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Destiny Solis < Back Stuck By Destiny Solis I am stuck in this grove nowhere to go Surrounded by the ones who I adore But I still feel cold like so Life doesn’t tailor I sit here feeling this aglow But for some reason that doesn’t satisfy my fervor I am still stuck in this slum of sorrow Smile and stare at my sage beauty But if only they know how it felt Being stuck in a loop of continuity Wondering why no one has come to help I miss the laughs and smiles Now all I hear are the roars For now, I will wait awhile Pinsha my dashing liberator I finally feel the sun within Previous Next

Brandon Kim < Back October 18th, 2020 By Brandon Kim The last time I touched this journal was three weeks ago. You see, since I was so preoccupied with the cruel yearly abscission, I simply could not be bothered to put everything aside to update my own journal. My maple leaf siblings and I all were carefully administered by the tree we grew on throughout our entire lives. We lived almost leisurely, but there is always a catch to everything that seems too good to be true. It would never have come to my mind that we would all be abandoned by the very maple tree that supported us when resources began to run short. I have chosen to move past the decision of being left behind to die on the concrete sidewalk instead of sulking about the decision that was made. I should have seen it coming from a mile away, but I did not know any better a few months ago. In the previous months, I remember clinging onto the maple tree that gave me life, only looking down and waiting for my impending doom that would soon arrive. Every fall, hundreds of us maple leaves would be left behind and abandoned without a moment of hesitation as a means to conserve resources and survive the harsh, cold winter. The process would repeat itself every year; no matter how strongly connected the leaves were with the heartless maple tree, they were always cut off selfishly. Our hard work to gather resources for the tree would be disregarded every time. After each harsh winter ended, the remaining leaves that somehow managed to live through the winter despite being left on the ground continued to rot. It would only be a matter of time before all the leaves wholly decomposed. Some continue to sulk about the tree’s unsympathetic and cruel methods of taking all the resources for itself, and the rest just were not able to make it through the winter or were moved to a completely different location in the cold gusts of wind. I feel betrayed rather than depressed as I lie here on the cold sidewalk. We are ultimately used and given special treatment only for a certain amount of time, and it feels that all of our hard work was for nothing. Our existence as maple leaves is an enormous contribution to why the very tree that abandoned us is standing there to this day. Now our only option is to watch the new maple leaves grow in our place, not knowing what they are in for, as we continue to slowly rot away on the pavement with the maple tree’s back turned to us. Previous Next

Water Gold Soil < Back Debra Scacco Water Gold Soil May 14 - August 21, 2022 1/1 Previous Next Contemporary artist and curator Debra Scacco investigates the impact of policy, infrastructure, and societal perception on the human condition. Scacco’s interdisciplinary research-based practice is driven by the idea that everything is a line. Her work considers how lines including rivers, freeways and arbitrary political boundaries create the hierarchies under which we live. Inspired by Susannah Sayler and Edward Morris’s book Water Gold Soil: The American River , Scacco’s exhibition retraces the history and importance of water resources in California. Water Gold Soil is an investigation of the aqueduct system and damming in California. Through works based on the Colorado River, Los Angeles, and California Aqueducts this exhibition calls attention to the landscapes and communities most affected by extreme water extraction. Scacco’s projects are born at the intersection of community, lineage, and ecology. Coming from a family of Sicilian and Southern Italian immigrants, Scacco explains, “my interest in these lines lies in my own immigrant history: in trying to understand the complicated shape of my own family, and the thousands of miles that separate us.” In this way, Scacco’s practice underscores historically undocumented lines that are often unarchived and are sometimes altogether silenced. Whether it be lines of lineage, passage, or policy, Scacco examines the historical circumstances under which these lines come to exist. Water Gold Soil interrogates the strategic structures of power that encourage the extraction of natural resources to extinction. Ultimately, she challenges viewers to contest and question these structures of permission with the aim of conveying a more accurate representation of truths and complexities of the past, and how these impact current day ecological challenges, understanding and stewardship. Debra Scacco was born in Staten Island, New York and currently lives and works in Los Angeles. Scacco is Founding Director of climate-focussed creative research program Air, Co-Director of Getty Pacific Standard Time project Brackish Water Los Angeles, and Co-Founder of art worker trade cooperative Contemporary Art League. She frequently teaches research-led interdisciplinary courses that connect with her extensive research on water and infrastructure. Sites of public works include LAX Airport, Los Angeles State Historic Park, Art-in-Residence (Lancaster), and Olive View Restorative Care Village (forthcoming). Collections include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Hammer Museum, and the Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

