Events
Interwoven Stories Roundtable Discussion
Join artists Myisha Arellano and Michelle Glass at the Pasadena Community Job Center on January 27 for a roundtable discussion about their collaborative project Interwoven Stories—a "quilted" mural created in collaboration with over 200 Pasadena-area community members between 2022 and 2023. The 150-square-foot mural was created during public workshops in partnership with the Armory, NAACP Pasadena, Pasadena Community Job Center, Day One, Rose City High School, Community Arms, and the Hastings Branch Library.
Other confirmed roundtable participants at this writing include Pasadena Job Center Director Jose Madera, Thrive Learning Lab NW Pasadena founder Florence Annang, and Marco Loera, the Director of Art and Technology at the National Day Laborers Organizing Network (NDLON). The discussion will be recorded for a future broadcast on Radio Jornalera, a Spanish-language web radio platform dedicated to defending the rights of migrants and low-income workers. This panel is free and open to everyone. Spanish/English translation services will be provided.
During the discussion, attendees are invited to participate in an artmaking activity by printing designs onto towels that will be distributed to participants of NDLON's Mano a Mano food distribution service.
About Interwoven Stories
From 2022 through 2023, Arellano and Glass have served as artists in residence at NAACP Pasadena and the Pasadena Community Job Center. Facilitated by the Armory, their residencies were made possible by Artists At Work (AAW), an initiative inspired by the Depression-era Works Progress Administration that was designed to support the rebuilding of healthy communities through artistic and civic engagement nationwide. Since 2023, Arellano and Glass' continued residencies have been supported by a grant from the California Arts Council.
Arellano and Glass developed the Interwoven Stories project after meeting with community partners and listening to their communities' creative needs and interests. The artists led engagement workshops throughout community spaces and events in Pasadena with partner organizations, including NAACP Pasadena, Pasadena Community Job Center, Day One, Rose City High School, Community Arms, and the Hastings Branch Library. Arellano and Glass guided workshop participants to create individual 'story' panels for the mural, which served as monuments to honor the presence and histories of diverse communities within Pasadena. By telling stories in their own voices, the mural documents histories to build connections with ancestors, one another, and the land we inhabit.
Over 200 community members learned/shared storytelling and design techniques to create symbols representative of their experiences and cultural creativity. Through story circles and community events, participants visualized collective memory through symbols, words, and images onto 8" x 8" cotton squares using natural dyes, fabric markers, prints, paint, and embroidery. The large squares were then "woven" together using faux-embroidery techniques to create a community quilt. The Interwoven Stories project builds on the foundation of those who came before us and our hope and dreams for a better future.
In addition, the artists created three large panels inspired by three main partner organizations' energy, people, and vision connected to the symbolism developed throughout the workshops. The organizations and people depicted are Armory Center for the Arts (Heather Hilliard, Lark Crable, Lilia Hernandez), NAACP Pasadena (Florence Annang), and the Pasadena Community Job Center (Porfiria Guerrero and Ramiro Vega).