Which brings up a question; what will replace the neon letters spelling ART that sat in the window of MONA as the go-to image for Art Walk? Discuss that at will. In the meantime, here is a look at what you can find at the 81st edition of Downtown Art Walk.

Before there was a Gallery Row or Downtown Art Walk, the Museum of Neon Art had the lights turned on in Downtown windows beckoning people to return to the city. The flickering tubes will soon be unplugged and transported into new grander facilities in Glendale, making this week the final Art Walk for MONA. The last day, June 12, will feature a discussion by MONA@30 kinetic artist Dave Quick from 2 to 3pm.

Art Walk Lounge: The official lounge for all things Art Walk has “the usual suspects” offering swag and bike valet services. On display is an exhibition curated by Hold Up Art featuring some of the artists currently in MOCA’s “Art in the Streets.” Also on hand at the lounge are information booths from the LA Film Festival and AEG. Art Walk Lounge I 6pm to 10pm I 434 S. Spring

ADD: Downtown Art Walk posts information on turn lane closures from 7:30pm to 10:30pm; Left Turn from Spring St. to 4th St; Right Turn from Spring St. to 5th St; Left Turn from Spring St. to 6th St; and Left Turn from Main St. to 5th St.











Untitled (2011) Oil on canvas by HK Zamani at CB1 Gallery.

CB1: “Zamani is at his best when his works have the presence of unexpected discoveries, serendipitous events that happen on their own.” Writes the Los Angeles Times in current review of “In-between Air, Land and Sea,” HK Zamani first solo show. CB1Gallery I 207 W. 5th

Claudio Ethos' mural on Main. Photo by Amanda Leon

MURAL TALK: Brazilian muralist Claudio Ethos 60’ x 80’ monochromatic mural can be seen on Main, north of 5th, near Winston. The five day project was coordinated by L.A. Art Machine director Bryson Strauss in collaboration with Tom Gilmore and Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk.

MORE STREET ART: "The Art of Transportation" is a Crewest look at the interactive relationship between graf art with moving objects, street signs, and rail yards. The featured artist is James Bentley and Art Walk night will have live painting by VYAL COI. Opening night was June 3. Crewest I 110 Winston St

ADDED STREET ART NOTE: Art Walk regular Mister Cartoon is an exhibiting artist in MOCA’s Art “In The Streets” and will host a MOCA Art Talk and walk-through of his work Thursday, June 16.

'WRITTEN ART' features writers Matt Sedillo Frank Mundo, and Luivette Resto. An open mic will be held from 9:30-10pm during Downtown Art Walk. 8pm to 10pm I Harlem Place Cafe I 124 W. 4th (Down alley off 4th between Main and Spring)

'ART ON TUBES' is an installation by Claudia French. She is joined by Kay Roy from Budapest, Hungary, and Albane Vitalis from Marseille, France. Cotrutza Gallery I 446 S. Main

MORE INTERNATIONAL ART: ‘Sex of the Imagination’ is the romantic idealism of Yarek Godfrey, the Polish born artist who studied at the College and Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, and took special studies for Stage and Costume design for theater. Ground Floor Gallery | 433 S Spring

RAW MATERIALS offers “Photographs” by Hugh Holland, whose skateboard culture images are currently on display in MOCA's “Art in the Streets.” This supplemental exhibition at Raw Material's Windowbox Gallery showcases Holland’s lesser known works after his skateboard period, a fifteen-year span of time spent in Mexico. The exhibition runs from June 9 to August 6, 2011. ADD: There will also be a “Locals Only” book signing with Holland on Thursday, July 14 from 7 to 9pm at Raw Materials (436 S. Main). Right: "La Recamara Rosa" by Hugh Holland.

MORE INDIGENOUS PHOTOS: Under the guardianship of Los Fotos Project and Olvera Street Merchants Association, ‘Nuestra Placita Olvera’ has five Latina student photographers bring their interpretation of Olvera Street to Gallery Row. The young emerging photographers are teenaged snappers Civil Hernandez, Jessenia Pineda, Julie Cabral, Valerie Beltran, and Yoali Sayago. 5pm to 8pm I COBA HQ 117 W. 5th (Between Main and Spring)

'A TRUE ART MOVEMENT' is a night of part live painting and part performance. This month’s showcase features painter and sculptor Nate Geare. His oil paintings on wood panels with small scale collages, and sculpture made from found wood and junk objects, respond to his living in Los Angeles. “My humor should not be confused with a lack of sincerity, for Los Angeles is easy to laugh at, but difficult to live in.” Says Geare. 6pm to 11pm I Takeuchi Galleries I 901 S. Broadway (The Blackstone Building)

