Angel City Culture Quest

 The Cold War Truth Commission was a day of online lectures and discussion in 2021, in essence it was a trial about the origins of the Cold War, and the millions of human lives it took, mainly from US invasions and proxy wars. Sponsoring organizations included Witness for Peace Southwest, School of the Americas Watch, Code Pink, KPFK Radio, Project Censored and others. Compiled from that webinar, Rachel's new book features 54 vital testimonials from well-known people including, whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, national director of RootsAction.org Norman Solomon and cofounder of Code Pink Media Benjamin, as well as every day people who shared how they were personally affected by the U.S. Cold War.For nearly a decade Rachel has been raising awareness about the US Cold War. In 2017, she started the Cold War Truth Commission, after the presidential election. She noted, the reason she started this work was because, during the aftermath of the 2016 election, Rachel juxtaposed Senator Bernie Sanders to Donald Trump and what she called the two dynamics; the voice and the movement of Sanders, and the idea that it could not be accepted.Rachel asks, how is it possible that something like FDR's economic New Deal could be almost the law of the land,  from a supremely popular four-time elected President, and yet, Bernie Sanders was basically saying the same thing, an economic New Deal, and it wasn't even possible for it to be on the Democratic ticket? What had happened, politically, to cause that sea change in our culture and our politics and what we thought was possible in the very definition of the United States and who we think we are?

Cora is a psychotherapist and an artist.She has been practicing art psychotherapy since graduating from Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in 2005. She obtained her California Marriage and Family Therapist license and Art Therapy Registration in 2010. She opened her private practice in 2010, and received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D) in 2018.In 2006, she and her husband Ray opened Gallery Azul in San Pedro, named after their child, Harmony AZUL Vasquez. They initially opened to showcase their artwork, but then began to invite other artists. Gallery Azul enjoys holding group art exhibitions that focus on informing and educating the community.Cora was the first in her family — immediate and extended — to obtain a Bachelor's degree, a Master's degree, and a Psy. D (Doctoral in Clinical Psychology)."Art is an ever evolving and ongoing part of my life, it is my cathartic expression, and the place in which I sublimate any residual from my clients and the world." -- Cora Ramirez-Vasquezwww.instagram.com/galleryazulWebsite: galleryazul.com and coraramirezvasquez.com 

Peggy's art is generated out of the site of her home studio at Portuguese Bend in Rancho Palos Verdes, California where she has resided since 1996. Her practice has incorporated sculpture, mixed media, drawing, painting, and assemblage across figuration and abstraction. Peggy's body of work utilizes equestrian and architectural motifs as embodiments of memory and lived experience. Peggy has had regular exhibits at Art galleries throughout Los Angeles and internationally in South Korea, Thailand, and Japan. She has been founder, curator and director for several nonprofit art galleries in Los Angeles.The artist also addresses the land movement upheaval where she lives. Her home is adjacent to a nature preserve that is part of an ancient landslide. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, it is a haven for nature and wildlife and a crisis of broken land. Her work often explores the dichotomy between the broken and the flourishing.The breakdown is where she feels compelled to begin and explore.LINKS to ReviewsIntroducing the artwork of Peggy Sivert, an artist compelled to find meaning of ‘in the broken', through her workPeggy Nichols, Gallery C, Nov. 10, 2024Tijuana Triennial – Exciting International Art Just Across the Border, DiversionsLA review, Jan. 15, 2025~ ‘The Horses' poem: ~https://allpoetry.com/poem/8496359-The-Horses-by-Edwin-MuirWebsite:https://peggysivert.com/ 

In 2014, Kristine founded Shoebox Arts, aimed at helping artists gain a presence in the art world. In 2018 she founded the nonprofit January Arts which officially became the publisher of her art magazine Art and Cake in 2024. Kristine runs an alternative art space, Shoebox Projects at the Brewery art colony, and is an Art Activator for the organization Artists Thrive.Her mission is to create community among artists and the art world in order to help each other thrive. Through social practice and engagement, Kristine is interested in using art, community, education and expression to cultivate change.Shoebox Arts, which serves as a support system for artists, celebrates its 11th anniversary this month. For more than a decade, Kristine said, Shoebox has helped artists with the steps they need to take to achieve their goals. It offers resources, education, tools, coaching mentoring, advice and critique.Most importantly, Shoebox offers accountability. Kristine has been helping others her whole life. Listen in to discover more about Kristine's services, and her own project, "Perceive Me." This project, which is the artist's "life's work," has evolved to include a social aspect practice where Kristine brings  artists together to do nude portrait sessions, and the public is invited to sign up to pose for a professional session. Kristine Schomaker Links:https://www.kristineschomaker.nethttps://www.januaryarts.org/https://www.shoeboxarts.com/https://www.artandcakela.com/      

  A Red Cantaloupe Experience will return to Roscoe's on Sunday, Nov. 24 to present “The Music — The Magic” in celebration of two great musical legends, George Duke and Al Jarreau. The great news is the Knick Smith Quartet is on the bill again for November. The LA based band features Rickey Woodard- sax/flute, Edwin Livingston - acoustic and electric bass, Marvin “Smitty” Smith - drums, Knick Smith - keys, piano and Fender.In addition, Jeff Robinson will be on vocals and, “surprise” guest, Munyungo Jackson on percussion. The live show will also be streamed on View Stub. The event even includes a bonus attraction with magician/illusionist David Golidy Jr. Listen in to this discussion about what holds this great music together in order to bring you the magic.Details:www.pocketjazzpresents.org   Read Melina's article on the first performance here: https://tinyurl.com/Torchbearer-to-Trendsetter   

