L.A. River

FOLAR Cleanup 2017

Though I was not excited to wake up at 8am for the cleanup, I was actually excited to see the L.A. River. I classify myself as the "person" who drives over the L.A. River without acknowledging its existence. However, it surprised me that there was barely any water where we were. While I was considering wearing really long boots in the river just for the fun of it, I was actually glad I didn't in the 80-90 degree weather. What surprised me the most, however, was the amount of plastic stuck in between bushes and rocks, so not only did we have to pick up the trash, but we had to find it. Overall, it was fun being able to do civic engagement with the class, and I was able to make a few connections between L.A. art and the L.A. River.

First of all, despite all of the trash washed up in the river, it was still a beautiful piece of nature. Just like the L.A. river, I believe L.A. art is unique in its own way and each piece of art tells different stories about Los Angeles. I believe the L.A. river tells the story of a "lost" city, just like how the river goes unnoticed by strangers. Whether driving through traffic or walking through the city, the L.A. River is always present, but no one pays attention to recognize it. In a similar sense, so many tourists can walk around L.A. and look at street art murals, graffiti art, or museums without recognizing its historical or political significance. In a way, the meaning of Los Angeles is lost or misinterpreted when people just simple "walk by," without asking questions. This experience at the L.A. River has taught me to always ask questions and be curious throughout my everyday activity. I have to constantly ask myself, "Why am I doing what I'm doing?" "How do my actions affect those around me?" "Why did this turn out the way it did?" I can't be the person who simply drives past the L.A. River anymore. It is important for all of us to take a step back and look at the bigger picture; set our eyes on something more important than what's in front of us. We're in the greatest lost city in the world, but it's our job to make our own connections to the city and find out why it's so important to us uniquely.

Second of all, it felt refreshing to recognize the goodness of civic engagement. The civic engagement reading by Adam Davis talked about the meaning of community service being lost through pride, selfishness, or not really "talking" about community service because it proves the hypocrisy of equality in America. However, this too can be related to the L.A. River because the meaning of community service is misinterpreted. Overall, the FOLAR project made me recognize the goodness of civic engagement and giving back to the community that has given so much to me. I was able to see the L.A. River not only as a piece of nature that needs to be preserved and protected, but also as a piece of art.