MYISHA ARELLANO
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, 2021 - 2022
Myisha Arellano is a muralist, educator, digital and scenic painter based in Los Angeles from Mexico. Their work pulls from imagery of nature, policy, and human experience resulting in alternate reality forms. Since 2010, Myisha has designed and led multiple private and public murals. Their approach to public art is rooted in community engagement, which leads them in collaborations with various organizations throughout LA.
Myisha Arellano and fellow AAW Los Angeles County artist Michelle Glass are leading a series of community engagement workshops in community spaces throughout Northwest Pasadena and at community events hosted by the Armory Center for the Arts, NAACP, and the Pasadena Community Job Center. Workshop participants at each site will be guided in creating their personal mixed media ‘story’ panel by using images, words and symbols. Individual stories will come together to create a shared narrative through Interwoven Stories, a quilted mural, that will serve as a monument to honor the histories of diverse communities within Pasadena. By telling our stories in our own voice we are documenting our histories to build connections to our ancestors & each other and the land we inhabit.
CULTURE HUB
Armory Center for the Arts is a nonprofit and donor-supported leader for contemporary art exhibitions and community arts education. The Armory believes that an understanding and appreciation of the arts is essential for a well-rounded human experience and a healthy community. At the core of our mission is a deep commitment to social justice through arts education.
SOCIAL IMPACT INITIATIVEs
NAACP Pasadena Branch #1054 has a more than 100 year history in Pasadena. It was charted by the National Office on September 8, 1919, and was the 16th charter issued by the National NAACP. The Branch was founded when a small group of citizens answered the call of John Wright to respond to the needs of minority people in Pasadena. Their first step was to build an organization which served as the voice of all those denied the basic dignities rightfully due human beings, especially African American citizens in the City of Pasadena.
The Pasadena Community Job Center is a member of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), an alliance of more than 60 worker centers and other member organizations dedicated to creating daily, temporary and permanent employment opportunities for day laborers, with fair wages and safe working conditions. Our ultimate goal is to enable every day laborer to earn a living, contribute to society, and integrate into the community. The worker center also serves as a community resource hub providing food distribution, COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, community meeting space, and Radio Jornalera, an online radio station for immigrant workers, run by immigrant workers.