Join us in discussion with Artist/Photographer Reidar Schopp, about two very special Photography Series, Shibari (Japanese Rope Bondage) his Boxed Series and the LB Shibari Dojo. Reidar takes inspiration from photographer William Mortensen, 1897-1965, who Ansel Adams called the Antichrist.On Mortensen, Reidar wrote; “His imagery was the first to stop me in my tracks. I loved the dark undertones, the stories he was telling ..." Reidar's current series necessitated his learning of Japanese Rope Bondage including suspensions. These series entitled “Renaissance Shibari” and “Vases” are his latest avenue of exploration into surrealism. Find  below, a listing of Reidar's recent photography series:1. Boxed, The Life We Build for Ourselves - nearly complete with about 350 images2. Life's Entanglements - Shibari series. Includes the subseries of the Renaissance Still Lifes and the Human Vase - created about 25 images so far3. Starting the series of "franz xaver messerschmidt character heads" this will be about 90 images4. Organized Chaos - forming random lights into mandulas and kaleidoscopic images - About 30 images5. Musical Instruments - applying pieces of instruments to a human body to become that instrument and have another play them - Only 2 have been created. I need musical instruments to continue creating this series.6. 180 Degrees of Portraiture - Infrared portraits where a 1st time model is asked to bring an object that is very emotional to them, either good or bad emotions.https://www.instagram.com/rlsfoto/www.lbshibaridojo.com 

Evelyn had been talking about writing this book for some time with her publishers. Trying to write a biography of a person who's still alive is never easy, especially for such a vaulted figure as Joan Didion.  After her death, the book had a context of also trying to explain Didion's legacy in the wake of many articles that came out on Didion. Evelyn wrote this book because there was so much interest in Joan Didion, but also hype around her.Listen in to hear more about Didion's Contrasts and Transformations including significant connections between Evelyn and Joan.

 The son of United Nations diplomats, Artist Javier Proenza grew up in the global foreign service networks of Washington DC, San Jose, Costa Rica and Rome, Italy. While Rome nurtured his interest in art, history and global politics, his high school and college years in Miami are when he reached his final form of Florida Man. His conceptual art practice is centered on the universal absurdities of contemporary experience, and is realized in various traditions including painting, sculpture, video, and installation. In 2018 Javier gave up on grad school, designed a scam to have artists teach him for free, and pretended it was a podcast called What's my Thesis?https://www.instagram.com/whatismythesis 

This site hosts audio only. To see the video of this special episode, please go to, https://youtu.be/8NdUlrhpjHkMarie is an internationally exhibited painter. Her oil paintings address the tension of urban landscape and the natural world. Inspired by frequent walks through various trails and open spaces in California, her work reveals her observations of the changes and dynamics of nature in the face of the ongoing climate crisis. Engaging notions of abstraction, her work references the surrounding landscape using atmospheric color shifts, fragmented imagery and multiple viewpoints to suggest the ideas of flux, change and instability in the environment. Marie taught painting and color theory at CSULB for 30 years, where she developed an Advanced Studies in Color class.June is a recipient of the COLA Fellowship, the Guggenheim and the California Community Foundation, Fellowship for Visual Artists.  June uses abstract painting to explore how color, repetition, movement, and balance can serve as conduits to spiritual contemplation and interpersonal connection to her African-American roots. Exploring the psychological construct of skin color or tone through pattern and abstract painting has proven to be a revealing gesture and these ideas are explored in her two ongoing series: the Energy Wheel Paintings inspired by her meditation practice and her Flag Paintings, which explore the alignment of multiple identities such as race, nationality, gender, or political leanings.  June's public art works include a Venetian glass mosaic at the Metro Pacific Station in Long Beach Influences: Marie has two main influences: first, the New York abstract school where her formalist abstract artist teachers were students of the pivotal figure in Abstract Expressionism, Hans Hoffman. That experience that has always remained with her. Second, were her teachers Elmer Bishoff and Joan Brown at Berkeley, members of the "second generation" of the Bay Area Figurative Movement. Marie always loved the California painting of Richard Diebenkorn and Wayne Thiebaud and the landscape expanse.June's influences include Varnette Honeywood, Romare Beardon, Jacob Lawrence, Charles White, David Hockney and Alma Thomas. Another influence was the 1976 LACMA show ‘Two Centuries of Black American Art.' These works had a profound, formative impact upon June. Other inspiration/explorations have drawn from cultural and African American historical references, sacred geometry and very recently, the Benin emblem of the river leaf.Find more information at: www.mariethibeault.com  and www.luisdejesus.com/artists/june-edm 

 Breeze Smith plays drums, percussion and creates electronic live-looping. An improvisational drummer, instrument designer/builder, visual artist/designer and sound sculptor, he has completed several commissions for sculptures, paintings, designs and soundtracks. His growing interest in experimental/improvised music and his ever-expanding search for new sounds led him to incorporate his metal sound sculptures into his drum/percussion universe.Breeze says his journey of musical expression has gifted him with opportunities to create with so many  including Dwight Trible, Stan Smith, Scott Heustis, David Ornette Cherry, Justo Almario, Ralph Miles Jones lll, Roberto Miranda, Neneh Cherry, Rod Poole, Hannibal Lakumbe, Dianne McIntyre, Roger Hines, Dwight Trible, Trevor Ware, John Beasley, Billy Childs, Charles Owen, Maggie Brown, Eric Barber, Tony Green, Andre Caporaso, Thomas Hamasu, Eddie Ray & Co, Willie Pooch Blues Band AND duos with his wife, dancer/vocalist Cheryl Banks-Smith.Breeze will perform with his band, Cosmic Vibrations at The World Stage May 31. You can connect with Breeze to inquire about, or to purchase, his music or art at:       www.breezemuse.com/about   www.instagram.com/breezemuse888

