Winter 2016/17 Programming at the WCCW: Co-Struggle

December 2016 – February 2017

In partnership with Carol Zou, our winter quarter resident, we investigate the idea of Co-Struggle. As differentiated from solidarity, which can gloss over difference, Co-Struggle is the concept of standing together even as we stand apart. When we Co-Struggle we work to acknowledge our differences as well as our intersections, provide support for each other on our separate journeys and self-care for ourselves on our own. It’s a struggle because it’s hard. Co-Struggle is a clunky process.

This winter take on the challenge of acknowledging our differences as well as our common causes, to move through the complicated work of deconstructing our own privileges and biases, to seek to understand how we understand race, gender, sexuality, class difference, ability, etc. within our communities. How do we regard systemic forms of oppression within these frameworks? How do we articulate connections between thematic movements that affect all of us in distinct ways? How do we collaborate in our struggles?


Culture is Capital Zine Release

Thursday, Feb 23, 7–9pm
Presented by Carol Zou
WCCW Winter Resident Carol Zou has been spending her time commuting between Los Angeles and Dallas pondering if it is preferable to live in Brave New World (LA) or 1984 (Dallas). Somewhere in the space between, she has generated Culture is Capital, a small essay on the regional displacement of artists and capital and its role in the housing crisis. Join her for the zine release, snacks, and community reflections on how migrants mobilize between multiple homelands.

Reading Series
Thursday, February 9th, 7:30pm

The WCCW Reading Series is a quarterly literary event organized by Sara Finnerty and Nina Rota. Each event’s readings are thematically linked with the current WCCW quarterly programming. Please join us to hear four dynamic writers who work in film, theater, poetry, nonfiction and fiction, and also work with local community groups.
Healing Roots Meditation
Saturday Feb 11th, 2–4pm
Presented by Wikkid_Beat

This event is a guided meditation that has a community altar that guests are encouraged to contribute to. POC are encouraged to attend. Allies are welcome. Guests will be able to visit and contribute to the altar within the space of mediation. The guided meditation will last an hour, facilitated by Karine Fleurima who will provide the beats as well as the meditation instruction. After the meditation period, participants are invited to share their thoughts and post them to the altar.
Mother Tongue Dinner
On Immigrant Identities, Cultural Lineage, and the Taste of Home
Friday, Feb 24, 7:30–9:30pm
Organized by Lilian Min