Elana MannBellows and QuakesThrough sculpture, sound, and community engagement, the artwork of artist Elana Mann explores the power of the collective voice and the politics of listening. Mann’s sculptures, resembling the horns and rattles prominent in musical instruments, serve to create, amplify, and embody sound. < Back Elana Mann, Unidentified Bright Objects Elana Mann, Bans Off Our Bodies Elana Mann, Bans Off Our Bodies Elana Mann, Unidentified Bright Objects 1/4 Elana Mann Bellows and Quakes Through sculpture, sound, and community engagement, the artwork of artist Elana Mann explores the power of the collective voice and the politics of listening. Mann’s sculptures, resembling the horns and rattles prominent in musical instruments, serve to create, amplify, and embody sound. The physical creation of sound and of hearing itself is an intangible discourse that is visualized through her artworks. For Mann, the act of listening can be a catalyst for social change. Her sonic sculptures, street protests and performances in galleries and museums produce a collective voice to enable social activism. These works generate a sonic link between art practice and civic action, providing visible symbology to connect the ephemeral and material power of sound. Previous Next

Renee Odoi < Back The Fern Plant By Renee Odoi I sat there day in and day out Looking and observing quietly The wind, my dear friend Oh, how you moved me The sun, my first love Oh, how you warmed me I sat there each day I sat there, and you all still came The blackness is near And yet I shall not fear I sat there day in and day out. Waiting for my time Oh, those shadowy creatures Once my true enemy Why must you wait Why must to stay I sat there each day Yet you still came Ripping out the vibrant one Cowardly waiting for my end Yet I do not fear I sat there day in and day out My memories stay flashing back The life I have lived The life I once lived My time has come The fire approaches Yet I do not fear Three Two One Done My life is now done Previous Next

< Back to ACTIVATION 1/1 Paul Stephen Benjamin Oh Say January 22 - April 17, 2022 “If the color black had a sound, what would it be?” This is one of many questions that conceptual artist Paul Stephen Benjamin explores in his multidisciplinary art practice. Through sights, sounds, and material, Benjamin explores the color black as a way to introduce and discuss different social perspectives. While visually understated, his work serves as an introduction to a broader and multifaceted conversation about race and identity. Benjamin states, “I work hard to make sure my work is not in your face,” noting that this aesthetic subtlety lends itself to a more critical and analytical approach to viewing his work. “Oh Say” (Remix) is a video installation that presents a compilation of various African American artists and their performances of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Featured artists include Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, and Beyoncé, with performances that range from music festivals to sporting events. The performers are arranged in conjunction with imagery of the American flag and the faces of American presidents. The work blends past and present histories, bringing these timelines into the context of today. “Oh Say” (Remix) examines the complexities and nuances of racial identity in America, allowing Paul Stephen Benjamin’s depiction of blackness to present itself introspectively. There is a visual and sonic power that is carried throughout the duration of “Oh Say” (Remix). Each scene is dense with visual information, rendered in black and white. The auditory factor of the work grounds its narrative through the repetition and rhythmic pacing of each audio track. Each track builds and builds until it creates a haunting symphony of sound. These elements act as a compression of time and space, allowing multiple histories to speak simultaneously. Previous Next

