Laboratory for the Future: Composting session with artist Debra Scacco

Santa Monica Cultural Affairs

Join us to celebrate fall and feeding the soil through the wonders of composting!

Ishihara Park

Laboratory for the Future

Artist Debra Scacco's project, Laboratory for the Future researched, illuminated, and celebrated the often-unseen labor and natural and created systems of the city and region. This exhibition has a series of events deep diving into the project.

Join us at the Ishihara Park Learning Garden for a morning of fun and sustainability! From 9-11am check out "Oh My Gourd" and learn about the wonders of curcubits in celebration of fall. Then dive (figuratively) into the world of composting and learn simple, effective ways to turn your kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich soil for your garden or potted plants thrive. It's not as messy as you might think... Bring your own frozen food scraps to get hands-on experience and Feed the Soil!This composting session is offered as part of artist Debra Scacco's multiyear residency with the city of Santa Monica Public Works Department (the Water and Resource Recovery &amp; Recycling Divisions) at City Yards and in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability. Scacco's project, "Laboratory for the Future" is the umbrella for her research into the natural and created systems of Santa Monica and its surrounding region, and a celebrated of the often-unseen labor of essential workers.Laboratory for the Future is a project of City Yards Artist in Residence Debra Scacco, made possible by the city of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division and Percent for Art program, and the city of Santa Monica Public Works Department. More about the project <a href="https://www.santamonica.gov/city-yards-public-art" title="https://www.santamonica.gov/city-yards-public-art" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">here</a>.Laboratory for the future events:The Laboratory for the Future exhibit is on view at the Airport Arts Center Propeller Gallery, 3026 Airport Ave. 10/11/25 - 1/4/26, hours: Thursday - Sunday, 12-5pm.10/11/25, 12-3pm: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/o/santa-monica-cultural-affairs-199424266" title="https://www.eventbrite.com/o/santa-monica-cultural-affairs-199424266">Opening Reception for Laboratory for the Future exhibit</a>, Propeller Gallery10/18/25, 11am-12:30pm: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/laboratory-for-the-future-composting-session-with-artist-debra-scacco-tickets-1735586218099" title="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/laboratory-for-the-future-composting-session-with-artist-debra-scacco-tickets-1735586218099">Composting session</a>, following the 9-11am “Oh My Gourd” event and garden exploration, Ishihara Park Learning Garden, 2909 Exposition Blvd.10/25/25, 12-2pm: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/laboratory-for-the-future-flow-and-form-invisible-systems-of-santa-monica-tickets-1735883908499" title="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/laboratory-for-the-future-flow-and-form-invisible-systems-of-santa-monica-tickets-1735883908499">Flow and Form: The Invisible Systems of Santa Monica</a>, an artist talk and exhibit walkthrough with Debra Scacco, Propeller Gallery11/1/25, 12-1:30pm: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/laboratory-for-the-future-woven-waters-protection-resistance-renewal-tickets-1735900819079" title="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/laboratory-for-the-future-woven-waters-protection-resistance-renewal-tickets-1735900819079">Woven Waters: Protection, Resistance, Renewal</a>, a conversation with Emma Robbins (Diné Water Activist &amp; Artist) and Debra Scacco, Propeller Gallery1/3/26, 12-2pm: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/laboratory-for-the-future-flow-and-form-2-concluding-artist-talk-tickets-1736132672559" title="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/laboratory-for-the-future-flow-and-form-2-concluding-artist-talk-tickets-1736132672559">Exhibit closing event</a> with Debra Scacco, Propeller Gallery-------------------------------Interdisciplinary artist Debra Scacco investigates the ecological and cultural consequences of human activity. Fusing rigorous research with personal narrative, her work maps the histories of land, water, and the beings transformed by human intervention. She is the inaugural artist-in-residence at the City of Santa Monica Public Works (2023–25) and the first artist-in-residence at the Ellis Island Museum (2012). Scacco co-founded the Getty PST ART Climate Impact Program (2022–25) and founded the climate-focused residency Air Projects (2016–20). Her work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Los Angeles, and the Durfee Foundation, featured in Art in America and the Los Angeles Times, and exhibited and collected internationally.More at <a href="https://www.debrascacco.com/" title="https://www.debrascacco.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.debrascacco.com</a>.