THIS SATURDAY in Santa Ana! Save the date for the opening of "𝘼 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚..." by Hank Willis Thomas (a CEC ArtsLink alum) at Grand Central Art Center, a valued past and current Fellowships host partner. This powerful five-channel video installation weaves together James Baldwin's voice with contemporary visuals, creating a profound 28.5-minute stream of consciousness that bridges 20th-century discourse with today's urgent conversations on race, gender, class, and sexuality. Thomas masterfully transforms historical artifacts and media strategies to challenge our understanding of identity and resistance, offering moments of agency that speak directly to our contemporary moment. 📅 OPENING RECEPTION Saturday, June 7 | 7-10 PM 📍 Grand Central Art Center, Santa Ana Exhibition runs June 7 - September 14, 2025 http://www.grandcentralartcenter.com/hank-willis-thomas-a-person-is-more-important-than-anything-else/ Don't miss this opportunity to experience Thomas's compelling social commentary that encourages us to re-imagine our relationship to history and the present. (fb)

Next up in our Beyond Greener Grass Speaker Spotlights: Les Vynogradov From residency programs to doom metal, Les (@les.vynogradov) is a cultural producer, musician, and game designer helping to shape Ukraine’s evolving creative landscape. As project manager at Kyiv Contemporary Music Days and co-founder of the indie game studio Heden Smugglers, Les brings a unique perspective that blends sound, story, and strategy. In our latest Q&A, he shares his thoughts on our upcoming gathering, telling stories through games, and the importance of cultural infrastructure in a time of crisis. 💬 “In an increasingly hostile and divided world, we try to keep conversations going, making things together, and creating added value.” — Les Vynogradov 🔗 Dive into the full interview: https://www.cecartslink.org/beyond-greener-grass-meet-cultural-producer-musician-and-game-designer-les-vynogradov/ 23–24 MAY 2025 | ArtsLink Assembly: Beyond Greener Grass 📍 Jam Factory Art Center, Lviv, Ukraine (fb)