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Active Cultures

@activeculturesla

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LA-based arts org that explores the intersection of art, food, and ecologies.
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We are hiring a Programs Manager to join our team in January 2027! The Programs Manager is a new hybrid role based in Los Angeles. Working closely with our Executive Director, Curator, and Director of Communications and Operations, the Programs Manager leads the production and logistics of our artistic program as well as member and special events, from run of show and set-up to vendor coordination, artist travel, and volunteer management. The role requires on-site presence for programs, including some evenings and weekends. Applications are due November 9. Full job description, including compensation and benefits, and link to apply in our bio. Please share widely with those who may be interested! taken in Los Angeles, California by @activeculturesla
5
17 hours ago
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Active Cultures presents Bajo la Huerta (Beneath the Orchard), a newly commissioned performance lecture by Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist Eva Aguila that traces the hidden costs of the avocado trade, asking what it means to eat an avocado from Mexico. Led by personal research conducted by Aguila in her family’s home state of Michoacán, the work blends video, sound, and image to follow the fruit from its prehistoric dispersal by giant ground sloths, through the USDA agricultural explorers who carried it north, to the archaeological site of Tingambato in the heart of Michoacán’s avocado belt, where roughly 90 hectares of orchards now cover ancient ruins. From there it traces the accidental propagation of the Hass cultivar by a Southern California mailman into its present life as a global commodity. Drawing on interviews with scientists and researchers across the region, Aguila returns to Michoacán, where US demand for the crop has led to compounded harms across natural ecosystems and community life. Saturday, November 7: doors 7 PM, program 7:30 PM Sunday, November 8: doors 2 PM, program 2:30 PM 2220 Arts + Archives, 2220 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles Tickets at the link in bio! 🥑 — Bajo la Huerta is a commission of Active Cultures. Major support provided by the Angeles Art Fund and Teiger Foundation. — Images: Slides 1 and 2: Figure 3, Satellite image and area covered by LiDAR, from “Avocado Cultivation in Michoacan and Archaeological Heritage: Application of LiDAR in Tingambato, Mexico” by Dr. José Luis Punzo Díaz. Slide 3: Figure 4 from “Avocado Cultivation in Michoacan and Archaeological Heritage: Application of LiDAR in Tingambato, Mexico” by Dr. José Luis Punzo Díaz. taken in 2220 Arts + Archives by @activeculturesla
6
3 days ago
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FOOD: A Convening has come and gone, and we’re so grateful for everyone who joined us! Over two days, artists, cooks, farmers, writers, and organizers gathered to examine food as medium, system, archive, and territory through panels, performances, workshops, and shared meals. We were so thrilled to see people lean into all the conversations, find each other between sessions, and leave with new connections as much as new ideas. Thank you to Eva Aguila, Heidi Ross, Sita Bhaumik Kuratomi, Adobo-Fish-Sauce, Aaron Tupac, Jack Forinash, Jean Trinh, Martin Draluck, Ginny Hwang, Nadia Barhoum, and mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy for sharing your work. Thank you to Cocina Colaboratorio for bringing it all together through the artist project ‘Mesa Migrante,’ and to Nicolas Maldonado and Susana Pineda for a wonderful Living Earth set to close us out. Thank you to the senses coffee project, Gerardo Gonzalez, and Eden Batki for keeping us caffeinated and fed, and to the Philosophical Research Society and the Feminist Center for Creative Work for hosting us. More from the convening soon. Sign up for our newsletter at the link in bio to hear what’s next! Photos by @hrdwrker — FOOD: A Convening is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, with the generous support of Sarah and Joel McHale, Kim and Keith Allen-Niesen, Betsy Greenberg and Steve NyBlom, and Joaquín Vargas M. In-kind support is provided by the Kimpton Everly Hotel, RG|MX, and William Grant & Sons. taken in The Philosophical Research Society by @activeculturesla
5
7 days ago
