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Discovering boygrim BY
MELIA FRANKS
When a YouTube livestream reignited his spark, Isaac Quiroz, lead singer of boygrim, returned to chasing the music that’s been calling him since childhood.
Unpassionate, Undecided, & Thriving BY
NIKOLETTA ANAGNOSTOU
After years of chasing one “right” answer to what she wants to do, a journalism student confronts the pressure to have it all figured out — and what happens when she doesn’t.
Drawing Outside the Lines: The little ā collective BY
KIMBERLY WONG
Comprised of three visual artists, the little ā collective uses art to bring about change in the Long Beach community and beyond.
Photo by Gopi Vadsak.
5 L.A. MUSEUMS FREE WITH EBT
STORY BY XAVIER CONSTANTINO
PHOTOS BY NIKOLETTA ANAGNOSTOU
Some museums feel out of reach for many, but with an EBT card, some of Southern California’s most iconic spots are just a drive away.
LOS ANGELES is an expensive city, and especially in our high-inflation economy, a day out on the town can seem out of reach for many. Luckily, the Institute of Museum and Library Services launched an initiative in 2014 called Museums for All, which provides free or reduced entry to over 1,500 museums nationwide with an EBT card. In Los Angeles County,
THE GRAMMY MUSEUM
800 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
over 10 museums participate in this program. All participating museums can be found on museumsforall.org. The program is an easy way for students and families on a tight budget to explore culture, science, and art without spending much more than pocket change. Here are five must-visit museums that make learning and fun accessible to all.
ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES
6067 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Calling all film buffs, this is the museum for you. The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is the newest museum on this list, opening in 2021, and houses changing exhibits that illustrate every aspect of cinema, from creative planning to production design, cinematography, merchandising and more. The museum consists of two buildings. Constructed in 1939, the first building is a restored Los Angeles historical monument that features three floors of exhibits. Currently, “Jaws: The Exhibition” takes up a whole floor, celebrating the Oscar-winning movie’s 50th anniversary, showcasing movie props, behind-the-scenes videos, and memorabilia, on display until July 26, 2026. A massive glass-and-concrete sphere serves as the second museum building and is home to the David Geffen Theatre and the Dolby Family Terrace, where you can see spectacular views of the Los Angeles skyline.
General admission for two adults is always free for EBT cardholders with a valid ID.
Just a block away from the Crypto.com Arena, the GRAMMY Museum is a love letter to award-winning music across the ages. The numerous exhibits feature instruments and equipment vital to the success of iconic musicians, outfits worn by trending artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan during their GRAMMY performances, and various other musical artifacts. Visitors can partake in various immersive, high-tech experiences, such as listening to GRAMMY performances in a surround sound booth that places you in front of artists including Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, Bruno Mars, and many others.
General admission for two adults is free on the first Saturday of each month for EBT cardholders with a valid ID.
Sabrina Carpenter’s custom Louboutins that she wore during her 2025 Grammy performance are currently on display.
A mix of vintage and modern memorabilia and hand-painted movie posters makes up the final area of “Jaws: The Exhibition.”
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007
The Natural History Museum of L.A. County, which opened its doors to the public over 100 years ago, is a must-visit for the budding anthropologist, with dinosaur, early mammal, bug, and gem exhibits. Located in Exposition Park, this stop is a four-forone, sitting next to the California Science Center and the African American Museum, both of which are free to all, as well as the breathtaking rose garden. Not only does the Natural History Museum hold artifacts from ancient Latin America or bones from times past, but it also has an exhibit exploring the modern history of Los Angeles.
General admission for two adults and four children is always free for EBT cardholders with a valid ID.
NORTON SIMON MUSUEM
411 W. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91105
Perhaps you’ve seen this iconic museum on TV as the worldfamous Rose Parade passes the iconic brick building on New Year’s Day, but have you ever stepped inside of it? The Norton Simon Museum, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is home to one of the world’s most impressive private collections, featuring European art spanning from the Renaissance to the present day, as well as a variety of works from South and Southeast Asia. Famous paintings and sculptures from artists including Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, Degas and Rivera line the walls. Outside the museum is a sculpture garden patterned after Van Gogh’s famously painted gardens in Giverny, France. The museum hosts a variety of events, artmaking workshops, and daily tours for families and art lovers alike.
