Transformative Arts works with artists in neighborhoods in Los Angeles and elsewhere to reconnect art and creativity to daily life. With a focus on freedom, equity, accessibility and diasporic narratives, our projects refuse hierarchies in the art world and beyond to elevate the collective and collaborative making of visual language in our communities for our communities.
Rosalyn Myles, Of Course We’re Angry, 2020
June Edmonds, June Haul print collaboration with El Nopal Press
Why now?
transformative arts focuses exclusively on building relationships between artists and communities to address the urgent needs of the moment including the rise of autocratic governance and the return of fascism and tyranny.
We aren’t looking for self-congratulatory, singular exhibitions and installations that show we worked in a community. Instead, our work builds, solidifies and amplifies relationships with community. These projects and art works are beacons that demonstrate how and why collaboration is vital to sustainable community strength through visual literacy.
Miguel Rosario, Tarot
D Sabela Grimes’ Sirius Shape Shifters performance of Parable of Portals
What We Believe
Our vision is the aspiration for shared ownership in celebratory, protective and creative visual language that builds from one community to the next, forming intersecting relationships between creative intentions, content and cultures.
The work we do in our communities is for our communities. We are committed to imprinting the narratives (past and present) of people whose lives, labor and history are often forgotten in the rush of modern life. We recognize that sharing these individual and collective stories through visual language is where our work matters most.
All workshops and activations are free, open to the public and available on a first-come first-serve basis.
Consulting Services
Recognizing that the principals of transformative arts have a collective century of arts and community expertise, we offer consulting and curatorial services for a fee. These include:
full exhibition curation
intersectional art historical and cultural research
community engagement
immersive arts education
equity and collections management
To inquire about this work and other questions about transformative arts, use the subscribe box to contact us!
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transformative arts (a US nonprofit 501 c 3)
builds visual literacy through localized
art making
initiatives that support communities,
artists in order to strengthen
cooperation and social engagement.
Still image: Manuel Lopez by Monica Nouwens