Laboratory for the Future: Conversation on Censorship with Debra Scacco

Join artist Debra Scacco for an open conversation within her exhibition, Laboratory for the Future, exploring the themes of censorship, language, and creative resilience.

This special two-day installation examines how language evolves and how artistic expression responds to social and political change. On view is a growing list of words—sourced from PEN America—removed from public documents, reflecting shifts in how information is presented and shared.

Visitors can also experience Mykki Blanco’s performance of Zoe Leonard’s 1992 poem I Want a President, a reflection on representation and voice in public life. Outside the gallery, flags inscribed with reclaimed words move in the wind, symbolizing the ongoing dialogue between art, speech, and community.

Scacco invites participants to join her on Saturday, November 22 (12–2pm) for an informal, drop-in discussion about creative freedom, public dialogue, and the role of art in supporting open exchange. The popup installation will be viewable Nov 21–22, 12–5pm during gallery hours and is presented by the artist as part of the nationwide self-organized artist initiative Fall of Freedom.

Laboratory for the Future showcases these two years of research and creative exploration, from visits to well sites and sanitation stations to new sculptures made from Santa Monica water well excavation clay and Pacific Ocean driftwood. Learn more about GIS-based and sculptural interpretations of the city’s water pathways, Scacco's discoveries while researching compost and waste streams, and other works that illuminate and celebrate the invisible systems (and the often unseen people) that sustain Santa Monica. Experience how art, science, and civic engagement intersect in this unique exploration of water, waste and urban ecology.

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 here.

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: Opening Reception for Laboratory for the Future exhibit, Propeller Gallery

10/18/25, 11am-12:30pm: Composting session, following the 9-11am “Oh My Gourd” event and garden exploration, Ishihara Park Learning Garden, 2909 Exposition Blvd.

10/25/25, 12-2pm: Flow and Form: The Invisible Systems of Santa Monica, an artist talk and exhibit walkthrough with Debra Scacco, Propeller Gallery

11/1/25, 12-1:30pm: Woven Waters: Protection, Resistance, Renewal, a conversation with Emma Robbins (Diné Water Activist & Artist) and Debra Scacco, Propeller Gallery

11/22/25, 12-2pm: Popup installation and drop-by conversation with Debra Scacco, Propeller Gallery

1/3/26, 12-2pm: Exhibit closing event with Debra Scacco, Propeller Gallery

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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 https://www.debrascacco.com.

The Propeller Gallery at the Airport Arts Center, 3026 Airport Ave, hosts exhibitions and events throughout the year. By Bus, closest stop is Metro 44 SMC Bundy Campus, more frequent is Metro 14 at Airport and Bundy. Parking available onsite. Programs at Airport Arts Center are made possible by the Recreation and Arts Department.