Events

Wednesday, October 19, 2016
12:15pm to 1:00pm
Central Library, Meeting Room A

Reservations not required. Doors open approximately 15 minutes before the start of the program.

“In a series of photographs inspired by the Japanese woodblock printer Hiroshige, local photographer and silkscreen artist David Thompson takes a fresh look at the urban environment of downtown Los Angeles.  As much of the downtown skyline changes, and with it the nature of life of the city, Mr. Thompson focuses on specific ways of truly “looking” at the city’s built environment and architectural legacy.  He explores the value of elevation, projection and compression as conscious ways of seeing the city the lies before us.  He also takes a closer look at downtown streetscapes, the role of “text” in the life of the city and even that most notorious eyesore of urban life:  the parking lot.”

“David K. Thompson was born in New York and raised in Florida, Japan, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia and Puerto Rico  He has worked — as an editor, diplomat and transactional lawyer — in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Paris and Los Angeles.  But the longest constant in his working life has been a dedication to silkscreen printing, based, for the most part, on his own photography.  His most recent artwork focuses on city streetscapes, architecture and infrastructure, with a heavy emphasis on Los Angeles.  Based in Pasadena, he actively explores virtually every corner of Los Angeles with his camera.  He has also begun to treat his urban photographic work as an end in itself, often combining it with historic and architectural commentary, drawing in particular on the rich heritage of contemporary newspaper accounts — including especially advertisements — of the city and its occupations.

Sponsored by Photo Friends. Presented by the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection.

Additional details available on the LAPL website.

From L-R: Jim Ruebsamen (former Herald Examiner photographer), Javier Mendoza (also Herald-Ex), writer and Photo Friend David Davis, LAPL Senior Librarian Christina Rice, Dean Musgrove (also Herald Ex), and Olympic gold medalist Paul Gonzales.  (Photo by former Herald Examiner photographer Jim Ober)

Thanks to everyone who came out this past Wednesday for our Photographer’s Eye program with author and PF Board Member David Davis. David treated the crowd to a selection of 1984 Olympics images from the Los Angeles Public Library’s Herald Examiner Collection. We were delighted to have four former Herald Examiner photographers in attendance along with Olympic Gold medalist Paul Gonzales!

For those of you who cannot get enough of the Summer Games, be sure to check out Photo Friends Publications latest offering, One Golden Moment: The 1984 Olympics Through the Photographic Lens of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. Written and compiled by David Davis, with a foreward by Paul Gonzales, the book may be purchased through Amazon or at the Library Store who have copies signed by Davis and Gonzales available. Proceeds benefit Photo Friends.

 Next week, our friends over at the LA84 Foundation will be hosting a book signing with Olympic champion swimmer Shirley Babashoff who is the author of the recently published Making Waves: My Journey to Winning Olympic Gold and Defeating the East German Doping Program (Santa Monica Press). Details about the event are here.

Don’t forget to visit the online Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection to view hundreds of images relating to the 1932 & 1984 Olympic Games!

Photographer’s Eye: One Golden Moment – The 1984 Olympic Games Through the Lens of the Herald Examiner

Wednesday, August 10, 2016
12:15pm to 1:00pm
Central Library, Meeting Room A

Reservations not required. Doors open approximately 15 minutes before the start of the program.

The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics were a milestone in the city’s history — and the photographers of the Herald Examiner newspaper were there to capture every thrilling moment, from the triumphs of Carl Lewis, Michael Jordan, Greg Louganis and Mary Lou Retton to the heartbreak experienced by Mary Decker and Evander Holyfield. As the world’s best athletes gather in Brazil for this summer’s Rio Olympics, re-live the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics through the memorable and intimate photographs of the Herald Examiner with David Davis, sports journalist and author of Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku (University of Nebraska Press).

Sponsored by Photo Friends. Presented by the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection.

Thursday, July 07, 2016

6:00pm to 8:00pm

Central Library
History/Genealogy Dept. – LL4

Join us for food, fashion, and FUN as we celebrate the opening of our latest exhibit “Service, Society and Social Change: Post- War Clubs from the Valley Times Newspaper” with a reception and fashion show!

The post-War San Fernando Valley was the quintessential American suburb. With the availability of affordable housing and jobs from the thriving aerospace, aircraft, and manufacturing industries, the Valley’s population boomed. The promise of prosperity inspired new opportunities for leisure time, family life and civic engagement. Membership in social and service clubs soared. Whether people united through shared identities or shared interests in hobbies, civics or philanthropy, the prevalence of club life defined the Valley’s growing community. The Valley Times newspaper, published from 1946 to 1970, documented the changes to the Valley’s physical landscape through suburban development, but also revealed how social networks impacted society. This sampling of images from the Valley Times photo archive, now held at the Los Angeles Public Library, presents us with a unique visual history of the ways people connect to build a community.

Copies of an exhibition catalog will be available for purchase with proceeds going to Photo Friends, who support the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection.

Special thanks to Pinup Girl Boutique, Photo Friends, and Besame Cosmetics, our reception sponsors.

