FORT 1ST SHOW from Mick LeGrande on Vimeo.
We took what resources we had and moved into an old warehouse in Downtown Los Angeles in November 2012. We asked the greater community through social media, an online fundraising campaign, and our extensive network of friends and family to contribute what they could. Local crowds of artists, musicians and community organizers came and spent hours of their time building new walls, scraping together materials, painting, and organizing. After a year of hard work and dedication, we had transformed the space from an in-personal warehouse to a warm thriving community center. We created a structure and business plan for new, alternative, and creative individuals to access to the public.
We started showcasing Music and Arts that didn’t have an outlet in Los Angeles, and created an organized structure that allowed the people who were creating these expressions to govern the space. Dedicated to providing an outlet for the public to be exposed to new exciting arts and music, our first 8 months of operation, we created fully immersive art installations paired with live music. Our space was constantly changing to invoke a sense of wonder. We always strive to bring a quality and synergy of different mediums of art in a way that can’t be found in Los Angeles. And accessibility to this art is key.
At the beginning of 2014, Pasadena Arts Council became our fiscal sponsor, granting The L.A. Fort non-profit status, able to apply for various grants, accept tax deductible donations, and get help from the community to expand our programming.
A little after a year, we were informed by Los Angeles Building and Safety (LABS) that we needed to update our building to continue our public events and live music programs. Immediately we started to renovate and update the building to meet standards set up by the local government. We have built nine artist studios in our second story, rented out our stage for bands to rehearse and built a silkscreening studio. The L.A. Fort continues to serve the public through low cost artists workspace, craft nights, poetry readings, art opening, and workshops.
We are currently working hard to be able to become compliant with city and county regulations to continue our live music programming. If you would like to help realize this vision, you can contribute tax-deductible donations to the link below or email us at theLAFort[at]gmail.com
We started showcasing Music and Arts that didn’t have an outlet in Los Angeles, and created an organized structure that allowed the people who were creating these expressions to govern the space. Dedicated to providing an outlet for the public to be exposed to new exciting arts and music, our first 8 months of operation, we created fully immersive art installations paired with live music. Our space was constantly changing to invoke a sense of wonder. We always strive to bring a quality and synergy of different mediums of art in a way that can’t be found in Los Angeles. And accessibility to this art is key.
At the beginning of 2014, Pasadena Arts Council became our fiscal sponsor, granting The L.A. Fort non-profit status, able to apply for various grants, accept tax deductible donations, and get help from the community to expand our programming.
A little after a year, we were informed by Los Angeles Building and Safety (LABS) that we needed to update our building to continue our public events and live music programs. Immediately we started to renovate and update the building to meet standards set up by the local government. We have built nine artist studios in our second story, rented out our stage for bands to rehearse and built a silkscreening studio. The L.A. Fort continues to serve the public through low cost artists workspace, craft nights, poetry readings, art opening, and workshops.
We are currently working hard to be able to become compliant with city and county regulations to continue our live music programming. If you would like to help realize this vision, you can contribute tax-deductible donations to the link below or email us at theLAFort[at]gmail.com
The LA Fort is a project of Pasadena Arts Council,
a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Donations to
The L.A. Fort are tax deductible to the full extent
of the law under Federal ID 95-2540759.
Donations by check should be made payable to
"Pasadena Arts Council FBO The L.A. Fort"
Mail to Pasadena Arts Council
65 S. Grand Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105