 In this episode, Steven noted what Pathos Press can offer LA authors who might think to query them, along with some (not all) indie publishers:"Small publishing houses tend to be much more willing to consider challenging or experimental works, especially by new authors without an established reputation. Some indie publishers assign editors to their authors in order to ensure the quality of the final text of the book. With larger publishing houses, it is sometimes the case that editors serve to recalibrate aspects of the book's plot or characters they consider as being possibly detrimental to future sales. Often, indie publishing editors are concerned only with the ultimate integrity of the manuscript and guaranteeing the legibility and artistic vision of the author."Novels:"Disposable Thought""Grid City Overload"  "Affliction Included""3rd & Orange""The Year I Went Away" ("El Año Que Me Fui")  

In May, 2022, when the SCOTUS leak threatened to overturn Roe v Wade and strip half the country of their reproductive right protections, Pamela quit her corporate sales job and embarked from her California bubble to Red states to capture the harrowing and mundane stories of American women. The resulting documentary, WE'RE NOT GOING BACK! won the Grand Jury award for Emerging Filmmaker when it premiered at The Awareness Film Festival in 2022.  Since then, Pamela continues her pro-choice activism with her feminist blog and podcast, The HisTerical Society. About WE'RE NOT GOING BACK!The film is a Pro-choice documentary film from 2022 before and after the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v Wade with its Dobbs decision, taking away the constitutional right to abortion, abandoning almost 50 years of precedent, and paving the way for states to ban abortion. Capturing stories from Red states to educate and promote awareness of what's at stake now that Roe has fallen and to encourage everyone to vote, in what Pamela dubbed, Roe-vemberYou can find Pamela at; https://torranceproductions.comLink to WE'RE NOT GOING BACK! Pro-choice documentary on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/FF9f4aNgnVU?si=oD1gfhV8MfK9iTwj 

In this episode, hear about why COLLAGE became a nonprofit as opposed to simply a venue and the good work its doing to help students in the Los Angeles region.        "I have a sense that music can give people a reason to live, a reason to stay alive. So, rather than just run shows, I want to do something more than that," — Richard Foss.COLLAGE is a beautiful venue, built in the 1930's, featuring  art deco styling both original and recreated by George Wytovich. It's intimate and relaxed, seating 49 and the inside is more modern and visually interesting thanks to aged brick walls, a curved wooden ceiling with open beams. COLLAGE is best known for concerts, but also offers art classes, poetry events, storytelling, culinary events and much more. The venue presents both live shows and live streams for many of its events. https://www.collageartculture.org   ~  COLLAGE is located at 731 South Pacific Ave., San Pedro

Jorge posits that publishing houses used to be vanguards. But now, they instead follow the trends that the social landscape we live in wants them to.  Listen in as we discuss this, Jorges new book and his creative process, advice for young writers and the beauty of the small press.Jorge is also co-owner. along with his wife Alejandra Menduina, of Menduina Schneider Gallery in San Pedro, California.Look for Jorge's book "El año que me fui," wherever your favorite place is to buy books. The English version will be published later this year.

Mario Ybarra Jr. is a Mexican-American, a conceptual artist born and raised in Los Angeles. His artwork operates as examinations of excluded social norms, often examining complete environments, histories, and narratives. He received an MFA from the University of California Irvine and a BFA from Otis College of Art and Design. He has been featured in many local, national, and international exhibitions/fairsKarla Diaz is a writer, teacher, and multidisciplinary artist who engages in painting, installation, video, and performance. Using narrative to question identity, institutional power, and explore memory, her socially engaged practice generates exciting collaborations and provokes important dialogue among diverse communities. Critical discourse is central to her practice as she explores social, subcultural, and marginalized stories. In her introspection, splashes of color became figures and objects that transformed into scenes of domesticity and city life drawn from her upbringing in Mexico and Los Angeles. Karla & Mario have been in the forefront of many pilot events, exhibitions and programs in diverse cities, museums, and art galleries all over the world. Diaz's background in youth education, performance, art and writing, influence a multidisciplinary, pedagogical approach to her work, creating dialogue among diverse communities. Mario's conceptual work and interest in alternative histories and narratives interface with art and cultural contemporary practices.        Karla Diazhttps://www.karladiazart.com https://www.luisdejesus.com/artists/karla-diazhttps://www.instagram.com/karladiaz76/         Mario Ybarrra Jr.www.marioybarrajrartist.comhttps://www.instagram.com/mario_ybarra_jr/         Slanguage Studiohttps://www.instagram.com/slanguagestudio/   

