The End of a Series for the Artist Behind LA’s Most Obvious Interchange

Los Angeles, CA – An overpass on the 110 Northbound received a makeover three years ago. In a combination of public service and public art, arguably making the two synonymous, Richard Ankrom installed new guide signs to an existing structure, making one of LA’s countless cryptic interchanges a relative breeze for so many commuters.

Before and since, though, the Los Angeles-based visual artist has pursued a project somewhat less subtle: the Gra’Ma series. It is a collection of resin-cast hatchets, created between 2001 and 2008 and filled with ephemeral would-be junk from candies to Zoloft to silk flowers. Martha de Pérez, a curator at Art Share Los Angeles, has worked with her student and assistant curator Enrique Lopez Garcia to give the series its final display in the Downtown Arts District venue at 4th Place and Hewitt.

Art Share, perhaps best known for its free arts outreach programming, also uses its 30,000 square feet of renovated warehouse to provide artists both storied and emerging with work and gallery space. “Richard is so kind to do this,” says de Pérez. “He is an incredible artist.” After showing this and other works all over greater Los Angeles, Ankrom will end the eight-year project with a closing event on Friday, October 9th, 2009 at Art Share. From 7:00 to 11:00 PM, the hatchets will end the month-long stay there and a long-held place in Ankrom’s active repertoire.

The event will include light fare and a chance to meet Ankrom, as well as to learn more about Art Share as a venue. For more information on the artists or the event, visit www.artsharela.org or www.ankrom.org.

Boasting a 90% high school graduation rate, Art Share Los Angeles offers a free, multi-disciplinary art program, changing the lives of underserved teens. Through the collaborative work of instructors, social workers, and volunteers, the center operates during peak violence hours. It not only provides a safe haven for creative expression, but also offers a starting point for emerging artists, space for gallery shows, and low-income housing for artists. With 30,000 square feet of renovated warehouse space in the Downtown Artist District, Art Share Los Angeles serves as a community arts incubator, promoting cultural excellence and shaping lives through, art, education and community action.