General admission for two adults is always free to all EBT cardholders with a valid ID.
LA BREA TAR PITS AND MUSEUM
5801 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
If the bones and remains at the Natural History Museum didn’t scratch that science itch, the smell of bubbling sulfur at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum definitely will. The outside tar pits are free to explore, but those who desire a deeper understanding of Ice Age life should check out the museum, which houses 3 million bones and composite skeletons of numerous animals, including woolly mammoths, dire wolves, and saber-toothed cats. In the middle of the museum is an atrium filled with sunlight that showcases the building’s breathtaking architecture. The staff are very passionate and knowledgeable about the history of the pits and put on various presentations throughout the day. Because of the tar, the fossils are well-preserved, making the skeletons at the museum a unique sight to behold.
General admission for two adults and four children is always free for EBT cardholders with a valid ID.
Pictured front right is Beryl from Brazil, and front left is Gypsum from Mexico, both part of the museum’s Gem and Mineral Hall.
The museum building is framed by intricate reliefs of various Ice Age animals, which, along with the tar pits and the outside park, are free to admire.
The 1910 bronze statue “Standing Woman” by William Lehmbruck frames Henri Rousseau’s “Exotic Landscape” and Pablo Picasso’s “The Ram’s Head.”
DOCUMENTARIES THAT DARE
CSULB film professor Rowena Santos Aquino shares five documentaries that redefine how we see the world — films of innovation, empathy, and cinematic imagination.
ROWENA SANTOS AQUINO, a cinematic arts lecturer at Cal State Long Beach who has a doctorate in cinema and media studies, brings a global and deeply human perspective to her courses on film history, documentary film history and theory, and international cinema. Aquino emphasizes the power of film not only as entertainment but as a lens for understanding marginalized voices, a platform for activism, and a source of artistic license and creativity. Aquino shares her top five documentary films — works that depict humanity, defy expectations, push boundaries and offer guidance.
01
The Gleaners and I (2000)
Directed by Agnes Varda
“The Gleaners and I” documents Varda filming and interviewing gleaners (traditionally people who gathered leftover crops or food) in France in all forms, from those picking fields after the harvest to those scouring the dumpsters of Paris.
“She kind of reinvented herself with this documentary that looked at the way people gleaned for their living whether you’re a Michelin-star chef or someone who’s unhoused,” Aquino says. “It’s about different walks of life, depicting them with dignity and letting them tell their stories, even if they just met her. Her personality is whimsical, and that’s her approach to film. My students take to her very well because her energy is very infectious.
“I want to shout out Agnès Varda. She passed away in 2018, and I love her work. This is the film that put her back on the map cinematically, but also introduced her to new generations of audiences. She had been part of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s; she was the only woman working within that group of men, and she continued even after the passing of her husband.”
Movie posters courtesy of The Criterion Channel, IMDb and Grasshopper Film.
Third down: Rowena Santos Aquino has a doctorate in cinema and media studies from UCLA and specializes in documentary film theory and international/transnational films. Photo courtesy of Rowena Santos Aquino.
02 03
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm:
Take One (1968)
Directed by William Greaves
In this experimental documentary, William Greaves constructs an environment with actors who think they are auditioning for a fictional drama, a crew that films the actors thinking they are making a behind-the-scenes documentary about acting, and a third crew simultaneously filming the first crew and the actors. He gives purposely contradictory directions and captures the behind-the-scenes drama and chaos that ensues.
“This is the first film that William Greaves, a Black filmmaker, made,” Aquino says. “It’s basically a series of rehearsals, and he doesn’t tell his group what he’s actually doing — hoping to incite them to revolt and make something happen.
“The dialogue is odd and old-fashioned, archaic … It mentions abortion and homophobic slurs. To this day, I’m not entirely sure Greaves wrote that, but I’m leaning toward the idea that he intentionally wrote it to be offensive, to generate some kind of emotion in the performance. It resists categorization, and I love quirky, non-categorizable films like this.”
