Our Lady of L.A.
film by Kathleen Forrest, Cheri Gaulke, and Sue Maberry
Long Beach Museum of Art Video Archive, Series VI, Artist’s videos
Los Angeles, CA
1987
Starting with the premise that Los Angeles (the City of Our Lady, Queen of the Angels) was named after a goddess, Our Lady of L.A. is a search for the Goddess in the contemporary urban environment.
The video weaves together interviews with multicultural artists, scholars and spiritual activists asking the question, “Where is the Goddess in Los Angeles today, and in what form does She reveal Herself?” Going beyond the documentary format, the video includes performance art imagery as six contemporary artists appear as historical goddesses: Diana of Ephesus, Kwan Yin, Birth of Venus, Coatlicue, Venus of Willendorf, and Yemaya. Both informative and evocative, this film was intended for a wide audience for use in educational, community and art settings.
“[Our Lady of L.A.] reveals a powerful connection between city and myth.”
-Mary Beth Crain, Video Pick of the Week, LA Weekly, 1987
Produced, directed, edited by Kathleen Forrest, Cheri Gaulke, Sue Maberry
Videography Kathleen Forrest
Sound David Jacks
Costumes/Makeup/Props Christine Papalexis
Music Anna Homler, Charlie Murphy
Interviewees Ruth Ann Anderson, Asungi, Judith F. Baca, Ruth Barrett, Amy Catlin, Felicity Artemis Flowers, Marija Gimbutas, Susan Gitlin-Emmer, Hyesook, Peter Levitt, Deena Metzger, Meibao Nee, Lhyv Oakwomon, Joan Sutherland, Linda Vallejo,
Artists portraying Goddesses Renee Brown, Anne Gauldin, Sue Maberry, Suzanne Robertson, Linda Vallejo
Commissioned by the Woman’s Building, made possible by LACE On-Line, and funded in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles, Telecommunications Department.
Copyright 1987 Forrest, Gaulke, Maberry
Communications