ARTS IN ACTION - SPOKEN WORD

I attended and participated in the Grand Opening festivities of the ARTS IN ACTION Center this past February 9th, and can attest to the enormous success of the event. Many hundreds of people of all ages and races filled the new Center from Saturday afternoon till late in the evening. Visual Art, Music, Spoken Word performances, Independently produced Videos, Dance, and other disciplines were enjoyed by those gathered. Part of the day was dedicated to Poetry and Spoken Word Performance... and I was lucky to catch Jerry Quickly's dynamic display of word slinging.

Jerry Quickly is an Artist to watch out for. A huge mountain of a Man, Quickly's Spoken Word performances are akin to standing next to an erupting Volcano. He possesses a deep, soft voice that can explode with all the energy of his people's pent up rage. Quickly offered three energetic,
highly volatile, and pointedly political, stream of consciousness Raps on the state of being Black in post 9-11 America. In this Photograph, Quickly can be seen running down his rhymes to the large multi-cultural crowd
gathered around him. Other Spoken Word Artists also performed during the Grand Opening festivities... including Chicana Felicia Montes, East Asian American Susan Canga, and the multi-cultural group Obi-I.

Jerry Quickly and the Spoken Word Artists that followed him performed in the area designated by the ARTS IN ACTION Center as it's Stage/Performance area. In the background(middle) you can see the entry way to the Center's Art Gallery, where the works of 17 Visual Artists (myself included), will be on display for the month of February.

The ARTS IN ACTION Center is YOUR Center, and it needs your participation and support in order to succeed. Every Artist and Activist should come visit the Center, located in the Westlake Pico-Union area, at: 1919 W. 7th Street (between Westlake and Bonnie Brae). Call the Center at:
1-323-993-6001.