Clockshop: 3rd Annual Community & Unity People’s Kite Festival, Los Angeles State Historic Park

I was invited to photograph Clockshop’s 3rd Annual Community & Unity People’s Kite Festival which took place on May 13, 2023, at the Los Angeles State Historic Park, next to Chinatown. This family-friendly cultural festival brought together diverse communities in Los Angeles through the art of kites and a day of joyful connection in this important public green space.

This annual all-ages celebration is free and open to the public. Come and spend the day flying kites, learning new flying techniques from Kite Masters, enjoy a “gallery in the sky,” participate in art-making workshops that explore the natural environment, and meet local community organizations.

Each year Clockshop commissions an artist to design unique kites that will be unveiled at the event. Our 2023 artist, Misa Chhan, explored natural dyes and fibers as a medium to engage with and learn from the natural world. Chhan’s kites remind us that when we begin to see land as a community rather than a commodity, we learn to value it with more love and respect. Learn more about Chhan’s design below under ‘Kite Artists.’
Check out a video of Chhan’s ‘Land is Kin’ kite here.

2023 Art Workshops

Paper Native Flowers with Xochitl Manzanilla
Learn how to make blooming paper California native flowers from scratch! Workshop facilitator Xochitl “Xochi” Manzanilla will guide you through the process of folding, cutting, and shaping paper to create stunning flowers that participants can take home and display or gift for Mother’s Day. This workshop will be led in both Spanish and English.

Shades of Blue: Cyanotype with Misa Chhan
At the Kite Festival, learn how to create images using the power of the sun! Known for its brilliant blue hues, cyanotype is a photosensitive printing process that utilizes UV light. Learn the basics of this historic form of printmaking with artist Misa Chhan, this year’s commissioned kite artist for the Kite Festival. You can choose from various objects and stencils provided by Chhan and are welcome to bring your own small, personal objects to cyanotype.

Animist Natural Dyeing with Noon Tran
Join artist Noon Tran in learning how to dye fabric using natural plant materials! Participants are welcome to directly apply designs through provided or made stamps and screens using natural ingredients like kinako flour, rose petals, leaves, compost, and osage wood chips. Tran will also guide participants through methods of airbrushing or paint brushing with natural dyes such as indigo, weld, or logwood.

2023 COMMUNITY TABLES

ADCCLA
Ann St. Elementary School
Chinese American Museum
Doodles Without Borders
Elysian Valley Arts Collective
Friends of Elysian Park
Hilda Solis
LA Más
LA Conservation Corps
Latino Outdoors
Los Angeles Public Library
Miguel Santiago
National Park Service
Project Monarch LA
Self Help Graphics
Sierra Club
Skid Row Art Studio
The Chapter House
UC Master Gardeners
Unidas for NELA
Vida Mobile Clinic
100 Acre Park Partnership