Notes on Blindness (2016)
Directed by Peter Middleton and James Spinney
This film dramatizes the recordings of theologian John Hull, who begins keeping an audiocassette diary after losing his deteriorating vision completely in 1983, just before the birth of his son. The feature-length film blends fiction and non-fiction and was originally released as a short film in 2014.
“I mean, obviously a big irony is happening to create the work based on non-sight … and the attempt is really admirable,” Aquino says. “They had these audio recordings, and so the filmmakers had actors lip-sync so that we could have some scenes catering to sight. But as his blindness becomes more permanent, the visuals become a little bit more equalized with the aural quality of the experience. It’s hard to capture in words, but I think it’s just a beautiful documentary.
“I just love works that kind of teeter between fiction and nonfiction. I’m of the opinion that when you fictionalize something, there are certain truths that you can access outside of just simply putting a camera on a real person … Not everything is that easily accessible. You have to stage something, create something, fabricate something, and within the fiction, there are all these great truths.”
04 05
Goodbye CP (1972)
Directed by Kazua Hara
In their film “Goodbye CP,” Kazuo Hara and Sachiko Kobayashi, a director and producer couple, document the plight of people with cerebral palsy in Japan trying to raise awareness for their disability. Aquino has been interviewing the husband-and-wife pair since 2023 for a book she’s co-authoring.
“It was their debut documentary, and it just really established their documentary ethics and aesthetic of making a moment with the body,” she says. “Because they document this community of people with cerebral palsy and their own fight [as activists], it was actually combined activism. The subjects were part of this radical disability group advocating for independent living and calling on the government to [actualize] their desire to be independent.
“[Kobayashi’s] had a disability since she was a kid and pushed for this film to happen, though she had no directing experience. It was a real joint effort. It remains revolutionary to this day, because they really allow these social actors to not only confront the public — because they go out in public and distribute flyers to get donations for their radical disability group — but also confront the viewer. At one point, the main social actor strips in the middle of the row and confronts the viewer: look at my body, look at the difference, the bodily difference here. They were advocating like ‘Don’t try to get us to subscribe to ableist policies.’”
Bisbee ’17 (2018)
Directed by Robert Greene
This partial documentary focuses on the 1917 deportation of immigrant miners from Bisbee, Arizona, to New Mexico, and has scenes set in both 1917 and 2017. A century after this awful event, the filmmakers ask current residents to reenact the deportation. As rehearsals went on, participants reflected on their families’ roles and began changing their perspectives.
“The townspeople decided to give themselves the power to corral these people and deport them or leave them in the middle of nowhere — leave them in the desert — to die,” Aquino says. “They told [the immigrants], ‘If you ever come back, we’ll kill you.’ And not many people knew about this event; I didn’t know about this event until I saw the film.
“It’s a bit of a hybrid as well — both documentary and fiction, but it’s so cinematic and beautiful, too. That’s one of the comments that I get when I show this film. It’s just gorgeous. I think it speaks to what’s going on today. I think it ticks a lot of boxes and also shows that a documentary can be visually pleasing, but it also doesn’t sacrifice the social urgency that’s expected of a documentary.”
STORY BY ISABELLA GARCIA
PHOTOS BY DANTE ESTRADA
With their personalized water bottles, students carry a little bit of themselves everywhere they go. Every sip tells a story.
COLLEGE STUDENTS are some of the busiest people around. Between early morning lectures, long study sessions, library runs, and treacherous journeys from parking lots, most of us rely on trusty reusable water bottles to stay hydrated.
Whether students opt to fill their cups with coffee, tea, or water, these bottles are not only essential, but they have become part of our essence, each with its very own story.
DANTE ESTRADA
For fourth-year journalism major Dante Estrada, hydration comes from a personal gift with some superhero flair. Every day, he commutes with a Spider-Man themed Owala water bottle, a Valentine’s Day gift from his girlfriend, Valentina. Estrada recalls when she sent him a list of superherothemed bottles. He assumed the water bottle would be for her — that was, until the gift was placed in his hands. Immediately, Estrada broke out the sticker sheet that came with the water bottle, knowing exactly where he wanted each one placed.
