East LA Rep
presents
by appointment with Tomas Benitez
Wed., Aug. 14, 2013 @8pm
at East LA Rep – 1350 San Pablo St., LA 90033
(in the Legacy LA campus – free parking in the gated lot)
Topics of discussion -
Art and Activism – the early years
Self-Help Graphics – shaping an organization
Los Angeles County Arts Commission – community and politics
Latino Baseball – my true love
[Live stream video will be here at 8pm*.]
by appointment – the idea is to have a great conversation, una buena platica, with a guest we admire and are intrigued by, and to get some insight into what inspires, bothers or fascinates the guest.
Hosted by Juan E. Carrillo during Office Hours
Free and open to the public
Streamed live in partnership with Cindy Marie Jenkins at 8pm on http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCMJstories
*If tech gods are not with us, I will live blog and upload the video at a later date.
Posted on the EAST LA REP YouTube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/EASTLAREP
About Tomas -
Tomas Benitez was born and raised in front of a TV set in East L. A. After earning a B.A. in Theatre and Chicano Studies, he began his career
Tomas has been an advocate of Chicano/Latino arts and culture for 35 years, and has served as a consultant to numerous cultural centers, major institutions and universities throughout the United States.
Tomas is the former Executive Director of Self Help Graphics & Art in East Los Angeles. During his tenure, Self Help Graphics & Art exhibited more Chicano art and fine art prints around the world than any other institution in the United States.
He is a key advisor, writer and contributor to The Latino Baseball Project: The Mexican-American Experience, a humanities based project in partnership with the Phau Library at California State University at San Bernardino. The project is a multi-year endeavor that has examined the impact of baseball on the formation of the Mexican-American identity and community in the United States, and will eventuate in a collection, permanent and traveling exhibitions and a website for the dissemination of materials and information.
He remains a consultant for non-profit cultural arts organizations in the greater Los Angeles area, California and the Southwest. He is a Commissioner for the County of Los Angeles Arts Commission (1st District, Supervisor Gloria Molina), and sits on a number of panels and advisory groups related to arts, culture and arts education. 1
