LA Urban Rangers: LA River Ramble

Hone your river-scouting skills during this activity-filled hike to America’s most famous forgotten river. Participants will journey through the riparian corridor of art, industry, and infrastructure to explore the past and future of the L.A. River in Downtown and its place in the megalopolis’ watershed.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is pleased to announce the Los Angeles Urban Rangers as the summer 2011 participants in Engagement Party, MOCA’s program presenting new works by innovative Southern California–based artist collectives and collaborators. The Rangers will present three new interactive explorations of Downtown Los Angeles for MOCA visitors to experience on the first Thursday evenings of July, August, and September 2011.

Members of the Los Angeles Urban Rangers deploy the park ranger persona—friendly, knowledgeable, a tad square, and a little gee-whiz—to encourage the same brand of curiosity and engagement with usual landscapes that many people reserve for Yosemite, Yellowstone, and other places “out there.” Interested in a critical examination of urban areas, particularly the complex relationship between public and private space, the group creates participatory activities that explore how planning and infrastructure reflect particular desires and intentions as well as shape civic behavior.