Clockshop

Clockshop Clockshop is a multidisciplinary arts organization in Los Angeles. Together, we help our community realize its agency in shaping the future of the city.

Clockshop is a multidisciplinary arts organization in Los Angeles that creates new conversations about art, politics, and urban space. We commission work by artists and writers, curate inclusive public programs about pressing social and political issues, and collaborate with institutions to strengthen the social fabric of our community and the world beyond. Our core activity is the production of y

ear-round commissions, conversations, and community events. We also bring this mission to our partnership with California State Parks on the Bowtie Project, an underused public space along the Los Angeles River. Clockshop does not accept unsolicited portfolios or proposals.

In our latest substack post by Darío Herrera, we revisit our interview with Helen Leung, Executive Director of local non...
07/29/2026

In our latest substack post by Darío Herrera, we revisit our interview with Helen Leung, Executive Director of local non-profit LA Más and life-long resident of Elysian Valley. In reflecting on her upbringing in this river-adjacent neighborhood, she recalls the many ways that this unique environment influenced her as a child and now as an adult. From having to jump padlock fences and walls to reach the river to currently enjoying this natural landscape as a mother to a young daughter, the river continues to have a profound impact on her being.

Read "The River as a Playground" on yOURiver here: https://yourriver.substack.com/p/the-river-as-a-playground

This post is a part of our series 'Mothers of the LA River,' highlighting a group of women whose personal histories have been shaped by the efforts to bring the river back to our city.

Photograph by Mathew Scott

Artist LaRissa Rogers hosted a tabby casting workshop for our summer youth fellows. They learned about the historic mate...
07/22/2026

Artist LaRissa Rogers hosted a tabby casting workshop for our summer youth fellows. They learned about the historic material of tabby and cast objects to be included in her forthcoming installation, 'subterranean convergence.' The objects are sourced from participants who attended our series of open call workshops, where they brought objects that reminded them of home to be 3D-scanned and entered into a digital archive.

The fellows worked with tabby, a predecessor to concrete that uses crushed oyster shells as an aggregate to form a sturdy material. Originating from Spain and Northern Africa and transplanted to the coastal South, enslaved peoples used this material to build their homes and gardens. LaRissa led the fellows in a discussion about translating the essence of an object from one generation to the next, the responsibility of stewarding another person's story, and how we might use civic friendship to bridge connections in a time of social fragmentation.

You too can participate in this workshop by joining us Thursday, July 23, 2026 from 5:30–7:30 PM at Clockshop.

RSVP here: https://clockshop.org/event/tabby-casting-workshop/

Photographs by Gina Clyne

Explore the LA River with our new zine ‘Animals of the LA River!’ Use this field guide to spot animals that reside in an...
07/16/2026

Explore the LA River with our new zine ‘Animals of the LA River!’ Use this field guide to spot animals that reside in and along the LA River. With illustrations by Mabel Ye, printed in risograph by Punch Kiss Press, the zine gives an overview of 12 species that live or have lived in our river, offering fun facts and tips for identification. Great for all ages! 🦆🦜🐟

Grab your copy to explore the river here: https://shop.clockshop.org/product/animalsofthelariver

Last week, in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, we gathered with Antenna to extend our series of 3D-scanning and stor...
07/15/2026

Last week, in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, we gathered with Antenna to extend our series of 3D-scanning and storytelling workshops to the eastern terminus of the southern transcontinental railroad. As part of the open call for LaRissa Rogers's 'subterranean convergence,' those that came shared the stories of porcelain objects inherited from past lovers; grandmother's garden gloves; the shell of a lightning whelk from the Haitian ocean, now resting on an altar; and many more.

As we talked, laughed, and listened, each object was scanned and digitized into a 3D model, a selection of which will then be used to create cast reproductions in tabby. These casting workshops will be a collaboration between LaRissa, this year's summer youth fellows, and the public, to be laid within the tracks of the forthcoming sculptural installation.

You're invited to join us at Clockshop Thursday, July 23, from 5:30–7:30 PM for a tabby casting workshop. Tabby is an ancient building material from North Africa, used by enslaved peoples in the American South. This workshop emphasizes material history, storytelling, and the ways survival technologies can become tools for remembrance.

RSVP here: https://clockshop.org/event/tabby-casting-workshop/

Photographs by danielle c miles

During twin crises of floods and droughts, how can Angelenos reimagine our relationship with water? Clockshop and Los An...
07/13/2026

During twin crises of floods and droughts, how can Angelenos reimagine our relationship with water? Clockshop and Los Angeles-based artist Rosten Woo consider this in 'What Water Wants,' an artist commission along the Los Angeles River.

Woo activates a section of the Glendale Narrows channel in Elysian Valley to situate visitors within the hydrological networks of the greater Los Angeles Basin, one of the city’s most misunderstood and complex infrastructural systems. In a 30-minute experience, the audio tour moves between a guided meditation and speculative disaster horror, evoking multiple perspectives of the river’s history and future as if flipping through sonified apertures. Visit Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park, sit alongside the river's edge, and listen to What Water Wants' here: https://clockshop.org/what-water-wants-audio/

After experiencing the audio tour we invite you to consider your own efforts in water conservation. Explore Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's free water conversation items here to make an immediate impact on what water wants: https://www.ladwp.com/commercial-services/programs-and-rebates-commercial/free-water-conservation-items

Photographs by Gina Clyne

Thank you to all who joined us for our Hydrology Bike Tour, led by the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Infrastructure Insp...
07/02/2026

Thank you to all who joined us for our Hydrology Bike Tour, led by the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Infrastructure Inspections. This tour continued Clockshop’s ongoing series with artist Rosten Woo tracing the pathways of water in Los Angeles. What does water want, and what do we want from water?