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Active Cultures is thrilled to announce Bajo la Huerta, a new commission by Eva Aguila, premiering November 7 and 8 at 2220 Arts + Archives. Save the date! 🥑 Eva Aguila is a Los Angeles–based interdisciplinary artist whose practice centers on oral histories of the Mexican diaspora, with a particular focus on her ancestral communities in rural Michoacán. Her research-driven work draws on personal archives and the materiality of memory, working across video, sound, and installation. Her upcoming performance lecture uses the avocado as a lens through which to explore colonial extraction and global commodification. More details are coming next week. Thank you to the Angeles Art Fund for its support of this project and Eva’s research! — Photo by Amina Cruz. Performance documentation from Redrawing the Rancho by homeLA in partnership with La Puente Valley Historical Society. @evaguila @2220arts taken in 2220 Arts + Archives by @activeculturesla
6
8 days ago
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This Friday, September 25 ✨ Starting at 9:30AM senses coffee project will be serving coffee and beverages to begin the day of panels, presentations, workshops, and a shared meal at FOOD: A Convening. Swipe through for a menu reveal ➝➝➝ We can’t wait to see you there! Register at the link in bio. —— FOOD: A Convening September 25, 2026 at the Philosophical Research Society —— Photo by Johny Muench (slide 1); photo by Saon Kashem (slide 3) — FOOD: A Convening is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, with the generous support of Sarah and Joel McHale, Kim and Keith Allen-Niesen, Betsy Greenberg and Steve NyBlom, and Joaquín Vargas M. In-kind support is provided by the Kimpton Everly Hotel, RG|MX, and William Grant & Sons. taken in The Philosophical Research Society by @activeculturesla
9
24 days ago
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Who has the right to land, to food, to knowledge? For TERRITORY, we look at what it means to reclaim those rights not as a concept, but as ongoing, daily work. Presentation by Vincent Medina & Louis Trevino (mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy.) FOOD: A Convening September 25, 2026 at the Philosophical Research Society Tickets at the link in bio! — FOOD: A Convening is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, with the generous support of Sarah and Joel McHale, Kim and Keith Allen-Niesen, Betsy Greenberg and Steve NyBlom, and Joaquín Vargas M. In-kind support is provided by the Kimpton Everly Hotel, RG|MX, and William Grant & Sons. taken in The Philosophical Research Society by @activeculturesla
6
a month ago
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✨ Call for Volunteers! ✨ We’re looking for (paid!) volunteers for FOOD: A Convening on September 25. No experience required, just a willingness to pitch in! The day brings together artists, cooks, farmers, writers, and organizers working at the intersection of food, art, and ecologies across two days of performance, presentation, workshop, and shared meals. Interested? Send a DM, or email us at ac@active-cultures.org! —— Image: Meech Boakye: Sunstead, June 20, 2026. Hosted in partnership with the Audubon Center at Debs Park. Photo by Yemi Seyi. taken in Los Angeles, California by @activeculturesla
7
a month ago
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What does food remember, and what does it allow us to remember? For ARCHIVE, we consider what happens to this knowledge when communities are displaced and cultural traditions are interrupted. A panel moderated by Jean Trinh, with Nadia Barhoum (Thurayya), Martin Draluck (Black Pot Supper Club), and Ginny Hwang (SSI YA GI). Followed by a self-guided breakout session. FOOD: A Convening September 25, 2026 at the Philosophical Research Society Tickets at the link in bio! —— Photo of Jean Trinh by Mandee Johnson — FOOD: A Convening is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, with the generous support of Sarah and Joel McHale, Kim and Keith Allen-Niesen, Betsy Greenberg and Steve NyBlom, and Joaquín Vargas M. In-kind support is provided by the Kimpton Everly Hotel, RG|MX, and William Grant & Sons. taken in The Philosophical Research Society by @activeculturesla
24
a month ago