Matthew was born and raised in Los Angeles and has been in the entertainment business for most of his adult life — first in music and then as an award-winning writer/director. During the pandemic, he returned to school to obtain a Master's degree in Public Administration so that he could have more of an impact in helping to create communities that work for everyone. His course of study involved a deep dive into understanding policing, the carceral system, and public safety. Now, his work involves utilizing art to influence positive change.Reimagining SafetySynopsis:Worldwide protests following the 2020 murder of George Floyd included calls to defund or abolish the police until a sharp rise in crime gave politicians and police supporters the fuel they needed to suppress the movement. Unfortunately, a detailed conversation about transforming public safety was never had. In Reimagining Safety (shot on iPhone), 10 experts (including LA County District Attorney George Gascón, USC Law professor Dr. Jody Armour and law enforcement expert Alex S Vitale) discuss the false premise that more police and more prisons make us safer. It does this while providing practical and actionable solutions toward achieving systems of safety that work for everyone.The film is already receiving very positive feedback and support from social justice organizations and newly elected progressive leaders. The next screening is at The People's Film Festival June 4, in Harlem, New YorkTrailer: https://vimeo.com/matthewsolomonfilms/rstrailerWebsite: https://www.reimaginingsafetymovie.comhttps://www.matthewsolomonconsulting.com 

Between 1964 and 1966, Stearns served in Vietnam and Japan as a photographer while on active duty in the U.S. Navy. Following his time in the service, he was a partner in a ceramics studio, Opus ll, where he taught ceramics as well as drawing and painting.Stearns was a fire captain and paramedic with the Los Angeles County Fire Department from 1967 to 1988 and was a consultant on the television show Emergency!Michael studied at California State University at Los AngelesIn 2002 he opened Gallery 33 in Long Beach, California. It exhibited artists such as Lori LaMont, Todd Brainard, Richard Lopez, Elizabeth Washburn, Adam Normandin and Roderick Briggs. The gallery closed in 2008.In 2012 he moved his studio and gallery to San Pedro, under the name Michael Stearns Studio 347 and later to Michael Stearns Studio at the LOFT.As a sculptor Michael works with cardboard and newspaper as a way to bring nature and urban society together. In Michael's artist statement, he explains how his work exemplifies his spirit. It reads in part:"In my work I dig deep into the origin of life and explore the universal questions; how did we arrive and what is the force driving this existence?I strive also to invite the observer into this place of examination.As a painter, I work with organic shapes and mostly bold colors to intensify the imagery. In my sculptures I incorporate natural materials along with urban components, creating communication out of discord."https://www.michaelstearnsstudio.com/ 

Lia also known as "Doña Junta" is a former graffiti artist turned street archivist. Doña Junta runs the social media page swapmeet_chronicles which started off as an idea to highlight every day cultural happenings growing up in a Mexican household. The concept developed into a blog in 2007 in which Doña Junta documented the streets of Los Angeles from graffiti, personal stories, events, abandoned places AND MORE. Today, swapmeet_chronicles (with nearly 4,000 followers) evolved into research on the history of our streets, architecture of buildings, and social issues such as mass incarceration and prison advocacy through photos and research driven feature stories. In 2020, Doña Junta with co-host Sabrina Calderon created a podcast called Beyond the Façade to further discuss these places in detail and interview people who also create content in similar realms. Doña Junta has combined her interest in architecture with some of her podcast episodes where she and her co-host discuss the historical issues surrounding these buildings. And this includes state carceral institutions - juvenile and adult - and the issues that have taken place there.Her interest in these institutional buildings was also represented at the Slanguage exhibition: Ghosts of Our Youth: Abandoned Institutions and the Impact on Los Angeles Youth at Angels Gate Cultural Center in 2022. It included images of Juvenile Hall, alongside the video of her podcast discussion on how these institutions affected the youth that were there through the decades but particularly in the 80s and 90s. 

Daughters Of Smoke And Fire gives voice to human struggles and issues of justice and inequity that we're seeing with increased frequency across the globe.Ava's message is, "a victory for women in Iran is really a victory for women everywhere.'"This message is expressed in an essay Ava wrote in December 2022 for, “Journal of Critical Race Inquiry” an open-access electronic journal that advances scholarship on race and racialization in Canadian and international contexts. Her piece is titled: The Path to Freedom in Iran is through Women and Minorities.It introduces readers to the history of Kurdish resistance to oppression by the Iranian regime as well as the history of the refrain “Woman, Life, Freedom,” chanted now by protesters and adopted by activists and others around the world.Find the article link here:Article The-Path-to-Freedom-in-Iran-is-through-Women-and-Minoritieshttps://www.avahoma.com/Social MediaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ava.homa/Twitter : https://twitter.com/AvaHomaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ava.homa/   

What is remarkable about Karina is her independent spirit, which has served as her guide both in her career decisions and in how she relates to and emboldens those around her.Soulspired, released in September, is inspired by COVID times, grief, love and new beginnings. Karina has said her aim is to share a message of renewal and hope — and to remind her listeners how important our lives are, how much our time matters. and how much we can make a difference when we are inspired by our soul.Watch Karina's video American Dream from Soulspired here:https://youtu.be/Pv0d7hk0FO8Website: www.Karinanistal.comInstagram: instagram.com/karinanistalFacebook.com/karinanistalmusic