Starting from the Studio City B Line station, we ventured into the watersheds of Northeast LA, where flows, tributaries, and storm drains converge and recharge the Glendale Narrows section of the LA River. The investigations took us through water storage systems, treatment facilities, and habitat wetland projects — including future public parklands such as the Paseo del Río at Taylor Yard and the Bowtie Wetland Demonstration, a 3.5-acre habitat restoration, water filtration, and climate resilience project led by The Nature Conservancy.

Our many thanks to our guest speakers: Scott Fajack, who shared his work with the Tom LaBonge Headworks Water Complex; Brian Baldauf and Rebecca Correa of for their presentation on the G2 parcel at Taylor Yard, and the Bureau’s volunteer inspectors for ensuring the ride went smoothly! We concluded the ride with a lunchtime conversation at Clockshop moderated by Woo, joined by creative river advocates Steve Appleton and Wendy Kasagi to discuss the California Environmental Flows Framework and what it means for the future of this waterway.

Download the guide to ride this tour yourself here:https://clockshop.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Glendale-Narrows-Bike-Tour-Guide-.pdf

Photographs by Alejandro Flores Torres

Thank you to everyone who joined us for 'Listening by Moonrise,' featuring a performance by Kiyo Gutiérrez, accompanied ...
06/30/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for 'Listening by Moonrise,' featuring a performance by Kiyo Gutiérrez, accompanied by a soundscape by Eva Aguila.

Kiyo emerged embodying the Pacific lamprey, an ancient fish once abundant in the river, now locally extinct due to the pressures of urban development. Her garment carried the eggs of the fish, inviting those in attendance to join her in returning them to the river. We held bells and rattles as we walked to the edge of the water, and the instruments joined with the sounds of the natural environment to create a chorus at the climax of the performance.

For a further recap of this performance subscribe to our newsletter here: https://clockshop.org/subscribe/

Photographs by Rio Asch Phoenix

Last week, we welcomed our third annual cohort of Clockshop's Summer Youth Fellowship! This fellowship invites a small g...
06/30/2026

Last week, we welcomed our third annual cohort of Clockshop's Summer Youth Fellowship! This fellowship invites a small group of high school students from Northeast Los Angeles to explore art and environmental advocacy through workshops with subject matter experts, field trips, and collaborative projects.

For our first day together fellows were joined by Nathan Nuñez, who led them through a workshop on Los Angeles and Indigenous cultural practices of the LA River Basin. Pictured holding their hands out, Nathan helped orient the fellows by having them describe and hold out their energy. Following their introductions, Nathan and the fellows walked from Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park to Clockshop, where they made necklaces out of sinew and glass beads in a traditional Indigenous king snake pattern.

This six week fellowship concludes with an event planned by the fellows. We look forward to inviting you to experience their offering to the community on Thursday, August 6. More information in the upcoming weeks.

Learn more about the fellowship here: https://clockshop.org/project/youthfellowship/

Photographs by Mary Costa

You’re invited to attend Field Day, an all-ages series inspired by the Bowtie Field Days held from 2017–2018. As Clocksh...
06/25/2026

You’re invited to attend Field Day, an all-ages series inspired by the Bowtie Field Days held from 2017–2018. As Clockshop continues to raise funds for The Bowtie, we invite you to learn about and engage with urban habitats, wildlife, and waterways in the Los Angeles River watershed. In March, we hosted Field Day: Plants, which invited the community to learn about native plants and help plant native seedlings that will continue to flourish in the future state park. �

Join us Saturday, July 11, from 10:00 AM–12:30 PM for Field Day: Fish to learn about local wildlife and aquatic species in the Los Angeles River Watershed! At the water’s edge, wildlife enthusiasts of all skill levels will learn about the species of the river, both native and non-native, as well as thriving and locally extinct. Attendees will also have a chance to cast a line themselves, guided by Sam Reese, and Derek Yee will lead a gyotaku demonstration, a traditional Japanese method of printing fish. Facilitators will share the current status of the LA River and the forthcoming Bowtie Wetland Demonstration, a 3.5-acre stormwater filtration and habitat project by The Nature Conservancy.

RSVP here: https://clockshop.org/event/1016876-2/

Photographs by Gina Clyne

Join Clockshop this Sunday, June 28 from 4:00–6:00 PM at Taylor Yard Bridge for a new performance by artist Kiyo Gutiérr...
06/23/2026

Join Clockshop this Sunday, June 28 from 4:00–6:00 PM at Taylor Yard Bridge for a new performance by artist Kiyo Gutiérrez set along the inclined riverbanks of the Los Angeles River, Paayme Paxaayt. spawn aims to offer alternatives to our dominant water imaginaries and to build a closer relationship between water and people. Through choreographies of movement and sound, Gutierrez draws attention to the interconnectedness of bodies, both human and nonhuman, and the river’s historic and present ecologies. Framed as a ritual-performance, the work honors the Pacific lamprey, an ancient fish once abundant in the river, now locally extinct due to the pressures of urban development. The performance will be accompanied by a soundscape by artist Eva Aguila.

Gutiérrez will honor and adopt the form of the Pacific lamprey and invite you to take part in this special ritual to help guide her eggs into the channel. The ritual garment used in the performance is dyed with Palo de Brasil (Paubrasilia echinata), a traditional medicinal plant found in Mexico and throughout Central and South America. This dye acts as a natural pH indicator, changing color when it comes into contact with water.

RSVP Here: https://clockshop.org/event/listening-by-moonrise-kiyo-gutierrez-with-eva-aguila/

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2806 Clearwater Street
Los Angeles, CA
90039

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm

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