Festival ’90 : THE FESTIVAL IN BRIEF

Galindo: A No-Show

Salvadoran poet David Escobar Galindo, who was to have read in the festival’s “La Terra Nova 1990: Pacific Poetry Festival” today, will not appear in the program.

“He canceled--I was sick. It was shocking,” said Florinda Mintz, co-curator of the event.

Galindo’s selection for the festival caused much furor in the local Salvadoran community last month. After much discussion, the festival added a leftist poet to the program to balance with Galindo’s alleged right-wing politics.

Mintz said she went to the airport Friday to meet Galindo, who did not arrive on his scheduled flight. She then called him, and he told her he could not appear in the festival because a Salvadoran peace talk--at which he will represent the country’s government--was moved ahead from Sept. 20 to Tuesday.

“He felt it was too complicated to come here and that he wouldn’t be prepared for the peace talk if he did,” Mintz said.

Because of the late cancellation, Mintz said no replacement would be made for Galindo.

Artist Videos Continue

“Stretching the Canvas,” the Fellows of Contemporary Art’s one-hour program of videos on contemporary California artists, including Lita Albuquerque and Betye and Alison Saar, continues through Sept. 17 on 14 local cable stations.

Hosted by festival director Peter Sellars, the program looks at artists who are seen to “stretch the boundaries of traditional art.”

Videos include “Altering Discourse: The Works of Helen and Newton Harrison,” “Similar Differences: Betye and Alison Saar,” “Drawing in the Source: Lita Albuquerque,” and “Red Is Green: Jud Fine.” Also featured is “Los Angeles Murals,” a survey of several local murals, their creation, upkeep and contribution to the community.

The program is produced and directed by Joe Leonardi of the Long Beach Museum of Art Video Annex and is part of the Open Festival.

Martial Arts Addition

A free program of martial arts--what some might consider outside of the usual arts festival fare--is being presented at the Palos Verdes Art Center on Saturday from 2-4 p.m.

The “Asian Arts of Physical Culture” program will feature demonstrations of aikido, hapkido and t’ai chi ch’uan. In addition, the Rev. Kensho Furuya, a Zen priest who is chief instructor at the Aikido Center of Los Angeles, will demonstrate 16th-Century samurai swordsmanship (known as iaido).

Information: (213) 541-2479.

Free Alhambra Park Programs

Free Festival programs have been added in the city of Alhambra.

On Saturday from 4-9 p.m., the Grass Roots Dance Theatre will present dance performances and an African Marketplace at the Alhambra Park Bandshell at 500 N. Palm Ave., Alhambra.

Also planned is an “open rehearsal” in the community room of the Alhambra Main Library (400 W. Main St.) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. for Theatre To Go’s “Journeys: The Immigrants’ Tale.” Information: (818) 570-3242.

‘99 Hours’ Sold Out

All 600 tickets for the Open Festival’s 15 “99 Hours of Art” have been sold. Five tours, led by celebrity hosts such as performance artists John Fleck and Beth Lapides and comedian Paul Krasner, are being held during each weekend of the festival. The tours hit three to five different Open Festival sites to give participants a sampling of Open Festival events.