Elana Mann has presented her work in museums, galleries, and public spaces in the U.S. and globally. She has received numerous awards, including an International Artist-In-Residence at Artpace San Antonio, the California Community Foundation Artist Fellowship, the Stone & DeGuire Contemporary Art Award, the COLA Individual Artist Fellowship, and she was the inaugural artist-in-residence at Pitzer College's ceramics department. Elana received her B.F.A. with honors from Washington University in St. Louis, and her M.F.A from California Institute of the Arts.Indeed, Elana has accomplished so much; one look at her website is testament to this. One can spend hours absorbing it — from her projects, writings, videos and poetry to her thoughts on social justice, and the power and agency we have as people. In exploring her site, my initial thought was that Mann could be an educator.Getting to her artwork, within most of it there's an element of sound. Yet, as a younger artist, Mann said this was confusing to her when she was in grad school. Then a connection revealed itself. It was her Jewish culture. Elana's links plus an article in The ForwardView the exhibition Unprotected here:  https://epoch.gallery/Elana Mann, The Forward: https://elanamann.com/press/can-noisemaker-rattle-world-out-its-complacency-elana-mann%E2%80%99s-activist-art-mixture-politics-andhttps://elanamann.comwww.instagram.com/elanamamma IMAGE CREDITS:Elana Mann by Josh Caffrey.Change Rattle image by Monica Orozco 

In celebration of its 20th anniversary season, we'll look at the ways CalArts Center for New Performance - or CNP - has been an incubator for testing, developing and producing artistic projects, and what Travis calls a truly different paradigm for creating professional work. And We'll speak with Octavio about Scene With Cranes and his process in writing it, including  the varied symbols that cranes represent and even an unexpected master class from one of the leads in this production.CalArts is one of the preeminent theater training grounds in the country, designed to educate the whole person and to prepare fully equipped theater artists to transform the field.Scene With Cranes is part of a project of Duende CalArts, an initiative of the Center for New Performance - or CNP - dedicated to developing and producing innovative work emerging from Latinx and Latin American communities and sources. Established in 2009 by Marissa Chibás, Duende CalArts develops adventurous projects at CNP that aim to expand aesthetic boundaries and performance discourse, and advance multilingual works.The play will have a short run from September 29 to October 1, at REDCAT in downtown Los Angeles. And the program will include a pre-show talk with playwright Octavio Solis in conversation with director Chi-wang Ya(a)ng on Saturday, October 1st at 7:30 PM.Creative TeamDirector: Chi-wang YangPlaywright: Octavio SolisScenic Designer: Efren Delgadillo Jr.Lighting Designer: Christopher AkerlindCostume Designer: Edurne FernandezSound Designer: Cristian AmigoMarissa Chibás, LourdesEmilio Garcia-Sanchez, AngelStacia Marcum, RubyIsaias Alexander Miranda, NicoAngela Rosado, LettyHilario Saavedra, RamiroTony Sancho, Lieutenant David LeyvaHannah Trujillo, YoliePERFORMANCESSeptember 29 at 8:30pmSeptember 30 at 8:30pmOctober 1 at 8:30pmREDCAT, Los AngelesARTIST TALKJoin us October 1 at 7:30pm for a pre-show conversation with playwright Octavio Solis and director Chi-wang Yang.TICKETS for "Scene With Cranes" are now on sale here.https://centerfornewperformance.org/projects/scene-with-cranes/        

K Ryan Henisey brings years of experience in the arts and premium/luxury retail to fine art management and curation with Artlounge Collective. Ryan is an award-winning artist and recent recipient of a public arts grant from the city of West Hollywood. His fine art has appeared throughout California and in locations that include international galleries and museums. Ryan previously worked for major cruise lines, overseeing product management and publication for a half-billion dollar segment of the global tour industry, among other notable accolades. Until very recently, Ryan was the president of TAG Gallery in Los Angeles.And in May of this year, he opened Artlounge Collective in the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles.Ryan brings an edifying, inclusive and pragmatic approach in working with the artists in Artlounge Collective. He said Artlounge chooses all the artists and there are many factors in that but most important to Ryan is making sure that Artlounge is keeping the quality of the artwork even across the board.  ~  https://artlounge.co/ ~

Hello everybody and welcome to ACCQ. Today we have an exciting show. We're speaking with Holly M. Crawford, who is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Director of Adult Public Programs, Education & Public Programs   — But you will quickly discover why I call Holly M. LACMAs Director of Fun, Joy and Creativity.Today, we will discuss the projects Holly M. brings to the public at LACMA, in terms of education and programming, and connecting those programs to the diverse Los Angeles audience.And later, we will discuss LACMAs exciting exhibition Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse, including several of the programs that the museum is offering in conjunction with the exhibition.First, some details about our guest.Holly M. who uses They/Them pronouns is an artist and educator who is passionate about reimagining museums as sites for healing, connection, and creative invention. In Their role at LACMA, Holly develops and implements programs that inspire joy and invite learners to expand their understanding of themselves and the world.Previously, Holly M. was the Director of Education at ESMoA, where they coordinated the Mychal's/ESMoA Internship program, a paid internship designed to introduce adults with developmental disabilities to future career opportunities in the arts and culture sector.Holly M. attended the Maryland Institute College of Art for graduate school receiving an M.A. in Community Arts, and relocated to Los Angeles to learn about murals and public art.They maintain an independent art and curatorial practice and have exhibited work at leiminspace, Los Angeles; The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, The Main Museum, and The Maryland Institute College of Art. Holly M. is also the Founder & Artistic Director of The Nomadic Werewolf Museum where play and collaboration come together to tell stories about werewolves.Holly M. said what drives Them to be in museums: they can be magical places that transport you … and seeing to it that people experience joy when they go to these institutions.Holly M.'s origin story presents insight into the very special work they do in terms of making museums welcoming spaces and bringing that joy to them. Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse runs to October 9th. Find  the first THREE videos in the 8th R.L. Shep Triennial Symposium” in conjunction with Lee Alexander McQueen Mind, Mythos, Muse  below. https://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/lee-alexander-mcqueenhttps://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/lee-alexander-mcqueenhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOSnPw1T2A4&t=2s      ~  Find out more about Holly M. Crawford and Their work at:IG  @hollym.crawford and @hollymcrawfordstudio 

