Now, I am walking down Spring Street L.A downtown to meet Mrs. Qathryn Brehm who is organizer and operation dire of ART-WALK. This Art Group opens shops, exhibitions, talk-shows and ensembles 2nd Thursday of every month at The Last Bookstore. At 6th Avenue, I found a faded brown color, big loft building. Built around 1920, this area used to be in the financial district, also called "Wall Street in West", previously used as the Crocker National Bank.
In 2005 the book store opened after remodeling into a 2nd story building, with small alley booth style shops on mezzanine level. When I entered, I suddenly felt as if I dropped into a hole like a big whale's mouth with dim light, endless lines of bookshelves, heaped books into a tomb shape. This store is the biggest book store in California (22,000sq/ft and more than 100,000 books). One novelist said this place is like a "CEMETERY of BOOKS". This shop became so famous and ended up on the Los Angeles tourist sighting list. Mrs. Brehm greeted me with a soft smile and guided me up the stairs to the oil painting exhibition corner table.
JK Can tell me your main role and purpose of the ART-Walk?
QB 14 years ago I organized a small artists group(mainly painters) for teaching drawings and skills for girls and tried to have exhibitions in empty spaces in the down-town area. We focused on realistic problems such as how to consistently sponsor our art. I studied children psychology and educations in university, and for a long time, worked as a coordinator for Fine Arts Gallery in downtown.
JK How was atmosphere in down-town during the‘90s?
QB It was terrible, even in the main streets during daytime, there were so many beggars, gypsies and drugs, we had to close shop doors before sunset. There were many street vendors, and among them, there were young painters, sculptors and music players too.
JK When you tell me about preparing "ARTWALK" shops at the Lastbook Store and how you
made connection with Mr. Josh Spencer(bookstore owner)?
QB Fortunately, I met Mr. Spencer when he opened the Book store. As a real art lover, he always showed deep interests in poor artists on the streets. Also, he tried to help them with finding space to sell their works in shops, But he had an accident.
JK What kind of accident?
QB He came from Kentucky and a very early age, found good fortune with fabrics and raw material dealing. Then one day, unfortunately at the age of 38, he became paralyzed by a traffic accident. He was barely able to move and needed more than help from 2 people in a wheelchair. After that, he lived for a while just looking out the window. And he began to go out slowly, became familiar with the street vendors in front of his house in downtown Los Angeles, and had the idea that he wanted to give them a place to work and sell even in a small space.
JK Is it around that time that Art-Walk created a permanent store here?
QB When The Last Bookstore opened, there were people begging on the streets and people staggering in drugs, fighting every day. It was a really dangerous street. No one came out in the evening. But on the weekends, it was a place where poor artists gathered on the streets. And in 2008, Mr. Spencer proposed renovating the second floor of the bookstore and moving some of the Street Vendors to a booth-type gallery.
JK I know the documentary of Mr. Josh Spencer "Welcome to The Last Bookstore" has received very good reactions, can you tell a little more?
QB Yes, everyone thought that the opening a big used store in downtown wouldnot be a long-term business and the business will not last longer than 3 years. But the store survived and still operates successfully. His belief in the power of books was correct and it is a kind of a dream job for anybody who is really in love with all kinds of books. Also, he told me that books could move people’s mind and the unlimited power of books which can discover of people’s inner thoughts whenever needed.
JK How many galleries participate each month in the Art-Walk?
QB Currently, there are about 35 galleries altogether.
JK Do you think that the relationship between an artist and a gallery is not just about buying and
selling works? What do you think?
QB Of course. It should be a part of the community that makes up the artist. And the first thing is communication.
JK How does your ART-Walk select and/or invite new artists to give them exhibitions and sell their
works?
QB There are no written rules but we have excellent sponsors and advisers, most of them who are professors and from fine art galleries. There are many high-class galleries in the area, and curators who are involved in this area also participate in our screening. In general, we look at and consider the future potential. Selected works will be exhibited and sold through several galleries.
JK I think we strayed a bit unintentionally towards the The Last Bookstore and Josh Spencer from the original topic of Art-Walk. What is your goal or plan for Art-Walk in the future?
QB Basically, our main target of our work is to connect and relate to the community. Art Works should be one part of the community. Our art lessons in district schools, teaching drawing, art contests and etc... all of our art works will help to create a more beautiful community.
JK Thank you for your time. Lastly, I know that you published a book. Would you like to introduce it to me?
QB My book is titled "When good toy goes bad" with a picture of my "Diorama". I always liked working with toys in art works. I work in the Downtown Arts District and am working on a very different second book.
Finally our meeting ended and many visitors gathered already in the hall with soft mellow music sound in the background. Now, I found installation artist’s shop "THING MAKER" and started talking with Mr. David Lovejoy who is a very experienced and well-known artist. In his shop, there were many metallic parts and small metallic sculptures made of metal parts that I thought it was a some kind of toy shop. I asked him what is the top advantage keeping his shop in this ART-WALK and he explained that “I met so many different people and it gave me a chance to hear various comments. It is a valuable asset for artists to keep in touchwith people’s interests.”
The Art-Walk exhibition will be continued and art lovers will gather to this place again. When I came out on the streets, there was still a long line of hungry street vendors. I recalled Mr. Spencer’s interview with Huff Post, in which he said he will keep the paper and ink book business alive in an era of E-readers and digital downloads. The Last Bookstore’s home page tells a bleak truth: “What are you waiting for? We won’t be here forever.” Independent bookstores are in decline as online booksellers dominate the market, but I’m rooting for this one to be the last bookstore standing. It is a wonder how an ordinary person found ways of supporting and helping the hungry and poor artists to stand up in the community.Presently, we know that there are many supporting agencies in government levels and cultural foundations for arts but clearly these are insufficient and ineffective measures.
We see many multi-million dollar shows, theaters, andpainting auctions, but still, there are so many young and poor art-dreamers on the streets who are just waiting in the shadows for their chances to shine. Maybe, we are all Artists and want to be Artists. We are trying to express ourselves and communicate to others in any form. When we look at old and torn out books, it looks like our portraits of ourselves in near future with dried blood and flesh.
On the brick wall in The Last Bookstore, somebody wrote: “What are you waiting We won’t be here forever!”
We must remember. No one will stay here forever.
Jun K / Translated by Mikyung Mun
* 《쿨투라》 2018년 11월호(통권 53호) *
