As of November 2009, I will start a 3 year term as an artist in residence at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica, CA.

18th Street Arts Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to provoking public dialogue through contemporary art making. 18th Street programs include rotating exhibitions in the main gallery and project room, an international artist exchange program, community festivals and workshops. The complex houses live/work spaces for "artists in residence" such as my studio and "organizations in residence" such as Highways Performance Space, Crazy Space, California Lawyers for the Arts, Otis Art Institute Public Practice MFA Program and many other creative ventures.

Exciting developments at the 18th Street include the transformation of the main exhibition venue from a conventional gallery to an "artist laboratory." In this new model the gallery is activated by artists through works in progress, stimulating a maximum amount of public engagement with art making and shared critical inquiry. Eight Southern California artists have each been awarded a three month residency at the gallery and $2,500-5,000 stipend to develop work around the theme Status Report: the Creative Economy in 2010.

Energized by the virtue of being in the middle of such action and an incredible work space, I have already started painting in my studio and am in the process of developing an endeavor involving mapping and history of Los Angeles with film maker Deb Diehl and a project on Coming to Age with performance and installation artist Gul Cagin. If you're in the area you should check out the center and stop by my studio at 18th Street Art Center, 1653 18th Street, studio #5, Santa Monica, CA 90404