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Image courtesy of the Arts Council for Long Beach.

The Arts Council for Long Beach, local Sewing Rebellion host Carole Frances Lung, and Road to the American Woman organizer Nicolassa Galvez will host the next Open Conversation event on Wednesday, May 31 from 5:30PM to 7:00PM at the Long Beach Playhouse Mainstage.

Socially engaged art will be the topic of Wednesday’s conversation, with the hosts “interested in exploring ways Long Beach artists work within the complex social issues and struggles of our time.”

For Rules of Engagement: Culture as a Weapon, Lung and Galvez have organized a networking activity from 5:30PM to 6:00PM, where attendees will be able to discover new ways to engage with their community through art. At 6:00PM, the program will begin where artists will talk about their work PechaKucha-style, meaning a presentation of 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each. Following the presentations, Lung and Galvez will open the room for dialogue.

Both Lung and Galvez have entered the arena of social issues by their own creative means. Lung, who describes herself as a “soft guerilla activist”, artist and academic, uses her alter ego, Frau Fiber, to critique today’s culture in regards to garment production and the “human cost of mass production and consumption.”

Galvez, a longtime arts advocate within the Long Beach community, embarked last year on a journey with local singer-songwriter Alyssandra Nighswonger across the country to “investigate the state of women in the United States.” Galvez is currently Art Director for Music Tastes Good.

“The people I get to spend my days with fuel a fire for genuine impact,” Galvez said in a statement. “And my understanding of the power of art to inspire, lead and enact change is becoming more clear.”

Last month’s Open Conversation took place at 4th Street Vine on Retro Row, where attendees discussed ways to make the city a better place for musicians. From changing permits and regulations to better accommodate performers, to creating an all-ages music venue in the city, the public provided input aplenty for the city, and Second District Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce to consider.


 

For more information and to RSVP to Rules of Engagement: Culture as a Weapon, visit the Eventbrite link here

The Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 East Anaheim Street.

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Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].