'Native American Rock Art' Movie Premieres in Tehachapi

The "world premiere" of Talking Stone, The Rock Art of The Cosos will be held in Tehachapi on Thursday Jan. 23. The premiere will be screened at The Hitching Post Theater at 6 p.m. with a brief introduction of the producer and others involved with film, followed by a Q & A session. A reception will be held at the Tehachapi Museum following the program. DVD's of the film will be available for sale.

The film was the brainchild of archaeologist Alan Garfinkel Gold who has partnered with film producer Paul Goldsmith to create a visually beautiful film tracing the origins of the rock drawings in the Coso region. Goldsmith describes the film: "Hidden away in the canyons of a top-secret military base on the edge of the Mojave Desert is the largest concentration of rock art in North America. Created over thousands of years by a now vanished culture, it represents the oldest art in California. Talking Stone, the film, explores these canyons and the mysteries surrounding these indelible images."

The Tehachapi Heritage League assisted in the production and was chosen as the site for the premiere. Local Kawaiisu tribal elder Harold Williams appears in the documentary, which is dedicated to recently deceased tribal elder Ron Wermuth. The Hitching Post is the ideal Tehachapi location due to the newly installed equipment for digital projection and sound, along with new seating.

Seating is limited and reservations can be made be calling the Tehachapi Museum at 661-822-8152.

Admission price is $15, which includes the reception at the museum, featuring refreshments from Petra Mediterranean Deli. Reservations can also be made and paid in person at the Museum during regular hours of noon to 4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The Museum is located at 310 S. Green St., a short walk from the Hitching Post Theater located at Green and F streets.