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Cultural Politics

The arts have always been used to tackle difficult issues on a wide scale. From poetry that ignites millions to photography that captures injustices, artists are using their creativity to make space for the marginalized and give light to untold stories.

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A large-scale Light and Space artwork from Robert Irwin called "untitled (dawn to dusk.)" | Still from Artbound "Light & Space" ab s11
56:43
Robert Irwin, Larry Bell and Helen Pashgian explore perception, material and experience.
Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra on stage at Grand Park during a New Year's Eve celebration | Samantha Lee sls ep9 preview
59:12
Mekala Session and the "Ark" ring in the new year with a jazz music celebration.
Installation view of “Why Bring Me Flowers When I Am Dead? When You Had The Time To Do It When I Was Alive” by Jaklin Romine | Courtesy of Jaklin Romine
X-TRA’s “Artists and Rights” podcast rethinks what it means to be an artist in Los Angeles and explores what art can do. Here’s what we learned in some pivotal discussions.
USC Pacific Art Museum exterior | Courtesy of USC Pacific Art Museum exterior
Many museum collections were built on the imperialist and exploitative practices of collectors. University of Southern California Pacific Asia Museum is taking steps to rectify this problematic situation.
Beto RosSela makes his way into a SELA landscape. Paint a SELA landscape alongside him at the virtual fest. | Visual Eyes LA
For the community of Southeast Los Angeles, this homegrown arts festival and all of the people involved are a reminder to never give up and do it ourselves.
Berggruen Institute Campus Renderings | Courtesy of Herzog & De Meuron
Billionaire investor and philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen asks 'Do you really want to go back to “normal?”  Or would you rather build a new world that is fairer and kinder?'  
Adult art classes learning freehand brush strokes. | Dorothea Lange, War Relocation Authority Photographs of Japanese-American Evacuation and Resettlement / National Archives  ABs10 MMD
Creativity resides in all of us, but imagine if we actually nurtured it during the good times, in preparation to keep ourselves whole during the challenging ones.
LA County Department of Arts and Culture Organizational Grant Program grantee CONTRA-TIEMPO. | Courtesy of CONTRA-TIEMPO.
Board of Supervisors adopts a county-wide policy centered on diversity, inclusion and access.
A piece from Jake Sheiner’s "Scenes from my Quarantine," a series of 19 paintings completed from March 15 through May 1, 2020. The series is still on going as stay at home orders continue. All paintings are acrylic on 11x14 inch wood panels. Courtesy of
Whatever you want to call these times we’re living through, they are certainly historic. Four local institutions share with us their approach to archiving COVID-19.
Woman with raised fist amid teddy bears | Still from Southland Sessions S1 E1 Change(Makers)
56:46
Key cultural leaders from around Los Angeles gather to discuss the role of arts and culture in shaping the world’s future.
Julian Torres in mariachi outfit | Still from "Southland Sessions" S1 E3: Mariachi - from Romance to Resistance
52:22
Hosted by Mariachi musician Julian Torres, this episode explores the tradition of Mariachi music and its transformation through time and circumstance.
"NO CAGES, NO JAULAS" written in in the sky, contributed by Beatriz Cortez, over the Immigration Court on Olive Street | Dee Gonzalez, In Plain Sight
Art has the power to influence culture. Columnist Anuradha Vikram asks artists how they use or don’t use their creative practice in service of social causes.
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