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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 are a dynamic space and accept that change is inherent in the process, and we believe that art spaces can function in reciprocal relationship to community.
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 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?]
Meet Our Staff
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Meldia Yesayan -
Jeff Ono -
Frankie Fleming
Director, OXY ARTS
Meldia is the Director of OXY ARTS, the multidisciplinary arts programming initiative at Occidental College. She oversees all aspects of the programming and development of OXY ARTS, including organizing all exhibitions and programs at the OXY ARTS center, facilitating visiting artist residencies such as the Wanlass Artist-in-Residence program, initiating cross-departmental and interdisciplinary collaborations, creating opportunities for student-curated events, and engaging the Occidental community in socially conscious discourse with contemporary arts practices. She is also responsible for developing meaningful and sustained relationships with the Los Angeles area arts communities, including partnerships with local arts agencies, artists and institutions.
Production Manager
Jeff Ono is responsible for the installation and production for all exhibitions and events at the OXY ARTS facility, and acting as a liaison with arts departments, community and the campus.
Manager of Education and Community Engagement
Frankie oversees the education and community programming at OXY ARTS. She works with students, community partners, and faculty on collaborations with the surrounding community, including running the after school art workshops, community organizing workshops and LAUSD after school art program at OXY ARTS.
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Use Our Space
Summer 2024 - Spring 2025 we are UNABLE to offer space through the Community Hall program due to our installations. Please check back for our next open call in Spring / Summer 2025.
COMMUNITY HALL is an initiative at OXY ARTS that offers open, flexible programmatic space, free of charge, to artists, community members and local projects.
We prioritize projects that move margins to the center: projects led by Black, Indigenous, and POC artists and organizers, projects that serve our immediate community in Highland Park, and projects that actively seek to redistribute power and resources.
Questions? Email us at ffleming@oxy.edu