Full details on the Los Angeles Public Library website. 

Photographer’s Eye: The Forrest Gump of LSD: The Visionary Imagery of Roger Steffens and The Family Acid

Wednesday, February 24th, 12:15pm
Central Library, Meeting Room A

Reservations not required. Doors open approximately 15 minutes before the start of the program.

Published in 2015, The Family Acid represents a collection of Counter Culture photographs, particularly from California in the ‘70s, made by Roger Steffens, a ten year veteran of KCRW. His archives contain a third of a million slides, prints and digital images.

As an actor, author, archivist, broadcaster and lecturer, Steffens toured the world and was never without his camera. His first book of photos, released at 72 in February of 2015, has already sold out and has received rapturous reviews comparing him to Forrest Gump, Zelig, Hunter S. Thompson and Timothy Leary.

The BBC-TV World News declared that Steffens has had “one of the most captivating lives in American history.” He will tell the stories behind some of his most reproduced images and preview his latest psychedelic series, “Dancing with Light.”

Sponsored by Photo Friends. Presented by the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection.

Firsts, Seconds and Thirds: African American Leaders in Los Angeles During the 1960s &70s from the Rolland Curtis Collection

Civil Rights took shape in 1960s Los Angeles as African Americans broke color barriers and began to occupy positions in government. Progress during this time extended past politics, to the realm of entertainment, commerce, public service and activism. It is in the midst of this exciting time that Rolland J. Curtis took thousands of photographs while serving as a Field Deputy for Council Members Billy Mills and Tom Bradley.

Curtis’ images provide a unique view of the African American experience in South Los Angeles during this time. This exhibit presents a sampling of the city’s black leaders of the period. Some famous, some forgotten, these individuals were true trailblazers: the first, second, or third African Americans in the history of Los Angeles to accomplish their feats.

Made possible through a grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation.

This event presented by the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection and sponsored by Photo Friends.

Firsts, Seconds and Thirds: African American Leaders in Los Angeles from the 1960s and ’70s from the Rolland J. Curtis Collection

Bring your lunch and join Elisa Leonelli, a Los Angeles-based photo-journalist, who will present B&W photos from the 1970s, in the style of “Street Photography”, inspired by French photographer Henri Cartier Bresson, taken in Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, and her native Italy.

L.A. in Focus
Gary Leonard and the Los Angeles Music Scene
Saturday, view March 14th, 2 p.m
Central Library, Taper Auditorium

Flesh Eaters backstage at the Whisky, April 21, 1981 and at the Echo, January 10, 2015. Photos by Gary Leonard.

For over thirty years, photographer Gary Leonard has been telling the story of Los Angeles through his images. One piece of that story included the music scene of the 1970s and 80s where Gary witnessed firsthand many of the bands who would come to define the era and place Los Angeles at the epicenter of the music industry. Join us as Gary talks about some of his favorite music photos, many of which are featured in his book Make the Music Go Bang! : the Early L.A. Punk Scene and in the current exhibit From Pop to the Pit: LAPL Photo Collection Celebrates the Los Angeles Music Scene, 1978-1989,  and as revisits some of those musical subjects in recent photos.

Additional details available at the LAPL website.

This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibit From Pop to the Pit: LAPL Photo Collection Celebrates the Los Angeles Music Scene, 1978-1989, on display at Central Library through June 2015.

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Turn Up the Radio!
Harvey Kubernik Discusses the L.A. Music Scene, 1956-1972
Sunday, September 14, 2 p.m.
Mark Taper Auditorium, L.A. Central Library
630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles CA 90071

Longtime music journalist and L.A. native Harvey Kubernik will share his experiences in the zeitgeist of the Los Angeles rock and pop music world between 1956 and 1972.

You’ll see rare and previously unpublished photographs of iconic bands and musicians, including the Doors, the Rolling Stones, Ike and Tina Turner, Elvis Presley, Thee Midniters, Barry White, Sonny and Cher, and many others.

Recording artists are only one part of the rich history of music in Los Angeles. You’ll also learn about the studio musicians, background vocalists, songwriters, producers, and engineers who helped propel the Los Angeles rock and pop music scene to such a legendary status. Bones Howe, Barney Kessel, Hal Blaine, B. J. Baker, Merry Clayton, Jack Nitzsche, Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Jim Keltner, Bobby Womack, Kim Fowley, Bruce Botnick, Dave Gold, and Stan Ross are just a few of the names recognized for their crucial contributions to the music created and produced in the recording studios of Los Angeles.

Harvey has been an active music journalist for over 40 years and the author of five books, including Turn Up the Radio!

The presentation will be followed by a book sale and signing.

Reservations not required. Doors open approximately 15 minutes before the start of the program.

Parking is available at the 524 S. Flower Street Garage. Show your LAPL library card at the Central Library information desk for validation for reduced rates.

To arrange for accessibility accommodation, please contact Christina Rice within 72 hours of the event at (213) 228-7403.

Presented by Photo Friends. Sponsored by the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection.