Where are the industrial arts and live/work spaces in the LA area?
September 20, 2011 2:51 PM Subscribe
Where are the industrial live/work spaces and/or workshops in the Los Angeles area?
I barely got settled in LA area before I left. Having spent some time in the Bay and seen the wonderful communities and industrial arts spaces all over Oakland, Dogpatch, etc, I'm left wondering where the mixed-use, industrial arts, live/work spaces are in the greater LA area. Where are they, what are they called? Are there areas particularly conducive to that kind of thing?
Also particularly interested in spaces in the San Fernando valley - I lived there, but never saw anything, really. I'd like to check 'em out when I travel there from time to time.
I barely got settled in LA area before I left. Having spent some time in the Bay and seen the wonderful communities and industrial arts spaces all over Oakland, Dogpatch, etc, I'm left wondering where the mixed-use, industrial arts, live/work spaces are in the greater LA area. Where are they, what are they called? Are there areas particularly conducive to that kind of thing?
Also particularly interested in spaces in the San Fernando valley - I lived there, but never saw anything, really. I'd like to check 'em out when I travel there from time to time.
There's a big complex called The Brewery downtown which used to be, guess what- a brewery.
They're big loft spaces and you supposedly have to be an artist to live there, though the criteria aren't too strict- I once went to a party of guys whose "art" was printing t-shirts.
posted by drjimmy11 at 3:00 PM on September 20, 2011
They're big loft spaces and you supposedly have to be an artist to live there, though the criteria aren't too strict- I once went to a party of guys whose "art" was printing t-shirts.
posted by drjimmy11 at 3:00 PM on September 20, 2011
From what I hear, artists are beginning to get priced out of some of the more gentrified areas downtown that they used to occupy and are beginning to relocate in Skid Row.
posted by entropicamericana at 3:08 PM on September 20, 2011
posted by entropicamericana at 3:08 PM on September 20, 2011
Yeah, I met a couple designers who lived at the Brewery but had no art as such to display on their semi-annual art walk.
Actually, that's coming up on October 1st and 2nd if you want to check it out. Free to the public and free parking. It is pretty far from the valley though, being in downtown and all.
posted by malapropist at 3:13 PM on September 20, 2011
Actually, that's coming up on October 1st and 2nd if you want to check it out. Free to the public and free parking. It is pretty far from the valley though, being in downtown and all.
posted by malapropist at 3:13 PM on September 20, 2011
Response by poster: entropicamerica, very interesting. I'm interested in the edges of these kinds of things.
Sounds like downtown has a reasonably well-established scene - are there areas in, say, Silverlake or something? Pretend I have no knowledge of the area at all.
posted by fake at 3:24 PM on September 20, 2011
Sounds like downtown has a reasonably well-established scene - are there areas in, say, Silverlake or something? Pretend I have no knowledge of the area at all.
posted by fake at 3:24 PM on September 20, 2011
Frogtown on the banks of the LA River! Frogtown Artwalk this weekend, even. Echo Park has a growing mixed-use scene too, but I feel like Frogtown has a real artist community feel to it.
posted by queensissy at 3:34 PM on September 20, 2011
posted by queensissy at 3:34 PM on September 20, 2011
I used to live in such a place downtown in the early 1990s ... the building's still a live/work kind of thing, although it appears they've added quite a bit of other stuff since.
As I recall, there were some live/work spaces on San Fernando Road, north of Downtown, too. Chinatown had an active arts scene, too, for a while. Maybe it still does. One would assume folks lived and worked in the falling down industrial buildings on its borders.
This looks like it might be a helpful resource for a newbie.
posted by notyou at 3:36 PM on September 20, 2011
As I recall, there were some live/work spaces on San Fernando Road, north of Downtown, too. Chinatown had an active arts scene, too, for a while. Maybe it still does. One would assume folks lived and worked in the falling down industrial buildings on its borders.
This looks like it might be a helpful resource for a newbie.
posted by notyou at 3:36 PM on September 20, 2011
There's a little compound of warehouses somewhere in Inglewood (can't remember exactly where) that is in part occupied by some freegans who like building freak bikes. In my one visit there I got the impression that other people were using the buildings as art spaces. You sort of figure that wherever buildings are large and rent is cheap there will be people attempting such things.
The stuff I know about in Chinatown isn't of a live/work variety, more just work. I'm not super in the know about this stuff, but there were two downtown spaces that are now gone due to landlords deciding they weren't cool with the situation.
There is this place for experimental music that a few people also live at. Now that I think of it, a lot of the past and present places I know about were/are somewhere along Santa Fe. But I've heard of stuff in Lincoln Heights as well that is less established than the Brewery.
I know nothing about the valley.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 4:22 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
The stuff I know about in Chinatown isn't of a live/work variety, more just work. I'm not super in the know about this stuff, but there were two downtown spaces that are now gone due to landlords deciding they weren't cool with the situation.
There is this place for experimental music that a few people also live at. Now that I think of it, a lot of the past and present places I know about were/are somewhere along Santa Fe. But I've heard of stuff in Lincoln Heights as well that is less established than the Brewery.
I know nothing about the valley.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 4:22 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
Search live/work North Hollywood. There is a thriving arts community in the NoHo arts district and they're putting up a lot of live/work residences. There are still a few skeevy ones and now they are starting to put up buildings that are fancier, but you can definitely still find the scuzzy arts atmosphere if that's what you're looking for.
posted by Sophie1 at 4:55 PM on September 20, 2011
posted by Sophie1 at 4:55 PM on September 20, 2011
Ah yes, mandymanwasregistered! The Inglewood space - Angelopes? If we're talking about the same place, it's a couple of blocks northwest of here. Nice big industrial area, lots of art and music and machinery and such. Seems like there are plenty of other spaces in the area ready for similar occupancy. That's one thing I like about LA - lots of interesting pockets...
posted by queensissy at 10:28 AM on September 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by queensissy at 10:28 AM on September 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I'll be heading to the area by the end of this week to check out these suggestions. Thank you so much!
posted by fake at 2:31 PM on October 3, 2011
posted by fake at 2:31 PM on October 3, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by flaterik at 3:00 PM on September 20, 2011