Friends of Elysian Park Present: Elysian Park and the Stone Quarry Hills

Join the Friends of Elysian Park for a screening of Elysian Park and the Stone Quarry Hills (2023), a short film by Ed Ruscha.

Narrated by Benicio del Toro, Ruscha’s film takes us on a journey through the space and history of Elysian Park. Like much of Los Angeles, Elysian Park has passed through many hands as the land was settled and developed. Over the years, its canyons have been home to wildlife, indigenous people, a brick-making factory, a quarry, reservoirs, Hispanic neighborhoods, a tuberculosis hospital, a police academy, and a major league baseball stadium. As Ruscha rambles its byways, his camera enfolds all this history while quietly celebrating the park as a luminous natural respite from the surrounding city.

The Friends of Elysian Park are a group of passionate volunteers who care for the park. Since the group’s founding in 1965 by Grace E. Simons, they have worked to protect and enhance Elysian Park’s incredible beauty for current and future generations. They can be found tending to native plants, hiking along the trails, or out talking to visitors about park-related issues. Learn more about them at elysianpark.org.

Email eden@lapl.org for more information.