On Mascots and Imaginings

You'll see Jocko and his ilk popping up in various guises here and on LATDA collateral (should you choose to become a member). It was decided early that the generically named Jocko should become the frontman for LATDA. Why? Because everybody loves monkeys (we were told), and this is a museum that needs to be loved... for survival.
 
Even in the face of criticism that argues that simian imagery undercuts what should be a staid museum image, Jocko gamely continues to help us monkey with the process of imagining what LATDA should be.

On the eve of another LATDA milestone (the mounting of a major exhibition that will have broad appeal as well as sub-culture support... a show that hits cutting edge notes along with some history-tinged ones... a show overflowing with gorgeous kokeshi (wait...you don't know what kokeshi are? HINT: they are the "d" in LATDA), we apologize for not imagining LATDA as a stuffy hall filled with dinosaurs. No, thanks to Jocko's hard work, KOKESHI: FROM FOLK ART TO ART TOY gIves LATDA a home, if only for 3 months, in two museum galleries packed with... glorious, crazy, beautiful obsession.