Laboratory for the Future: Fall of Freedom event with Debra Scacco

As part of the independently organized Fall of Freedom initiative, Laboratory for the Future presents a special two-day installation within the ongoing exhibit that confronts the language of erasure and the resilience of expression. Presented on one of the gallery walls is a growing list of words (sourced from PEN America) scrubbed from government websites and documents, in an attempt by the federal government to remove all references not only to diversity, equity and inclusion, but also to climate change, vaccines, and a host of other topics.

Playing continuously in the gallery is Mykki Blanco's performance of Zoe Leonard’s 1992 I Want a President: a poem created in support of American poet and activist Eileen Myles' 1992 presidential campaign, where they ran as an "openly female" candidate. Outside, flags ripple with reclaimed words and gestures of resistance, carrying the breath of speech back into public space. Together, these elements form a living testament to the freedom to speak, to imagine, and to be heard.

Fall of Freedom is an urgent call to the arts community to unite in defiance of authoritarian forces sweeping the nation. Our Democracy is under attack. Threats to free expression are rising. Dissent is being criminalized. Institutions and media have been recast as mouthpieces of propaganda. Artists have a role to play in the resistance. We are here, and we will be heard.

Artist Debra Scacco will be present on Saturday November 22 from 12pm - 2pm, and will hold space for a drop-in community conversation around fighting censorship and growing community support structures for artists.

The popup portion of the installation will be on view 11/21-11/22, 12-5pm during gallery hours.

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: Fall of Freedom 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.