“There’s the sticker that says, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ I wanted to put that somewhere everyone could see it,” he says.
His Spider-Man bottle is more than just a sweet reminder of his girlfriend or a homage to his love for the comic. Because he commutes from Echo Park to Long Beach, the bottle ensures his beverage stays chilled all day.
great responsibility.”
Dante Estrada’s favorite sticker on his Owala water bottle bears the words, “With great power comes
LONG BEACH ELIV LIVE
STORY BY MELIA FRANKS
Just south of the entertainment capital of the world, Long Beach is home to many lively music venues. I visited three spots to see what each brings to the stage. Here’s how they scored.
GASLAMP
6251 E. Pacific Coast Highway
Long Beach, CA 90803
Gaslamp is known for its rotating lineup of tribute bands and national touring acts. With a full restaurant, dance floor and multiple bars, it balances casual dining with an exciting night out. The drinks hit the mark, and strong pours and solid cocktails like the Paloma make up for menu missteps — the Asian fusion calamari idea did not land super well. The drinks are well priced, ranging from $14 to $18 for handcrafted cocktails.
The bathrooms are clean with enough stalls for the venue size, and the free large parking lot behind makes for easy access. The musicians (as well as the crowd) often lean older, but their experience means that you can always count on good music. The audience was filled with moms and daughters (including my mom and me), and everyone was down to dance and sing.
The featured band on 80’s night, Knightryder, played hits from A-ha, Billy Idol, Oingo Boingo and more. Ticket prices usually range from $20 to $40 — my ticket was $18.77.
The sound, scope, drink quality and production at Gaslamp are top-tier, but the slightly older crowd and cover fees make it less college-friendly.
Bodysnatchers, a Radiohead tribute band, plays at Gaslamp on Oct. 11. Photo by Nikoletta Anagnostou
ALTER EGO
210 E. Ocean Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90802
ALEX’S BAR
2913 E. Anaheim St. Long Beach, CA 90804
Alex’s Bar is equal parts punk dive bar and performance venue, with blood-red walls, eclectic art and campy décor that make it instantly intriguing. The cocktails cost around $15–$20; the Long Island Iced Tea and Tokyo Tea weren’t the best I’ve ever tasted, but the unique atmosphere compensates plenty. The alternative and younger crowd is enthusiastic, queer-friendly and inclusive, but the bar isn’t always full.
The women’s bathroom has just two stalls, and on busy nights you can easily get stuck waiting in a long line. The bar has a nice outdoor patio where people can take a break from the music, laugh and smoke. The cover charge depends on the act: DJs and Tuesday karaoke are often free, while band nights carry variable cover charges.
From punk bands to rotating DJs, the vibe swings from hardcore to retro. On the Saturday I went, the DJ played a charming set filled with 2010s hits.
While its character and punk band and DJs are fun, the inconsistent crowd levels and cramped bathrooms held me back from giving it an A.
Alter Ego, situated inside the Fairmont Breakers Hotel, brings a vintage and elegant touch to nightlife in Long Beach. The lowlit jazz bar honors the hotel’s 1920s roots while offering cozy relaxation. Expect craft cocktails and elevated bar bites – usually around $20–$25, matching the upscale vibe. The space is intimate, with bar seating and cocktail tables, and a nice restroom right outside. It’s not the spot for dancing and shouting, but it offers a soft atmosphere for live music and conversation — ideal for a date night or chill hangout.
Alter Ego hosts local bands Thursday through Sunday. David Sparkman, who plays at Alter Ego every month, blends pop and jazz — from Bruno Mars and Toto to songs like “The Girl from Ipanema.” He interacts with the crowd between songs, takes requests, and keeps the energy warm. No cover is required, which evens out the price of the food and drinks.
While it’s understated and pricier, the ambiance, musicality and fancy cocktails make for an unforgettable experience.
