Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles is holding a presentation tonight at 6:30 pm on Los Angeles's Little Italy by Marianna Gatto. Did you know that LA is the country’s fifth largest Italian population? Did you even know that we had a Little Italy (used to be in Chinatown, btw)? Well hear Marianna Gatto, curator of History and Education for the City of Los Angeles, talk the city's vibrant Italian enclave during the 100-year period following the arrival of the first Italian pioneer in 1827. Book signing and reception to follow. RSVP: rsvp.iicla@esteri.it more ›

The Watts House Project (video) goes way beyond your average neighborhood beautification projects. It is large-scale "collaborative artwork in the name of neighborhood redevelopment" that seeks to engage a variety of individuals, from the residents of 107th street, to artists, to educators and community members. The project, according to artist and director, will Edgar Arceneaux, transform and remodel all 20 residences on the street through a collaboration with an artist, architect and resident of the property. more ›

Work is underway on the first phase of the Watts House Project, an ambitious and visionary project directed by Edgar Arceneaux and being tackled now by college students representing a wide range of backgrounds, as described by the LA Times: "[Y]oung men and women; white, black, Asian, Latin; some from USC, others UCLA, and still others from Cal Arts and Art Center [who] have set to work in front of a modest, cream-colored stucco bungalow on 107th Street." more ›