Join 18th Street Arts Center’s artists-in-residence and wider community through a special gallery tour of “Converge+Vertex” led by curator Cole James, interdisciplinary artist and assistant professor at Otis College of Design. Followed by the tour, Art Department chair, Walter Meyer, will provide an overview of the arts programs and courses offered at Santa Monica College. We will be meeting on 18th Street Arts Center’s Olympic campus at 10am. Guests can also join us at Barrett Gallery at 11am, located inside of the Performing Arts Center - Music Building, 1310 11th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Free parking is available in front of The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage.

10:00am – Meet at 18th Street Arts Center

10:30am – Take metro to Barrett Gallery (Santa Monica College)

11:00am – Arrive at Barrett Gallery

11:00am - 12:00pm – Start exhibition tour w/ Cole James, discuss exhibit as a group

12:00pm - 12:30pm – Discuss Santa Monica College’s art department w/ Walter Meyer

1:00pm - 2:00pm – Return to 18th Street Arts Center

The Santa Monica College (SMC) Pete & Susan Barrett Art Gallery and artist/archivist/activist group The Black Lunch Table present “Converge+Vertex: Traversing the minor gesture of timelines,” a free exhibition of works by Black artists from the Los Angeles area exploring what has influenced their art and how they have influenced each other through intergenerational conversations via their artworks.

The exhibition was planned by SMC students under the leadership of interdisciplinary artist and guest curator Cole James, who stated:

Black body-minds are spaces of convergence, evolving into vertices where our multifaceted identities intersect and expand. We embody the intersections of past, present, and future, with our collective humanity forming the vertex that marks our expansive evolution.

“Converge+Vertex” brings together 11 artists from the Los Angeles creative community, who explore the planes of emergence, existence, and ascension through their art-making practices. This exhibition features works by Chelle Barbour, Lavialle Campbell, Noah Purifoy, June Edmonds, Ronn Davis, Cass Everage, Donel Williams, Kimberley Morris, Leah King, Michael Massenburg, and William Ransom.

This exhibit runs through May 11, 2025.