A vital public center for discovery, engagement, and learning—at the intersection of art, culture and social movements.
At OXY ARTS we are committed to facilitating projects that hold space for complex ideas and dialogue, spark curiosity, and invest in artists and community growth. And more than anything, we aim to make everyone feel welcome in our space.
This mission manifests in a few key ways. All of our exhibitions and public programs are free and open to the public. We curate with the lens that art and art spaces are not neutral, and have the power to shift social and political paradigms. We prioritize projects that move margins to the center—projects led by Black, Indigenous, and POC artists and organizers, and projects that actively seek to redistribute power and resources.
We believe that art spaces can function in reciprocal relationship to community. Our space is available, free of charge, to artists and community projects through our COMMUNITY HALL initiative.
We acknowledge that pursuing a career in the arts can be extremely difficult because of the ways structural racism and class privilege manifest in the art world. We facilitate opportunities for Occidental College students, especially BIPOC and First Generation students, to get hands-on work experience in the arts through our internship and teaching programs. Oxy Students, learn more about our Student Initiatives, or email oxyarts@oxy.edu!
We are a dynamic space and accept that change is inherent in the process.
We program across mediums—film, visual art, performance, writing and music, and serves as a gateway to Occidental College's five academic arts majors and minors: Art & Art History, Interdisciplinary Writing, Media Arts & Culture, Music, and Theater. We host a wide range of programs including exhibitions, performances, artist residencies, and workshops.
We hope you'll join us for one of our upcoming events!
OXY ARTS occupies and acknowledges our presence on the traditional, ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples. We acknowledge the Gabrielino/Tongva as the original caretakers of Tovaangar, which spans LA County, parts of Northern Orange County and the Southern Channel Islands. We pay our respects to the Honuukvetam (Ancestors), 'Ahiihirom (Elders) and 'Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging.
[what is land acknowledgment?]