Alter Ego’s Spanish Flea cocktail, $23.
Photo by Lauren Tran.
Alex’s Bar. Photos by Nikoletta Anagnostou.
A PROFESSOR’S GUIDE TO STUDY ABR AD
Comparative world literature professor Pravina Cooper shares her top tips for making the most of your study abroad adventure.
EVER SINCE I was 10, my dream has been to travel to Italy. At 21 years old, nearing the end of my college career, this dream felt out of reach. I never indulged in studying abroad for a semester because I knew I couldn’t afford it.
However, all that changed when I received an email at the beginning of my junior spring semester from short-term study abroad leader and comparative world literature professor Pravina Cooper about a two-week trip to Italy, visiting Venice, Rome and Florence. That’s when I learned about short-term study abroad programs, which are more affordable
STORY BY EMILY TREJO
alternatives to semester-long programs. Not only did I get to travel to the country of my dreams, but I also got to take an amazing course on Italian comedy. I submitted my application, put in my deposit, and the rest was history.
Cooper says studying abroad is a thrilling experience because you don’t just learn the course material — you live it, all while gaining a global perspective. Whether you are going on a short-term trip or a semester-long program, here are four tips from Professor Cooper for a successful study abroad experience!
TIP ONE: BE CURIOUS AND EXPLORE
“Number one is being able to combine a sense of adventure and personal exploration with a certain curiosity for the country that you are going to,” Cooper says.
Cooper encourages students to have a spirit of adventure and get off the main track. Explore around your temporary neighborhood. As long as you’re being safe, don’t be afraid to go off into small streets and alleys because that is where you’ll find the rich culture of the country or city you’re in.
“You discover a lot on your own,” she said.
You can make your trip unique and story-worthy by visiting family-owned businesses and lesser-known historic sites in addition to the traditional tourist stops. Explore the area you’re visiting beyond what the trip itinerary has planned.
The Duomo di Firenze in Florence, Italy. The cathedral, completed in 1436 after 140 years of construction, is crowned by a massive dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi.
Photo by Emily Trejo.
“He paused it and was like, ‘What the fuck? This is so sick. It sounds like the singer of Deftones.’ And then he kept playing it, and the whole time he was just bobbing his head. I was like, ‘What is happening, dude?’” Quiroz said. “And people were freaking out in the chat, saying that it was really good, and I was getting follows like crazy on Instagram.”
The Aries livestream gave Quiroz the final push to fully commit to pursuing his passion. He told his longtime friend, Chris Echols, that he wanted to take music seriously. Together, they pulled together some musicians to help film Quiroz’s first music video and play a few shows.
“We did a show with that group in L.A. that was terrible. The sound quality was dog shit. But it was a good starting point for us because it was like looking back, we’ve grown so far from that shot ass show to now,” Quiroz said.
Finally, after years of trials and tribulations, finding and losing bandmates and exploring different sounds, Quiroz
“He paused it and was like, ‘What the fuck? This is so sick.’”
has found a home with his current band, consisting of himself on vocals, Seth Taylor on bass, Vincent Bombolo on guitar and Jack Friedberg on drums.
Bombolo was the first official member of the band. After seeing Bombolo perform live, Quiroz was impressed, so when he began turning boygrim into a band, he asked Bombolo to join.
“He’s a cool dude, so when I needed a guitarist I knew he would crush it,” he said. Quiroz and Taylor have known each other since around 2014, when they played together in a metal band that, according to Quiroz, lasted about two months.
Quiroz reached out in April 2025 and asked Taylor to join. “I was trying to make [boygrim] a real band vs just me with a band behind me,” Quiroz said.
“The work he’s done to build the sound
and aesthetic of boygrim is remarkable,” Taylor said. “When he reached out to get me involved, I knew I had to jump at the opportunity… Connecting with Vince and Jack has been a real pleasure, too. Everyone has a really high standard of musicianship, which I appreciate.”
Freidberg and Quiroz met in 2023 before he knew Freidberg was a drummer. “I just thought he was a fun guy to be around,” Quiroz said.
