Reading the City was a series of artist conversations from Sept. 2020 - Dec. 2021 created to explore Compton's unique cultural contributions and engage a broader discussion on place, placemaking, and art in the city. The first in the series was Reading the City: Compton and the Literary Imagination, an online poetry reading and discussion with poets from Compton, whose work has been influenced by the city. Poets Amaud Jamaul Johnson, Robin Coste Lewis, and Jenise Miller read from their work and discussed personal experiences and artistic legacies of the community that evolved from a mecca for Black artists in Los Angeles to a symbol for Black urban reality and mythology.

Enjoy the recording of the conversation and critical response from award-winning Journalist Lynell George. 

Response:

“You Had to Have Been There”: The Infrastructure of Collective Memory
By Lynell George

The following essay is part of a series commissioned to respond to the Reading the City conversations with Compton artists (funded by Critical Minded). It is cross-published on KCET Artbound as part of "Compton: Arts and Archives," which explores the history, arts, and culture that make the “Hub City” an arts city. Edited by Jenise Miller.

There are ways, albeit unconsciously, that writers first begin committing place to memory. It may be the number of steps it takes to get from home to school. It may be the roll and rhythm of a summer house party, spilling out into a yard. It may be the weekend scene at the swap meet and absorbing the voices, wares and wardrobe, down to the way the women have parted and set their hair, the curlers — as poet Jenise Miller recalls — studiously matching their outfits. I see canary yellow, foam green, bubble-gum pink. Intentional articulation of personal style that calls up time and place.

Read the full essay here

PAST EVENTS

Sēpia Collective Presents:
Reading the City: Compton Off the Wall
A Conversation about public art, policy and possibilities for Compton and South LA artists. 

Join us Thursday July 8, 5:00 - 6:30pm PST  
Compton mural artists Mel Depaz and Anthony Pittman join Isabel Rojas-Williams, Art Historian curator and Former Executive Director of the LA Mural Conservancy and Dr. Kency Cornejo, Professor of Contemporary Latin American Art History at the University of New Mexico in a discussion about public art, policies and possibilities for Compton and South L.A. artists.     

Join Us! Link to Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dZ0qDC9CRZCG76QYEQC4yw

The Compton Arts Project organizes community around arts and cultural events that explore Compton’s rich arts history and impact.  Reading the City discussions explore Compton's unique cultural contributions and engage a broader discussion on place, placemaking, and art.  

Sēpia Collective proudly presents: Reading the City: Compton Artists on Art. This event will feature an online art exhibit and discussion with artists from Compton, whose work has been influenced by the city. Artists Charles Dickson, Kaya Fortune and Rosalind McGary share their work and discuss personal experiences and artistic legacies of the city that evolved from a mecca for Black artists in Los Angeles to a symbol for urban reality and mythology. The event will explore Compton's unique art history, and engage a broader discussion on the future of Compton and South Los Angeles artists and communities. Reading the City is part of The Compton Arts Project(CAP), a multi-disciplinary series of art events and exhibitions led by Sēpia Collective, celebrating Compton’s artistic impact.

Thursday April 29, 5-6:30pm

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/sepiacomptonartistsonart

The Compton Arts Project is funded in part by the California Arts Council, former Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and A Blade of Grass. Reading the City is supported in part by Critical Minded. CAP is a collaborative partnership between Sēpia and Cakecutter Institute, The Compton Mayor’s Office, The Robey Theatre Company, and Compton and South Los Angeles artists and community members.

Artist Bios:

KAYA FORTUNE
ARTIST. ACTIVIST. EDUCATOR.

I examine the artistic and cultural roots of the African Diaspora, and its influence on cultures around the world. The work celebrates African American culture through exploration of blues and jazz music, and political and social movements. In my assemblage sculptures, I revive the voices of found materials to create new interpretations of African American experience. My work celebrates African American artists and musicians whose creative ideas have guided us towards self-determination and liberation. Through the paintings, I explore a dialogue between Mexican Muralists, African American Modernists and the Black Power Movement. African religious symbolism is a recurring thread in my work that honors my ancestors and brings them forward. We celebrate the triumphs of our artistic experience so that we may create new visions for our children and our community. The revival at the crossroads is a convergence of artistic elements that inspire me to redefine my reality as an artist.

