Liz Ohanesian
Liz Ohanesian writes about art, pop culture, music and, sometimes, a combination of the three. Her work has appeared in L.A. Weekly, Los Angeles Magazine, Hi-Fructose and a number of other publications. She lives in Los Angeles.
Dr. Maja Mataric is a robotics powerhouse whose robots will be useful to the healthcare field and have the potential to provide social interaction for patients with different needs.
Today, Baskin-Robbins is nearly ubiquitous, with ice cream shops found everywhere from Canada to Colombia, the United Kingdom to Korea. Yet, the roots of this globally dominant brand run deep in suburban Los Angeles.
Today, Adam Steltzner is a renowned engineer with NASA JPL. His contributions helped the Curiosity rover successfully land on Mars in 2012 and he is currently the chief engineer for the Mars 2020 project.
Punk. Hip-hop. Cumbia. The sounds of Los Angeles — indeed, the sounds of the world — have influenced Buyepongo. This local band takes those disparate influences and lets them simmer together to make music that doesn't stick to one genre.
Music and activism are deeply intertwined. From spirituals of the slavery era to the pro-peace anthems of the Vietnam War period to Green Day's "American Idiot" to Beyonce's "Lemonade," these songs reflect the issues of the eras that gave birth to them.
The L.A.-based singer-songwriter who earned viral fame with a performance of her song "Quiet" uses songs to delve into her artistic struggle and finds the light with the help of her audience.
There's the Low Leaf that records albums and plays live, often with a band now, and the artist who uses her musical gifts for therapeutic purposes.
Blacc refers to himself as an "artivist," a portmanteau of the words artist and activist. From early in his career, he has been writing songs that point to struggles in the world and and has been involved with various causes.
"Carne y Arena" is an immersive installation from Academy Award-winning director Alejandro Iñárritu that puts the viewer in a story about human bodies crammed into vehicles and transported across borders — journeys with no guarantees of a safe arrival.
Low Leaf emerged from Los Angeles's famed beat scene as a do-it-yourself artist with a clear vision of spiritual and cultural exploration that extends far beyond her soulful vocals and ethereal beats.
In the summer of 2013, Aloe Blacc's voice was inescapable. His hit song "Wake Me Up," wasn't just Blacc's big break in the U.S., it was a worldwide sensation and a song that's been recast to tell other people's journeys.
Indonesia, the U.S., Colombia, Ghana are just some of the countries whose music has inspired Buyepongo.