LOS ANGELES–Exhibit: It Really Is a River
August 12, 2022 – January 23, 2023
It Really Is a River
Documenting an iconic urban waterway
July 21, 2022–January 22, 2023
Central Library – History & Genealogy Department, Lower Level 4
Exhibit Curated by Tilly Hinton and Char Miller
Encounters with the Los Angeles River have a way of intriguing, educating, and inspiring locals and visitors alike. It’s an almost otherworldly place, a location for ephemeral encounters that would be lost and forgotten but for photographers, who preserve river memories in pixels and in ink. These photos are as essential as they are intriguing. This exhibition combines historic images in the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection with contemporary images donated to the Library in 2022 by LA River X alumni. This exhibition was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, fi ndings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of California Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.
For information, please visit http://events.lapl.org • Parking is available at 524 S. Flower St. Garage (show your LAPL library card at the Central Library’s information desk to receive a validation for reduced rates). As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Please contact Christina Rice at 213-228-7403 with 72 hours notice should an accommodation be needed.
ABOUT PHOTO FRIENDS: Formed in 1990, Photo Friends is a nonprofit organization that supports the Los Angeles Public Library’s Photo Collection/History & Genealogy Department at Central Library. Our goal is to improve access to the collections and promote them through programs, events, and online exhibits. photofriends.org
Image: Cat faces painted on storm drain tension lids along the Burbank-Glendale section of the 5 freeway were a precursor—and inspiration—to the iconic River Catz painted by Chicano artist Leo Limón over many decades beginning in the 1970s. (1960, Valley Times Collection).
This project is supported by a Humanities for All Project Grant.