Quiroz also called up Freidberg this past April to ask him to join the band. The group officially formed two months later in June and is performing as a band under the name boygrim.
While promoting his most recent show at Supply and Demand in Long Beach on Sept. 12, Quiroz battled a lot of anxiety. He printed out flyers and
Photo by Gopi Vadsak.
Photo by Gopi Vadsak.
distributed them all throughout campus, despite fearing no one would show up.
However, the turnout was better than he ever anticipated. The artist Aries, who praised his song on the live stream, came to support.
“He came in during the song that I had submitted — he came up to the front,” Quiroz recalled. “He was singing it at me, and I handed him the mic and he sang it and I was like, ‘Dude, what the fuck?’”
“It was insane. It was surreal to have him there. He talked to us for like, the entire night and hung out with us, and yeah, it was nuts. So that was definitely a blessing,” Quiroz said.
Now, boygrim is looking forward to bigger and better shows and releasing new projects.
“Flash forward to now, yeah, I had that show, and I’m just trying to take every show really seriously,” Quiroz said. “We’ve got stuff in the chamber that we’re getting ready to do some rollout for and figure out a plan for. But, that’s where I’m at right now.”
lead singer of boygrim.
Photo by Gopi Vadsak.
Photo courtesy of boygrim.
UNPASSIONATE, UNDECIDED, & THRIVING
STORY BY NIKOLETTA ANAGNOSTOU
“What do you want to do?” The thing is, I still don’t know.
“WHAT is it that you want to do?” asked the journalist, forehead crinkled up in concern.
My eyes darted up to his across the small table at my college networking fair, which seemed to be growing smaller by the second. I nervously laughed, trying to buy myself some more time before the inevitable disappointment and judgment I knew was coming.
“Well, the thing is…” I hesitated before continuing. “I’m not really sure yet.”
His shoulders dropped.
“Come on — there has to be something you’re passionate about,” he said, exasperation unhidden.
I shrugged in response, feeling more and more exposed by the shrinking table.
I had sat down confident, ready to pick the brain of a professional, but by the time I left, any semblance of selfassuredness was kicked out of me.
As I walked back to my car, my frustration from the meeting grew, and my thoughts began running Olympic-worthy laps in my head.
Once again, as I had been many times before, I was confronted with this narrow idea of life. And after just a few minutes
“As
a child,
you couldn’t
escape
the
question
—
but back then, it didn’t carry the piles of expectations it does now.”
An 8-year-old me strikes a pose, pretending to be a superstar. Photo courtesy of Nikoletta Anagnostou.
of it, I was having to pull myself out of the intoxicating rhetoric engulfing my mind. It wasn’t the first time I had come face to face with that question, and I knew that it wouldn’t be the last. But somewhere between kindergarten dreams of becoming an artist or pop star and resume-building and LinkedIn networking, the question “What do you want to be?” stopped feeling like a fun game and started feeling like a trap.
As a child, you couldn’t escape the question — but back then, it didn’t carry the piles of expectations it does now.
During a CSULB study abroad trip to Cape Town, I stood atop Cape Point, a 238-meter peak that overlooks the most southwestern point of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope.
Thriving doesn’t mean having it all figured out. The people in my life showed me that thriving can mean waking up curious, letting life unfold, and finding joy in the small, daily freedoms. In my last semester, I joined two choirs, became the editor-in-chief of DIG, started practicing dancing, and signed up for a PR internship — all things that I’ve never done before. I’m pursuing what excites me — while also figuring out what doesn’t — and giving myself the grace to pivot when I’m ready. And finally, I feel free. I am thriving, not in spite of uncertainty, but because of it. And that’s a beautiful thing.
However, meetings with people like the journalist still shake me. His judgment immediately took me back to all the times I’d doubted myself and filled my head with spiraling thoughts:
I’m sooooooooo behind. I should have my life figured out by now. What is wrong with me? How can my peers know what they want so effortlessly? How much of a loser did I sound like? How did my meeting end up becoming an interrogation? Am I too late? Too old? No, I’m only 23. But that’s almost 25, and 25 is almost 30. I mean, I’m practically going to be kicked off my parents’ health insurance! God, what the heck was I thinking, taking so long to figure my life out? Actually, God, would you mind doing some divine intervention on my behalf? How can I be succes—
“Thriving doesn’t mean having it all figured out. The people in my life showed me that thriving can mean waking
up curious, letting life unfold, and finding joy in the small, daily freedoms.”
