Fulcrum Arts

-The point on which a lever rests or is supported and on which it pivots.

-A thing that plays a central or essential role in an activity, event, or situation.

Fulcrum Arts champions creative and critical thinkers at the intersection of art and science to provoke positive social change and contribute to a more vibrant and inclusive community. Fulcrum Arts is the new incarnation of Pasadena Arts Council (PAC), an art service organization originally formed in 1964 to provide resources, communication services and other support to artists, cultural organizat

ions, audiences and visitors throughout the Pasadena area. As the first umbrella arts organization chartered in California, Pasadena Arts Council received its non-profit status in 1968. In 2016 The Board of Trustees of Pasadena Arts Council began refining the organization’s mission to more better articulate a deep commitment to providing support directly to artists at all stages of professional and artistic development. Fulcrum Arts, the organization’s new name, was announced in 2017. The new name reflects a broader geographic and programmatic scope, and promotes an identity based around innovative community arts support that is inclusive and forward-thinking.

08/05/2025

Sam Shoemaker set sail this morning at 5:30am. He and his mushroom boat are on their way from Catalina Island to Carrillo Beach. View his location live through the GPS tracker here: https://share.garmin.com/mushroomboat

07/29/2025

There’s one spot left for the August 10th Workshop on ‘Listening to the Air’ with Ian Wellman! Read on for more about the following workshop on August 17th.

Coinciding with Fulcrum’s exhibition ‘Between the Noise’, artist Ian Wellman will lead two field recording workshops in August. Participants will explore select areas along the Arroyo Seco, collect sounds, share recording techniques, and discuss the sonic properties unique to the watershed. No experience needed—just curiosity, headphones, and a recording device (even your phone works!).

As the local landscape recovers from the Eaton and Palisades fires, and threats of selling off public land are on the rise, the moment to celebrate our neighborhood ecosystems could not be more urgent. These workshops offer new perspectives on the local environment, with an eye—and an ear—toward heightened respect for the more-than-human world.

🍄 Session 2 – Secret Worlds with Aaron Tupac
📅 Aug 17, 9AM–12:30PM | Upper Arroyo Park
With local mycologist Aaron Tupac, this workshop will explore the sounds of secret worlds along the watershed. Following the activity, Aaron will discuss their work and provide an introduction to lifeforms of Arroyo Seco, such as fungi and insects.

🎟 Each workshop is offered at a sliding scale between $5–$25 | Link in bio to sign up.

About Aron Tupac
Aaron Tupac (they/them) is a community organizer, educator, and mycologist based in Los Angeles. Aaron is the founder and organizer of the values-based community inspired by fungi, Exploring the Mycoverse, sponsored by Arlington Gardens in Pasadena, CA.

This exhibition is made possible with the support of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Image Credits
2 Documentation of recording near Devil’s Gate Reservoir

07/17/2025

Coinciding with Fulcrum’s exhibition ‘Between the Noise’, artist Ian Wellman will lead two field recording workshops in August. Participants will explore select areas along the Arroyo Seco, collect sounds, share recording techniques, and discuss the sonic properties unique to the watershed. No experience needed—just curiosity, headphones, and a recording device (even your phone works!).

As the local landscape recovers from the Eaton and Palisades fires, and threats of selling off public land are on the rise, the moment to celebrate our neighborhood ecosystems could not be more urgent. These workshops offer new perspectives on the local environment, with an eye—and an ear—toward heightened respect for the more-than-human world.

✨ Session 1 – Listening to the Air
📅 Aug 10, 9AM–12:30PM | Hahamongna Watershed Park
This workshop will include listening exercises, technical practice, and an introduction to the site’s sonic properties. Following the activities, participants will gather at Fulcrum Arts HQ for a short lecture on the fundamentals of field recording, which will touch upon field recording philosophies, the basics of sound recording, and various microphone techniques.

🍄 Session 2 – Secret Worlds with Aaron Tupac
📅 Aug 17, 9AM–12:30PM | Upper Arroyo Park
With local mycologist Aaron Tupac, this workshop will explore the sounds of secret worlds along the watershed. Following the activity, Aaron will discuss their work and provide an introduction to lifeforms of Arroyo Seco, such as fungi and insects.

🎟 Each workshop is offered at a sliding scale between $5–$25 | Link in bio to sign up.

