Arrivees to Downtown must have wondered if the multiple artists painting at easels on city sidewalks were creating the "Watercolor Paintings" advertised on the flyer. Watercolor Paintings is actually the name of a band that performed later on that evening, but it a perfect example of the type of subversion culture jammers, social activists, and anarchists have so much fun with.

At first it was tough to tell if anything was actually going on at all. But there were too many people wearing DIY clothing bearing patches for bands and various political causes for it to be an average day.

My friend and I had some hot tea and chocolate at Back to the Grind Coffee, chatted, and took in the surroundings while waiting to see what would happened. Eventually, someone invited us downstairs, where the movie Steal this film II" was screened.

The documentary was about the production and distribution of information, making a historical comparison between the invention and dissemination of the printing press and the development of the internet and file-sharing.

Following the film, we walked across the street to the Universalist/Unitarian Church for a talk on veganism. Will, the proponent of veganism who led the chat, was enthusiastic. "I think the reason I've stayed with veganism for so long is that I just love vegetables!"

He began with a story about the time his friend criticized his "hypocrisy" for eating some chocolate with a small amount of milkfat. "You're not a vegan, so why do you tell people you are?" his friend chided. Will emphasized that there are as many definitions of veganism as there are vegans. "To me, that's like a Presbyterian going up to a Lutheran and saying, 'You've got it all wrong, this is the way to be a Christian!'"

The discussed ranged from reasons people choose to be vegan, to health concerns, to recipes. It was then followed by a trip to the kitchen, where workshop participants made vegan sushi and brownies.

While the food was cooking, we went back to the coffee house to join the twenty or so there gathered for a talk on Linux and the open-source software movement.

Afterward, there was a really really free market at the church. Clothes, books, and CDs were set out on tables for people to peruse and take. As we shopped, the kitchen crew brought out delicious snacks to share.

A travelling group of activists who put Earth First gave a presentation which was well-received, a circle of knitters was formed, and Nick, an advocate of cycling, led a workshop on bicycle maintenance and repair. Topics included properly locking one's bike, flat repair, and chain tension.

Anarcha-LA gave its take on becoming an LA-based anarcha-feminist collective. The panel, which was composed of three men and three women, talked about building solidarity with feminist causes and encouraged the approximately thirty people there to create their own collectives.

The group seeks to establish a presence in the community that allows it to provide resources, social services, and referrals to those in need.

Members of the audience also participated, including some women who discussed their experiences of alienation from mainstream feminism.

The group also invited attendees to its upcoming potluck on Saturday, February 28, 2009 beginning at around one at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. They'll meet near the corner of 7th and Park View, and encourage others to bring a vegan dish to share.

A "Secret Show" in the library parking lot closed out the night.

I think it was actually acrylic

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Not like that fake free market we've been hearing about

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Thanks a lot for covering the Faire. We had a lot of fun putting it on. For anyone interested in the collective behind the event, check out http://www.myspace.com/seedsundersnow

this seemed like fun and all but maybe next time you all could shift your focus away from subculture and onto more relevant and important topics like the I.C.E. raids that continue to happen on a regular basis, the police murders on the rise (oscar grant, annette garcia, alexandros grigoropoulos, richard lua to name a few). Or how about home foreclosures, the increase in surveillance and state repression targeting anarchist and activist groups, I mean anything. there are so many pressing issues at hand. I don't think veganism and bikes should be at the top of the anarchist agenda when comrades are facing jail time, people are losing their livelihoods (and lives) at the hands of the state and shit just keeps getting worse.
sorry, I just think this is silly for the current political, socio-economic climate.

That's why it was called a Fun Faire. The current attitude of Anarchists seems to present a very chilling version of the society they want to create. So often we stress everything horrible thing the state does, and those things need to be addressed undoubtedly, but how exactly do you expect people to change radically the way they live if you dismiss everything that they enjoy unless what they enjoy is being miserable.

Our aim is to create alternative institutions, to do these things takes time, resources and it requires that we start small. We had this event to start the ball rolling and to draw in new people. To get the people around us locally catalyzed in a positive and pro-active way. Not merely catering to their outrage. Believe me, I'm not a newbie to activism, I've lived hopping from issue to issue, constantly miserable at every one of the horrible things that were going wrong. I went to jail for an event trying to help day laborers. Eventually I feel into despair because I hated my life, I had a hefty criminal record and I knew that nothing I was doing was bringing me any closer to being free.

Sure, we had workshops on bikes and veganism, but earth first also talked about direct action tactics, Anarcha LA gave a presentation and discussion on patirarchy, there was a talk on free and indymedia. We're trying to bridge this supposed unbridgable chasm between our thoughts and our lives. We're not dropouts. We're doing what almost every prolific anarchist thinker has prescribed, we're creating a new society in the cracks of the old.

If we can stop dismissing the enjoyable parts of life as anarchists, then maybe we'll have more (wo)man-power and resources with which actually fight the fights you mentioned. What do you prescribe for us to do? Should we spend our paychecks on political defense funds for our comrades facing prison, or should we actually start getting the local clout and networks in place to really fundraise and start workers co-operatives to more seriously fund those causes? Or use local networks to start legal cooperatives for our comrades? We need a broader base and we need more local action. I'm sorry if you don't appreciate everything we did, and you have a valid point about catering to subculture. But we can't help if punks show up, and many of us feel that promoting bicycling and veganism while not crucial to anarchist resistance themselves are a way of promoting decentralization and localization of production in a pro-active way.

We're sick of feeling miserable. We want to take positive action and not merely react to the aggressions of the state.

All those issues you mentioned are valid and need to be worked on aggressively, but aren't we allowed to even suggest for one measly event that maybe Anarchist society might be a place desirable to live in for it's own sake and not only in contrast to the horror we face now?

were there any workshops or discussions on the ICE raids or detention centers?

I agree with Seeds. A Fun Faire is better than no faire. It would be nice to have one every week or every day but it's difficult because day to day life prevents us from doing that without going broke. And it's hard to find a venue without having to pay a rent or fee. I wasn't at the Fun Faire but from what I hear about these events with the bike shops and vegan outreach, this way of life should be attainable to anyone who wants it. The more efforts like this, the better.

Don't assume that the public face of the anarchist movement -- i.e. what was presented at the fun faire-- is all that is going on.

We may be doing things we don't necessarily want everyone to know about. Things that may be above the heads (or should remain below the rada) of novices, which is who were we trying to attract.