UCLA: Fine Art and Anthropology - BA 1978
Otis Art Institute: Fashion and Illustration, Continuing Studies - 1980-82
Harvard: Project Zero, Teaching for Understanding - 2007

Professional Projects:
Neo-Dandy Art Collective: Co-Founder and Community Liason
Hood Games/ Town Park: Co-Founder and Artistic Director
Soul Salon 10 Art Collective: Co-Founder
Youth Art Alliance: Curriculum Coordinator
Afro Blue Design: Founder and Designer

kayafortune.com
@kaya_fortune

ROSALIND MCGARY
ARTIST. WITNESS. PATTERNER.
My practice has always been a celebration of survival, how beauty exists and persists despite all efforts to invalidate it.Beauty helps us feel connected to each other, to life. In acknowledgement of this, I strive to paint works that are composite and engaging to look at, yet revealing of the essence of the subject. These paintings are of everyday people and everyday moments, usually archetypes of the Black women and men who raised me into the person that I am, adorned to communicate how they feel to me, and the beauty they encompass. 

Drawing from religious iconography, patterns I see in nature, architecture, and my imagination of a magical future— I paint to give reverence to my own definition of beautiful.  It is part of my joy as an artist, as a Black woman, to tell my stories in this way.

 Rosalind has been a working artist for over 25 years. Along with painting, she is dedicated to creating opportunities for artist engagement in our communities. She is Founder of Los Angeles based Sēpia Artist Collective, through which she has produced ICONIC: Black Panther, and is creative director of The Compton Arts Project.  The Compton Arts Project is a series of workshops, panels and events highlighting Compton’s impact on art and culture.  Rosalind is founder of Cakecutter Institute, an arts non profit that centers artists of color, whose mission is to explore ways in which the arts can improve the quality of living for all people. Rosalind was the the first woman member of Soul Salon 10 artist collective.  She lives and works in Compton, California. 

sepiacollective.com
@rosalindmcgary

CHARLES DICKSON
SCULPTOR. MAKER. VISIONARY

 “I am consumed with how thing work in a mechanical, creative, spiritual and political context.  As a Sculptor that has embraced many mediums, I have explored the nature of the materials that I use in order to understand and challenge their properties in traditional and unique applications. At the core of this process is the compelling inquiry: how do I learn to speak through the materials? The goal is to discover the truth about the materials and express the beauty of my artistic vision.”

Dickson’s obsession with finding the truth of a form has been documented in his 50 year homage to the African American Woman.  Dickson’s work with Black Nudes was the precursor for a much larger artistic dialogue on the politics of beauty and how the consequences of slavery reverberated in contemporary society. This conversation continues in his work:

“This dialogue propelled me to immerse myself into the artistic heritage of Africa, searching for the language, tools, and symbols, to recreate and recover the enormous spiritual influence and indigenous beauty this tradition has had on the world. It has also encouraged me to develop works reflecting the unique circumstances of the African American experience that trace back to our African origins.”

Charles Dickson is a founding member of the Compton Arts Academy.  Over the last 50+ years, Charles Dickson has taught and mentored artists in South Los Angeles, has shown museums and galleries throughout the world.  His work has been commissioned for public installations too numerous to name, including The Martin Luther King Memorial Pulpit, Manifestation of the Soaring Spirit for Los Angeles Metro, and Wishing On A Star metal sculpture for The California African American Museum. Charles is currently artist in residence at the Watts Towers Art Center.  He continues to work and teach in Compton California.

“Being an Artist is a gift, a way to pray and to create the visions of the past, present and the future.  It is a need to continue, to establish a trail that reflects my growth as a Sculptor, as an African American.”  -Charles Dickson

wattstowers.org/charles-dickson
thedicksonstudio[at]gmail.com

Reading the City: Compton and the Literary Imagination

Thursday August 27, 2020  5-6pm PDT

Compton literary artists explore Compton’s artistic and cultural impact

Register here:  https://reading-the-city.eventbrite.com

Reading the City: Compton and the Literary Imagination is an online poetry reading and discussion with poets from Compton, whose work has been influenced by the city. Poets Amaud Jamaul Johnson, Robin Coste Lewis, and Jenise Miller will read from their work and discuss personal experiences and artistic legacies of the community that evolved from a mecca for Black artists in Los Angeles to a symbol for Black urban reality and mythology. The event will pay homage to Compton's unique cultural contributions and engage a broader discussion on place, placemaking, and art. This is the first in a series of online programs under The Compton Arts Project.

Please support our panelists by purchasing their books:

Imperial Liquor by Amaud Jamaul Johnson

Voyage of the Sable Venus: and Other Poems by Robin Coste Lewis

The Blvd by Jenise Miller
____________

Sēpia Collective’s Compton Arts Project is supported by California Arts Council and A Blade of Grass.  Reading the City is supported in part by Poets and Writers.