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Kevin KowalskiSculptural LandscapesInspired by the natural word, artist Kevin Kowalski creates ceramic works that call to the visual landscapes around him. His travels and experience in clay provide the foundation for his creative process, allowing him to develop his skills in techniques such as mocha diffusion and many other decorative processes. < Back Kevin Kowalski, Sculptural Landscapes Kevin Kowalski, Sculptural Landscapes Kevin Kowalski, Sculptural Landscapes Kevin Kowalski, Sculptural Landscapes 1/3 Kevin Kowalski Sculptural Landscapes Inspired by the natural word, artist Kevin Kowalski creates ceramic works that call to the visual landscapes around him. His travels and experience in clay provide the foundation for his creative process, allowing him to develop his skills in techniques such as mocha diffusion and many other decorative processes. Kowalski’s series, Sculptural Landscapes , captures the beauty and chaos of industrial and natural processes. The surfaces of each vessel are texturally dense and entropic. Shards and outcroppings of clay appear from a smooth surface that itself is coated in a colorful and runny glaze, culminating into an abstract sculptural landscape. Utilizing a variety of different clays, glazes, found rocks, and the use of multiple flashing slips, the works are a visual amalgamation of a built landscape and organic environmental elements. Previous Next

SOUTH BOUND NORTH BOUND SR 138 (SR 14) at Avenue M Interchange Community Engagement Project Southbound | Northbound , led by artist Dani Dodge , is a community engagement project that will inform the public art program for the slated Avenue M Interchange updates. The goal of the project is to understand current values and perceptions by Antelope Valley residents; assess the their views of the local ecology and technological innovation in the region; and build a lexicon that will guide the project with the future in mind. Residents can participate by submitting their photography, poetry and/or completing a short thought survey using the links above. Avenue M serves as the boundary between Lancaster and Palmdale, mostly known for its access to the California Poppy Reserve and the aerospace industry that has become synonymous with the region itself. In recent years, the route has symbolized an ideological boundary separating the two cities known to residents as “the cactus curtain.” New leadership, however, has encouraged the dissipation of such boundaries between the two cities, making way for a new frontier filled with opportunities for civic engagement between Lancaster and Palmdale, unifying the region as a whole. This openness has led to the development of Southbound | Northbound — a community engagement project inspired by the southbound and northbound lanes leading to and from the respective cities. The Cities of Lancaster and Palmdale have partnered together to commission the creation of two public art sculptures located on the Avenue M interchange of the southbound and northbound freeway on and off-ramps. With the help of the community, the goal of the project is to create sculptures that reflect residents’ view of the Antelope Valley, its two Cities, and the relationship between the two through a series of surveys and activation projects. This community engagement art project is born out of the City of Lancaster’s Art in Public Places initiative, a city program dedicated to commissioning, preserving and expanding public art in the community. Through the creation of original public art placed throughout the region, the City of Lancaster seeks to foster meaningful dialogue, augment cultural awareness, and improve the quality of life of Antelope Valley residents. *Are you an artist interested in submitting a public art proposal? Click here for more information on how to submit a request for qualifications (RFQ ). About Dani Dodge Dani Dodge is an artist who focuses on interactive art installations and public engagement nationally and internationally, including projects in Ireland and Greece. Her work that engaged the public at 2015’s LA Pride was named one of the outstanding public art projects of the year by Americans for the Arts. Many of her works have been focused on and in the Antelope Valley. In 2017, she led imaginative public art events in Lancaster and Palmdale to engage the community in a dialogue about the personal and public spaces in which we live. These included a project at the L.A. County Library in Lancaster where participants told Dani their life stories in 3 minutes and she created a title for them that was placed into a card catalogue, and later made into a book. Another public art event was held at the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark in Palmdale. There participants wrote where they most wanted to travel to on paper, folded that paper into airplanes and flew through a painted horizon. The same year, her solo exhibition at MOAH:CEDAR invited people to write their childhood memories on wood blocks and hide them in a shoebox under a bed elevated from the ceiling. In 2019, she completed a yearlong residency in Lancaster’s Prime Desert Woodland Preserve that included monthly art activations. The art activations engaged the community in art projects such as illustrated haiku, cyanotype, and watercolor painting focused on the desert plants, animals and geologic features. Through her art, Dani works to create engagements that expand people’s understanding of themselves and their environment. Dani Dodge

