by Shriya Nayyar | Aug 31, 2021 | Coming Up, News, The Arts
Los Angeles, CA. On August 21, 2021 the Hammer Museum at UCLA opened two new exhibitions to the public. For their Houseguest exhibition, the museum invited Monica Majoli, a Los Angeles-based artist and professor of art at UC Irvine to create art out of works from the collections of the museum and the Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts. Majoli’s exhibition is called ‘Shadows Fall Down’ and explores the human relationship with the body, in terms of both sensuality and sadness.
A multimedia collection called ‘The Histories (Old Black Joe)’ was revealed on the same day as the Hammer Projects exhibition. The collection looks at the effects that culture, geography and American history all have on each other. The collection’s creator, David Hartt, is an artist living in Philadelphia and working as an associate professor in the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Fine Arts.
The Armand Hammer Collection, an art collection that showcases the tastes and interests of the Hammer Museum’s founder, will return to the museum on August 28, 2021. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the museum additionally continues to hold events online and more information about these events can be found on their website.
Untitled by Paul P., part of the Shadows Fall Down exhibition.
More about the Hammer Museum:
“The Hammer Museum at UCLA believes in the promise of art and ideas to illuminate our lives and build a more just world… A vibrant intellectual and creative nexus, the Hammer is fueled by dynamic exhibitions and programs—including lectures, symposia, film series, readings, and musical performances—that spark meaningful encounters with art and ideas. And through our unwavering commitment to free admission and free public programs, the Hammer is open for all and free for good.”
For more information about the Hammer Museum, click here: https://hammer.ucla.edu/
by Shriya Nayyar | Aug 17, 2021 | Coming Up, General, News, The Arts
Los Angeles, CA. The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) recently announced its Cultural Grants Program for non-profit organizations in Los Angeles. The grant aims to benefit those organizations planning to hold arts events, activities, and/or projects for the public between July 1, 2022 and June 20, 2023. These events are selected based on whether they uphold the DCA’s community values as they provide to or perform for the LA public.
The application process is rigorous. The DCA has four eligibility criteria for the non-profits, along with the criteria of specific categories. This year, the DCA encourages applicants to enter events for these particular categories: culture/history presentations, literature or publishing projects, media activities or presentations, design/visual art exhibitions or museum projects, or traditional/folk arts activities/presentations. The DCA has provided an educational introduction and online instructions for applicants, and actively encourage them to attend webinars or workshops that will allow to them to better prepare for the application.
DCA Cultural Grants Program guideline poster.
The announced deadline for applications for this up to $80,000 grant is August 27th, 2021 at 11:59pm.
For more information about the Cultural Grant Program, visit https://culturela.org/grants/cultural-grant-program-org/
For more information about DCA grants and application process in general, visit http://dcaredesign.org/grants/
More about the DCA:
“DCA advances the social and economic impact of arts and culture through grantmaking, public art, community arts, performing arts, and strategic marketing, development, design, and digital research. DCA creates and supports arts programming, maximizing relationships with other city agencies, artists, and arts and cultural nonprofit organizations to provide excellent service in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles.”
For more information, click here: https://culturela.org/
by Shriya Nayyar | Aug 10, 2021 | Coming Up, Feature, News, The Arts
Los Angeles, CA. Free Arts LA was founded with the goal of helping children in the foster system who had suffered from trauma or abuse by teaching them to express themselves and rebuild their self-esteem through art and craft. Today, the organization helps over 22,000 children across Los Angeles by pairing children with adult mentors and volunteers who guide the children through the artistic process of painting, drawing, writing, or other arts, serving as positive influences while the children find and improve themselves after their difficult experiences. Due to the pandemic, however, volunteers who wish to work directly with children must undergo their two-day training course over Zoom.
Free Arts LA volunteers taking a fun break while undergoing their online training course.
Free Arts LA offers several programs through its partners, namely an 8-week long Mentorship program, their Court program where children are encouraged to engage in arts to provide them with a safe space before appearing and testifying at the Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Courthouse, and Free Arts Day, a fun one-day event held across LA county that helps children have fun and builds their sense of community.
Art Swagger LA, an art and design fundraiser held annually, has partnered with Free Arts this year and all proceeds from the event will go directly to the organization, helping to further develop its programs. The fundraiser will include a virtual panel, a silent auction, and – if Covid-19 conditions improve – an in person event on September 30th, 2021.
For more information about Art Swagger 2021, click here: https://www.artswagger-la.com/
More about Free Arts for Abused Children:
Free Arts programs inspire hope in the lives of children from ages 5-18 who have experienced abuse, neglect, poverty and homelessness through innovative creative arts programs and positive interactions with caring adult volunteers. Free Arts LA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
For more information about Free Arts, click here: https://www.freearts.org/
by Shriya Nayyar | Aug 3, 2021 | Coming Up, Feature, General, News
Los Angeles, CA. AIDS Walk Los Angeles will observe the halfway mark of its fundraising on August 16. Recognized as one of the world’s first walks to take up the cause against HIV and AIDS, AWLA has raised nearly $90 million for APLA Health’s various programs that focus on care and advocacy for over 18,000 affected individuals in the Los Angeles County. Due to Covid-19, there is no official in-person walking event and most of the AIDS Walk will be held online, with three outdoor challenges that take place during checkpoint dates of the Walk.