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Our shared meal during FOOD: A Convening will be prepared by Gerardo Gonzalez, Culinary Director of Salmon Creek Farm in Mendocino, California. His work spans restaurants, hospitality, wellness, retreats, and cultural programming, with an approach to food rooted in seasonality, nutrition, and a strong sense of place. Over the course of his career, he has developed culinary programs and experiences in New York, the Caribbean, and California, exploring how food can shape gathering, community, and our relationship to the environments around us. At Salmon Creek Farm, Gonzalez leads culinary programming that draws from the farm and surrounding landscape, bringing together local sourcing, thoughtful nutrition, and communal dining. His broader practice considers food not only as nourishment, but as a way of creating connection, culture, and meaningful shared experiences. FOOD: A Convening September 25, 2026 at the Philosophical Research Society Tickets at the link in bio! — FOOD: A Convening is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, with the generous support of Sarah and Joel McHale, Kim and Keith Allen-Niesen, Betsy Greenberg and Steve NyBlom, and Joaquín Vargas M. In-kind support is provided by the Kimpton Everly Hotel, RG|MX, and William Grant & Sons. taken in The Philosophical Research Society by @activeculturesla
3
a month ago
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Food connects us to the living systems we depend on. What happens when those systems fail? For FOOD AS SYSTEM, we look at how fungal networks and rural communities are reshaping food infrastructure from within. Workshop led by Aaron Tupac (Exploring the Mycoverse). Presentation by Jack Forinash (Blue Sky Center). FOOD: A Convening September 25, 2026 at the Philosophical Research Society Tickets at the link in bio! —— Photo of Jack Forinash by Noé Montes Photo of Aaron Tupac by lola @chicawithbees — FOOD: A Convening is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, with the generous support of Sarah and Joel McHale, Kim and Keith Allen-Niesen, Betsy Greenberg and Steve NyBlom, and Joaquín Vargas M. In-kind support is provided by the Kimpton Everly Hotel, RG|MX, and William Grant & Sons. taken in The Philosophical Research Society by @activeculturesla
7
a month ago
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Cocina Colaboratorio: Mesa Migrante explores how territories continue to live through migration, by “making-kitchen” in spaces that help sustain the biocultural networks from abroad. Centered around the collective unpacking of a package sent from Santo Domingo Tomaltepec, Oaxaca, participants are invited to encounter ingredients, seeds, recipes, stories, and forms of knowledge that have traveled across geographies and generations. Through setting a table, cooking, and holding conversation, and reflection, the gathering asks: Can we care for a territory from a distance? What travels when people migrate, and what can return? And also, what has been displaced, is not allowed to enter, and what has been forgotten? Mesa Migrante is a commission of Active Cultures, first presented with @lago_algo in Mexico City in February 2026. Its Los Angeles chapter comes to the @feministcenterforcreativework as part of FOOD: A Convening, a two-day conference examining food as medium, system, archive, and territory. September 26, 2026 11 AM - 2PM at the @feministcenterforcreativework Tickets at the link in bio! ——— Photo by Rubèn Garay. — FOOD: A Convening is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, with the generous support of Sarah and Joel McHale, Kim and Keith Allen-Niesen, Betsy Greenberg and Steve NyBlom, and Joaquín Vargas M. In-kind support is provided by the Kimpton Everly Hotel, RG|MX, and William Grant & Sons. taken in Feminist Center for Creative Work by @activeculturesla
5
a month ago
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What happens when food is not the subject of art, but the material of it? For our first theme, MEDIUM, we ask what political and cultural encounters become possible when food itself is the material of the work, encounters other materials cannot stage. A panel moderated by Nanette Orly, with Eva Aguila, Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik (People’s Kitchen Collective), and Heidi Ross. Performance by Adobo-Fish-Sauce. FOOD: A Convening September 25, 2026 at the Philosophical Research Society Tickets at the link in bio! —— Photo of Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik by Lara Kaur. — FOOD: A Convening is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, with the generous support of Sarah and Joel McHale, Kim and Keith Allen-Niesen, Betsy Greenberg and Steve NyBlom, and Joaquín Vargas M. In-kind support is provided by the Kimpton Everly Hotel, RG|MX, and William Grant & Sons. taken in The Philosophical Research Society by @activeculturesla
14
2 months ago
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