About Aron Tupac
Aaron Tupac (they/them) is a community organizer, educator, and mycologist based in Los Angeles. Aaron is the founder and organizer of the values-based community inspired by fungi, Exploring the Mycoverse, sponsored by Arlington Gardens in Pasadena, CA.

This exhibition is made possible with the support of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Image Credits
2 Brown Mountain Dam by Trevor Baker
4 Documentation of recording near Devil’s Gate Reservoir

07/15/2025

Opening Saturday, August 2, 2025
Ian Wellman: ‘Between the Noise’

Attuned to the hum of roadways, the flow of water, and the calls of wildlife… Ian Wellman’s Between the Noise invites you into the hidden soundscape of LA’s Arroyo Seco.

In collaboration with Trevor Baker’s videowork, this immersive installation captures the delicate resonances between human and more-than-human worlds—where chaparral meets concrete channel, and the stream comes alive as a life-giving entity.

Using hydrophones, geophones, and parabolic dishes, Wellman captures extra-subtle sonic events: bird and mammal vocalizations, underground vibrations, and even movements beneath the surface. For this iteration of Between the Noise, state-of-the-art surround sound methods place the viewer and listener in an immersive audiovisual experience.

Don’t miss it at Fulcrum Arts. Stay tuned for more information about the upcoming field recording workshops in August—learn to listen like never before.

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Join us for the opening reception!
🗓️ Saturday, August 2, 6–9 PM
📍 544 N Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103

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About Ian Wellman
Ian Wellman is a sound artist and composer based in Pasadena, CA. Taking influence from ethnographic and environmental concepts, his work intersects field sound and tape-loop compositions to create compelling narratives. Wellman’s recordings have been published by Room40, Ash International, Dragon’s Eye Recordings, Luminous Drift, and Industrial Coast. Wellman is a resident DJ on dublab.

About Trevor Baker
Trevor Baker works with video, still photography, and noise. Much of their work uses outdated technology pushed to saturation with feedback loops, interference, and distortion. Baker’s work has been published by Eyemyth Records and is self-published on YouTube. They have performed at The Lash, Little Joy, 2220 Arts and Archives, and The Stud (San Francisco).

This exhibition is made possible with the support of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

IMAGES:
1: Ian Wellman, photo credit Hans Baumann
2: The Arroyo Seco by Ian Wellman
3: Still image of The Arroyo Seco from video by Trevor Baker

07/11/2025

We’re proud to announce that Fulcrum Arts was awarded a $75,000 grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to support two years of programming, including Ian Wellman’s ‘Between the Noise’ and Sam Shoemaker’s ‘Mushroom Boat’.

“The Spring 2025 grant cycle occurs amidst reductions in federal funding for the arts and humanities and new requirements for cultural production to align with executive orders and the administration’s priorities,” says Joel Wachs, President of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, “We have observed – and applaud – arts organizations across the country continuing to fulfill their missions, focusing on promoting artists’ expressions. We remain dedicated to supporting organizations that amplify the voices of artists, contributing to their individual wellbeing and to the overall health of our society.”⁠

Following Andy Warhol’s will, the mission of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts is the advancement of the visual arts. The foundation manages an innovative and dynamic grants program while also preserving Warhol’s legacy through creative and responsible licensing policies and extensive scholarly research for ongoing catalogue raisonné projects. To date, the foundation has given over $310 million in cash grants to over 1,000 arts organizations around the country and abroad and has donated 52,786 works of art to 322 institutions worldwide.

05/27/2025

On View at Fulcrum Arts HQ
May 17 – June 16, 2025

Malena Szlam: Archipelago of Earthen Bones

The three-channel video and sound installation traces alternative cartographies of time, one rooted in the very geologic formations of our planet. Examining volcanic time as a means to comprehend geology, the work seeks a sensing and knowledge that recognizes the divergent nature of the time scales that surround us. From the catastrophic ruptures, taking mere seconds, to formation of mountains over millions of years, “Archipelago of Earthen Bones” invites us to lean into time.

IMAGES:
Malena Szlam, Archipelago of Earthen Bones, 2024. Installation view at Fulcrum Arts, 2025.

05/16/2025

Get your copy of Energy Fields: Vibrations of the Pacific at LA Art Book Fair 2025!! Find us at Set Margins’ booth B28 🤗

📍950 S. Raymond Ave (ArtCenter College of Design)
📅 May 15-18, 2025

05/07/2025

Opening Saturday, May 17, 2025
Malena Szlam: Archipelago of Earthen Bones

Malena Szlam is a Chilean-born, Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang/Montreal-based filmmaker and visual artist. Her work examines the complex relationships that exist between humanity and the natural world, engaging with themes drawn from geopolitics, ecology, and the politics of perception. Working with 35mm, 16mm, and Super 8mm film, she also collaborates with scientists and composers to create immersive soundscapes.

