In celebration of the summer solstice, join us for our next River Session on June 22nd! This mini arts festival will take place along the LA River, on the greenway by the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom- an amphitheater surrounded by rewilded native landscaping. It will showcase creative work from our communities around the topics of restoration, ecology, healing, climate change, the environment and social justice.

The afternoon will begin with hands-on workshops and various displays of local art, and end with the performance Reflections: How Does it Feel?, featuring a curated ensemble of spoken word artists, musicians and dancers, produced by Nancy Lynée Woo and Ann Wellman of the Long Beach Community Theater. Reflections is a community art performance featuring poetry, music, storytelling and dance inspired by the LA River, climate change and ecology. This program is presented as a part of the California Creative Corps project.

We are calling it “Reflections” because our reflection is our connection. The LA River is both a metaphor and a literal indicator of our own health and self-awareness. What do you see when you look into the water? What do we find when we reflect upon our relationship with our environments, ourselves, and each other? We are excited to present pieces that explore the connections between the physical land and inner emotional landscapes.

Featuring:

Poetry by Myrna Aguilar, Karo Ska, Heather Pease, Franceli Chapman, SoulStuf, Carlos Ornelas, Audrey Harris and Amanee Izhaq

Storytelling by Vicki Juditz

Music by Jesse Soriano and Acoustic Librarian

Dance by Elizabeth Estrada, Liz Cartojano and Lauren Jose

Attendees will also receive a free copy of the Reflections zine, featuring 31 different local LA artists and writers.

This River Session was co-curated with 11:11 Projects, and funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency. Special thanks to the Arts Council for Long Beach for their support.

ASL and language translation services are available upon request. Please contact nancywoowriter@gmail.com for accommodations

RSVP and come welcome summer with us at the river!