Stay Up! Book Signing at The Last Bookstore
For street art fanatics, Saturday evening was super exciting as professor and author Jim G. Daichendt hosted a signing for his book Stay Up!: Los Angeles Street Art at the Last Book Store As the first street art book dedicate solely to Los Angeles, “Stay Up!” has been received warmly by the street art community, especially because it pairs images from prolific photographer Lord Jim with Daichendt’s own academic outlook. Daichendt also recorded his talks with Gregory Siff, RISK, and others for a unique podcast.
On Saturday, many of the artists with work in Stay Up! gathered to introduce themselves to fans and sign copies of the book, but considering the outlaw nature of street art, Daichendt asked for no photography at the request of those present. Onstage were photographer Lord Jim, SMEAR (who wrote the book’s foreword), Snyder, Phylo from $tatus faction, Septerhed (whom I spoke to earlier this month), The Forest Lawn (THEFL), Desire Obtain Cherish, and Bubba who introduced himself as the janitor for Earl Lube Industries (All the Girls Love Earl). They briefly introduced themselves and what they do before going on to sign books.
From small children to adults, each owner of Stay Up! got in line for his/her own autograph from the artists. It was a little like being at a masquerade ball – if you got to the event after the guys introduced themselves, you might not find out who is who until you spot their signature. In fact, artist Kiosk— currently showing with SMEAR at Azusa Pacific University where Daichendt teaches–pointed out to me a few days later that he saw me snapping photos while he signed books although I didn’t notice him!
Stay Up! has tons of glossy pages with great works from LA’s best. It’s a veritable item for any street art fanatic to have and a good introduction to art lovers not familiar with the street art world. The pieces out on the street rarely last very long so the book serves as a record of impressive works and an encouragement to street artists – stay up!
The Last Bookstore
453 S. Spring St.
Mon – Thurs 10 AM to 10 PM
Fri – Sat 10 AM to 11 PM
Sun 10 AM to 6 PM
213.488.0599
1 Comment
Jonathan Savona
November 21, 2012This book is epic!