Upcoming Events...

Hello and welcome to my blog about the ongoing effort to save the archives of a Japanese American photographer from LA's Little Tokyo District.

If this is your first time joining my blog, as always please scroll to the bottom and read some of the earlier posts to catch up!

This coming Sunday I am scheduled to speak at The Los Angeles Visionaries Association (LAVA) and show off some of this archive. 

Its an arts based group that meets the last Sunday of each month to discuss events and projects that are important to the cultural and art history and life of Los Angeles.

The meeting is at noon until around 2pm at Clifton's Cafeteria in LA.  The link to the LAVA site is here along with directions, if you want to come join and see some of these images.

LAVA's Sunday Salon

I met recently with a representative from a local foundation.  The meeting was very productive and helpful and the leads she gave me will eventually be fruitful. 

Most of the grants that would be available for this project are only offered to non-profit organizations, not individuals.  So, I have been searching for a suitable non-profit to umbrella me while I raise funds to create my own.

The problem so far is finding an organization that will take a small administrative fee of any incoming grant (typically 5% - 15% from the grant money stays with an adopting organization) and will exert no creative or copyright control over whatever the outcome of my work will be.   It is admittedly a restrictive set of requirements, but I keep looking.

I have also started a page on a site called microgiving.com.  The link for my page there is:

My Photographic Rescue Mission

Stop by and check it out.  

You can donate to the cause there, or here with the DONATE button to the right.  If you use this page, 100% of the funds donated will go towards the project at hand.   The Microgiving page, while helpful and beneficial, will also take a percentage of the funds raised.

If you have any questions or comments, as always, email me at la_photoguy@yahoo.com  or you can send regular mail to:

Michael Risner
PO Box 5781
Glendale, CA 91201


I have been a little under the weather lately which is why there has been so little updating.  But, I will try and post more often, as I am on the mend.

Thanks for stopping by my blog and thank you for your support!

Michael