     What is the definition of a working artist?      Nancy is a poet, educator, and community organizer. She has co-founded a handful of arts organizations, including the Long Beach Literary Arts Center and briefly ran a social justice-based literary press. As an organizer, she has produced innumerable arts events, including writing workshops, public readings and arts festivals. She is also the creator of Surprise the Line, a community poetry workshop.Writing from an eco-feminist perspective, her poetry is largely inspired by the magic and power of the natural world. Nancy has received fellowships from PEN America, Arts Council for Long Beach, and Idyllwild Writers Week.       Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro serves as one of the cultural hubs as part of the Artists At Work initiative, as it hosts both Nancy and artist Taylor Griffith for year-long artist residencies.     The ARTISTS AT WORK program is inspired by the Depression-era Works Progress Administration, or WPAIt was designed to give artists resources to continue to produce work during the COVID crisis, but also, to build new structures and partnerships to help sustain the creative sector in a post-pandemic America. The goals of Artists At Work are to give artists a living wage to support their work and to put that work into the public sphere for free, to connect artists and cultural organizations to local initiatives in areas like youth mental health, suicide prevention, food justice, prison reform, youth at risk and other civic engagements to foster healthy communities.      Links:www.nancylyneewoo.comArtists At WorkThe Office Performing Arts and Film www.sbcc.community

     Jana Opincariu is an award winning artist with paintings recognized across the southwest and paintings that have found their home around the globe. She creates surreal and fantastical images of human bodies, objects and animals. As a painter, she strives to exemplify what it means to become vulnerable and romanticize it. She does this by creating hyper-realistic portraits of people, creatures and bodies, illustrating lucid dreams and making delicate surreal images that demonstrate the lust and chaos we face in day to day life.In February, Jana won Best of Show and Most Meaningful artwork for her painting Fuck Vegas of the "Sensuality in ART 2022” show at Hellada Gallery.In her artist statement Jana said, “I imagine that there is no break from my creations and I am my creations and my creations are me. Therefore, every piece I do is a self-portrait.”      Daniel Kathalynas is an award-winning international artist. He works in painting, three dimensional art, sculptural wall hanging, hand-painted animation, music, and symbolic use of materials, 2D rendering, filmmaking and stop motion animation. In December 2021, his film  Flowering won 2nd place at the Santa Fe 3-minute Film Festival.Daniel's method begins in a silent-mind meditation then he allows the first higher thought that enters his mind to forge the direction of the artwork. Currently, Daniel is traveling across the country and filming short videos called The Roaming Artist – American Odyssey where he discusses his inspirational process, the beauty of national landmarks, local culture and live painting.     The first Totem took place in Albuquerque at Factory on 5th in September, 2019. It was such a success they decided to bring it to Hellada in Long Beach.Dark Totem is about power imagery: such as animals, elements, or, representative of humans' higher aspect, or, walking into the new realm.Dark Totem brings dark themes and is not as light hearted. It's emotional, with undertones of the original Totem, including images of humans, animals and delicate things. Attendees will also see some of the artwork from the original Totem.

Pedro Kos  Co-DirectorHis latest documentary feature film, REBEL HEARTS, which he directed, wrote and edited premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and was released worldwide by Discovery+ in summer of 2021. Prior to that he wrote and produced a Netflix Original Documentary THE GREAT HACK by Jehane Noujaim  and Karim Amer which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for a BAFTA award. His feature directorial debut BENDING THE ARC (co-directed with Kief Davidson) premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Previously, Pedro has edited several award winning and award nominated films, including THE SQUARE, which earned him an Emmy Award for Best Editing for a Non-Fiction program, among others. Pedro is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and he received his B.A. in Theater Directing from Yale University.      Lead Me Home is a co-production of Netflix and Actual Films, and produced by Bonni Cohen, Serin Marshall and Richard Berge. And I'm happy to announce that it will screen at the Warner Grand Theatre, in San Pedro, on March 20th.In Lead Me Home, Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk filmed the daily lives of more than two dozen subjects over three years. This method allows the viewer to almost be with the subject, to understand their perspective. That is largely what makes the film so vital - shedding a much needed light on these individuals' circumstances.Lead Me Home trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moekzAxXe0o

