Not a Cornfield: Open Mics, Film Screenings and More

Using the area for entertainment and education, the site is now the host of drum circles, open mics, film screenings and public forums. The final events of 2005 will celebrate a recent volunteer corn harvest that marked the completion of the "Gold Phase" in which the corn was uprooted, dried and stored for future use as an environment-friendly biodegradable building material.

Friday, Dec. 2 @ 7:30 p.m.

Salon with Dr. Jennifer Wolch

Crucial positions such as USC professor of Geography and Urban Planning and Development, Co-Director of the USC Center of Sustainable Cities, and co-author of several projects relating to public policy and neglect all belong to a woman anyone would be lucky to meet. Dr. Wolch continues to bring people together to address vital issues – focusing on the creation of resourceful policies that have the ability to restore lives and turn abandoned chaos into something the entire city can enjoy.

Topics of the Night:

– Shelter and homelessness

– Corn functioning as a low-cost sustainable building material

– The future of The Cornfield

– Social, economic, and environmental justice

– Generating a broader balance between humans and our social, cultural and natural environments

Friday, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m.

Open Mic & Film Screening

Bringing the movies to The Cornfield is an organization responsible for training youth and providing the community with the technical equipment needed to document Los Angeles through film. The Echo Park Film Center’s choice for the 2005 finale screening, Grass, is a 1925 silent classic created by the makers of King Kong. The film features a special score crafted by musical composer/performer Mitchell Brown, who tailor-made the Grass score especially for this event.

Topics In the Film:

– The 1924 partnership between two filmmakers and a journalist/spy

– The dangers faced during the migration of the Bakhtiari tribe of Persia – The obstacles defied in the Karun River’s icy waters as the filmmakers documented the tribe’s unbelievable pilgrimage

Saturday, Dec. 3, 4:00 p.m.

Blue Phase ceremony

Celebrating the end of the Gold Phase and the beginning of the Blue Phase, Kyudo archer Hirokazu Kosaka will shoot an arrow on the Not A Cornfield site symbolizing the new doors the crop’s harvesting has opened for change throughout the city. At the same time, a sea of blue lights will be scattered throughout the field painting several of the surrounding buildings and landmarks with an indigo glow and a peaceful vibe. So what are you waiting for? Become apart of history-in-the-making and GET UP AND GET OUT!

For more information, visit www.notacornfield.info.