• Home
  • About
  • Projects
  • Support

Contact

We’d love to hear from you! Please feel free to reach out to the team any time.

ac@active-cultures.org
Spend an evening with AC and Altadena Seed Library Spend an evening with AC and Altadena Seed Library as we come together for a hands-on volunteer workshop dedicated to nurturing native seeds for the community.  Together we’ll clean, sort, and label a variety of seeds to prepare them for community sharing, while learning simple seed-saving techniques and connecting with fellow seed enthusiasts. The workshop will be led by Nina Raj, founder of the Altadena Seed Library, who will share her knowledge and passion for seed stewardship and local biodiversity.  Seed snacks and herbal teas will be provided, and no experience is needed—all materials and guidance are included.  Come lend a hand, unwind after the day, and help Altadena Seed Library grow!  🌱 Space is limited! RSVP at the link in bio. @ninaraj @altadenaseedlibrary Images courtesy of Nina Raj, Altadena Seed Library.
Book Club returns next week! Join us Saturday, No Book Club returns next week! Join us Saturday, November 1 for our second session, discussing ‘Blockchain Chicken Farm: And Other Stories of Tech in China’s Countryside’ by Xiaowei Wang. You don’t have to finish the book (or even start it!) to take part — our Book Club newsletter shares articles, podcasts, and talking points around the theme so everyone can join the conversation. 📚 Sign up via the link in bio for full details ahead of each session. — The Active Cultures Book Club invites our community to engage with texts that delve into the interconnectedness of art, food, and ecologies through collective reading and conversation.
Over several years, Active Cultures has worked clo Over several years, Active Cultures has worked closely with artists Ami Lien and Enzo Camacho on projects that deepen a collective understanding of land, labor, and resistance in the Philippines. We are pleased to share their newly published Reclaiming the Land: Testimonies from a Community in Struggle in the Philippine Countryside, conversations with agrarian reform leaders in Negros that foreground the ongoing fight for land justice. The full interviews are available to read on our website as part of Langit Lupa. Read at the Link in Bio. — All accompanying images are by Enzo Camacho and Ami Lien. Enzo Camacho & Ami Lien: Langit Lupa (Heaven and Earth) was supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.
Join us for the second session of Active Cultures’ Book Club, where we’ll be discussing Blockchain Chicken Farm: And Other Stories of Tech in China’s Countryside (2020) by Xiaowei Wang. In the book, Xiaowei Wang explores how rural China has embraced and innovated technology, even shaping global tech. From pork farmers using AI to produce the perfect pig, to disruptive luxury counterfeits and the political intersections of e-commerce villages, the author connects globalization, technology, agriculture, and commerce. Blockchain Chicken Farm offers an original and probing exploration of innovation, connectivity, and collaboration within the digitized rural world. This insightful look is complemented by humorous “Sinofuturist” recipes, which frame meals as they undergo transformations through new technologies. The Book Club is free and open to all. Sign up to receive our Book Club newsletter, which include full location details prior to each session, at the link in bio! — The Active Cultures Book Club invites our community to engage with texts that delve into the interconnectedness of art, food, and ecologies through collective reading and conversation.
Last week we gathered for a screening of Jumana Ma Last week we gathered for a screening of Jumana Manna’s Wild Relatives, followed by a conversation between Nanette Orly and Nina Raj, founder and steward of the Altadena Seed Library. Together we discussed the implications of seed storage, the risks of institutional vaults and local community preservation systems, and traced the stories of seeds and movements of people and plants across borders—thinking about what it means to protect and share the knowledge that sustains us. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the first part of this film series. We can’t wait to see you at the second iteration of this series later this year 🌱 @jumanamanna @altadenaseedlibrary @ninaraj @nanettekorly @now_instant ——— Seeds is a three-part cinematic meditation on new beginnings, hidden power, and pivotal transformation presented by Active Cultures and Now Instant. This series is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
Scenes from our first Book Club meeting, hosted by Scenes from our first Book Club meeting, hosted by our friends @arlingtonpasadena in their Pomegranate Amphitheater. Thank you to everyone who joined! Together we spent the afternoon in conversation about Southern California’s citrus economy and the labor movements that emerged in the industry, and the legacies of these labor practices in the current day. Up next we’ll be reading Blockchain Chicken Farm: And Other Stories of Tech in China’s Countryside (2020) by Xiaowei Wang in November. 📚 For info about upcoming book selections as well as to receive Book Club emails, see the Link in Bio! —— The AC Book Club invites our community to engage with texts that delve into the interconnectedness of art, food, and ecologies through collective reading and conversation.

Follow Us

Keep in touch

@activeculturesla

Subscribe to Active Cultures

As a subscriber you will receive program announcements, online publications, as well as invitations to performances, meals, and public programs in Los Angeles.
As a subscriber you will receive program announcements, online publications, as well as invitations to performances, meals, and public programs in Los Angeles.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • About
  • Projects
  • Support
  • Contact
  • Instagram

Copyright © 2025 Active Cultures. All rights reserved.