Author: Martin Wong

Editorial, Humbled

Dec 20, 2017

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Just a couple of months ago, I received a message from an ArtCenter student. She was in Chinatown doing research for a project, picked up a free Wapow! magazine, and read the article I contributed about the Save Music in Chinatown fund raising concerts that my family have been organizing to support the music program...

Editorial

Dec 12, 2017

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It's nice to take your kids to cool places, show them interesting movies, and share your favorite bands with them. But it's even better to have them make and do stuff themselves. This weekend my daughter, two of her cousins, and a friend (all under 10) joined forces for the Cousins & Friends Holiday Pop-Up...

Editorial

Nov 29, 2017

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Even the biggest haters in the loves-to-hate street art scene have to respect Shepard Fairey's execution, dedication, and giving a shit. All of these aspects of the artist's work are on display for the public to see at DAMAGED, a one-person gallery show presented by Library Street Collective in the industrial outskirts of Chinatown. I see...

Editorial

Nov 21, 2017

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A couple of Mondays ago, my wife and I accompanied our daughter's fourth-grade class to the Getty Center. You don't get to look at much art during a field trip to the museum; you're too busy ensuring everyone stays with the group, washes hands after using the restroom, and doesn't touch the art or even...

Editorial

Nov 15, 2017

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Sometimes it takes out-of-town visitors to get you to notice stuff in your own backyard. My cousin and his girlfriend came down from Sacramento because they scored beachside cabins at Crystal Cove. Who knew there was a State Park in tony Newport Beach? At the turn of the century, farmers and then campers stayed in the...

Editorial

Oct 31, 2017

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A few weeks ago, my wife and I painted signs, made posters, and helped spread the word about a march in solidarity with the teachers at our daughter's school. We think it's crucial for us to show support for public education and educators as they are being targeted by privatizers and union busters. Equitable schooling is...

Editorial

Oct 24, 2017

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How cool was it to walk down the lantern-illuminated alleys of Chinatown and see original punk legends Phranc (Nervous Gender) and Alice Bag (The Bags) playing as Phag on an unseasonably warm autumn night last Saturday? Their effortless and affable yet razor-toothed set of politically charged songs addressing the unreasonable rule of Trump, Pence, DeVos,...