< Back Before You Now Capturing the Self in Portraiture The Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH) is pleased to announce their latest exhibition Before You Now: Capturing the Self in Portraiture. The exhibition will be on view at MOAH from Saturday, January 25 to Sunday April 13, 2025. The opening reception for the exhibition will be held on Saturday, January 25 from 2 to 4 PM. Before You Now: Capturing the Self in Portraiture focuses on the enduring theme of the artist’s self-portrait, as seen in a selection of photographs, prints, drawings, and video art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The exhibition is an introduction to seeing artists as they see themselves – or as they want to be seen by their publics. Organized into seven categorical themes – Claiming, Crafting, Clowning, Convening, Conceptualizing, Camouflaging, and Concluding, the images in the exhibition showcase these artists’ fascination with self-portraiture and its ability to communicate an autobiographical narrative. This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in collaboration with the Riverside Art Museum, California State University, Northridge, Art Galleries; Lancaster Museum of Art and History; and Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College. Local Access is a series of American art exhibitions created through a multi-year, multi-institutional partnership formed by LACMA as part of the Art Bridges Cohort Program.

Virtual Tours Structure On display at MOAH October 2 -December 26, 2021 Exhibitions include solo exhibitions from HK Zamani , Cinta Vidal , Jim Richard , Kimberly Brooks , Chelsea Dean , Mela M , Matjames Metson , Stevie Love , and a MOAH Collections highlight of Coleen Sterritt . Take the Tour Summer 2021 Exhibitions On display at MOAH June 5 - September 5, 2021 Exhibitions include solo exhibitions from Cudra Clover and David Koeth , The NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center 75th Anniversary Exhibition , and a collaborative piece by Shelley Heffler Take the Tour Golden Hour: California Photography from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art On display at MOAH February 7 - May 9, 2021 In Golden Hour, over 70 artists and three photography collectives offer an aesthetic approach to understanding the complexities and histories of California. Take the Tour 35th Annual Juried Art Exhibition On display at MOAH:CEDAR May 23 - June 28, 2020 In this annual exhibition, artists of all ages and experience levels from around the Antelope Valley and the 5th Supervisorial District of Los Angeles County are welcomed to participate. Watch the Video Elyze Clifford Interpretive Center @ Prime Desert Woodland Preserve Tour created 2020 Visit the Elyze Clifford Interpretive Center and learn about the flora and fauna of the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve! Learn More about the Interpretive Center. Take the Tour

Emily Schneider < Back The White Rose and I By Emily Schneider Are we alike? I am not sure. Am I innocent and pure? Am I thoughtful and charming too? Do I have thorns that can do harm to you? I believe this varies from the others point of view, For some see me like this, and others say it’s not true. I like to smell like a rose, in a way, I use my perfume that’s called Rose every day. And just like a rose I grew pretty tall, With 5’7 I am really not small. And just like the rose I am not very loud, I am rather shy, but I do like a crowd. I enjoy being surrounded by family and friends, And I like to stay at a party until it ends. The sight of a rose evokes positive emotions in me, It makes me feel happy and peaceful and free. Optimism refueled, half full is my glass, I could watch them for hours and sit in the grass. It also awakens my romantic side, I might say, It reminds me of Romeo and Juliet, the play. Like a rose goes slowly from buds than to bloom, I grew from infant to teenager, and will become an adult soon. To grow the rose needs water, fertilizer and sun, Just like I need water, food, love and fun. If not well taken care of, it will not last very long, Just like with more support I can get very strong. The rose will more and more wither with time, And so will I as I get old after my prime. The beauty will fade and soon it will die, I hope it takes long until my final goodbye. So are we alike? I think in a few ways. It’s up to you to decide if you believe what it says. The white rose is as beautiful flower to be, And I am honored to compare it to me. Previous Next