Dear Readers,

  
Last month, Artillery held a panel discussion on whether artists need art school. On my way to the panel, I received a phone call from a friend telling me he wouldn’t be able to make it. This friend is known for his cynicism; he added wryly that if he were able to attend, he would have asked if the world needed artists.

Ha, ha, ha. We had a good laugh. My immediate answer was, “Yes, or else I wouldn’t have a magazine.” Ha, ha, ha.

But then I started thinking, because I’m a little cynical myself:  Does the world need artists? The short answer is yes. History will tell you that. Humans have felt the need to express themselves creatively from the beginning of time, so I’m not going to even go there.

The more germane question is: Does the world need so many artists? I guess one could ask that about lawyers, literature majors and food critics. I feel my friend wouldn’t have brought it up if it weren’t for the sheer pervasiveness of artists and art functions: art on restaurant walls, art in hospitals, art on sidewalks, even on billboards. There’s no escaping it!

Of course, this is from the perspective of an Angeleno. The proliferation of something always puts the quality of the product at risk. And since there is so much art, well there just has to be a lot of crap. Quality control simply cannot keep up with volume.

So, sometimes we feel it’s necessary to draw attention to some of the cream of the crop, specifically in Los Angeles, since we are an LA magazine. We start with Sandow Birk, an artist I’ve been wanting to feature for quite some time. I’ve followed his career since his satirical depictions of the fictitious California wars back in 2000. With his realistic style of painting, he has applied his knowledge, curiosity and powers of observation to his latest series on the Qu’ran. All 243 pages in fact, translated and illustrated. Liz Goldner interviews him right before his show at the Orange County Museum of Art, where the entire body of work will be debuted.

But there’s more. Contributor Anne Martens talks with author and USC Vice Dean of Critical Studies Amelia Jones about her books and activism. Josh Herman sits down with Ben Caldwell and talks about the gentrification of Leimert Park. We also tap into two young artists that are making work with their ancestry in mind, LA gallerist Anat Ebgi’s one-year program featuring only women artists—trying to even the playing field—and veteran LA artist Lisa Adams, who kills it with her newest painting series, is our Guest Lecture.

Not just creators; we also talk with the tastemakers, those who decide what’s hot and what’s not. Who can resist a delicious Q & A with controversial art mogul Stefan Simchowitz by our Private Eye columnist Robyn Perry. And speaking of art collecting, we have the latest on The Broad museum with a special interview with Chief Curator Joanne Heyler by staff writer Ezrha Jean Black; it’s on our back page.

Lastly, two writers weigh in on Matthew Barney, who paid a visit to Los Angeles with his MOCA show, the only U.S. venue. The six-hour epic movie was shown during some of the hottest months in the City of Angels. It was a cool way to beat the heat, because baby, it’s hot in LA.