Carmina Escobar (Summer/Fall 2019 Artist-in-Residence) will work with local communities over multiple months to create a site-specific work for public performance on West Cliff Drive
Amirtha Kidambi Elder Ones fuse avant-garde protest music, free jazz, and Hindu philosophy in Indexical’s first-ever presentation at Kuumbwa Jazz Center
Digital Alchemy, a year-long programming initiative, begins with events at coworking spaces NextSpace and Cruzio
SANTA CRUZ, CA—Indexical is proud to announce its inaugural Artist-in-Residence for Summer/Fall 2019: Los Angeles-based vocalist and composer Carmina Escobar. At the centerpiece of her residency, Escobar and Indexical will produce an all-day, site-specific work on West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz, culminating in a gathering at Lighthouse Point. Escobar’s vision considers not just the acoustic and geographic properties of a site, but also its human components. In collaboration with Indexical curators Madison Heying and Laura Steenberge, Escobar aims to engage a number of local constituencies through her residency. Escobar’s first event is a day-long creative vocal workshop at Henry Cowell State Park, focused on exploring the ways that our voices can connect us with our surroundings and one another [ 6/29/19: The Voices from within into the World ].
Indexical’s Artist-in-Residence program gives artists the time, space, and resources to develop radical new work through sustained engagement with the diverse communities and geographies of Santa Cruz County. Indexical believes that long-term collaboration between artists, organizations, and communities leads to work that would not otherwise happen through a single engagement. Artists are provided with a $3,000 artist fee, additional funds for materials and collaborating artists or performers, and travel reimbursement. In addition, Indexical provides artists with substantial curatorial and logistical staff support, so that they can most effectively realize their vision. Escobar’s residency is made possible with funding from the City of Santa Cruz Arts Commission and an anonymous donor.
Indexical is thrilled to announce Amirtha Kidambi Elder Ones at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Downtown Santa Cruz [ 7/27/19: Amirtha Kidambi Elder Ones ]. Called “A forward-thinking polymath” by Downbeat Magazine, Kidambi takes a nod from radical avant-garde protest music, free jazz, and Hindu philosophy to create a singular voice. In discussion with writer Liz Pelly, Kidambi expands on the title of her recent album From Untruth: “‘Untruth,’ in the Hindu philosophy, is a shorthand for ignorance,” says Kidambi. “And I feel like we’re in a very ignorant era.” [Bandcamp Daily]. Tickets and information are available through Indexical, with funding provided by the Hasan Endowment for Classical Indian Music at UC Santa Cruz.
Indexical announces a preview of Digital Alchemy, a year-long programming initiative focusing on artists who explore the fringes of science and engineering. The first events feature Kunal Gupta (Withfriends, Silent Barn, Babycastles), Kate Compton (Tracery, generative textile fabrication), and Ted Gordon (Columbia University), with artist talks, performances, and presentations at local coworking sites NextSpace and Cruzio. [ 5/30/19: Kunal Gupta at NextSpace; 6/7/19: Kate Compton & Ted Gordon at Cruzio ]