Today we are speaking with artist Jana Opincariu, who lives in San Pedro. I was introduced to Jana's work in June of 2020, at her solo exhibition, Meditations in Solidarity, a collection of paintings created during the pandemic at Hellada Gallery in Long Beach. A striking exhibit, it featured works from Jana's Black Series, her Beautiful Grotesque series and other works — all of which demanded unremitting attention.Hyper-realistic is just one way to describe this young artist's work. Jana creates images of human bodies, objects and animals that are surreal and fantastical—and some with macabre undertones. Jana originally studied to become a medical lab scientist but decided to follow her true passion: art. She graduated with a dual bachelor's in art history and studio art from University of New Mexico, with a focus on ancient Latin American art and European art through the centuries. Jana works in photography, printmaking and lithography but her passion is painting.  She finds inspiration from her studies of Spanish and Italian Baroque, her travels, nature, and her dreams.Jana has shown in multiple cities across the Southwest and the Pacific coast. Her breakout show, Totem, a September 2019 collaboration with internationally known artist, Daniel Kathalynas, at the  Factory on 5th in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Terence Toy started spinning house tracks in the early 80s, back when the genre was progressing through major east coast cities with velocity. The late New York house DJ David Bryant was a mentor to Terence and turned him on to the deep, funky sound of the underground scene. Bryant's perceptive advice to Terence was, “to be really successful in this business, these are the grooves to play.” Terence never looked back.To the benefit of his audience, Terence brings to his turntables his experience as a trained musician. He's a skilled drummer, he reads music and was a member of his high school band. He understands music theory and is an expert at reconstructing verses, bridges and breaks. Terence is also an accomplished composer and producer of house music, including deep house, R&B house, gospel house, Afro-Cuban rhythms and Afro-tech.His roots embody the styles of New Jersey swing to the Miami sound to Chicago warehouse; the beats and tempos speak to him. Soulful-vocal-house and straight-ahead jazz have always moved him equally.Click the links below to listen to the tracks we played on our episode with Terence, plus a few more including Terence's musical response to George Floyd and the story about it.http://www.terencetoy.com/https://soundcloud.com/terencetoy/i-want-you-ill-atmospherics-seeks-refuge-afro-latin-house-mix?si=ebce5c48cbff4b1aac39c875bf2042c8&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharinghttps://soundcloud.com/terencetoy/terence-toy-feat-louis-hale-lets-get-jousey-isr-remix https://soundcloud.com/terencetoy-music/terence-toy-love-is-losinghttps://soundcloud.com/terencetoy/shot-of-your-love-illatmospherices-seeks-refuge-remix?si=ebce5c48cbff4b1aac39c875bf2042c8&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharinghttps://soundcloud.com/terencetoy/thinkgeorge-floydhttps://www.randomlengthsnews.com/archives/2020/06/26/think-george-floyd/28993

The Dance Camera West Programming Committee is led by Cati Jean. The festival is produced by Amber Adams. The DCW Board of Directors is George Lugg (president), Lionel Popkin, David Rousseve, Sophie Robertson and Lynn Tejada. Trailers:  DCWFF 2022 20th Anniversary Promo TrailerDCWFF 2022 TRAILER (Version 1) Tickets and Program Information now available at dancecamerawest.org and on venue websites.Please follow the links below to find out more and purchase tickets.Buy individual tickets, weekend passes ora full 2 weekend pass!Jan. 6-8 - Theatre Raymond Kabbaz ($15-$30)Jan. 13-15 - 2220 Arts & Archives ($15-$75)Full Festival Pass ($100) Good for screenings at both venues, Jan. 6-15, 2022!#GreatGiftIdea!It's the Twentieth Season of Dance Camera West and once again the renowned festival will screen the top selections chosen from around the world. That's 75 films selected from a record number of 400 submissions! The six days of in-person and virtual screenings will happen January 6-15, 2022.DCW, once again partners with LA presenter Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz to present three nights of international films from January 6-9, as well as with the newly founded 2220 Arts & Archives formerly The Bootleg Theater) from January 13-15, 2022.All films are Los Angeles premieres, with many World and American premieres, including a special world premiere screening of Undanced Dances Through Prison Walls During a Pandemic and six films produced by the recipients of the DCW Finishing Fund for Underrepresented Filmmakers funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.Saturday, January 15, 2022 features two midday programs of documentaries and screen adaptations, installations and pop-up performances.Added Bonuses!All pass buyers receive access to virtual screenings featuring additional films.January 6-8 at Theatre Raymond Kabbazfeatures artist Q&As and wine and cheese receptions at intermission!January 13-15 at 2220 Arts & Archivesfeatures DJ after-parties and a cash bar, installations and pop-up performances.*Program is subject to change. Please check wwww.dancecamerawest.org for updates.

Leah Shane Dixon, The Spaces In BetweenShane Dixon is an artist in multiple media, whose diverse body of work explores fusion of oppositional polarities, transcendental themes, abstract symbolism, and humankind's unique role within the natural world.  A graduate of Pratt Institute and the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Shane draws from their bi-coastal life experience, informed by the rich tapestry of artistic, historic, cultural, literary, musical and filmic trends of both Los Angeles and New York City. A second generation computer geek, Shane fuses digital and video-based art making with the foundation art practices of drawing, painting, installation, and photography. In addition, Shane has curated many group art shows and other curatorial projects in Long Beach and Los Angeles.Shane's recent exhibitions include:Illuminations Loiter Galleries in Long Beach - An exhibit of Projections & a Mini-retrospective of last 18 yearsTEMPLE: Eternity in One Hour,  2004,  a video within a round frameProjecting Possibilities July 2021 at The Helms Design Center, Los AngelesShane works in: acrylic painting, digital & abstract painting, video installation and projection art, plastic assemblage, visual music, art curation, music tutoring. And they explore: tessellations and color theory Shane has created digital works almost entirely for 18 years but recently they have been fusing digital and paint into a single object. Shane uses  the pronouns They/He

