"Biggest Thing Since Sliced Laverbread"
Plans are already well advanced for neaxt year's West Coast Eisteddfod to be held at the Barnsdall Arts Park in Los Angeles in September. L.A. Event Coordinator Lorin Morgan-Richards has said that this will be, "the biggest thing since sliced laverbread" and organizers are planning to host a wealth of talent, some local and some international, at the three day event. With competitions in vocal performance, short story telling, poetry and stand-up comedy already confirmed and others to be announced it promises to be a worthy successor to this years Portland event some of which was preserved for posterity on the 'Night of The Living Bards' DVD.
The organizers who are actively seeking contestants for the 'live' and online competitions as well as vendors for the market area can be contacted via their email addresses at the bottom of this page. There follows a quote from the proposal and mission statement for the event:-
"The Meriwether Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation (MLMEF) is requesting your presence and support for the West Coast Eisteddfod Festival to be held next year, 2011, in Los Angeles, CA, on September 23rd, 24th, and 25th at the Barnsdall Art Park (at 4800 Hollywood Blvd., CA). The West Coast Eisteddfod celebrates Welsh and Welsh American traditions in art, history, language, and oral and literary competition. We will hold an election of our first annual young adult representative and pay tribute to Welsh entrepreneurs and Welsh Americans. The expected attendance is 2,500 through the course of three days and will be open to the public. Our goal is to raise awareness about Welsh American identity and encourage continued growth between the United States and Wales.
The festival is to celebrate Welsh identity and expression. In doing so, it fosters positive self-esteem and creativity for the benefit of the greater community. The public will be encouraged to participate in these classes and competitions displayed in the Welsh tradition. Welsh Americans will benefit from learning about their culture through ongoing workshops and activities. The designated young adult representative will be evaluated on personality, talent, and community leadership. The appointed person will therein represent the West Coast Eisteddfod in the United States for one year as an upstanding role model, assisting in addressing issues important to the community and will help promote a meaningful association with Wales.
The West Coast Eisteddfod will be held at the Barnsdall Art Park, in Los Angeles, California. This location was chosen for its beautiful vista of Griffith Park, named after Griffith J. Griffith a Welsh philanthropist. The park sits atop a hill with a home built by Frank Lloyd Wright, an esteemed Welsh American architect, and is open for tours. Isolated from the urban sprawl, the Barnsdall Art Park is a quiet getaway with a historic theater amidst the Art Nouveau scenic grounds.
Los Angeles provides the best visibility for Wales through media outlets and presents it equally amongst other Celtic Nations. Additionally, it is the home of many notable Welsh figures including Patricia Arquette and Anthony Hopkins, as well as Welsh American film legends like Bettie Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Bob Hope, among others. In 1926, Los Angeles was the place for an Eisteddfod where local authors presented one-act plays to the public. To hold such an event in Los Angeles would bring back a historical Welsh tradition.
The MLMEF will be acting in accord to our non-profit status; volunteers directed by the Meriwether Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation and its members will run the event. All revenue will go towards funding future events and paying expenses incurred.
The Meriweather Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation is an Oregon non-profit corporation recognized by the IRS as a 501 (c) 3 public charity. MLMEF was organized to raise public awareness of Welsh heritage in North America, to celebrate American-Welsh culture and preserve its works and to foster and encourage art and creativity in the Welsh tradition."
The full schedule will be available soon. Watch this space for details..
Foundation contact: Ceri Shaw americymru@gmail.com
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