Artist Andrea Bowers turns activist -- sitting in Arcadia tree to protest the razing of grove

 

Artist Andrea Bowers, known for confronting in her work heated (and often neglected) political issues like immigrant fatalities and AIDS awareness, has now literally gone out on a limb for her beliefs. She is one of four people "treesitting" in a grove of oaks and sycamores in Arcadia to protest their bulldozing by the L.A. County Department of Public Works.

Her gallerist Susanne Vielmetter reports that, from her perch high in an oak tree, Andrea "is documenting the protest and also participating in it--fulfilling a promise to John Quigley, who organized the action." Quigley appeared in a video by Bowers at the gallery early last year, in which the artist is taking lessons on how to climb a tree and make it more or less habitable.

"All of her work in the last few years has been about political activists--she's been interested in a number of them and befriended a number of them, and one was John Quigley," says Vielmetter. The gallerist describes the 2009 video as a turning point in another respect: it's the first time Bowers appeared in one of her own videos.

In his ongoing coverage of the tree-sitting protest, which began at sunrise Wednesday morning, Louis Sahagun of The Times described Quigley as a "veteran of arboreal acts of civil disobedience."  By 4 p.m., Sahagun reported that the grove near Santa Anita and Elkin avenues had been reduced to "stumps, broken limbs and slash piles" (see photo above), with more than 30% cleared.

He quoted Los Angeles Sheriff's Capt. Joe Fennell as saying that they are working around the tree-sitters: "We move all the trees except the [ones] they are in; we hope that is the case," Fennell said. "Then perhaps they'll come down without us having to extract them."

Bowers, who told Vielmetter she was "nervous and also excited" the night before the climb, noted that she is prepared to stay up in the tree for as long as four days. The artist has so far been communicating with her gallery via an assistant. Along with video equipment, she has a cellphone with her in the tree, but is apparently using it sparingly to save the batteries for emergencies.

--Jori Finkel

twitter.com/jorifinkel

RELATED:

Andrea Bowers at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects

Trees felled around protestors in Arcadia

Treesitters defy bulldozers in Arcadia

Photo: The grove on Wednesday afternoon, after a number of trees were cleared. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Donald Frazell]

Sounds like it needs to be done, and its hardly like Oaks are endangered. The state is crawling with them to the north. if they were taking out the incredible Los Osos oaks near Montana de Oro state Park in Morro Bay i would be pissed, but life goes on, and the trees will probably outlast man anyway.

Funny thing is, this woman and friends, who showed up late, probably have oak furniture at home, if not floors. Where do you think that comes from? Artistes, cant show up on time, nor travel far from home and comfort, but makes great conversation at her gallery opening for greenies over tofu and herb tea. On oak tables.

art collegia delenda est

[sunnyinsandiego]

@Donald Frazell

Why does it matter where the trees are located? There are oaks everywhere, some of them older, some not. I think you are missing the point of the protest. There were alternative locations that could have been used for dumping. These trees DID NOT have to be destroyed. It could have been saved as an open space.

[jason MAN OF JESUS]

People need to stop fighting I think that this project created jobs for people in need whats a tree compared to life