Los Angeles Visionairies Association events June 25 and 26

LAVA's wild weekend spans the Southland with unique and free cultural programs

WHAT: On Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26, members of LAVA (The Los Angeles Visionaries Association) present a pair of eclectic cultural happenings - The Aetherius Society's third annual World Peace Pilgrimage to Mount Baldy and LAVA's monthly Sunday Salon at Clifton's Cafeteria which features the return of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society and an exhibit of outsider artist Gene Sculatti's imaginary cities.

COST: Both events are free

MORE INFO: http://lavatransforms.org and the individual links below

Have you heard about LAVA? The Los Angeles Visionaries Association is a creative consortium of artists, musicians, writers,storytellers and filmmakers who since February 2010 have come together on the last Sunday of the month for a free cultural lunch Salon at Clifton's Cafeteria, in addition to sharing their far-flung activities on a community calendar.

Created by Richard Schave and Kim Cooper -- the busy married couple who lead historical bus tours under the Esotouric flag ("The Real Black Dahlia,""Raymond Chandler's L.A."), successfully campaigned to save the endangered 76 Balls, Charles Bukowski's house and L.A.'s Public Libraries, put the Downtown Art Walk into a non-profit, and most recently assembled acollective of the region's best independent tour guides at www.7DaysinLA.com -- LAVA is fast establishing itself as one of the city's most intriguing arts collectives, with a calendar packed with compelling, offbeat urban events and a growing list of notable Visionary contributors.

And during the last weekend in June, the LAVA calendar shines with a pair of fascinating free events reflecting the group's eclectic diversity, with something to delight and inspire anybody looking for a memorable outing. The events play out in this order...

1) Third annual World Peace Pilgrimage to Mount Baldy, Saturday 6/25, 9am-dusk, Free, San Gabriel Mountains.
Info and additional links at http://lavatransforms.org/worldpeace611

LAVA Visionary PAUL NUGENT invites you to participate in the third annual World Peace Interfaith Pilgrimage to Mount Baldy in the gorgeous San Gabriel Mountains, 50 miles east of L.A. Mount Baldy has long been recognized as a Holy Mountain by the local Gabrielino/Tungva Native Americans. Since 1959, this mountain has also been considered holy by Members of the non-profit spiritual organization, The Aetherius Society, who recognize this sacred mountain as having been charged with Cosmic energies. Each summer since1959, they have been visiting the mountain to send out powerful waves of spiritual energy to the world for World Peace and Global Healing through the action of selfless prayer. The first World Peace Pilgrimage in August 2009 marked the 50th anniversary of the charging of this Holy Mountain. Over 200 people from various religious traditions, and no religious traditions, gathered to send a wave of prayer energy to the world. This year, due to help from many people, the World Peace Pilgrimage is shaping up to be bigger than ever with endorsements and support from many different interfaith organizations. To help make this an even greater interfaith collaboration and rallying call for World Peace, we would love to also have your support and that of your friends and community to ensure a wonderful day of spiritual cooperation up on this local sacred mountain.


2) LAVA's monthly Sunday Salon, Sunday 6/26, 12-2pm, Free, Clifton's Cafeteria, Downtown.
Info and additional links at http://lavatransforms.org/salon611

On the last Sunday of each month, LAVA welcomes interested individuals togather on the third floor of the historic Clifton's Cafeteria for a loosely structured conversational Salon featuring short presentations and opportunities to meet and connect with one another. June's Visionary presentations include:

Special guest MILT STEVENS, a long time SF fan who has been a member of the LOS ANGELES SCIENCE FANTASY SOCIETY for a bit over fifty years, will give a presentation on this illustrious southland organization-- the world's oldestscience fiction club, which for many years met right here at Clifton's Cafeteria. Milt will give a brief history of the LASFS and discuss its current activities, with a focus on memorable anecdotes about the writers and fans who have been part of this remarkable entity.

Plus, back by popular demand, LAVA Visionary GENE SCULATTI, outsider artist and pop culture critic ("The Catalog of Cool") returns to show off the new "construction" on his current fantasy cityscape scroll "Majestic Boulevard," which has been developed in response to the daffy and inspired suggestions of January 2011 Salon attendees. New developments suggested by LAVAVisionaries include: the world HQ of IAN WHITCOMB's ITW Industries and the consulate general of Smokessylvania, submitted by COUNT SMOKULA. Gene's pitch to virtual developers: "Come live the Jet Age California dream when you stake out a virtual half-acre along Majestic Boulevard and plan the commercial development of your dreams. Maybe it's tiki-themed bowling alley... or a no-tell motel named after your secret crush... or the lone Victorian farmhouse left behind when progress came to town." Six months inthe works, Gene returns to the Sunday Salon to unveil the expanded scroll to the lucky "property owners."

Also on view: "Untitled #1," whose theme might be "Imagining SoCal." This is a 13-inches-by-53-feet job, drawn from 1969-71, and was the last one the artist did before moving to L.A. The inspiration is mostly Southern California, and the work covers all four of Reyner Banham's ecologies. Bonus: a portion has the experimental "smog coat" the artist devised to make it "more like L.A."

ABOUT GENE SCULATTI'S SCROLLS: Since the age of 9, Sculatti, 63, has created imaginary horizontal cities packed with fascinating details that reflect his evolving obsessions: googie signage, soaring bridges, skyscrapers, suburbs, amusement parks and much more. Join us for a rare opportunity to get close to these beautiful and strange artworks, and to hear the artist discuss his inspirations, working methods, and how the scrolls have stayed with him for more than four decades. Interested Angelenos are encouraged to come out and be part of some or all of these LAVA events celebrating the city and encouraging connections.

ABOUT LAVA: Through participation in LAVA, a select group of creative professionals come together to promote cultural programming that speaks to the urban experience while promoting positive public space. LAVA's creative partners share a love for L.A. and unique ideas for exploring it in their work. Formed by social historians RICHARD SCHAVE and KIM COOPER --proprietors of Esotouric bus adventures and the 1947project time travel blog series (including On Bunker Hill and In SRO Land) -- LAVA brings together L.A.'s most visionary promoters, artists, writers and thinkers.

To learn more about LAVA, please visit http://www.lavatransforms.org