About Founder Cindy Schwarzstein
Cindy Schwarzstein is an art curator, event producer, and community leader, who has been based in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District for the last nine years. She has been creating and hosting cultural events and educational programming for more than twenty-five years and is deeply involved in the culture, commerce, and community of Los Angeles, with a focus on community integration.
In 2012, Cindy founded Cartwheel Art, combining her two decades of experience in hospitality, event production, and publishing to launch her own full-service, cross-platform, art experience company. Cartwheel Art provides diverse, community-driven programming such as guided tours, art-activated events, and curated exhibitions. Cindy has held a board seat for over 7 years on the Los Angeles River Artists & Business Association (LARABA) and is a member of the Downtown Breakfast Club.
Cindy is the Director of Programming, Projects, and Community Partnerships as well as the in-house curator of The Rendon LLC. In the last 4years, the Rendon team transformed the Rendon Hotel to produce three successful events, Hidden Rooms – an immersive event featuring over 85 artists creating site-specific installations, Stories – an illuminating experience that combined live performances, by actors with film projection, and Rhythms of the City – featuring live performances from over 100 musicians. These events raised over seventy thousand dollars for local arts organizations.
The City of Los Angeles awarded Schwarzstein a certificate of recognition for her “exemplary commitment and outstanding service” in bringing World Art Day to Los Angeles, which involved creating programming for twenty-five different gallery events. An Aspire Magazine cover story named Schwarzstein one of the top six community leaders of Downtown Los Angeles, describing her as a “savvy insider.”
About Tour Host Steve Grody
Steve Grody is a photographer, historian, and author of Graffiti LA: Street Styles and Art. Before earning his B.A. in fine arts, he was also involved in his era’s ‘pop’ graphics, psychedelic art. When he saw spray can murals popping up around Los Angeles, he recognized their creativity and verve. Since 1990, he has been exploring the city’s back alleys, washes, and abandoned lots to document this vernacular art. Over the years he cultivated trust among L.A.’s most prolific, skilled, and infamous graffiti writers, allowing him access to obscure locations. In 2011 his photographs were featured in MOCA’s “Art of the Streets” show and catalog, and he co-curated “Street Cred: Graffiti Art from Concrete to Canvas” at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. He was featured at TEDxSitka, and has spoken at numerous universities and events. Grody is also an internationally respected martial arts instructor and swing dancer. Director Peter Weir brought Grody in to choreograph the dance scene in The Truman Show.
About Tour Host Hadley Meares
Hadley Meares writes articles on history for LA Magazine, Curbed, Atlas Obscura, LAist, HISTORY, Aeon, Malibu Magazine, and KCET among other media outlets. She also leads historical tours and sings jazz at the Dresden. The shadier side of the street is what she enjoys.