Finishing my degree in December 2025, I am still unsure of what the future holds — and that scares me — but at my graduation ceremony this past May, I felt a strong sense of peace, knowing that even without a clear plan, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
of Nikoletta Anagnostou.
“Breathe, Nikoletta,” I told myself, stopping the spiral and grounding myself in what I’ve learned — in what I know to be true.
After my unsatisfying answer, the journalist talked at me, telling me how I should have already figured something out, how even as a young child his passion for news consumed him, how he’s pushing his teenagers to find out what they want to do in life, with the connotation that they wouldn’t end up like me: 23, lost, unpassionate and undecided.
And suddenly, everything I was worried about, all the anxiety and dread over my unpassionate and undecided future, cleared. Instead, as he was telling me this, all I could think was: Those poor kids.
I often feel anxious when my goals don’t seem immediate, but over time I’ve fulfilled many dreams I once thought unattainable. This picture from my travels to San Juan, Puerto Rico, remind me that with patience and intention, I can shape the life I want.
Photos by Nikoletta Anagnostou.
Photo courtesy
DRAWING OUTSIDE THE LINES: THE LITTLE Ā COLLECTIVE
The little ā collective, made up of visual artists Noelle Averett, Wynn Barnard, and José Loza, uses art to build community and create change across local and global communities.
STORY & PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY WONG
THESE three Long Beach-based artists are taking on the world’s problems, one at a time.
The little ā collective is composed of interdisciplinary visual artists Noelle Averett, Wynn Barnard, and José Loza. The three artists, who mainly work in illustration, animation, and printmaking, respectively, have combined forces to build a collective network of artists and creatives that can depend on one another, create change, and bring art to those who need it the most.
The three artists met while enrolled in CSULB’s School of Art graduate programs, where Loza and Averett studied illustration and Barnard studied animation. Each grad student is assigned a studio during the program, and it just so happened that Averett, Barnard and Loza’s grad studios were all placed next to each other.
Though all three artists mentioned struggling with the competitive nature of grad school, each quickly learned that art is a collaborative process through both the everyday rhythms of their artmaking process and the creation of work for their solo exhibitions at the end of the MFA program.
“We had a lot of courses together, like critique and theory, but we also spent a lot of time in the studio working, so it automatically led us to ask, ‘What are you working on?’ or ‘Could I get another set of eyes on this?’ I would ask Noelle and Wynn a lot for their opinions,” Loza said.
“Something that was really important to me in grad school was spending time with other people and assisting with the labor that goes into art,” Averett mentioned.
Wynn Barnard (left), José Loza (back), and Noelle Averett (right) in their studio space, laughing together in front of a quilted tapestry Averett created.
Conceptualizing, creating, and displaying artwork is a time-consuming process, especially on top of school, jobs, personal relationships and advocacy efforts. During school and since graduation, the three friends have collaborated on a wide range of projects, from community workshops focused on screenprinting, kitemaking and more, to art exhibitions, mural painting and helping other artists with their own projects.
One big project for the three in particular was Barnard’s thesis show, which included a community-created animation along with thousands of butterflies hung from the ceiling. White butterflies, in the Irish tradition, represent the soul of a child who has passed away — in the context of the show, these butterflies symbolized the number of children who died in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. Their exhibition involved a lengthy installation process due to the sheer number of delicate cutouts that had to be hung from the ceiling.
“I’ve had moments where I was like, ‘Wow, Noelle gave me so much of her time for that project,’ and it makes me want to do the same for other people,” Barnard said. “It’s like the principles of mutual aid, applied to artmaking. I’m going to show up for you, in part because you’ll show up for me when I need it. But we all need each other.”
