Dear ICA LA Community,

It’s hard to believe that November is already upon us, but we have some fantastic programming in the month ahead that we can’t wait to share starting with Walk with Amal: Looking for Home. On Thursday, November 2, join Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl, on a First Amendments Rights march in the Arts District to draw attention to the rights of refugees, migrants, immigrants, the unhoused, and all who need a home. The march will begin at ICA LA and end with a puppet performance at Gladys Park in Skid Row, with stops along the way at Para Los Niños, The Row, and Inner City Arts.

Exhibition programming continues on Wednesday, November 8 with a lecture on Barbara T. Smith and ecofeminism by LAXART Director and Curator Catherine Taft, who contributed an essay on the subject to our forthcoming exhibition catalogue for Barbara T. Smith: Proof. Don’t miss this chance to spend time with the exhibition and to learn more about the work of Barbara T. Smith, who was also recently featured in the New York Times. On Friday, November 17, we are hosting Art Buzz—the perfect way to end your week with a happy hour cocktail and walkthrough of our fall exhibitions. We encourage you to come early if you want to catch one of the rehearsals in the Project Room, which will take place from 3-6pm as part of the Infinite Rehearsal. If you can’t make that Friday, join us on Wednesday, November 29 for a public presentation of a work-in-process by Infinite Rehearsal artist Jordan Slaffey tentatively titled Sad Ferocious Joy—a show about forgiveness. Read Steven Vargas' latest newsletter for the LA Times where he writes about Infinite Rehearsal, “The exhibition and its series of presentations make you think about what it means to be an artist, especially as a person of color, and the process it takes to get to the next show.”

Have a safe (and spooky) Halloweekend! 
Team ICA LA

Upcoming Programs

Walk with Amal: Looking for Home 
Thursday, November 2, 1-3pm, Off-site 
Walk from ICA LA to Gladys Park 

Walk with Amal is a global theater project featuring the 12-foot puppet Little Amal, a young Syrian refugee girl on an international search for her mother. In a free speech demonstration, the community will walk with Little Amal through the Arts District with a march themed “Looking for Home.” The march will begin at ICA LA and end at Gladys Park, with brief stops at Para Los Niños, The Row, and Inner City Arts. 

|  RSVP  |

Lecture: Catherine Taft on Barbara T. Smith & Ecofeminism
Wednesday, November 8, 7pm, In-person

Join us for a special lecture by Catherine Taft, Deputy Director and Curator at LAXART exploring how Barbara T. Smith’s performances and visual artworks are tied to themes of ecofeminism. In her essay in the forthcoming exhibition catalogue, she writes, “Smith’s focus on ecology and ritual appears vividly throughout her vast meditations, voyages, and actions. Taking her own feminine subjectivity as a starting point, she repeatedly engaged with the earth and its resources, tracing delicate, interconnected networks, and calling attention to the caretakers of the environment and of each other.” Taft is currently organizing a major survey of ecofeminist art, set to open at LAXART in the fall of 2024 and for which she received a research fellowship from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

|  RSVP  |

CAL IRL @ ICA LA 
Thursday, November 16, 5–7pm, In-person

Contemporary Art League (CAL) is a growing trade cooperative building unity, solidarity, and equity among art workers in Los Angeles County. CAL IRL @ ICA LA continues monthly gatherings for art workers to listen, talk, get inspired, and take action. CAL will share ideas, resources, drinks, and snacks. All self-identified art workers are welcome, and families are encouraged. CAL will be on site from 5-7pm, so drop in any time to get together in the spirit of shared causes and collective care. Visit CAL’s website to learn more about their background and vision, and sign up for their newsletter. 

|  RSVP  |

CARLA Issue 34 Launch Party
Thursday, November 16, 7pm, In-person

We’re excited to partner with our friends at CARLA (Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles) to host the launch of their 34^th issue! Come spend time with our exhibitions, grab a free copy of the new issue, get your filling of chicharrons and papas y frijoles from Tacos de Canasta, and witness rehearsals with Chris Emile and Cody Perkins as part of Infinite Rehearsal.

Art Buzz: Fall Exhibitions 
Friday, November 17, 6–7pm, In-person

Kick off your weekend with art at ICA LA! Join us for a happy hour tour of our fall exhibitions, Barbara T. Smith: Proof and Infinite Rehearsal with Chris Emile and No)one. Art House, led by Amanda Sroka, Senior Curator, and Asuka Hisa, Director of Learning & Engagement. Tour is followed by light refreshments and snacks.

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Intro to ASL 
Saturday, November 18, 3–4:30pm, In-person

Learn a new language! Back by popular demand, ICA LA is offering free introductory ASL courses led by Shmuel Khorsandi. This time around, in addition to reviewing the ASL basics (alphabet, greetings, and vocabulary), each class will focus on a specific theme. The theme for our November class is Food & Travel. Classes are held monthly on Saturdays through April 2024. 

Interested in learning more? Watch this video introduction. 

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Performance: Jordan Slaffey
Wednesday, November 29, 7pm, In-person

Over the course of the Infinite Rehearsal exhibition, each of the featured artists will participate in a public program in which they share a draft of a work in process. Join us for a special preview of a new work by Jordan Slaffey, followed by a discussion together with ICA LA Senior Curator Amanda Sroka about the work.

|  RSVP  |

Click Here to view the Institute Of Contemporary Art Museum News - November 2023