To keep supporters motivated and updated on the progress of fundraising, The Walk Show began on July 7 – the same time as the AIDS Walk fundraising began. The show releases new episodes every week, with each week focusing on a particular location in Los Angeles County helped by the work of APLA Health. The Walk Show is hosted by popular drag queen Ongina who walks viewers through fundraising tips and fun challenges. A big highlight of the show is the weekly story of a patient from one of APLA Health’s programs or clinics. Episodes of The Walk Show can be found here: https://aidswalkla.org/the-walk-show/.
The Trans Connections program, featured in Episode 2 of The Walk Show.
For more information about AIDS Walk Los Angeles, click here: https://aidswalkla.org/
More about APLA Health:
“APLA Health was founded in 1983 as AIDS Project Los Angeles with the goal of ending the AIDS epidemic in Los Angeles County. Today, we provide services in four key areas: 1) primary medical care, dental, behavioral health and HIV specialty care, 2) Critical HIV Support Services, 3) HIV Prevention, and 4) Advocacy.” APLA Health & Wellness is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization doing business as APLA Health.
To learn more about APLA Health, click here: https://aplahealth.org/
by Cameron Jackson | Aug 3, 2021 | Coming Up, Feature, General, News, The Arts
Los Angeles, CA. The Barcid Foundation is a Native American non-profit organization dedicated to providing initiatives and opportunities for indigenous peoples within media, tech, and STEM. It’s calling for film submissions for its 15th annual Skins Fest that will be taking place in November. Alongside Comcast NBCUniversal and many other sponsors, Barcid oversees the yearly LA Skins Fest in celebration of Native American Heritage Month. The festival takes place November 16th – 21st, 2021 in Hollywood. It aims to showcase the rising talent in Native American filmmaking.
Skins Fest Native Youth Filmmakers feature
At the 2018 LA Skins Fest, President and CEO of Barcid, Ian Skorodin, remarked on how Native American artists and cinema has grown with the festival: “We have seen Native Cinema grow into a genuine force with a voice that is finally being heard. Native filmmakers have been pushing creative limits and will have the acknowledgement they deserve.”
14th Annual LA Skins Fest.
Information about how to make a submission can be found on the Skins Fest website.
In addition to the LA Skins Fest, Barcid runs a host of other events and workshops to help foster Native American artists and help people grow their professional careers. Barcid Foundation’s goal is to use media as a tool for cultural, educational, technological and economic development to help the Native American community.
The Native Current: Multimedia Workshop introduces children ages 9-17 to new ways of thinking about the LA River through film.
About Barcid
The Barcid Foundation is a nonprofit tax-exempt 501c3 that oversees several Native American endeavors, including the LA SKINS FEST. Barcid was founded in 2004 to offer educational opportunities to Native American communities through multimedia programs. Barcid projects include the preservation of decaying library materials that pertain to Native American history, video production of PSAs for local Native American non-profits, and the LA SKINS FEST.
About LA Skins Fest
The prestigious Los Angeles Skins Fest ranks among the country’s best film festivals and is an annual gathering for film industry insiders, cinema enthusiasts, filmmakers, and critics. The LA Skins Fest is considered a major launching ground for Indian Country’s most talked about films. Founded in 2007, the Los Angeles Skins Fest, now presenting screenings in the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, is a multi-day and multicultural event celebrating the art of film, TV and new media. The Los Angeles Skins Fest’s long-standing commitment is to join filmmakers and film connoisseurs together to experience great cinema. The exciting schedule consists of dozens of filmmakers presenting their newest works, special artist development programs, tributes to community leaders, special events, and remarkable films. Festival headquarters are in Los Angeles, CA.
by Shriya Nayyar | Jul 20, 2021 | Coming Up, Feature, News
Los Angeles, CA. The Downtown Women’s Center is launching its second Together Housed campaign this year from August 4th onwards till August 25th. The organization’s first campaign in 2020 successfully raised over $700,000 for its cause, prompting the DWC to bring back the campaign for 2021 with renewed vigor.
The campaign will take place in three phases. Week 1 is the fundraising phase, which will be kicked off by a community meeting held on Zoom on August 4th. The virtual meeting will have information on the various ways to support women in LA who are experiencing homelessness. The second phase is an advocacy phase and will be similarly kicked off by a Zoom meeting on August 11th. The advocacy phase will involve completing one action every day that will support homeless women in greater Los Angeles.
The third and final phase begins on August 18th and focuses on celebrating the work done by DWC and its volunteers. The celebration will also take place virtually on August 25th, the last day of the campaign, and will have special guests. The Week 3 phase also includes an auction starting 8am on the 18th that will end after the virtual celebration, marking the end of the entire Together Housed campaign. RSVP information about the Together Housed campaign can be found here: https://downtownwomenscenter.org/together/
More about the Downtown Women’s Center:
The Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) envisions a Los Angeles with every woman housed and on a path to personal stability. Its mission is to end homelessness for women in greater Los Angeles through housing, wellness, employment, and advocacy. DWC is a 501(c)(3) organization.
To learn more about the Downtown Women’s Center, click here: https://downtownwomenscenter.org/
