The public is welcome to an evening with artist Candy Chang from 6 to 8 p.m. May 10 at the Annenberg Community Beach House, 415 Pacific Coast Hwy, Santa Monica.
Inspired to visit Santa Monica by her interest in the psychology of place and the City’s award-winning Wellbeing Project, Chang will share her past and present work and demystify the creative process. In a twist on the traditional artist’s talk, she’ll also share tools for personal reflection and psychological exercises to cultivate personal mental health – while focusing on how this contributes to community wellbeing. Come early to explore the historic site, and stay after for a discussion and light reception with the artist.
Reservations and information available at candychangatbeachculture.eventbrite.com.
All Beach=Culture events (annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture) are free and open to the public.
A small seed of an idea can be the source of dramatic innovation. In 2011, Chang began her Before I Die project, when she stenciled the words “Before I die I want to _______” on a chalkboard wall on an abandoned house in New Orleans after losing someone she loved. The participatory project has since grown into a global phenomenon, and today there are over 2,000 Before I Die walls in over 70 countries. She is currently creating a large-scale participatory mural in Philadelphia.
Through participatory experiments in the public realm that examine the thresholds between isolation and community, the psychology of civic engagement, and how shared places can cultivate introspection, intimacy, and kinship, Chang provokes playful and profound visions for how we can nurture the health of our communities. She was named one of the Top 100 Leaders in Public Interest Design by Impact Design Hub and is a TED Senior Fellow, an Urban Innovation Fellow, and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. She lives in New Orleans. More information at candychang.com.