For immigrant families, cooking is as much of a memory resource as oral histories or treasured heirlooms. Though immigration stories are necessarily also stories of assimilation, those of us who grew up as an “other” remember the dirty looks brought on by unapologetically foreign food, which has only within the past couple of decades come into vogue via #foodie culture. Even if subsequent generations within the family rejected everything else about their origins — their looks, their language, their social beliefs and norms — it is food that remains *the* strongest and most potent tether. And for many immigrant families, cooking and feeding the family are still regarded as a woman’s work. It is in this spirit that we invite you to join WCCW on Friday, Feb. 24 to break bread with local writers Tasbeeh Herwees, Eva Recinos, and Lilian Min as they share stories about food, culture, and immigrant identity; roundtable on the tastes and smells of “home”; and share some of the food they learned to make from mothers — their own, and the lineage of women who cook from which they come.
Decolonizing the Body Through Dance
Saturday Feb. 25th, 1–6pm
Sunday Feb. 26th 3:30–8:30pm
Led by Marina Magalhães
Decolonizing the Body through Dance is a workshop based on the belief that decolonization is an inherently impossible act, yet worthy of pursuit. At its core, it is a workshop that values embodied expression, circular (non-hierarchical) learning and the generative process. This iteration of the workshop will be part movement class, part choreographic laboratory. The movement class will move away from a traditionally European-centered model (classical ballet, modern dance, etc) and towards a practice that honors Afro-Latin movement principles. Dancers will be encouraged to cultivate an intimate relationship with the ground, mobile spine and expressive pelvis, a social and playful improvisation, and circularity in their bodies. The choreographic laboratory will be a space for instigation and discovery, where dancers will be be given a chance to write, dialogue, generate and share their own material around the theme of decolonization.
Remembering the Future
Sunday Jan. 8th, 5–8pm
Remembering the Future is a conversation and workshop on reimagining artist run spaces, community relationships,authentic alliances and institutional critique. The discussion will be followed by letter writing (+ sign making) to send to or raise the awareness of institutions and politicians towards supporting creative spaces + people, in order to coexist within the community. Panelists will include Kelman Duran, Gabriela Sanchez, Nick Zhu and Alberto Cuadros. This program will be lead by Ada Rajkovic and Jasmine Nyende. Rajkovic is an artist, curator and organizer. Her work centers around educational + political awareness and creating a universal imagination. Jasmine is a performance artist and Los Angeles local, whose work focuses on social media, public memory and constructions of beauty.
Mindfulness Meditation for Self-Care and Emotional Resilience
Sunday, Jan 8th, 11am–12pm
Mindfulness meditation can be a useful tool for stress reduction, self-care and for increasing one’s emotional resilience. A 30 minute lightly guided meditation will be offered. Additionally a short talk will be given on what this kind of meditation can offer as a regular self-care practice. There will be time for questions and discussion. Meditating in community like this offers additional support to anyone seeking more connection. This group is suitable for both beginners and more experienced meditators. No experience is necessary.
Mapping Feminist LA
Mondays, December 5th,  January 9th, and February 6th., January 9th, 7:30–9:30pm
Join a working group that will meet monthly this Winter as we continue discussions on the building and concept design of a collaborative mapping tool designed to help feminists find valuable resources in Los Angeles. These meetings are open to all who are familiar or curious about the various skills needed to drive this project forward including grant writing, research, UX design, prototyping, public outreach, and software development. This process is evolving and we appreciate your input!
Profile of a Radical
Wednesdays, Jan 11th and 25th, ongoing through the Winter
Profile of a Radical is an ongoing study group. Each week we will profile a different radical, alternating between living and dead. This includes guest speaker/ guest workshops. Weeks that honor “dead” radicals will feature close readings of radical literature (Sylvia Wynter, Marylin Frye, Monique Wittig, etc.) Discussions with each “living” radical will follow a reading that we can apply to her work, though the radicals work in every different sphere.
Food Justice Bake Sale
Saturday Jan. 14th, 1-5pm
Burrito Project L.A. provides community programming that serves the unhoused and low income community. Their most active program is distributing vegan burritos; they connect with issues that affect not only people, but also the environment and animals. Help Burrito Project L.A. raise funds for ingredients and other integral materials by joining us for a bake sale fundraiser! Vegan baked goods from bakeries/bakers all around Los Angeles will be sold. This event will also be an opportunity to learn more about food justice and how you can take action; as well a collection of supply donations. Although not mandatory, we encourage attendees to bring socks, gloves, beanies, scarves, outerwear, menstrual pads, tampons, and wet wipes to donate for those in need.
All are welcome to attend – vegan or not, you’ll enjoy the grub! We hope to see you there!
If you’d like to show support for the fundraiser and their cause but cannot attend the event you are welcome to make a paypal donation through their website http://burritoprojectla.org/
For Us By Us
Sunday Jan. 15th, 4-8pm
The history of this country leaving us to make a choice between Civil rights, Feminism, and LGBTQ rights. For Us By Us is a space where topics addressing the intersection of being Black And Queer can be discussed freely and the overlapping struggles can be de-compartmentalized.
Women’s Memoir Workshop
Tuesdays, Jan 17 & 31, 7:30-9:30pm
Led by Sarah Heston
Nonfiction workshops and scholarship focuses on writing ‘the self,’ but this model often excludes influential works by writers who women. In this course we will read some canonical nonfiction work from 3rd C. A.D. to the present that shows women’s important contribution to co-writing memoir as a means to disrupt established power structures. Our discussions will focus on themes of literacy, martyrdom, slavery, feminisms, spirituality, and the narrative structures co-struggle works take on. This background will lead us to some writing exercises of our own. We will meet every other week for the duration of the winter term for 2 hours each session. You will leave this workshop with a sense of the history, themes, accomplishments, and failures of women’s co-written memoirs of struggle, and with the start to a piece of writing that you can add to this incredibly rich tradition. You might wish to purchase texts not available online rather than loan from the library, which shouldn’t be more than $20-30. I will make copies available to students to borrow.
Protest Sign Making Workshop
Wednesday, January 18th, 7-10pm
With so many issues shaking our world today more and more people are speaking up for what they believe in. One way thousands of people are expressing themselves are at marches and protests.This January we want to give you the opportunity, resources and support for making an effective protest sign, banner, poster or flag using your voice. Put your fire and creativity to work to tell the world what matters to you.There is no wrong way to make a protest sign, but we are here to make you stand out! All ages and levels of creativity are welcome. Before we start laying out our signs, we’ll share a few tips, ideas and inspiration. Leading the workshop is Alyssa Archambault of Bee’s Knees Sign Co. She grew up in Long Beach, CA and is a graduate of the Sign Graphics program at LATTC, the only sign painting program left of its kind. She has lived her life working and playing in various creative worlds from theater, music, painting and beekeeping. Commercially or artistically, Alyssa uses the alphabet to invite readers to take action and she hopes to bring that process and skill to you and your message. CAN’T ATTEND A PROTEST, BUT STILL WANT TO PARTICIPATE? If you can’t attend a march or protest, that’s OK! Make a sign for your lawn or donate your sign to a cause who is hosting an upcoming event! All signs donated will be passed along to people who will be attending the events. This is open to all creatives and non-creatives. No one will be turned away for the view they hold, however we do want to make this a very positive, empowering and creative experience for everyone attending (including children), so please choose your words and images carefully. There will be a few tools to help you along, but we encourage you to bring the materials you need for making the sign you want. Keep it a manageable size and make sure the material you bring is durable and light weight. Feel free to bring extra materials to share!
Bits and Bytes
Thursdays: Jan. 19, Feb. 2nd, Feb. 16th, Mar. 3rd, 7:30-9:30pm
Led by Christine Meinders
Bits and Bytes is a series of 12 workshops exploring the creation of an artificial intelligence (AI) model. The first four workshops were held in the month of November, and focused on general data discussion, the built environment sensory prioritization, collective making, and wayfinding. The remaining eight workshops will be held at The Women’s Center for Creative Work (4 workshops), and in communities across Los Angeles (4 workshops). This goal of this approach to engage in co-imagining data collection and algorithm generation in order to create an AI model with women across communities.
LA for Choice Clinic Escort Training
January 22nd, 4-7pm
Led by LA for Choice
Come get trained to be a clinic escort! Volunteer trainers from LA for Choice will talk about their experiences escorting, the history of clinic escorting/LA for Choice, what it takes to be an escort, the laws that protect clinics and property lines, and answer your questions. Then we’ll do some super cool role plays, answer your questions, and at the end of the training you can sign up to be a clinic escort if you so choose!
Feminist Parenting Group Conversation
January 28, 10:30am-12pm
Led by Hey Baby
Hey Baby Feminist Parenting Group is organizing a group conversation on Sunday, Dec. 18 at the WCCW to voice ideas, resources and concerns about raising kids during Trump’s presidency. This meeting will be the first in its series that is intended to create a space for activist parents to come together to brainstorm, organize, and take action with each other’s support. Contact [email protected] w/ questions.
Reboot Readings
Sunday, January 29th, 4-8pm
Led by Morgan Green

