Articles

Welcome to the first installment of our monthly Los Angeles Regional Scoop. On the 1st of every month we will send out an email about all the activities the Los Angeles League of Arts (LALA) is doing and ways in which YOU can PARTICIPATE. And if you miss it, you can always find it on our website at www.LABurningMan.com.

~)'(~ Burning Man Film Series at the Egyptian Theater - May 8th with MOTHER'S DAY TEA and SOCK PUPPET MAKING

~)'(~ BWB project - Carver Garden Project at George Washinton Carver Middle School

~)'(~ CORE Project - SCARAB - The Regional Effigy being burned at Burning Man this year

~)'(~ FamCamp with California State Parks - Drum Circle and kids activities

~)'(~ 9th Annual LA BM Decompression Arts and Music Festival - October 1st

~)'(~ CERT - Community Emergency Response Teams training by LAFD (dates to be announced soon)

~)'(~ LALA 501c3 formation

NEXT . . . .May 8th - Mother's Day

PARTICIPATE:  We will be taking over the courtyard with art and theme camps. If you would like to show your art or present your theme camp before the screening, please contact Beth. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you have an art project for BM2011 that you would like to present, we will set up displays (drawings & models) in the lobby. You can have a donation box, kickstarter info, volunteer sign up sheet, and materials needs sheet by your art piece.

Burn on the Bayou, 2008 (56 mins)
By Matt Leonard

Courtyard opens at 2pm for Mother's Day Tea with Interactive Installations and Art Installations. We will also be making sock puppets and finger puppets with your kiddies. Start collecting old socks and gloves, notions, buttons, and bits of fabric for puppet making fun. Many of the puppets will be going to the playa for puppet karaoke at the LA CORE art installation.

Screening at 5:00. Q&A immediately following.

The Egyptian Theater

At the end of August 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts devastating over 90,000 square miles.  Mississippi officials calculated that 90% of the structures within one half mile of the coastline were completely destroyed.

Two thousand miles away, a group of volunteers emerged from an event in the Nevada desert: Burning Man.  The unlikely group that converged in Biloxi and Pearlington, Mississippi had in common the shared experience of collaborating and building in harsh environments and the strongly held belief that when people need help, you help them first, and ask questions later.

Burn On The Bayou follows the group of volunteers over the seven months of work following the storm, and it features interviews with both volunteers and residents. This film was produced by Marian Goodell, Tom Price, Andie Grace, K and M Films, NZane Productions.

Q&A following the film with film makers

Director Matt Leonard’s Biography:

Burn on the Bayou is Matt Leonard's first feature film. In 2006, his short film, It's On!, was very well received at its premiere screening at the Super Shorts Film Festival

in London and at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival. He has recently directed one-act comedies for the stage at the Acme Comedy Theatre in Los Angeles and was also the Assistant Producer/Director for the Burning Man Official Video Documentation Project 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Editor Zachary Cole’s Biography:

In 2001, after graduating from Clemson University in South Carolina, Zachary Cole moved to Marin County, California, where he joined Industrial Light & Magic as a digital artist. There, he worked on numerous Academy Award-nominated films, including the recent Academy Award-winning Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. After leaving ILM to start his own company in 2006, Zachary shot and edited several instructional videos for On The Flight Line Productions. He recently completed work as Editor and Producer on "Burn on the Bayou". Zachary now resides in Napa, California.

Burners Without Borders  and the LA League of Arts

PARTICIPATE: We will be looking for people to teach these children the fun activities we do when we go camping.      So . . . Hula Hooping, Spinning Poi, Drumming, Dancing, Crafting, ect. Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have an activity you would like to add to their experience.

9th Annual LA BM Decompression Arts and Music Festival - October 1st

Yes, we will be back in the park again this year. They love us and want us back. What do they love about us? How well we take care of the park as how well we take care of each other. We need to continue to teach the others who attend our event how important it is to Leave No Trace and practice Social Responsibility. Thank you for all your hard work. It has paid off. AND we very well may be going till 2am this year.

With that said . . . This is a call for all those theme camps who want to host a stage this year. We are hoping for at least two live music stages and 5 DJ arenas. If you would like to HOST A STAGE a LA Decom this year please contact Natara This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  Very very soon we will have a meeting at the park to discuss who will be hosting a stage this year, so please get your email of intent into Natara ASAP.

Other ways to PARTICIPATE: Sign up is open for Theme Camps, Art Installations, Performers, and our much needed and very appreciated VOLUNTEERS. Fill out a form at www.LABurningMan.com

In April of 2009, we hosted a Disaster Preparedness workshop called "Oh Shit, What Now." Its success brought an invitation from the LAFD to participate in their CERT program. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

With all the crazy earthly disasters going on around the globe it is best to be as prepared as possible, not just to take care of ourselves (radical self reliance), but to also be prepared to help those around us (civic responsibility).

We are going to organize two weekend intensive training sessions. One in June and one in November. Location and exact dates are to be announced very soon. CERT is completely FREE. You must RSVP to attend and you must attend the entire training weekend in order to be awarded certification. Check back to this website, newsletter, and facebook page for updates.

And Lastly . . . We are in the process of forming our 501c3 for the Los Angeles League of Arts (LALA). Our mission is to Foster Community by Helping Facilitate the Creative Process Through Public Arts, Education and Events. We are very excited about creating an organization which will be able to facilitate all the activities listed above and so much more on a greater fiscal and professional level.

PARTICIPATE: If you have legal background in the creation of 501c3 and would like to consult and provide guidance towards the creation and goverance of LALA, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Also, if you have a background in media, PR, and marketing and would like to add your expertise to the mix, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

WOW! Yes, WOW! We have a vast myriad of activities going on and we could not do it without you. Please participate anyway you can and become an active member of YOUR Burning Man Community. There is truly something for everyone of every skill set and those who wish to learn new skills.

Thank you in advance for all that you do.

Yours in Dusty Love,

Your Regtional Coordinators

Topless Deb and Athena