'FRINGE' is the first in a monthly series of art shows presented by The Loft Salon & Gallery. The inaugural exhibition features street art by Smear, Leba and Gregory Siff. The show is curated to “focus on the concept of ‘marginalized’ society in various forms.” Opening Reception during Downtown Art Walk I 6pm to 10pm I The Loft Salon I 560 S. Main Street # 8 W

HISTORIC THEATER TOUR: Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation will lead a free sidewalk tour of grand movie palaces in the Broadway District, in association with Bringing Back Broadway 100. It starts off with archived photos and slideshow at Clifton’s, and the chance that the tour may take a peek inside a theater or two are good. 6:30pm to 9:30pm I Meet upstairs at Clifton’s at 6:30pm and 7pm I 648 S. Broadway

'I WANT TO BELIEVE' has conceptual conspiracy theories and theoretical alien abductions mashed-up and played out in the mind of painter Dean Haglund. He boasts of using “unabashed Graphic Novel sensibility using classic compositions and images from iconic Americana.” The Annex I 847 S. Broadway

drkrm offers “Children of Paradise: Life with The Cockettes,” an exhibition of Fayette Hauser photographic portraits documenting the “pioneering, gender-bending” San Francisco theatrical troupe that performed, and created general havoc, from 1969 to 1972. EVFA offers “Cut Ups,” works by visual artist and filmmaker Michael Frost. drkrm + Edgar Varela Fine Arts I 727 S. Spring

LACDA: Other than the 2011 Top 40 International Juried Exhibition, LACDA features Pia Myrvold’s video installation “FLOW: a work in motion,” a partnership and satellite exhibit with the 2011 Venice Biennale. LACDA Artists' Reception 7 to 9pm I LACDA I 102 W. 5th St

'ALIVE' brings back Angel Acordagoitia to Art Walk with a series of glowing works inspired by Daft punk and Jose Guadalupe Posada. It is not everyday you see art influenced by a French electronic duo and a post 20th century Mexican cartoonist who authored traditional day of the dead imagery. Norbertellen Gallery I 215 W. 6th St. Ste # 110

ROBERT VARGAS has been spotted around Art Walk early on, and now with his profile in LA Weekly there is no stopping him. It is said that his drawing live in the streets led the busy street action seen during Art Walk. That may be disputed, but not the credibility Vargas brings to his work and to the streets of Downtown Los Angeles. During June Art Walk, Vargas and Far East Movement will collaborate in front of The Rosslyn Hotel (114 5th Street) with a mural by the artist, then as the paint dries, FEM will perform. WORKS BY VICTOR WILDE are appearing at The Last Book Store (5th and Spring) and Fernando's Hideaway (519 S Spring) LIGHTING IN A BOTTLE post wrap up show can be seen at dialect (215 W 6th St #111)

SLIGHTLY WEST: Terrell Moore hosts pantings and watercolors by Mitsuko Namiki. Terrell Moore I 1221 S. Hope



SLIGHTLY NORTH: Clark Woodford opens his new gallery, located in Biddy Mason Park, from 6pm to 9pm. Clark’s Gallery I 333 S. Spring (Biddy Mason Park)

'It's All True' is the ongoing group exhibition curated by Shervin Shahbazi and featuring works by Martin Healy, Larissa Sansour, Ruben Ortiz-Torres and Xin Yunpeng. Morono Kiang Gallery I W. 3rd (Bradbury Building)

SLIGHTLY SOUTH: Art Walk catwalks in a big way on the "fashionably south" side of 7th street (So7?). Businesses around Los Angeles and 9th Streets will host art and food focused events with an emphasis on fashion. Highlights include a video installation and art exhibit by CDS Gallery and Tim Yarger Fine Art, a presentation by Linda Toulby, in the lobby of the Cooper Building; Tiara Cafe will host a fashion show by Connected Showroom and tapas dining "curated" by Chef Fred Eric; and Gram and Papas will host the works of SA Gallery artists Mister Cartoon, Estevan Oriol, Patrick Martinez and David Choe starting at 8:30pm. That is just some of the programming that opens a slate of events in the Summer months of 2011. Details can be found at Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk.

Follow @viewfromaloft for more info as it comes in.