OVER 900 WOMEN ARTISTS TO GATHER AT
OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE FOR A HISTORIC PHOTO AND DAY OF DISCUSSIONS
Now Be Here’s 10-Year Anniversary and Now Let’s Talk, Los Angeles
Sunday, May 31, 2026
9am–11am: Women and Non-Binary Artists Gathering and Photograph (10am)
11am–3pm: All Artists Gathering and Now Let’s Talk, Los Angeles Programming
Occidental College, 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles, CA 90041
Los Angeles, April 13, 2026 — On May 31, 2026, artists are invited to join Now Be Here and event host OXY ARTS for what promises to be a historic day for the Los Angeles art community. A coalition of 50+ universities, museums, and nonprofit arts organizations have come together for a day of artist-centered talks, community conversations, and a new photograph taking place at Occidental College. These events are designed to address and give artists tools to resist urgent and persisting issues of gender inequity, erasure and marginalization in the art world.
The day will begin with a group portrait of the city’s women and non-binary artist community taken by noted photographer Isabel Avila. This is expected to be the largest gathering of women and non-binary artists in Los Angeles, bringing together over 900 artist attendees. After the photograph, the entire artist community of Los Angeles is invited to gather for a free slate of dialogue-focused public programming titled Now Let’s Talk, Los Angeles. These discussion-based events will provide artist attendees with opportunities to connect joyfully and strengthen community ties, while engaging deeply in dialogue that addresses systemic issues within the art world. A Schedule of Events can be found here.
These events mark the tenth anniversary of the 2016 convening of Now Be Here, when 733 women and non-binary artists gathered in downtown Los Angeles for a collective statement of presence. Cited in Artsy as a “wake-up call” for the art world, Now Be Here became the largest known group photograph of artists in LA. Subsequent events were held in New York, Miami and Washington, D.C. Since then, Now Be Here developed a free online visual directory used annually by over 120,000 visitors from 69 countries. The directory makes it easy for galleries, curators and the public to discover national and international women and non-binary artists.
Now Let’s Talk, Los Angeles is made possible through generous donations by Artlogic, ArtConverge, The Andy Warhol Foundation For Visual Arts, East West Bank, and Claremont Graduate University Art Department, with thanks to Fulcrum Arts.
Event Coalition Partners: 18th Street Arts Center · Angels Gate Cultural Center · Armory Center for the Arts · Art Converge · Art Galleria · Art Record · ArtCenter Exhibitions · ARTERNAL · The Artist’s Contract · The Artist’s Office · Artists Commit · Artlogic · Arts for LA · Artwork Archive · Avenue 50 Studio · The Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College · Blue Roof · CalArts · The Chapter House · Cherryworks · CGU Art · Clockshop · Continuous Project · Corita Art Center · Craft Contemporary · Crenshaw Dairy Mart · The Culture List · Feminist Center for Creative Work · For Freedoms · Freewaves · Fulcrum Arts · Grand Central Art Center · Guerrilla Girls · GYOPO · Hauser & Wirth · Institute of Contemporary Art, LA · Japanese American National Museum · The Judith Center · LA Commons · LACE · Level Ground Collective · LMU Laband Art Gallery · Los Angeles Artist Census · Los Angeles Contemporary Archive · Los Angeles Nomadic Division · Meztli Projects · Otis College of Art & Design · OXY ARTS · Performance Art Museum · Pilele Projects · Pitzer College Art Galleries · Primer · Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Scripps College · Self Help Graphics & Art · Side Street Projects · Sovern · USC Roski School of Art & Design · Wende Museum
Now Be Here supports the practices of thousands of diverse women and non-binary artists by building community and expanding public knowledge of their work. Conceived by artist Kim Schoenstadt in 2016 with the largest known photograph of artists in LA, our work continues to create a more equitable art world through direct outreach, public programming, and our free, global visual artist directory. Our artists have seen their work included in museum collections and biennales worldwide.
OXY ARTS is Occidental College’s community-based arts hub. At the intersection of art, culture and social movements, OXY ARTS is committed to facilitating projects that hold space for complex ideas and dialogue, spark curiosity and invest in artists and community growth. All exhibitions and public programs are free and open to the public.
WHEN: Sunday, May 31, 2026
9am–11am: Women and Non-Binary Artists Gathering and Photograph (10am)
11am–3pm: All Artists Gathering and Now Let’s Talk, Los Angeles Programming
WHERE: Occidental College, 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles, CA 90041
RSVP: A RSVP is required of all participants
PRICE: Free
EVENT HASHTAG: #nowbehereLA26
MEDIA CONTACT: For press credentials or interview opportunities, contact: emma@ejs-media.com