Going back to 1991, when Ann Weber first started working in cardboard, she had been experimenting with many different materials because, after graduating from CA. College of Arts and Crafts, [now CA. College of the Arts] she said knew she wasn't going to continue working in clay. Ann came to school as a production potter, from the craft world. For 15 years she had a pottery studio/store in upstate New York in Ithaca. Later, in New York City, she made pottery that she sold in pottery stores, specialty stores and in craft fairs up and down the east coast. Eventually, she burned out on the business so she took a class with Jim Mackons at Greenwich House pottery, who was doing one of a kind pieces. Mackons told Ann to attend graduate school and to go to the west coast because that's where artists were using clay as an art material. Ann had all kinds of schools to choose from and she chose Viola Frey, because she was a woman — “the lone woman in the pack.” Ann had seen her work at the Whitney and a show in 1984 in New York City. When she came out to California, she said she had no idea what to do. She had ended her lease on her pottery studio in New York, she sublet her apartment on Perry St. between Bleaker and W. 4th and she didn't know if she would return to New York.“I just knew I wanted to stop doing what I was doing,” Ann said. “But I really was in a huge  quandary and had no idea how to find my way from production pottery to making art. So I started sitting in on Viola's classes where she would sit on the potter's wheel, giving classes to the freshmen and 18 year-olds and showing how you could make little lumps, and then pile them up and make a sculpture and that was interesting to me. Her teacher, Viola Frey said, “You are a beginning artist for the first 10 years out of school,” So, Ann experimented with plaster, painting, printmaking, paper mache, fabric by Klaus Oldenberg and her father had a canvas company from which he sent rolls of canvas to her. She did that for four to six years. Then she moved into a second-floor studio in Oakland. Carrying plaster up the two flights of stairs wasn't an option and there was no elevator. “I had all these cardboard boxes that were flattened in the middle of a new 100 sq. ft' studio,” Ann said. “I thought, make the forms out of cardboard, who cares what the material is. I found that I could cut them into strips and use a [plier] stapler to staple them together and make large organic forms, like I had been making them in clay. I felt like it was just another material to experiment with but it's now been decades, over three decades and I feel like there are infinite possibilities.“I came to art school thinking they were going to teach me how to be an artist. Their idea, at art school, is if someone is coming in, it's their journey. The artist has to figure out how to find a way in art.”She knew I was struggling and she told me to go look at some real art. Look at some Kandinsky ...”    ~ For the rest, listen to our episode and how Ann had her Eureka moment.

So you can get to know Jai Hudson better, I'm going to share a few of his accomplishments.Jai was involved in studying philosophy under Professor Grimes at the Noetic SocietyHe helped with Occupy LB, Occupy L.A. and Irvine and helped establish Black Lives Matter Long Beach. He was the creative director for Community Consciousness. He created an art collective called Of RoyaltyHe created an anti-racist movement called Carry On. And just last year, during the pandemic, Jai travelled the United States with the Hoop Bus pushing a new social contract for this nation. Currently he is working on a new designer brand called Made Of Blessings. Jai said Of Royalty was for liberation, Carry On was for hope and change, Made of Blessings is for a transition into a spiritual healing.Most recently, Jai co-wrote the Elijah McClain Bill. See the Bill link below..Elijah McClain Accountability Act or SB 21-0010: https://oag.ca.gov/initiatives/active-measuresOriginal URL below.[https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/initiatives/pdfs/21-0010%20%28Elijah%20McClain%20Accountability%20Act%29.pdf] More links for Jai.Of Royalty Shop:  www.etsy.com/shop/OfRoyaltyShopCarry On Movement: www.facebook.com/groups/Carry-On-MovementInstagram:  #madeofblessings   

It's not really about the medium for Karena, she likes to work with different mixed media. But always resourceful, Karena says the best form of what she does is recycling - and the best form of recycling is reuse."It's hard not to be impacted by the environment," Karena said. One of her most recent works is titled Spoken Ice, linked below, a video project for soundpedro: an ear-oriented multi-sensory arts festival, held annually at Angels Gate Cultural Center, in San Pedro, CA.  For the event, Karena wanted to do something on climate change and glaciers, and to reach and affect people through environmental works. Through a total of three  soundpedro videos and many of her other works - some which we discuss in this episode - Karena's art urges consideration the world, nature and its condition and invites the viewer to  reflect upon it, provoke conversation and self-reflection.   • View a special Walk Thru video by Karena inside her studio to have a look at the works discussed. Current exhibitions: • View Karena's most recent video, Spoken Ice, a video collaboration with artist Sheri Ki Sun Burnham. • Rooted at the Greenly Art Space in Signal Hill, the exhibit runs through October 9. • Opening Nov 13, a group show at SoLA Contemporary as part of a CRP (Critical Response Process), the culmination of a year of making work during the pandemic.InformationKarena's website: https://www.karenamassengill.comInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/karena4art/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=karena4art

Maria Kriya has been practicing yoga for 19 years. For her, yoga was a transformational tool for mental health and resilience. She began her career as a special needs teacher. Soon after, at 29, she started practicing yoga. Then she began to teach it, first to children and then adults. She didn't have formal yoga training but she had been practicing for five years. Maria says that when she discovered yoga, she realized that combining yoga tools for kids with special needs would be a great skill for kids to learn, to help themselves emotionally.Find Maria at, www.mariakriya@icloud.com  

 As an arts journalist primarily, I connect communities to cultural events in their neighborhoods. Being a journalist requires a broad view and within that context, I have also written about subjects ranging from the environment and social justice to politics.We who are nourished by the arts need to take ourselves on regular culture quests. Each time I do, it grounds me and it opens my mind. AGCC is my way to bring this joy to you. However we experience it, art conceives what is possible within each of us and for the planet. In addition, issues surrounding social justice and the environment will inform many of our discussions.Combining all of this together, alongside the arts, comes naturally to me.This show is for consumers of art in all of its forms.