach-to-launch-saturday","title":{"rendered":"First art walk under Arts Council for Long Beach to launch Saturday"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_999949762\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999949762\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-999949762\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/60169117_10161542092695316_2187359434341089280_o-970x627.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"388\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999949762\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">LB Artwalk poster. Courtesy Facebook\/ACLB.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This weekend the Arts Council for Long Beach is debuting its official takeover of an art walk that has seen many ups and downs since its inception more than two decades ago.<\/p>\n<p>The council is calling Saturday night\u2019s revamped event a \u201csoft launch\u201d; its purpose is to activate the East Village, forging ahead despite what some community members have said is an area not worth reviving as an arts district since it no longer serves artists and has \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/life\/arts-culture\/with-former-coordinators-passing-the-torch-downtown-community-envisions-a-new-art-walk\/\">nothing going on<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The press material describes the ACLB\u2019s takeover of operations as giving the walk a \u201cnew focus and energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some of this new focus includes newly designated hubs for attendees to pick up an art map, more cohesive branding, a new name\u2013what was \u201c2nd Saturday Art Walk\u201d is now \u201cLB Artwalk\u201d\u2014and a <a href=\"http:\/\/artslb.org\/lb-artwalk\/\">dedicated page<\/a> on the Arts Council\u2019s website where all programming can be easily accessed. The Arts Council has also committed to holding monthly meetings before each event to improve communication between participating businesses, the community and artists.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"IGGKSVRWzN\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/art\/with-former-coordinators-passing-the-torch-downtown-community-envisions-a-new-art-walk\">In an arts district with &#8216;nothing going on,&#8217; Arts Council takes on the Long Beach Art Walk<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;In an arts district with &#8216;nothing going on,&#8217; Arts Council takes on the Long Beach Art Walk&#8221; &#8212; the Hi-lo\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/art\/with-former-coordinators-passing-the-torch-downtown-community-envisions-a-new-art-walk\/embed\/#?secret=vWBy7YDB8j#?secret=IGGKSVRWzN\" data-secret=\"IGGKSVRWzN\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>But this new energy, at least \u201cnew\u201d for the East Village, will largely emanate from the East Village Arts Park, where Long Beach native Senay Kenfe is launching Eddie\u2019s Liquor Collective, an organization run by locals for locals whose mission is to provide equity to artists from Central, North and West Long Beach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe live in a time where live music-wise in the city, people are more inclined to have an old, dead black musician on a flyer versus having a living, young black musician on a lineup,\u201d Kenfe said. \u201cJust the dichotomy of that is so antiquated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For 15 years, Kenfe performed as a rapper and collaborated with local artists through Long Beach-based hip hop group The Natives, before taking a years-long hiatus. He is a former curator at internationally-known underground music hub Boiler Room, and just a few months ago released his own EP under his Eddie\u2019s Liquor record label, \u201cNative Son.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999949384\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999949384\" style=\"width: 970px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/0503-Senay-5-.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999949384 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/0503-Senay-5--970x559.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"970\" height=\"559\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999949384\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Senay Kenfe in the Wrigley neighborhood where he grew up in Long Beach Thursday, May 02, 2019. Kenfe will be performing at the East Village Arts Park as part of the LB Artwalk which will feature the Eddie\u2019s Liquor Collective launch. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He also makes it a point to uplift his community through art.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018 he raised funds <a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/life\/local-artist-using-black-panther-challenge-to-spread-positive-imagery-to-underprivileged-students\/\">to send 900 underserved students<\/a> from Central Long Beach to see Black Panther in theaters under the viral #BlackPantherChallenge, while a recent event under the Eddie\u2019s Liquor umbrella, a group show at vintage apparel store From the Moon, raised almost $1000 for Long Beach Rescue Mission\u2019s battered women\u2019s shelter, Lydia House.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday\u2019s launch is more than just a performance, it\u2019s a visible push for viable change in how events are booked in both public and private spaces in Long Beach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me personally I\u2019ve been booking since before I started at the Arts Council and I could never book a rap show,\u201d said Ronnie De Leon, ACLB programs associate. \u201cWe had to go to LA. I think for the Arts Council, our goal is really to uplift those voices[&#8230;]. I&#8217;m trying to amplify those voices that I know are not being heard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why bringing a group of Long Beach rappers and hip hop artists to perform in a publicly-owned space, the East Village Arts Park, is so significant, it runs contrary to what Kenfe feels, that \u201ca lot of public spaces are widely policed and made to be elitist when they&#8217;re not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Saturday night\u2019s headliners include artists who have been doing local shows for the last decade or more, all born and raised in Long Beach\u2014aside from London-based hip hop producer Budgie\u2014all described as <a href=\"https:\/\/artslb.org\/event\/eddies-liquor-collective-launch-party\/\">up and comers gaining global traction<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-999949761\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eddies-Liquor-Collective-970x369.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"228\" \/><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999949744\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999949744\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-999949744\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/60093015_402041623974526_8599188446931582976_o-970x970.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999949744\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The lineup of Eddie&#8217;s Liquor Collective launch party. Courtesy Facebook\/ACLB.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWhat I would love is for more opportunities like this through the Arts Council, where the city recognizes the value in public space being made available to the artistic community,\u201d something he says is very underutilized.<\/p>\n<p>Growing up performing at open mics at Shades of Afrika when it was on Third Street and Elm Avenue, where he gained confidence performing in public, Kenfe continuously works to create more space where artists have more leverage.<\/p>\n<p>In the 70s, Kenfe\u2019s uncle used to manage a group of Eddie\u2019s Liquor stores, including the one on Pacific Avenue and 20th Street, and his dad used to work at the one on the corner of Pacific and Pacific Coast Hwy. There\u2019s over 150 of them throughout Long Beach and the South Bay, Wilmington and South Central.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a name synonymous with the Long Beach Kenfe knew growing up in Wrigley and the one he now envisions, where art has a chance to be more accessible\u2014one of the collective\u2019s long-term goals is to eventually buy the Eddie\u2019s on Pacific Avenue and 20th Street to use as a gallery.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of my biggest problems with art in its current capacity is you have to go to art, art doesn\u2019t go to you,\u201d he said. \u201cIt should come to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><i>For more information on LB Artwalk, which runs from 4 to 10 p.m., visit the website <\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/artslb.org\/lb-artwalk\/\"><i>here<\/i><\/a><i>. Eddie\u2019s Liquor Collective\u2019s launch party takes place at the East Village Arts Park from 5 to 10 p.m.; 150 Elm Ave.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Arts Council is calling Saturday night&#8217;s revamped event a &#8220;soft launch.&#8221; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":65596,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[3,63],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[2744],"class_list":["post-64","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","tag-instagram","tag-lb-artwalk","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=64"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}