WE CAN

A social practice project with the Los Feliz Charter School for the Arts (LFCSA) students

We Can was a 3-month social practice residency that took place in March-June, 2019 with 5-12 year old students at Los Feliz Charter School for the Arts (LFCSA). This project emphasized the importance of shared art making and active contribution.

Taking inspiration from my artistic process, we created several communal weavings and a life size abstract sculpture made of recycled and non-traditional materials such as fabrics, shredded paintings, wire, yarn, and other discarded items. Weaving through the amalgamated sources, which were donated by the parents of the LFCSA students, the materials transformed into an extended community. The project took form in several stages, implementing various artistic and experimental methods. We Can was an exercise in examining the roles people play in society and materiality in art that attempts to expand the notions of time, space, process, and participation.

Studies have shown that when people are given the platform to collaborate with one another in communities, they can be powerful forces for change.  Creating positive interpersonal interactions is the first step into building relationships necessary to thrive.