"The best place to view the Los
Angeles of the next millennium is from the ruins of its alternative future." -Mike Davis on Llano del Rio, City of Quartz, 1990.
What is Squaring the Circle: Llano del Rio?
Squaring the Circle is an interdisciplinary arts exhibition planned
for Saturday, May 3rd, 2014 that will feature site-specific installations and
performances to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Llano del Rio
Cooperative Colony, a utopian socialist community established in 1914 by Job Harriman
in Southern California’s Antelope Valley. Like the original Llano community,
the event participants reflect diversity in their work as historians, visual
artists, filmmakers, writers, choreographers, dancers, musicians, activists,
and interdisciplinary practitioners.
We are seeking your help to fund this unique desert collaboration
that will feature:
Temporary installations by Jessica Cowley & Lyra
Kilston, Michelle Rozic, Karyl Newman, Larissa Nickel, Minna Phillips, and Stacey
Spiegel
Performances by LA Art Girls, Olivia de Haulleville, Rachel
Finkelstein, Kate Hoffman, Jennifer from JC Penney, Elizabeth Leister, Opera
del Espacio, Linda Ravenswood, Semi-Tropic Spiritualists, Leora Wien, and
SuarezDanceTheater
Film screenings by Judy Branfman and Mady Schutzman
And historical walking tours lead by Dr. Dydia
DeLyser and Paul Greenstein co-author of the book Bread and Hyacinths: The
Rise and Fall of Utopian Los Angeles.
Proposed project by the Semi-Tropic Spiritualists
Opera del Espacio responding to the Llano site
What is Llano del Rio?
Llano del Rio was a corporate-run socialist utopian society
initiated by Job Harriman following his narrow defeat in a runoff election for
the mayor of Los Angeles. The Llano Del Rio Colony planned an alternative
vision of cooperation and political equality settling just outside of Los
Angeles in the Mojave Desert near Palmdale along Pearblossom Highway 138 in
1914. After three years of building the
colony, internal strife, water disputes, and World War I resulted in the
relocation of Llano to a new site in Louisiana called New Llano. The ruins of
the original Llano colony remain today 100 years later, as a monument to the history and ideology
of the Llano collective.
What is the budget for the event?
We face distinctive challenges working in a remote desert
environment and your support is invaluable to the success of the project. The
Llano site has no access to water, power or public facilities. We need to raise
funds to cover costs that will sustainably address physical constraints such as
transportation to the site, power generation, water, and restroom facilities as
well as documentation during the event, and production of a commemorative publication.
We have assembled a budget for the Squaring the Circle project and funds will
be used as follows:
▫ Van/Transportation
▫ Portable Restroom
▫ Installation and Power Supplies
▫ Water
▫ Performance Program & Maps
▫ Project Documentation
▫ Commemorative Publication
How can you help?
We want you to become a shareholder in our Squaring the
Circle community. Choose your level of support and help us build a collective
vision of Llano del Rio.
Join the Colony!
In return for your generosity, we are offering unique perks
such as:
$15 Comrade: Dear Comrade, we'll mail you a postcard from the Llano Post Office commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Llano del Rio colony.
$20
Brush Gang: In honor of the internal rebel members who believed that not only the political but also the economic layout of Llano was counter to its socialist ideals, we'll send you a handmade rustic boutonniere made of foraged datura pods to identify you as one of the gang.
$25 Feminist Vanguard: You'll receive a handmade zine created by artist Cindy Rehm honoring Llano's feminist architect, Alice Constance Austin including images from her book, The Next Step; How to Plan for Beauty, Comfort, and Peace with Great Savings Effected by the Reduction of Waste.
$40 Souvenir Club: Exit through the gift shop with your choice of a limited edition t-shirt or a one-of-a-kind Llano felt pennant. Team Llano!
$60 Pearblossom Special: Collect a decorative 100th Llano Anniversary commemorative plate your choice of either Job Harriman or the Llano Silo
$100 A Visionary: Seeking a vision of our alternative past? Don't forget about our Llano collaboration with your copy of our Squaring the Circle catalogue that will document and explore the Llano experience in images and text. (sample image)
$125 Meyer Elkin’s Memory: A single limited edition digital print (choose from Silo, Sunset or Curtains)
$200 Harriman’s Hope: Two limited edition digital prints (choose from Silo, Sunset or Curtains)
$400 Towards Utopia: We're clowning around with a very special private screening of Mady Schutzman’s film, Dear Comrade featuring artisanal
cocktails and hosted by
Craftswoman House and Hinterculture.
Even if you can't become a shareholder, please help us spread the word by sharing this campaign with your friends via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter.
We appreciate all of your support!
Who we are...
Craftswoman House Temporary
Residence is a project dedicated to fostering a dialogue on feminist issues
through projects and exhibitions. Inspired by collective efforts such as
Womanhouse, the project pays homage to the rich legacy of feminist art in
Southern California. Temporary Residence partners with artists and
organizations to present innovative site-specific works in found domestic and
public spaces in and around Los Angeles. http://tempresidence.blogspot.com/
Hinterculture is an arts collaboration
that explores the intersections of cultural inquiry and creative potentiality
by means of experimental exhibitions. Projects reveal the outlying history,
art, technology and business of the desert hinterlands by mining sites for
their social, cultural and aesthetic meaning. Documenting hidden and overlooked
stories, both natural and manufactured, Hinterculture expands the perception
and understanding of art and space—sharing these discoveries and revealing a
new public image of the Mojave. www.facebook.com/hinterculture
We hope to you'll join us in Llano on May 3rd, 2014 for our Squaring the Circle: Llano del Rio experience!