ART OF PALMS
CREATIVE & CULTURAL ASSET MAP
OF THE PALMS NEIGHBORHOOD OF LOS ANGELES
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ABOUT THE PROJECT
ART OF PALMS stems from a simple desire to answer the age-old question of a community stakeholder:
“What cool things are there in my neighborhood?”
The Palms Neighborhood of Los Angeles is one of the city’s oldest communities. Founded in the 1880’s, Palms was - and still is - known as a stopover town. With beginnings as a midway train stop between the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles and the tranquility and fun of Santa Monica, today many Angelinos remember Palms as the densely populated rental area that they had resided in briefly as they climbed (or descended) the socioeconomic ladder.
Since incorporating into the City of Los Angeles in 1914, Palms has struggled to retain a sense of identity as other communities (Culver City, Cheviot Hills, Mar Vista, Westside Village, South Robertson) grew around and enveloped it. The late Palms historian David I. Worsfold labeled Palms as “the orphan community” describing the neighborhood’s boundaries as “the most abused, slighted and trampled on the Westside…It’s land has been stolen, and now people don’t even want to recognize what’s left.”
ART OF PALMS aims to ease Worsfold’s fear of community depredation by locating and highlighting unique arts and cultural offerings that relate directly to the contemporary urban life of the Palms Neighborhood. The project seeks to create connections among artists, cultural organizations, community groups, businesses, visitors and residents in order to sustain and promote a thriving, diverse, creative neighborhood.
“Palms is more of a state of mind: ‘I’ll know it when I see it.’”
- George Garrigues
INTRODUCTION
What is a Creative Asset Map?
As a child, there may have been a time when you felt compelled to draw a treasure map as part of a whimsical game with your friends. What did you consider to be a treasure? What landmarks or obstacles did you draw to make the location of the treasure visible to those who sought it? Who did you share your map with? What did you want them to find?
An Asset Map is essentially a treasure map that marks resources that contribute to the economic and/or culture and vitality of the community. Asset Maps are utilized mainly as a tool for development and planning, but can also invigorate a local population by providing stakeholders with a system to define their local culture, and demonstrate the breadth and variety of cultural activity within their community.
ART OF PALMS aims to identify, catalog, map, and publish the creative and cultural assets of the Palms Neighborhood of Los Angeles for the following purposes:
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To emphasize the importance of these assets in terms of cultural significance, community vitality and creative economic input.
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To increase civic pride in the community.
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Identify the distinct character of the community and contextualize it for use in civic planning and future arts projects.
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To cement ownership of assets that have been mistakenly attributed to other communities.
For the purposes of this project, a creative asset is defined as:
A physical enterprise that encourages participation in, and appreciation of, the arts and local culture.
IDENTIFYING ASSETS
Justifying the importance of the arts and creative enterprises has long been a contentious topic.
For the purposes of this project, the creative and cultural assets for the Palms Neighborhood will be selected based on their relation to industries within the Creative Economy of Los Angeles as defined by the Otis Report.
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The Otis Report on the Creative Economy of the Los Angeles Region is the single best summary of the creative ecosystem and the hundreds of thousands of regional jobs that power the dynamic sector of Los Angeles -the creative capital of the world.
Focusing on how creative industries contribute to the local economy allows stakeholders to better measure how arts and cultural assets contribute positively to the vitality of the community.
According to the Otis Report, activities based on creativity and culture are an essential feature of a flourishing economy. Creative industries help drive a region’s economy by attracting investment, tourism, consumer spending and by generating tax revenues. These creative assets also have a non-monetary value in that they contribute to inclusive social development, dialogue and understanding between people within a diverse community such as Palms.
The 2015 Otis Report has identified the creative economy as being made up of industries, businesses and individuals that are involved in producing and/or providing cultural, artistic, and design goods and services.
Using the 2015 Otis Report as a guide, the following industries have been identified as part of the creative economy of Palms:
Exterior Design & Architecture
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Architectural Services
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Unique Architecture Assets
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Drafting Services
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Landscape Design
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Public Art
Visual & Cultural Arts
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Art Museums
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Art Galleries
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Photographic Arts
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Drawing/Painting
Communication Arts
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Web Design
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Advertising Agencies
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Commercial Graphic Design
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Marketing for Creative Industries
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Entertainment & Digital Media
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Creative Apps
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Game Design
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Web-based video/audio content
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Motion Picture/Video Production
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Sound Recording
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Broadcast (excluding internet)
Fashion & Decorative Arts
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Textile Mills Mfg.
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Apparel Design & Mfg.
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Footwear Design & Mfg.
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Jewelry Design & Mfg.
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Textile Product Mills
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Furniture Design & Mfg.
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Pressed & Blown Glass
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& Glassware Mfg.
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Other Misc. Nonmetallic Mineral
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Production Mfg.
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Pottery, Fine Earthenware Mfg.
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Interior Design
Industrial Design
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Toy Design & Mfg.
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Mechanical Design
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Consumer Product Design
Performing Arts
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Independent Artists
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Performing Arts Schools
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Music Recording Studios
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Agents & Managers of Artists
Publishing & Printing
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Printing & Related Support Activities
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Book, Periodical, Newspaper
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Wholesale Publishing (excluding internet)
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Greeting Cards
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Libraries and Archives
Using the creative industry list as a guide, assets were identified through the following methods:
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Physical verification
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Visiting the physical site i.e. storefront of the asset.
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Online verification
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Searching for a current and active Internet and/or social media presence.
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Attributing that Internet presence to a physical address through business websites such as yelp.com.
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Verifying the physical presence of the asset through online satellite mapping programs such as Google Maps.
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Due to the fact the Palms Neighborhood of Los Angeles has no official boundaries, the assets identified in this report were restricted to the community boundaries as defined by the Palms Neighborhood Council:
The boundaries defined are as follows:
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North/North West:
National Blvd., Exposition Blvd., and the I-10 Freeway.
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South:
Culver City (Venice Blvd., Washington Blvd.,)
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East/South East:
Overland Ave., Charnock Rd., and the 1-405 Freeway
Also included are the Palms – Rancho Park Branch Library, Palms Middle School and Charnock Road Elementary School.
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