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You are here: Home / LACE / 2015-2019 / “Every Struggle is an Ecological Struggle”: Towards a Radical Arts Activism

“Every Struggle is an Ecological Struggle”: Towards a Radical Arts Activism

“Every Struggle is an Ecological Struggle”:  Towards a Radical Arts Activism
Led by Raina León

August 10 and 11, 2019, 1-3 PM (Participants are welcome to attend one or both sessions)

RSVP rsvp@welcometolace.org

What can we learn from Beyonce, a mushroom, the human body, and an art exhibition?  How do we “read the world” and learn to write alongside it?  In this free workshop, artists and writers are invited to radically imagine a new arts activism that draws on multiple ways of knowing, lineages, histories, and interrelationship between the natural world and an artistic expression of balance and connection.  Together we will explore ekphrasis, writing in response to art, in relationship to works of art collected in A NonHuman Horizon that help illuminate the relationship between environmental politics, anthropocentric thinking, and racialized experience. This workshop will be led by award-winning poet Raina León, and focus on California poets to conduct the workshop. We will reference the work of Aurora Levins Morales, Camille Dungy, Barbara Jane Reyes, among others, that will lead us into observation, discussion, creation, and a community project.

Raina J. León, a Cave Canem graduate fellow (2006) and member of the Carolina Afri-can-American Writers Collective, has published over 50 publications in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and academic scholarship. Her first collection of poetry, Canticle of Idols
(2008), was a finalist for both the Cave Canem First Book Poetry Prize (2005) and the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize (2006). Her second book, Boogeyman Dawn (2013), was a finalist for the Naomi Long Madgett Prize (2010). Her third book, sombra: dis(locate) was released February 2016, Salmon Poetry. Her first chapbook, profeta without refuge, was released in September 2016 through Nomadic Press.

Image Credit: The Harrison Studio, Meditations on the Gabrieliño, Whose Name for Themselves is No Longer Remembered Although We Know That They Farmed With Fire and Fought Wars by Singing, 1976. Courtesy of The Harrison Studio. 

Filed Under: 2015-2019, LACE Tagged With: LACE, raina leon

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LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions)

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Please join us in welcoming two new members to the Please join us in welcoming two new members to the LACE team! 

 🌟 LACE’s new Communications + Event Coordinator, Ida Tongkumvong is a Los Angeles-based arts administrator and marketing professional with a passion for expanding access to the arts and fostering inclusivity within creative spaces. She holds a B.A. in Communications from UCLA. Her previous roles with Sounding Point, the LA Phil, and CAP UCLA deepened her commitment to broadening arts access through strategic partnerships, inclusive programming, and dynamic storytelling. With a keen interest in public art and community-based initiatives, Ida brings a thoughtful and collaborative approach to audience development and creative event planning within L.A.’s contemporary arts landscape. Outside of work, you’ll often find her at a flea market or estate sale, always on the hunt for a one-of-a-kind find.

 🌟 LACE’s new Production + Operations Coordinator, Johnny Young began making his mark on the Los Angeles arts scene as Gallery and Programming Manager for the Juicy Beats Artist Exchange Lounge in 2000. He has worked with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), where he played a key role in production and management for their First Fridays program; he was also selected for the prestigious Diversity Apprenticeship Program (DAP) at The Broad, a competitive initiative aimed at training the next generation of museum and gallery professionals from underrepresented communities. Johnny brings a sharp eye for detail, a commitment to equity in the arts, and a dedication to amplifying voices that challenge the boundaries of convention.
Did you get your tickets for “This Home, Forever Did you get your tickets for “This Home, Forever” happening this weekend? “This Home, Forever” is a stage, a forum, and a dynamic workshop nurtured by a group of artists and activists devoted to and inspired by Los Angeles. Learn more and get your tickets at the link in our bio. 

Held on the rooftop of the historic Bendix Building, performances will be presented with a 180 degree view of downtown Los Angeles. See performances by: @0ll668, @perras.bravas, @lapovertydepartment, @michelelorusso, @pacoimatechno, @jakioeoeo. 

Behind-the-scenes photos by @andreuuua  @selene__preciado and @abwyman
We’re still reminiscing about “ENDURANCE,” w We’re still reminiscing about “ENDURANCE,” which took place Saturday and Sunday, May 16–17. The series celebrated elder artists and their longstanding committment to their practices, through both performances and interdisciplinary work. Swipe through to see portraits from the two evenings, taken by Ray Barrera (@dreamfishcommuter).

Support LACE’s future, free public programs by making a donation at the link in our bio.

Performers pictured, in order of appearance: Hirokazu Kosaka, Awilda Sterling-Duprey (@awildasterling), Sheree Rose (@msrosebush), Sharon Kagan (@sharonkagan), Anna Homler with David Javelosa and Jeff Schwartz, Gloria Enedina Álvarez, Oguri, The Dark Bob, Barbara T. Smith and Ulysses Jenkins, Alice Bag (@alice_bag), Kid Congo Powers (@kidcongopowers), and Kamau Daáood.
Don’t miss the two-day series “This Home, Fore Don’t miss the two-day series “This Home, Forever” happening June 7-8, curated by LACE 2025 Emerging Curator Nahui Garcia. Held on the rooftop of the historic Bendix Building, these performances will be presented with a 180 degree view of downtown Los Angeles. Reserve your ticket to this (free!) event at the link in our bio.

Get to know the artists:

🔷 @0ll668 is an American interdisciplinary artist exploring spirituality, mythology, and cosmogony through the digital age.
🔷 @perras.bravas is a border-based collective in Ciudad Juárez created in 2020. 
🔷 @lapovertydepartment creates performances and multidisciplinary artworks that connect the experience of people living in poverty to the social forces that shape their lives and communities. 
🔷 @michelelorusso explores language as an active device, where the performativity of words not only structures reality but also exposes its limits, contradictions, and possibilities for escape. 
🔷 @pacoimatechno channels the energy of local histories, industrial landscapes, and late-night warehouse functions.
🔷 Jaklin Romine (@jakioeoeo) confronts the intersection of feminist ideals that are formed by her identity as a disabled, queer, latinx, POC, living in the Southern California landscape.

Photo: @gb_mouth
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