PSSST

PSSST is an artist-run non-profit art space located in the riverside warehouse district of Boyle Heights in Los Angeles. The 5,000 sqft space is architecturally tailored to present a diverse set of exhibitions, performances, installations, lectures, classes, and screenings. PSSST also houses artist studios and a residency program that provide selected artists with the time and space to develop new work. PSSST works with underrepresented artists–women, people of color, LGBTQ identified, emerging and mid-career–who privilege experimentation and criticality. PSSST began as an idea to create and maintain an intentional artistic community founded on the principles of generosity, attentiveness, criticality, and experimentation. Borrowing audience engagement strategies from the performing arts, PSSST encourages a slowing down, a deeper contemplation, and a more invested looking and listening.PSSST integrates the concepts traditionally found in institutional settings–dialogue, criticality, and exchange–into its educational and mentorship initiatives. Artist lectures, peer critiques, workshops, and classes form the core of the educational programming at PSSST. In addition, PSSST hosts an open forum for educators, academics, artists, and students that focuses on the sharing of knowledge in a non-hierarchical environment.