HONORING DAVID AND EDWINA DEDLOW

by Tracy Stone

The 20th anniversary of the Frogtown Artwalk is dedicated to two founding members of the event; David and Edwina Dedlow. The Dedlows have been active members of the Frogtown community since 1988, when they moved to the area to start their own picture frame manufacturing company, Framatic. I sat down with David and Edwina recently to share stories about the 20 years since we first came together in 2006 to create a small event in Elysian Valley that became known as the Frogtown Artwalk. I think you will enjoy hearing about the Dedlows’ history as much as I did.

Edwina is a native Angeleno. After graduation, she stayed in Los Angeles to start her work life as a manager for a furniture store named HUDDLE; the Hull Urban Design Development Laboratory. David was born in New York but moved to Los Angeles when he was six years old. He studied in Nairobi for a year in college and then served in the Peace Corps before settling down again in Los Angeles to work on a graduate degree in Fine Arts at UCLA. While in school, David worked as a designer for HUDDLE where he eventually crossed paths with Edwina.

Upon graduation from UCLA, all the sculptures from David’s final graduate show were destroyed by a cleaning crew. This turned out to be a pivotal event, since the settlement from that destruction became the seed money for Framatic, and it allowed the Dedlows to purchase a manufacturing building in Elysian Valley, aka Frogtown. They decided to locate the business in Frogtown because David drew a circle from their house indicating the maximum travel distance he was willing to consider, and Elysian Valley was the least expensive option in that circle!

Framatic made it a practice to hire local residents of Frogtown whenever possible. Most employees lived within walking distance of the business. When they sold the company in 2015, they helped transition all their employees to new jobs, with some choosing to return to Mexico.

When a small group of business owners in Frogtown sat down in 2006 to discuss ideas for a new event; an art walk, David and Edwina were at the table. David and Edwina have deep ties to the art world; David as a working sculptor as well as a business owner, and Edwina through her large set of artist contacts via their framing company. They set aside a small part of the manufacturing facility, named it “the Skinny Gallery” and hosted a variety of artists for the art walks over the years. Framatic served as a major Frogtown Artwalk hub for many years, not only showing art but offering up innovative live music in the parking lot. After they sold Framatic, the Dedlows opened a dedicated art gallery: Plan D Gallery, which they ran for many years on Coolidge St.

David and Edwina both served on the board of Frogtown Arts, formerly the Elysian Valley Arts Collective. We are dedicating the 20th anniversary of the first Frogtown Artwalk to these two stalwart members of the Frogtown Artist community both in thanks for their many years of service to the neighborhood, and to honor their unflagging support of the arts.