Community Engagement

The Cultural Commentary Project is a participatory art initiative designed to transform public and community spaces into forums for civic dialogue and creative response. Daniele Siembieda’s project includes monthly community sessions where participants of all ages and backgrounds can create visual responses to policies that shape their lives. Tables with accessible materials will support artmaking, while listening and reading stations will provide policy documents, related artworks, and critical perspectives. Public dialogues with guest experts and local leaders will also be offered, making policy issues more approachable while encouraging informed civic participation. The project culminates in an evolving public exhibition and serve as a translator of complex policies, a catalyst for dialogue, and a living record of shared concerns.

Part hangout, part drawing workshop, the Disability Drawing Club (DDC) is a free, safe space for people with disabilities, chronic illness, and mental illness to speak unapologetically about their bodies. Sessions are held monthly at ADA accessible spaces across Los Angeles, providing an in-person space for people with disabilities who are longing to feel less isolated and alienated in a world designed for able-bodied people. Founded by interdisciplinary artist and journalist Renée Reizman, DDC uses drawing prompts and a show-and-tell format to spark dialogues about the disabled experience and help people from vastly different backgrounds discover common ground. The workshops are broadcast on Zoom for those who are unable to attend in person.

Burnt Water is a one-night sound performance taking place in the open-air courtyard of the 4th and Main/Medallion Apartments complex in downtown Los Angeles. Organized by Court Space (curator Ezequiel Olvera) and hosted by Central Server Works (director Joshua Oduga), the free event brings together musicians Nathanial Young, Corey Gordon, and Joshua Oduga to create an intimate sonic environment.
The courtyard, normally underutilized at night, will be reconfigured through seating, lighting, and sound to invite 50-75 attendees into a temporary public forum of listening. Beyond the performance, Burnt Water is a proposition: that art can illuminate the gaps left by economic systems, transform how space is perceived, and open imaginative possibilities for how communities might gather in urban Los Angeles.

Demure Asian Rage is a raw, unfiltered exploration of rage — specifically, how rage manifests in the context of being Asian, mixed-race, non-binary, genderfluid, and AFAB in a world that often marginalizes such identities. Created and performed by Yeeman “ManMan” Mui and Leanna Li Keith, the project blends taiko, flute, electronics, movement, spoken word, and dance into a visceral performance that balances explosive power with breath and silence. Audience members submit short written prompts that are woven into a spoken word piece through live looping, layered with movement to embody the inner turmoil of suppressed expression. The Southern California premiere will include a new community workshop that ensures audience experiences flow directly into the performance, reinforcing its core: rage transformed into collective release, resilience, and connection.