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AC and Now Instant present Seeds, a three-part cin AC and Now Instant present Seeds, a three-part cinematic meditation on new beginnings, hidden power, and pivotal transformation.  The series begins with Jumana Manna's Wild Relatives (2018), tracing the intricate journey of seed distribution from Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley to the global seed vault in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.  The program is followed by a discussion with Nina Raj, founder and steward of Altadena Seed Library, as we talk about seed banking, the importance of biodiversity, and the vital role our community plays in restoring local ecosystems. In lieu of purchasing a ticket for the screening, we are asking all attendees to make a donation to @thesameerproject. This Palestinian-led initiative is dedicated to providing tents, medical aid, and clean water to displaced families in Gaza, while operating community kitchens to feed those in need. A donation receipt is required for entry, though because capacity is limited, RSVPs are required as well. 🌱 To learn more about The Sameer Project and to donate, visit our link in bio. 🌱 To RSVP for this event, visit our link in bio @jumanamanna @now_instant @altadenaseedlibrary @ninaraj
Announcing the Active Cultures Book Club! 📚 Th Announcing the Active Cultures Book Club! 📚 The series invites our community to engage with texts that delve into the interconnectedness of art, food, and ecologies through collective reading and conversation. Guided by Curator Nanette Orly (@nanettekorly ), the bi-monthly book club provides an open and welcoming platform for critical thinking and discussion. Bi-monthly meetings will be held on the first Saturday of the month, starting September, in various parks, gardens, and public spaces throughout Los Angeles. Registration is free and open to all.  🪴 Sign up at the link in bio to learn more and to receive Book Club communications.
We’re still glowing from our Summer Solstice eve We’re still glowing from our Summer Solstice event held at the Audubon Center at Debs Park! As ever, we’re so thankful for all the artists and friends who made this program possible, and to our community for showing up. The program featured a collaborative meal by chef Jihee Kim of Perilla LA and artist Eva Aguila; a new performance by Olive Kimoto, a self-guided plant walk design by Andrea Jimenez of Herb Club LA, and a compost offering by Cassandra Marketos, which transformed the organic remnants from our communal meal into a space for personal reflection and release.  A special thank you to our friends at Living Earth for providing an ambient backdrop of solar soundscapes throughout the evening. @evaguila @cjihee_kim @_perilla.la @olivekimoto @herbclub_la @oof_dre @cassmarketos @livingearth.la @audubon_debspark Support for Summer Solstice was provided by William Grant & Sons. Special thanks to The Audubon Center for their enduring partnership. Summer Solstice, 2025, featuring Eva Aguila, Herb Club LA, Living Earth, Jihee Kim, Olive Kimoto, and Cassandra Marketos at the Audubon Center at Debs Park. Photos by John Jay (@johnjay.img ). Courtesy of the artists and Active Cultures.
Welcome Sophie Garrigus, our Getty Marrow Curatori Welcome Sophie Garrigus, our Getty Marrow Curatorial Intern for this summer ☀️ Sophie (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary performer and writer from Los Angeles. She is excited to return home this summer after graduating from Harvard College, where, through her History & Literature degree, she built an interdisciplinary toolkit in art historical analysis, feminist anthropology, environmental history methodology, and working with archival material. Sophie is passionate about understanding human-nature relationships in Los Angeles through the environmental humanities, with experience interning at the public space non-profit Investing in Place and writing on the history of LA’s urban forest. She is honored to support and learn from the work of Active Cultures this summer, and we’re thrilled to have her join the team!
AC stands with the people of LA in opposition to t AC stands with the people of LA in opposition to the recent ICE raids and military presence in our city. We believe the role of arts organizations is to provide a space to find community, solace, mutual care, and nourishment in this heavy and uncertain time. Our Summer Solstice gathering offers new works and gestures by artists exploring the concept of ritual, both traditional and contemporary, that honor the seasonal transition and the spirit, as well as a prayer for a better collective future. The program features a live performance by Olive Kimoto, a self-led plant walk through Debs Park designed by Andrea Jimenez of Herb Club LA, and a compost performance by Cassandra Marketos. Our friends at Living Earth will provide an ambient backdrop of durational solar soundscapes. ☀️ Olive Kimoto is a multidisciplinary artist building portals across sound, sculpture, and performance to explore memory, ecology, and the sacred in a post-digital world. Her practice bridges the ancient and the futuristic, the personal and the collective—crafting spaces where grief, ritual, and technology weave new mythologies. ☀️ Cassandra Marketos is an LA-based compost artist, writer, and community volunteer. She works in her neighborhood to divert food waste from landfills, build and maintain composts with neighbors, and educate students on decay. ☀️ Andrea Jimenez is a community-focused herbalist, naturalist, and visual storyteller. As the founder of Herb Club LA, she engages participants in workshops and events emphasizing herbal medicine, wellness, and land stewardship. Growing up as a first-generation immigrant of Native American descent, Andrea is deeply committed to honoring Indigenous traditions and promoting natural ways of living. More about the program, artists, and tickets at the link in bio! 🎫 @evaguila @cjihee_kim @_perilla.la @olivekimoto @herbclub_la @oof_dre @cassmarketos @livingearth.la @audubon_debspark Support for Summer Solstice is provided by William Grant & Sons. Special thanks to The Audubon Center for their enduring partnership.
We can't wait to see you at Summer Solstice, an ar We can't wait to see you at Summer Solstice, an artist-led evening celebrating the longest day of the year ☀️ Featured at this celebration is a communal picnic envisioned by chef Jihee Kim of Perilla LA, platforming seasonal banchan and Korean fermenting practices using local produce, and artist Eva Aguila, whose work spans video, sound, and installation, with a focus on foodways and the histories of the Mexican diaspora. Their collaborative summer menu merges Korean and Mexican culinary traditions, emphasizing shared ingredients and harvesting practices. ☀️ Eva Aguila is a Mexican American interdisciplinary artist and organizer. Her work centers on oral histories of the Mexican diaspora and her ancestral ties to rural Michoacán, exploring memory, ephemerality, and Indigenous Futurism through time-based media. She is also the co-founder and Board President of Coaxial Arts Foundation, an artist-run nonprofit dedicated to experimental sound, video, and performance. ☀️ Jihee Kim is the chef and owner of Perilla LA, a neighborhood banchan shop that blends Korean culinary traditions with local Californian produce. Her culinary journey began in Busan, South Korea, where she grew up immersed in the flavors and techniques of her family's restaurant, founded by her grandmother nearly four decades ago. More about the program, artists, and tickets at the link in bio! 🎫 @evaguila @cjihee_kim @_perilla.la @olivekimoto @herbclub_la @oof_dre @cassmarketos @livingearth.la @audubon_debspark Support for Summer Solstice is provided by William Grant & Sons. Special thanks to The Audubon Center for their enduring partnership.

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