Dear YR Media Family,
I’m excited to share an update (and an invitation!) for a project the YR Media Arts team has been working on for several months, in collaboration with Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
This Saturday, April 20, 2019, marks the opening of Suzanne Lacy: We Are Here at YBCA, an exhibition of work honoring the artist and her collaborations with communities — artists, activists, organizations, schools — throughout her prolific career.
Back in February, YR Media’s artists were tapped to develop a special audio and visual installation as part of this exhibit, which explores young artists’ experiences of and with gentrification, and invites the visitor to put themselves in the artists’ shoes. It’s an abstract piece, allowing people to emotionally experience and understand the perspectives of young artists.
Every aspect of the installation, including the background, was created by our team of young artists. It’s a beautiful and immersive experience, and also showcases a peek at the type of work YR Media artists are refining within our internship and training programs here in Oakland.
The concept for the installation centers around artists’ recreating memories using soundscapes, a concept inspired by YR Media Board member and seven-time Academy Award-winning sound designer, Gary Rydstrom.
At the opening, YR’s NEA-backed musical artists will be building beats in a live performance.
Without giving away more, I invite you to please join us for the opening night celebration this Saturday, April 20th at YBCA. There will be DJs, dancing, and special performances from our very own Remix Your Life music producers: Cole Anderson, David Lawrence, Jacob Armenta and Christian Romo, among others! Tickets and more information here — we look forward to seeing you.
Best,
Maeven McGovern
Executive Producer, Arts
The YR Media audio and visual installation is curated by GBaby, with artistic direction from Maeven McGovern, Oliver Rodriguez, Maya Drexler, Yared Gebru, Brigido Bautista, and Ben Frost.
Featured musical artists:
Clay Xavier, Christian Romo, Jacob Armenta, Jessica Brown, and Rommel Delafuente
Featured visual artists:
Xingzhou Chen, Symone Woodruff-Hardy, Rami Kingsley-Doyle, Gabriel Saravia, and Noah Holt.
Build a Beat Performers:
Cole Anderson, David Lawrence, Jacob Armenta, and Christian Romo.