DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - With bars and restaurants opening at a steady clip in Downtown Los Angeles, there is no end of opportunities to satiate one’s appetite. While it generates far less attention, local workers and residents hungering for something that stimulates the brain also have plenty of options.
At the Library Foundation of Los Angeles’ Aloud series, large crowds gather a couple times each week to hear the likes of author T.C. Boyle, singer Patti Smith and Homeboy Industries founder Father Greg Boyle. Town Hall-Los Angeles books bigwigs including Mayor Eric Garcetti and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Some of the biggest names in design show up at the lecture series at the Southern California Institute of Architecture.
That’s just the start. At least five organizations have regularly scheduled or sporadic speaker events in the Central City.
Not only are there plenty of thought-provoking subjects, many of the talks are free. There is never an admission charge to a SCI-Arc lecture, and most Aloud events also have gratis admission.
The most active programmer is Aloud, which Louise Steinman has run since 1993. During the fall season there are two or three events most weeks in the Central Library’s Mark Taper Auditorium. Steinman’s deep connections with the publishing world allow her to bring in some of the biggest names in literature, and many of the events are fully reserved in advance (though there are usually standby seats at the door). Upcoming speakers include former Los Angeles Times reporter Hector Tobar, who on Oct. 16 will discuss his Deep Down Dark, about the Chilean miners who were trapped for 69 days in 2010. Adam Michnik, an activist jailed by the Polish communist regime for dissident activities, and who is now among the country’s most prominent public figures, shows up on Oct. 21.
“We are definitely on the map in the sense that publishers know about us and know that we have a vibrant audience,” Steinman said. “We believe that’s raised the profile of the authors who want to come here.”
Despite living in a technological age when information is instantly accessible almost everywhere, Kimberly McCleary, president of Town Hall-Los Angeles, said the popularity of the speaker series demonstrates that people enjoy the intimacy of a group setting and connecting with others. Town Hall has been holding events for 77 years, and these days most of the speakers come to luncheons in the City Club, on the 51st floor of City National Plaza.
“They’ll hear the inside scoop from a unique voice. Not a talking head,” McCleary said. “We want them to walk away saying, ‘I didn’t know that. I’m so glad I got a personal insight into the person.’”
Coming to Town Hall on Sept. 22 is Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District, who will address a topic vital to all Californians: water, and the lack of it. Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, will show up on Oct. 22 to discuss the role that black California plays in shaping the nation’s history.
Business, Design and Beyond
Another unique location is the headquarters of architecture firm Gensler, also at City National Plaza (though much closer to the ground). That is where Ted Habte-Gabr hosts speakers through his Live Talks Business Forums. Unlike most lectures, these talks are a morning series. Past speakers in Downtown include Twitter co-founder Biz Stone.
Habte-Gabr holds about 15 events a year at Gensler. This is the series’ fifth year, and he said attendees like the convenience of a thoughtful event that gets them back to their desk by 9:30 a.m.
Upcoming events include an Oct. 9 appearance by Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist who co-authored A Path Appears. On Oct. 28, law professor Erwin Chemerinsky will discuss his book The Case Against the Supreme Court.
“I’m always working on my speaker list,” said Habte-Gabr. “I’m always listening, always watching for who might be interesting, who’s being written about and what they are saying.”
Two topics frequently debated by Downtowners will be taken up by Zócalo Public Square during events at the Museum of Contemporary Art next month. Oct. 1 holds the conversation “Will Young Californians Ever Be Able to Retire?” On Oct. 14, architect Thom Mayne and restaurateur Bill Chait are among the panelists discussing whether Downtown is becoming the west side.
Zócalo, a project of the Center for Social Cohesion at Arizona State University, brings events to Downtown Los Angeles locations including MOCA and the Downtown Independent.
Another long-running program is the Southern California Institute of Architecture Lecture Series. Founded in 2002, the fall calendar at the Arts District campus features 13 events. Upcoming highlights include Vicente Guallart, who founded the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia in Barcelona, on Sept. 24. Also coming is Michael Sorkin, whose studio’s special interest is sustainable urbanism. His lecture is titled “How Green Is My City.”
Eric Owen Moss, the director of SCI-Arc, said he looks for speakers who will challenge the audience, offer different perspectives and leave attendees thinking about a range of answers to one posed question. Being an architecture school, urban planning is a popular topic. Still, he said, the intent is to draw neighbors and people from all over the city.
“We cover pragmatic issues such as housing and transportation policy, technical and construction issues,” Moss said. “But it is also an exchange of ideas: What is architecture? What is a floor? What is a window?”
In this news-saturated world, said Steinman from Aloud, event organizers have to tap today’s greatest thinkers, artists and writers to appeal to the learned audience. For people in Los Angeles, no subject is off the table, and the appetite for knowledge is immense, she said.
Eager Speakers
Want to know who’s speaking in Downtown? Check out the websites of the following entities, who bring bright minds to the Central City each week.
Aloud at the Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., lfla.org. Most events are free.
Town Hall-Los Angeles, 555 S. Flower St., 51st floor, townhall-la.org. Most talks are $55 for members, $75 for non-members.
Live Talks Business Forums, 500 S. Figueroa St., business.livetalksla.org. General admission is $20.
SCI-Arc Lecture Series, 960 E. Third St., sciarc.edu/lectures. Events are free.
Zócalo Public Square, various locations (often MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., and Downtown Independent, 251 S. Main.), zocalopublicsquare.org. Events are free.
© Los Angeles Downtown News 2014