Lately, with the advent of #OscarsSoWhite and the ACLU investigation of discrimination against women in the film industry, the outcry for inclusive content have been louder than ever. A popular solution this year has been to reboot movies starring white men, and recast the protagonists as women and people of color. We want to interrogate the costs and benefits of this kind of content by staging mini-reboots of our own. People will sign up in advance to do readings of scenes from films that have nearly all-male and/or all-white casts. Parts are first-come, first-served, and anyone can sign up for any part; with the caveat that, when picking their character, a reader should be able to identify at least one major systemic privilege benefitting their character (i.e. male privilege, white privilege, straight privilege, able privilege…), that the reader herself has not experienced. During this workshop we will rehearse, perform, and discuss our scenes.
Making Art During Fascism
Sundays, Ongoing through winter 1–3pm

Hosted by Beth Pickens, M.Ed.
Artists are essential in resisting and dismantling fascism. Throughout history and through the present, you instigate, question, provoke; you provide humor, creative impulse, reflection, serenity, validation. In light of our country’s political swing toward white supremacy and hate, artists need the emotional, financial, physical, and spiritual support to keep sustain their work. Each week, You are invited to show up, listen, and share: support, resources, community-building and -connecting, information, and methods to enter every movement. You will receive a free, written guide with tips for making art during fascism (formerly during capitalism.)