A conference of leading experts on the L.A. River, funded by a Mellon Foundation Elemental Arts Grant at Pomona College on April 5, 2014. President David Oxtoby of Pomona College welcomes with thoughts on the elements (earth, wind, fire, water) in his environmental chemistry courses. George Gorse, Viola Horton Professor of Art History at Pomona College and conference organizer, introduces the conference. Many in the audience were experts and long-time advocates, which makes the question and answer periods at the end of each talk and the final panel discussion as interesting as these four fine overview presentations. The conference was introduced the night before by a screening and discussion with the director of a stunning film, “Psychohydrography,” on the hydrology of the Sierra Madre Mountains to L.A. River by Peter Bo Rappmund, in conjunction with Professor Jonathan Hall and the Media Studies Department of Pomona College. The conference ended on Saturday evening with a screening and discussion of the compelling activist film on the L.A. River as a human recreation environment, “Rock the Boat: Saving America’s Wildest River,” with Thea Mercouffer and George Wolfe. These films are not on this website, but can be searched online.
Submissions from 2014
Bringing the River to the People: 27 Years of Poetry and Politics along the Mighty Los Angeles River, Lewis MacAdams
The Problem and Promise of the Los Angeles River, William Deverell
Harnessing the Momentum of the Los Angeles River through Design, Mia Lehrer
Bending the River Back into the City, Lauren Bon
L.A. River: Past, Present, Future Conference Roundtable Discussion, Lewis MacAdams, William Deverell, Mia Lehrer, and Lauren Bon
