After youth from Ramona Gardens visited the original location of the famed Canter’s restaurant on Cesar Chavez Ave., they stopped by the existing one on Fairfax Ave. /Photo by Eddie Ruvalcaba
This summer, kids from Ramona Gardens joined students from Otis College of Design on a tour that explored the art and cultural history of the Boyle Heights community.
The tour is part of a class trip coordinated by Otis instructor and cultural anthropologist Ysamur Peña Flores, who in conjunction with Homeboy Industries has been introducing art students at Otis with history, aesthetics and personal stories of Boyle Heights and its residents.
“The philosophy of this class is to bring together artists and designers with ex-gang members with artistic talent to confront issues that affect the community,” says Peña Flores. “To show the art, the social issues, and the social events that shaped the community and the people who lived in it.”
For the first time, Peña Flores collaborated with youth programs at East Los Angeles College and the Community Safety Partnership programs at the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles to host The Boyle Heights Urban Anthropology summer boot camp. Youth from Ramona Gardens toured their own neighborhood, taking photos while learning about the past cultures that once existed where they live today.
Read more at Boyle Heights Beat