Her films have screened at MoMA, TIFF, and IFFR, and her award-winning film ALTIPLANO (2018) received the Best Experimental Short Film prize at the Melbourne International Film Festival. Her work has been exhibited globally, including at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark, and featured in Artforum, e-flux, and Film Comment. Szlam’s work is included in the MoMA’s permanent collection.

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Join us for the opening reception!
🗓️ Saturday, May 17, 6–9 PM
📍 544 N Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103

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IMAGES:
1: Malena Szlam. Photo by Johan Legraie. Courtesy of the artist.
2–3: Malena Szlam, Archipelago of Earthen Bones (still), 2024. Courtesy of the artist.

04/30/2025

Upcoming at Fulcrum Arts HQ
Malena Szlam: Archipelago of Earthen Bones

“Archipelago of Earthen Bones” traces alternative cartographies of time, one rooted in the very geologic formations of our planet. Examining volcanic time as a means to comprehend geology, the three-channel video and sound installation seeks a sensing and knowledge that recognizes the divergent nature of the time scales that surround us. From the catastrophic ruptures, taking mere seconds, to formation of mountains over millions of years, “Archipelago of Earthen Bones” invites us to lean into time.

Using the tectonic plates as imaginary maps, Szlam films a constellation of ancient landforms, from the eroded vestiges of volcanic activity and relics of the Gondwana Rainforest in Australia, tracing a path along the central eastern ranges from Mount Wollumbin to Mount Beerwah and Bunya Mountains, to the afterglows of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai eruption in the sky. New earth and forest formations, present in the lava fields, shape the surroundings of active volcanoes in the southern Andes in Chile. Szlam is joined by Australian artist Lawrence English, who has composed the sound using Earth vibrations, murmurings, and signals.

Opening Reception:
🗓️ Saturday, May 17, 6–9 PM
📍 544 N Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103

IMAGES:
Malena Szlam, Archipelago of Earthen Bones, 2024. Installation view at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, 2024. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Michael Patten.

04/23/2025

THIS SATURDAY 🌿 Join Pasadena City College artist-in-residence Karen Lofgren to create your own seed sculptures that will dissolve into the landscape—simple, effective tools for ecological recovery!

Related to her work, Lofgren is an avid gardener of edible, medicinal, and rare specimen plants. During the workshop, Lofgren will speak about her exhibition Love to Pain as it relates to the ecological benefits of seed sculptures and practices of healing between our species and all species. Love to Pain is on view at the PCC’s Boone Family Gallery until May 2.

🕙 Saturday, April 26, 1 – 2 PM
📍 Pasadena City College (1570 E Colorado Blvd,
Pasadena, CA 91106)
🎟️ FREE! RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/air-soil-bioremediation-seed-sculpture-workshop-tickets-1334628653229?aff=oddtdtcreator

Due to onsite equipment safety requirements, this workshop is limited to ages 15 and up.

Presented in partnership with Metabolic Studio and The Galleries at PCC.

04/03/2025

THIS SATURDAY 🌿 Join us and to create your own seed balls—simple, powerful tools for ecological recovery after the Altadena fires.

Paige Emery is an ecological artist and herbalist exploring ways of remembering the Earth. Her work interweaves healing arts and critical ecology, ancestral memory and embodied futurities, ecopoetics and socioenvironmental praxis. As a way of life, her practice is rooted in reverence for and reciprocity with the Earth.

🕙 Saturday, April 5, 11 AM - 12:30 PM
📍544 N Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
🎟️ FREE! RSVP now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soil-bioremediation-native-plant-and-seed-ball-workshop-tickets-1302381230319?aff=oddtdtcreator

In the workshop, you’ll receive all the materials and guidance needed to create seed balls, which can be easily distributed to help restore local landscapes with minimal effort and lasting impact. Paige will also lead a discussion on the benefits of native plant life and their role in healing the environment.

No experience needed & all ages are welcome!

This workshop series is presented in partnership with Metabolic Studio and The Galleries at PCC. .at.pcc

Address

145 North Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA
91103

Telephone

+16267938171

Website

https://www.fulcrumarts.org/

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