Star Gazer

Opening Reception
Saturday, May 20
3 – 7pm

STAR GAZER is a cooperative sculptural installation meant to help us navigate our present moment, while situating ourselves in relation to the North Star (Polaris). Maria Maea’s practice is deeply rooted in her family lineage and her inherent connection to agriculture, while also exploring the exchange of knowledge and ideas possible through collaborative creation. Over the course of this exhibition, Maea will engage with local community members to share experimental Samoan weaving techniques, and hold space for mutual learning and dialogue. Through focusing on this communal effort, Maea generates connection to ancestry while nourishing the present.

The installation of this sculpture is part of LAND’s Gatherings series, a multi-year and site responsive project centered around the Los Angeles State Historic Park. LAND’s Gatherings series is an invitation to reimagine how knowledge is held and shared in service of communal forms of wellbeing. Following the present calls to reimagine civic space and ways of gathering, Gatherings constellates artists who weld ritual, myth, ancestral knowledge, and/or communal practices to navigate and reimagine the world. Gatherings is presented as a series of public installations, performances, collaborations, and offerings, the evolving nature reflective of the organic ways in which constellations of care are formed. Previous chapters included presentations of artists Chris Emile, Kathryn Garcia, veronique d’entremont, and iris yirei hu in collaborations with the late Tongva elder Julia Bogany and Tongva poet Megan Dorame.

LAND’s 2023 exhibitions are made possible with lead support from the Offield Family Foundation, the Jerry and Terri Kohl Family Foundation, and The Perenchio Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Fran and Ray Stark Foundation, the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture, the LA Arts Recovery Fund, Brenda Potter, the Wilhelm Family Foundation and LAND’s Nomadic Council. Special thanks to Artist Sponsors Karen Hillenburg, Liana Krupp, Abby Pucker, Stacy and John Rubeli, Ben Weyerhaeuser, and the Poncher Family Foundation. LAND is a member of and supported by the Los Angeles Visual Arts (LAVA) Coalition. 

LAND is a member-supported organization. Support LAND’s free, public programming by becoming a member today at nomadicdivision.org.

Special thanks to Irina Gusin, producer.