Drumming Ceremony Inaugurates First Community Access to Cornfield Project

Drumming Ceremony Inaugurates First Community Access to Cornfield Project

More Events Scheduled Throughout Summer

LOS ANGELES, July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The Not a Cornfield, LLC today announced the first public programs that will be held during the Not a Cornfield project over the coming months. Nearly a dozen different kinds of special programs, scheduled in a series of multiple events throughout nearly every week of the summer, will open the new Los Angeles State Historic Park to community gatherings and events for the enjoyment of people of all ages.

The special events are a part of the living sculpture being created on the 32-acre field of corn this summer by artist Lauren Bon, a trustee of the Annenberg Foundation and president of Not a Cornfield, LLC. The "Not a Cornfield" temporary art installation is located on property just north of Chinatown and south of Lincoln Heights on the site of the future Los Angeles State Historic Park.

Major design elements -- including community access -- have been created through the broad input of local residents and public officials. The envisioned program will enable visitors to the site to participate in far-ranging artistic, cultural and recreational activities throughout the summer and fall.

The first special event, a Drumming Ceremony, will be held Saturday, July 23, 2005 and the public is invited, at no charge, to attend from 4 to 7 pm.

Inspired by traditional stories about encouraging crops to germinate, the drumming will be led by noted L.A. percussionists and composers Adam Rudolph and Kwashi Amevuvor.

Rudolph is widely respected for his creative collaboration with Sam Rivers, Pharoah Saunders, L. Shankar and Fred Anderson, and he leads his own performing ensemble, "Moving Pictures." Kwashi, born in Southern Ghana, has performed widely in Europe and now teaches music and African culture in Los Angeles.

"This is a ceremony to acknowledge and celebrate the beginnings of growth," said Bon. "We are returning the earth to a ground capable of producing corn, a symbolic gesture of redemption and hope."

The event commemorates the growth of approximately one million seeds of corn recently planted on what was a former brownfield. The property is owned by California State Parks and because of the extensive archeological and historical assets found on the site, it will be developed as a State Historic Park. This summer, Lauren Bon's "Not a Cornfield Project" transforms the brownfield into a cornfield for one agricultural cycle. The drummers will charge the recently planted soil with timeless rhythm. The public is invited to join in this ritual of renewal and transformation.

"Community is the heart of a park and whatever this park shall become the art project inaugurates this public space," Bon added.

The drumming ceremony is the first of numerous public programs that will be offered during the Not a Cornfield project. Other public programs will include: art and literature discussions including a "River Stories" night about real and fictional accounts of life near the L.A. River; an "Open Screen" film program in cooperation with The Echo Park Film Center, featuring films focusing on Los Angeles culture; a series of musical festival programs geared to the stages of germination, pollination and harvest; Open Studios, where the public can discuss elements of the project and related topics with Lauren Bon and community representatives; and much more.

The Not a Cornfield project is made possible by a grant from the Annenberg Foundation, headquartered in Radnor, PA, with a regional office in Los Angeles. Since July, 2002, the Annenberg Foundation has made grants benefiting Los Angeles County charities in excess of $100 million. The Foundation's Los Angeles grant making focuses on education and youth; arts and culture; community life; health and wellness; and the environment.

In addition to making a significant contribution to the community through the temporary art installation and the improvements to the future park, the Annenberg Foundation hopes to improve its ability to collaborate with a wide range of partners and its effectiveness in philanthropy. It also believes that the experience will serve as a model to other grant makers considering the challenges and opportunities of site-based philanthropy.

Media Contact:

Al Nodal, Project Director: 323.226.1158; laadolfo@yahoo.com

Event Facts:

What: Ancient Drumming Ceremony When: Saturday, July 23, 2005 Where: Not a Cornfield, 1790 Baker Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (North of Chinatown and south of Lincoln Heights) Time: 4 to 7 pm Who: The public, at no charge Musicians: Led by Adam Rudolph and Kwashi Amevuvor Web: www.notacornfield.info

Source: Not a Cornfield, LLC

CONTACT: Al Nodal, Project Director of Not a Cornfield, LLC, +1-323-226-1158, laadolfo@yahoo.com

Web site: http://www.notacornfield.info/

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