LA Commons

Artist Job Opportunity

Artists at Work to Promote Healthy Communities in South LA

​

LA Commons is excited to take part in Artists at Work (AAW), a workforce resilience program designed to support the rebuilding of healthy communities through artistic civic engagement. AAW is an idea inspired by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and founded by THE OFFICE performing arts + film with an initial pilot in Wester Massachusetts in 2020. Following that success, AAW was recently awarded $3M by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to expand its program in other parts of the country, starting in Los Angeles County in Fall 2021. More information can be found at artists-at-work.org.

​

Artists At Work will:

• Provide a salary, plus full health benefits and professional development resources directly to participating artists.  For a period of 12-months, each participating artist will receive a living wage salary of $36,205 (calculated using the MIT Living Wage Calculator for the region less medical expenses).

• Provide financial support to participating local cultural organizations 

• Connect both to the work of local social impact initiatives in areas such as antiracism, justice reform, sustainability and equitable development, health, economy, homelessness and housing, child welfare, worker's rights, and immigrant rights. It is designed to impact the whole ecosystem of a community. 

​

LA Commons works to engage communities in the creation of art for public spaces that tells their unique stories and serves as the basis for dialogue, interaction and a shared understanding of Los Angeles. At the foundation of our work is a desire to further opportunity for everyone, recognizing that communities require support to make their places more just, healthy and livable. Through collaboration with local partners who have built deep wells of trust, we leverage art and cultural approaches to create positive change. Since our founding 20 years ago, our work across LA with largely Black, Latinx and immigrant neighborhoods has highlighted important local narratives and empowered youth to lead alongside their elders.

​

As part of AAW, LA Commons will partner with local social impact organizations to engage two artists to support our work to develop Healthy Culture Hubs in South Los Angeles aimed at uplifting cultural vitality as a force of healing and resilience for individuals and communities. For example, in the Leimert Park Healthy Culture Hub, the heart of African American Los Angeles, our key programming centers on Day of the Ancestors: Festival of Masks, a community wide celebration on the last Sunday in June to honor those that have gone before and celebrate the connection to the African Diaspora.  Our goal is that the deep community engagement leading up to the Festival over several months in arts interventions, workshops and events will ultimately inspire cultural practices that promote wellness and improve health outcomes.

​

We welcome artists interested in the connection between arts, culture and healing to apply to be part of our AAW program.  Artists in a variety of disciplines are encouraged to apply, especially visual, performing, multimedia and culturally connected healing artists. The artists will contribute to our South LA Healthy Culture Hub initiative that engages local artists and community members to uplift cultures and cultural strategies for healing. Applications will be reviewed by LA Commons and community members.

​

The selected artist will participate in the following ways: 

• Engage with their own creative practice and the creation of their work

• Be actively involved in designing and carrying out a social impact program in collaboration with our Healthy Culture Hub partners

• Keep a video, audio, or written journal and/or other documentation of the work created during participation and share this documentation bi-monthly, which could also include: 

  • Virtual and/or in-person field trips and interviews with local artists and culture bearers who incorporate cultural strategies for health and healing in their work​

  • Participation in research, design, creation of arts interventions, workshops or pop ups to engage community members in healing through cultural arts

  • Attend weekly check in LA Commons and other project partners 

  • Design, direct or create community engaged performance, installation, or visual art

  • Collaborate with community organizations to further arts interventions, presence, and engagement

​

2021 - 2022 Timeline

November: Artist Notification and Orientation 

Dec - Feb:   Residency begins and artist engaged in planning, research, and design

Mar - Oct:   Arts interventions, community engaged programing, art/performance creation 

June 26:      Day of the Ancestors: Festival of Masks at the Leimert Park Art Walk

Oct - Nov:   Reflection, Art Making, and Final Documentation 

​

To Apply

Proposals are due by 5 PM on Friday, October 22, 2021. The following information is requested: 

• Artist statement that clearly articulates a connection to South Los Angeles, values that align with our emphasis on art and culture as a vehicle for community healing and an approach to partnering with local organizations to create work that promotes health. Also please describe your art practice. 

• Current resume and contact information

• 5-7 Work Samples

​

Application link: https://bit.ly/2YseGQF

​

See a PDF of this artist job opportunity

​