Features
Soaked Through
The creek freaks of Los Angeles seek out the city’s secret water—and fight to set it free. By Denise Hamilton • Photos by Christina Gandolfo
The Uraniumaire
Written off by government geologists, blackballed by the oil and gas industry, and nearly broke, Charlie Steen had something to prove: that huge deposits of radioactive uranium could be found near Moab, Utah. The mines he drilled would change his life—and the surrounding area—forever. By Julian Smith • Illustrations by Mark Smith
The ‘Orderly Anarchy’ of Ancient California
Anthropologist Robert Bettinger’s startling discoveries suggest that California-style
hunting and gathering spread widely throughout the prehistoric West. By Robert Roper • Photos by Gordon Wiltsie
Uncharted Terroir
The L.A. women behind the West Coast rise of natural wine. By Sydney Love • Photos by Christina Gandolfo
Art
A Retrospective Long Overdue
The pioneering artist Judy Chicago is celebrated in the city that launched her career. By Bridget Quinn
Judy Chicago in Her Own Words
By Bridget Quinn
In Search of an ‘American Geography’
The Central Valley’s Matt Black spent six years and traveled more than 100,000 miles—often by bus—photographing the ubiquity of poverty across the United States. By Jessica Zack
Alta Picks: Off the Wall
California’s world-class museums and galleries are an art lover’s dream. But don’t stop there. Surprising displays of creativity are everywhere. From desert plains to small-town alleys, here are six of our favorite places to experience art off the beaten path. By Jessica Blough, Nasim Ghasemiyeh, and Sarah Stodder
New Times, New Histories
LACMA reimagines itself for the 21st century, challenging accepted notions of what artworks should be displayed and for whom. By Hunter Drohojowska-Philp
Funk Art and the Pursuit of Authenticity
William T. Wiley and his creative philosophy were unapologetically linked to the Bay Area. By Charles Desmarais
Not Everyone Should Be a Critic
Dave Hickey and the problem of great art going unappreciated. By Jim Lewis
PERSONAL FAVORITES
- What Hale Woodruff’s Settlement and Development Means to Me. By Ishmael Reed
- Taking Tea with Henri Matisse. By Hiejin Yoo
- Finding Energy in Rufino Tamayo’s Simple Moment. By Teresa Flores
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Looking at Lorna Simpson’s Collage Makes Time Collapse. By Erica Deeman
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How Sulamith Changed My Approach to Found Objects. By Stuart Robertson
- Seeing My Story Articulated in Finding Balance. By Andrea Chung
Dispatches
We’re All Homeschoolers Now
How the pandemic revealed the value of lessons learned outside the classroom. By Catherine Womack • Illustrations by James Ransome
A Shiver of Sharks
Why have so many juvenile white sharks made the California coast their home? By Katharine Gammon • Photos by Tod Seelie
The Hard-Learned Lessons of History
California’s last boarding school for Indigenous students moves toward embracing—not disgracing—tradition and culture. By Robert Ito
Trailblazer: Rue Mapp
Reconnecting to the Outdoors. By Jessica Klein
Culture
A Taste of Austin in Orange County
Heritage Barbecue perfected Central Texas–style brisket, sausage, and ribs. But because this is California, it also serves pastrami, pork adobo, and Jidori chicken. By Gustavo Arellano • Photos by Andrea D’Agosto
A Grande Dame of Dance
Anna Halprin left the New York scene in the 1940s to pioneer postmodern performance from a mountain deck in Northern California. Over the next 75 years, she created works with power to heal people and the environment, and to promote peace. By Carla Blank
Fiction: ‘Sleep Nights’
By Blaise Zerega • Illustrations by Victor Juhasz
Books
Bound Together
Books by Alta Journal Contributors
Why I Write: To Change the World
By Maxine Hong Kingston
Why You Should Read This: The Woman Warrior
By David L. Ulin
Why I Write: Fire Season
By Tommy Orange
Why You Should Read This: There There
By David L. Ulin
Why I Write: To Be Tall
By Héctor Tobar
Why You Should Read This: The Barbarian Nurseries
By David L. Ulin
The Pastures of the Empty Page
Larry McMurtry and the literature of place. By David L. Ulin • Illustration by Steve Carroll
In Every Issue
• Publisher’s Note: The Poet As a Storyteller
By Will Hearst