Averett, Barnard, and Loza all graduated from the MFA program in December 2024. They moved into their
current space on Seventh Street two months later, hoping to continue to develop and expand upon the community they had built at CSULB.
“We wanted to hold onto the good mix of collaboration and inspiration and transfer it outside of school,” Loza explained. “The studio opened up, we had the opportunity to rent it, and we all get along with each other … We also didn’t want to just stand around and wait for people to come to us. We wanted to be more active [and invite others in].”
Not only is this sense of community between artists important, but the three also stressed the importance of making art readily available to others in the community. Loza, in particular, has a history of creating murals, and the three have collaborated on numerous other public workshops and events.
“We want to make art accessible,” said Loza. “We went through the grad program, speaking the art speak, but I like that we’re able to simplify those ideas and make art accessible to people. We want to encourage people that they also have the capacity to be creative and make something. There’s no qualifier to do [art]. You just need to want to say something.”
The members of the little ā collective are deeply concerned with bringing change into their communities and to the world. One of their main goals as a collective is to use their skills to do good, and together, the artists have
incorporated activism into their individual and collective practices.
“There’s a lot happening that we’re connected to in one way or another, and we have to ask ourselves, ‘How do we respond, what’s our role, how do we take action?’” Loza said.
“I think fundraising has always been one of the most obvious connections [between art and activism],” Barnard said. “By making art, you can create something that can tangibly support whatever it is you’re trying to bring attention to, whether it’s Anti-ICE, or Palestine, or things that are happening locally or nationally, or internationally. For myself, this can’t just be about awareness. [What I do] also has to have something tangible coming out of it, whether that’s people coming together and building relationships with each other or funneling some resources through the artmaking process.”
“It’s like the principles of mutual aid, applied to artmaking. I’m going to show up for you, in part because you’ll show up for me when I need it.”
Loza, who is also a lecturer of printmaking at CSULB, reimagines ancient Mesoamerican Olmec heads and uses them as recurring symbols in his work, from his prints to 3D works such as this mask.
The collective’s most recent event was a recurring community yard sale, in which friends and family contributed items to sell — including Palestinian flags and other textiles sewn by Averett — to raise funds for their friend, Anjad, in Gaza, who is greatly in need of financial support.
“He lost his leg recently because he was getting aid, and [his location] got bombed,” Barnard said soberly. “It’s been a very humbling experience to get to know him, and it’s also very meaningful for us to get to bring people together to support him.”
“He needs medical attention and medicine and food and water and everything, and doesn’t have access to it,” Averett added. “It’s a monetary issue, so a number of people have been fundraising. It’s hard because none of us have the amount of money that we wish that we could have to give to someone else who has a great need.”
Loza points out that hosting events like this doesn’t just help their activism goals, but also gives people in the community an easy way to get involved.
“When [Barnard’s] doing the yard sales, they’re bringing people a lot of joy, because it gives people an answer to the question, ‘What can I do about this issue?’” Loza said. “As a creative person, you have to ask how you can support others.”
“It’s not on you to do everything that you want to do about these problems,” Averett said. “Part of it is continuing to lean on other people to make everything feel less terrifying, less impossible, less hopeless. But it’s not hopeless. You can rely on other people to be there for you.” Looking forward, the trio has big plans for their group and studio.
“We have the space, we want to bring people into it from the community, use this space to do things that are bigger than ourselves,” Averett said. “We’ve wanted to start [educational] programs here and hold more events that other people can participate in. I hope we can get a free library going, too — just finding ways to give back to artists in the area.”
“Having a space feels like a foundation,” Barnard said. “These four walls aren’t necessarily the most important part; it’s just having a space where we can all be. But the threads
of collaboration between us are strong, and we’ve created an informal collective with other artists as well. Wherever we land, we’ll make a place for others to come in.”
One of Averett’s personal goals is to teach others the skill of sewing because aside from its use in artmaking, sewing is infinitely useful for repairing clothes and other textiles.
Barnard stressed that telling one’s own story — through art or otherwise — can be an act of activism and resistance and a tool to build community.
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