VisionLA ’15 Climate Action Arts Festival

In response to the global environmental crisis, Los Angeles artists and arts organizations are uniting for VisionLA ’15 Climate Action Arts Festival, a citywide arts festival. Happening throughout the greater Los Angeles area from Monday, Nov. 30, to Friday, Dec. 11, VisionLA ‘15 aims to stimulate a creative response to the climate crisis through arts engagement. The multidisciplinary festival coincides with the United Nations 21st Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris and is inspired by the concurrent ArtCOP21, a Paris-wide arts festival that advocates for a strong international climate treaty and sustainable change.

Participating VisionLA ‘15 projects range from installations and performances interacting with the public space to formal gallery shows; from theatre pieces to concerts, readings, films, street art and community art workshops; as well as climate change panels and climate action rallies.

Key festival events include: the VisionLA Fest Gala Opening eco art exhibition reception and festival launch with performances, music, speeches, beer and wine (Mon. 11/30); Concert for the Climate classical and new music event (Wed. 12/9); the Vision LA ’15 Film Series featuring environmentally-themed documentary shorts and features (12/1-12/10); and Envision – Closing Celebration of VisionLA ‘15 Fest with music, poetry, dance, awards, food, beer, and wine (Fri. 12/11).

Culture Spot LA readers can win a pair of tickets to the gala opening event. Email editor@culturespotla.com with “VisionLA” in the subject line to be entered in a drawing.

Events will be held in venues, city streets, public parks, galleries and storefronts. While dozens of venues are participating in the Festival, key events are concentrated at four main hubs:

• Armory Center for the Arts (Pasadena) – film and performance events

• First Congregational Church of Los Angeles (Koreatown/Westlake) – music events

• Helms Design Center (Culver City) – film and performance events

• VisionLA Home Gallery (Bergamot Station/Santa Monica) – festival opening event and fine art exhibit

Special events and programs include:

• 11/30/15 [6 pm – 10 pm; $20] – VisionLA Fest Gala Opening festival launch and kickoff for Art Makes Change art exhibit. Gala event will include a reception, performance art such as Domestic Apocalypse and LA Mudpeople, DJ Jeremy Sole (KCRW), beer, wine, food trucks and more at the VisionLA Home Gallery in Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station (the former Santa Monica Museum of Art space).

• 12/1/15 – 12/10/15 [Daily; 11 am – 6 pm] – VisionLA ’15 presents Art Makes Change, a group exhibition of 60 local artists, featuring over 200 environmentally themed works in a pop-up gallery running the entire length of the festival at the VisionLA Home Gallery in Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station (the former Santa Monica Museum of Art space).

• 12/1/15 – 12/10/15  [Times Vary; Free] – The VisionLA ‘15 Film Series, at Helms Design Center in Culver City, Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, The Crest Theatre in Westwood and Laemmle NoHo 7 in North Hollywood, will screen 20 environmentally themed documentary shorts and features, including 100 Mules Walking the LA Aqueduct (Artist’s Cut 2015), Bikes vs. Cars, Racing to Zero, Soil Carbon Cowboys, Standing on Sacred Ground, student-made Green Shorts: Films (RE) Imagining Our Troubled World from Pomona College, The Breach, Neil Young’s Monsanto Years, The True Cost (a co-screening with Conscientious Projector), The Wisdom to Survive, as well as other selections. Many of the filmmakers and other special guests will attend the screenings.

• 12/9/15 [7:30 pm; Free] – Concert for the Climate, a classical and new music event at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles featuring Vicki Ray (of the California EAR Unit), the Street Symphony featuring members of the LA Philharmonic, a piano piece with video projections by Lori Pond, Don Preston (of the Mothers of Invention) performing on organ, and a panel discussion on the role of art and music in social change. Moderated by Rev. R. Scott Colglazier.

• 12/11/15 [6 pm – 11 pm; $50] – Envision – Closing Celebration of VisionLA ‘15 Fest hosted by Arts Earth Partnership, featuring poetry by LA Poet Laureate Luis J. Rodriguez, music by DJ Jedi, an installation dance/concert by String Theory Productions and awards to local environmental stewards at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in DTLA. Admission includes tamales by Mama’s Hot Tamales Cafe and an open bar with beer and wine.

There are many more events and programs. Please visit these links for more information:

• Master Schedule of Events: https://visionlafest.org/calendar

• Opening Night: https://visionlafest.org/event/visionla-fest-gala-opening

• Closing Night: https://visionlafest.org/event/arts-earth-partnership-presents-envision-closing-celebration-of-visionla15-fest

• Visual Art Events: https://visionlafest.org/calendar/category/visual-art

• Film Events: https://visionlafest.org/calendar/category/film

• Music Events: https://visionlafest.org/calendar/category/music

• Performance Events: https://visionlafest.org/calendar/category/performance

• Literary Events: https://visionlafest.org/calendar/category/literary

• Workshops: https://visionlafest.org/calendar/category/workshop

• Family-Friendly Events: https://visionlafest.org/calendar/category/family

• Climate Action Events: https://visionlafest.org/calendar/category/climate-action