Our Summer Arts Festival
is Tomorrow!

Join us tomorrow (Friday, July 20 from 6:30-10pm) for a truly memorable evening of poetry, performance, soundworks, and installation art at We the People -- the opening festival for our summer Art on the Grounds exhibition.

Featuring live music, interactive art, and plenty of surprises, We the People is an invitation to join the community and artists from across the globe to collectively expand our understanding of “we” and imagine new, more inclusive ways of being together.

• LISTEN to poetry, music, and live performances by award-winning artists Willie Perdomo, Julian Talamantez Brolaski, Neil Leonard, Ramón “Sandy” Garcia Pérez, Cintia Santana, Cathy Linh Che, Jennifer Johns, and Hans Tammen.

• EXPLORE three newly-commissioned works for Montalvo’s grounds by Lucas Artists Fellows María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Marilá Dardot, and Howard Hersh; all of which prompt timely conversations around the politics of belonging and home.

• EXPERIENCE an interactive ritual in which Jennifer Johns seeks to clear away our all-consuming fear by allowing us to look plainly at the violence African Americans experience. With love, song, and movement, she will replace that fear with collective agency and joy.

• JOIN Byron Au Yong and Aaron Jafferis as they share their work on Activist Songbook, a collection culled from conversations with activists, agitators, and other leaders, and invite you the join them in a communal performance.

• CREATE flags to represent “we” and crowd-source a new global constitution for a shared humanity that will be performed at the end of the evening.

• PRINT your own poster at a drop in workshop with artists Chris Treggiari and Sergio de la Torre at their Sanctuary Print Shop, disseminating information on recently enacted immigration policies and how they impact communities.

Before the event, we are also asking everyone to consider: What does the concept of “We” mean to you? Many of our Artist Fellows have been creating and sharing videos of their responses, and you can join the conversation! Post a video, image, or comment on social media using #WhoIsWe and #WeThePeople.

The festival is FREE, with free shuttle service from West Valley College throughout the night. We'll have food trucks, beer and wine booths, and plenty to see and do. Use the button below to tell us you're coming via Facebook, then invite your friends to come along!