As President of the LA 3-D Club, I have always tried to reach out to other organizations in the Los Angeles area and find ways to join our efforts. We have participated in film festivals, exhibited at fairs and exhibitions, and provided educational programs on topics of stereoscopic interest. This year, we have had even more opportunities to partner with some great groups. In March, LASiggraph (http://la.siggraph.org/), an organization dedicated to the education in the field of computer graphics, joined us at our monthly screening at the Downtown Independent Theater for an evening of stereoscopic films with an emphasis on stereoscopic CGI production.
April saw us team up with the art collective Create:Fixate (http://www.createfixate.com/) for their one night photography gallery event SnapFlash. We projected 3-D works by LA 3-D Club members Barry Rothstein, Claudia Kunin, and James Comstock, as well as the Hollywood 3-D Exhibition program. Club member Franklin London was also at the event with a new version of his “3-D Medusa” - part sculpture, part stereoscope, and very cool! Special thanks go out to Jeremy McGee, who came out to help at the event and ended up joining the club board as our new Banquet Director.
In May, we presented a fun-filled program of 3-D puppet films and live puppet performances in a partnership with the LA Guild of Puppetry (http://www.lapuppetguild.org/). The puppet guild’s history parallels our LA 3-D Club’s - both were founded in the 1950s, focus on a specific art and craft, and have a dedicated membership that includes both enthusiasts and professionals. The “Puppetzilla” show was one of the best events we have put on at the theater yet, and will hopefully be the first of many that we do with the guild.
And we participated in the Bay Area Maker Faire (as well as the Pasadena Mini Maker Faire). As I have written in the past, Maker Faire is a fantastic event, billed as “The Greatest Show-and-Tell on Earth,” that is sort of a collision between an interactive art show and a science fair, held in San Mateo (near San Francisco). For the past few years, Maker Faire has invited me to curate an area called the 3-D Village and fill it with stereoscopic and 3-D related exhibits. The club was well represented at this year’s event, with members Barry Rothstein, David Richardson, Perry Hoberman, and myself exhibiting work at our own individual tables, and by a large booth that was shared by the LA 3-D Club, The National Stereoscopic Association (http://www.stereoworld.org/), and the newly revitalized Oakland 3-D Camera Club ( http://www.oaklandcameraclub.org/). Helping out at the booth were LA 3-D Outings Director Jodi Kurland, NSA President Lawrence Kaufman, NSA 2012 Convention Chairman Steve Berezin and Oakland Camera Club President Mat Bergman, LA 3-D Club members Cassie Kaufman, Scott Ressler and his friend Angela Wood, James Comstock, Robert Bloomberg, Pad McLaughlin, and Oakland Camera Club member Chuck Clay. Watch for a video of the Maker Faire goings-on to be posted to the club website soon.
And speaking of the NSA - have you registered for 3D-CON, the 2012 NSA Convention, being held July 25-30 in Costa Mesa, CA? The LA 3-D Club is the hosting organization for the convention this year, and current members get a discount on registration. Go to www.3D-CON.com for all of the details and join us in Orange County this summer. It will be a great opportunity to make some new friends!
