Art, Politics and Possibility on a Spring Afternoon

Art, politics and cucumber tea sandwiches made for an unusually hopeful combination Thursday evening, as artists, activists, local officials and arts advocates gathered for the “Art in Bloom” soirée hosted by ArtPAC — Artists Reforming Tomorrow — inside the warm, art-lined home of Rey and Vivian Rodriguez.

The organization, one of the few political advocacy groups in Los Angeles County focused specifically on public arts policy, used the evening to make a larger point: that murals, sculptures, poetry and neighborhood arts programming are not luxuries, but civic infrastructure.

“Communities are losing arts programming that brings people together and allows them to express who they are,” said ArtPAC Board Chair Cassie Carpenter, describing the group’s effort to push municipalities across Los Angeles County to adopt “1% for the arts” development policies that direct a portion of building valuations toward public art funding.

The evening unfolded less like a fundraiser than a neighborhood salon. Rodriguez, reading from his debut poetry collection Todos Somos Sagrados (“All Are Sacred”), delivered poems rooted in Boyle Heights, immigrant communities and mutual care. One recurring refrain — “Hard work always. Risky work sometimes. Dangerous work.” — landed heavily in the crowded backyard.

Along with the poetry, guests enjoyed artworks of various mediums from Marike Anderson, Kelley Benes, Evan Chambers, Chico Feinstein, John Griswold, Shangou (Sam) Jia, Sam Nicholson, Somsara Reilly, Buzz Szilagyi, Rae Tweed, and Emily Wu Truong.

Alongside elected officials and arts commissioners, guests drifted between paintings and conversation while ArtPAC leaders outlined an ambitious goal: bringing dedicated public arts funding to all 88 Los Angeles County municipalities by 2032. According to the group, 44 cities currently lack such infrastructure.

Pasadena received ArtPAC’s “Art City Leadership Award,” accepted by City Councilmembers Jason Lyon and Justin Jones and members of the city’s Arts and Culture Commission. Each of the Councilmembers framed local arts support as part of a broader civic obligation during a period of shrinking federal support for cultural programming.

Councilmember Tyron Hampton’s representative Nicole Wren also attended the event, alongside artists, commissioners and community organizers. By the afternoon’s end, guests were still lingering near the poetry books and QR-code donation cards, talking about murals, neighborhoods and what cities choose to value.