Indian Alley
Indian Alley is the unofficial name given to a stretch of alley in the
History
Referred to as “one of the most famous public spaces in the country” among Native Americans, the tiny street (officially named Werdin Place) lay adjacent to United American Indian Involvement, Inc. (UAII), an outreach center for American Indians that became an important locus for social, spiritual, political and rehabilitative activities for the community.
Indian Alley comprises a block of Werdin Place, running south from Winston Street to East 5th Street. It is bounded to the west by Main Street and to the east by
Indian Alley Art Project
In recent years Indian Alley’s heritage has been resurrected and commemorated through a series of murals and other public art installations in and around Werdin Place and Winston Street. Through the coordination of Stephen Zeigler and 118 Winston, an art gallery and yoga studio occupying the former UAII site, paintings and sculpture by prominent Los Angeles street artists depicting noteworthy Native American leaders and social activists have made Indian Alley a significant site for Los Angeles street art. When Zeigler and his wife moved into the space in 2008, he made a habit of cleaning the space in and around the alley, which was then commonly used for drug dealing and prostitution. Zeigler developed an interest in the history of the site; his research revealed the block’s former significance to Los Angeles' American Indian population as well as its more common name, Indian Alley.[2][13]
In 2011 Zeigler began recruiting local street artists to install murals in the alley, with the express purpose of highlighting the special heritage of the place. Murals and sculpture selected for their relevance to Indian Alley’s history include portraits of local Native American activist Robert Sundance and eighteenth-century California anticolonialist Toypurina, along with Native American symbols and more abstract pieces and positive social messaging.[2][13] Contributors to the ongoing art project include Maya/Nahuatl artist Votan and Jemez Pueblo Indian Jaque Fragua, local artists Wild Life (American artist), Bandit, Sketchy, Gabette, Free Humanity, Random Act and Teacher, as well as street art notable Shepard Fairey.[13][14][15]
References
- ^ ISBN 0374226385.
- ^ a b c Schaefer, Samantha. "LA's Winston Street has a Colorful History". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ a b "United American Indian Involvement, Inc. Homepage". uaii.org. Retrieved 2013-08-13.
- ^ McMillan, Penelope (1980-10-26). "The Urban Indian--L.A.'s Factionalized Minority". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Slater, Jack (1976-04-28). "Sacrament on Skid Row". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Earliest Titles with Location Matching Werdon Pl". Internet Movie Database.
- ^ "The Sting (1973) Filming Locations". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ "Baretta, Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow Filming Locations". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ "Hill Street Blues, Up in Arms Filming Locations". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ "Police Story, Fingerprint Filming Locations". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ "Quincy, Dark Angel Filming Locations". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ "Starsky & Hutch, The Psychic Filming Locations". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2013-08-13.
- ^ a b c Li, Chrystal. "Downtown Artists Paint to Change Skid Row". Neon Tommy. University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ ICTMN Staff. "Watch Time Lapse Video of Plenty Coups Mural in L.A.'s Indian Alley". Indian Country Today Media Network. Indian Country Today Media Network, LLC. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ ICTMN Staff. "Street Artist Jaque Fragua Helps Osage Youth Create Mural in Pawhuska". Indian Country Today Media Network. Indian Country Today Media Network. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
16. Sundance, Robert and Gaede, Marc(1994). Sundance, the Robert Sundance Story. Chaco Press, La Canada, California ISBN 0-9616019-8-1, ISBN 0-9616019-9-X (cloth). Cover, Back cover, Frontispiece