A Virtual Telethon Fundraiser
A project by Renée Reizman, Creative Catalyst
http://ladot.lacity.org/telethon
Endorsed by The Los Angeles Department of Transportation and the Department of Cultural Affairs
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation and the Department of Cultural Affairs presents a virtual, 24-hour, live-streamed telethon. Artists, city planners, librarians, musicians, poets, and more respond to the theme of "Transportation as Connective Tissue," and will raise money for the DCA Arts Emergency Relief Fund. This program awards emergency grants to local artists negatively impacted by COVID-19. We believe that even in times of a pandemic, art remains an essential service that uplifts spirits, provides comfort, and sets up a platform for reflection for all communities across Los Angeles.
Despite Safer at Home orders, essential workers still rely on public transportation. Buses, trains, bicycles, and ride shares connect people across LA, from the clerks helping you purchase groceries, to the mail carriers completing your online deliveries, to the drivers handing you your dinner, and the port workers emptying container ships to make all these goods available to us. Finding inspiration from personal experiences, news reports, or statistical data.
In addition, we’ve set up the Safer LA Travel Story Hotline so that anyone across Los Angeles can share their experience during this time. Simply call or text the number 213-441-1558 and share a recent story about your commute.
Renée Reizman, the artist-in-residence at the LA Department of Transportation (and also a Hyperallergic contributor), came up with the idea to launch a “Safer LA 2020 Story Hotline” during the pandemic. From now through the telethon, Reizman is welcoming anyone in Los Angeles to share what their commute has been like during the Safer at Home Orders, “whether you’ve been out getting supplies during the pandemic” or “fighting for racial justice and police abolition at Black Lives Matter protests.” Anyone interested in participating just has to call (213) 441-1558.
In addition to sharing some of these messages during the telethon, Reizman has invited various performers, including Noel’s band New Media; multimedia artist Edgar Fabián Frías; video artist Yoshie Sakai; actress and spoken word artist Candace Nicholas-Lippman; and artist and musician Nina Sarnelle. The Los Angeles Public Library and Museum of Neon Art will also participate. Of special note, transportation professionals will “share facts about the impacts of COVID-19 on transportation, transit as a civil rights issue,” and how the department is currently working on “a safe and healthy recovery.”
When: Friday, June 26 12–8pm (PDT), Saturday, June 27–Sunday, June 28 2–10pm (PDT)
Where: RSVP here to join via Zoom, or livestream the event on YouTube
Read the Hyperallergic Article on this event here:
https://hyperallergic.com/571495/transformation-through-transportation-ladot-telethon/