IndigenARTS & Wellness is a project blending Indigenous practices with mental health and wellness support. Using a variety of art forms, we generate dialogue around intergenerational trauma & resiliency, sexual & gendered violence, systemic violence, and art as medicine & a tool for healing to process, reflect and work towards individual & collective wellness.

IndigenARTS & Wellness began as a project in collaboration with Indigenous Circle of Wellness and supported through the California Art Council’s (CAC) Innovations + Intersections (I+I) grant program. The Innovations + Intersections (I+I) program is rooted in the CAC’s understanding that the arts can provide innovative strategies to respond to society’s most pressing opportunities and concerns. The CAC has created this pilot grant category to support innovative projects that use arts and culture-based approaches to respond to systemic issues that affect Californians.

Femme Circle

Facilitated by Jazrin Ybarra

Schedule

Every other Thursday, September 12 through December 19, 2024

September 12, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
September 26, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
October 10, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
October 24, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
November 7, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
November 21, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
December 5, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
December 19, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
**Weekend Date: Field Trip TBD
**Weekend Date: Field Trip TBD

If you want to participate please contact maya@meztliprojects.org

Location
2337 W. Whittier Blvd. Montebello, CA 90460

Men’s Circle

Facilitated by Raul Garcia (Baja Kumiai/Huichol), Isaac Michael Ybarra (Tongva/Chumash), and Kenneth Lopez

Schedule

Every other Wednesday, September 4 through December 11, 2024

September 4, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
September 18, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)

October 2, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
October 16, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
October 30, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
November 13, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
November 27, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
December 11, 2024 (6 pm-9 pm)
Weekend Date
Weekend Date

10-Sessions (in-person)
Land, Self, Community

Location
2337 W. Whittier Blvd. Montebello, CA 90460


 

Press


KCET Article by Ivan Fernandez
IndigenARTS & Wellness Heals East L.A. Communities Through Indigenous Traditions

“We challenge the notion of wellness, what wellness means for, not just people of color, but Indigenous identified people,” explains Garcia. “This is what wellness can look like for us. These are the things we can use to work towards wellness. We’re going to do it through art-making with the hope that these same folks end up creating their own individual care plans.”