Kellie Jones, author of “South of Pico.”   A DECADE AGO, Kellie Jones set out to write a book about African American artists in Los Angeles. The focus of her research was the 1960s and ’70s, a period when artists in the city were experimenting with materials and form, and mixing art with activism. Shortly thereafter, Jones took a measured detour. She organized “Now Dig This!: Art & Black Los Angeles, 1960-1980,” with the Hammer Museum. The exhibition opened in 2011. For many, “Now Dig This!” was an introduction to artists such as Fred Eversley, Maren Hassinger, John Outterbridge, Noah Purifoy, and Senga Nengudi. It documented their work and established connections with more familiar figures from the era, including Melvin Edwards, David Hammons, Betye Saar, and Charles White. The first in-depth survey of the vital period brought attention to 35 artists, virtually all of them under-appreciated. In the years since, museums across the country have presented touring retrospectives of Edwards, Eversley, Outterbridge, Purifoy, and Nengudi. Saar had her first institutional solo exhibitions in Europe at the Museum De Domijnen in the Netherlands and in Milan, Italy, where a half-century survey at the Prada Foundation featured more than 80 works. Marking … Continue reading Culture Talk: Kellie Jones Discusses ‘South of Pico,’ Her Recently Published Book About African American Artists in Los Angeles in the 1960s and ’70s