Thirty years after its first installation in Los Angeles’ Skid Row in 1982, “The Grotto” by Richard Newton is seeking funds to reemerge through future installations at various locations:

In 1982, an apparition was seen in an abandoned Skid Row storefront in downtown Los Angeles.  The Grotto was constructed on the site of this apparition, Our Lady who Thirsted.  The walls, ceiling, and floors of The Grotto were made entirely of recycled beer cans.  Beer seeped down the walls and dripped from the ceiling into a well built to hold the holy beer.  The Grotto was open to all and welcomed all to refresh themselves.  The materials used to construct the original Grotto were eventually recycled.

Your financial donations are needed to construct The Grotto in a flexible and modular form that will allow it to travel and be exhibited within a wide range of venues.  It is also my desire to create a sanctuary that may grow and become inclusive of new stories, remembered faces and memories of lost lives.  The Grotto is meant to be a place of beauty, calm and restoration.  However, it is also a place filled with dark corners and bittersweet temptations.

- Richard Newton, via usaprojects.org

To learn more about Richard Newton’s “The Grotto” please visit www.usaprojects.org

Richard Newton was one of the first artists to show at L.A. Louver, and his legendary 1977 performance “Touch a Penis,” is one we shall never forget!