OUR HISTORY

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NAVEL began as a collective experiment in 2014 when a group of friends initiated the renovation of our loft warehouse space in Downtown Los Angeles. We started with a shared resource and a guiding question: “How can we make studio, exhibition, programming, and coworking space accessible to working artists while exploring new and sustainable ways of thinking, being, organizing and making?” 

Since 2018, NAVEL has directly invested more than $450,000 on artists, cultural workers, and performers. 

Through our initiatives like ASSEMBLIES and NAVEL PRESENTS, we’ve produced hundreds of public programs and events, providing free or subsidized space for independent artists and art collectives seeking to mount exhibitions, direct learning and research groups, and facilitate dialogues about equity and social justice in the arts. Our network spans more than 20,000 community members who participate via in-person and online programs. 

You can explore our archive of past events and programs here


NAVEL’s working space at 1611 S Hope Street was designed and built by Kristoffer Josefsson, Jonas Wendelin Kesseler, and Caspar Boehme between 2014 through 2017, with support from many friends and visiting artists.

 

LOOKING BACK

We are grateful for the contributions of all of the artists, organizers, activists, writers, performers, and cultural workers below who have brought NAVEL to life.

  • Shabina Toorawa, Space Circle Lead, 2021-2022

    Gbenga Komolafe, Community Care Coordinator, 2020-2021

    Jackson Kinkead, Sustainability Coordinator, 2020-2021

    Grey Valdez, Getty Marrow ASSEMBLIES Intern, 2021

    Yewande Pearse, Board Member, 2020-2021

    Randall Sarafa, Board Member, 2020-2021

    Celine Kuklowsky, Board Member, 2020-2021

    Jonas Wendelin, Board Member, 2018-2021

    Kristoffer Josefsson, Board Member, 2018-2021

    Nada Rastad, Board Member, 2018-2021

    Marisol de la Garza, ASSEMBLIES Intern, 2020-2021

    Selwa Sweidan, Grantwriter, 2020

    Amanda Vincelli, Co-Director/Program Director, 2018-2020

    Angela Seo, Board Member, 2019-2020

    Blaine O’Neill, Board Member, 2019-2020

    Drew Harper, Caretaker & Copywriter, 2019-2020

    Alexis Blair Penney, Lead Caretaker, 2018-2019

    Greg Wolff, Web Development Fellow, 2019

    Eve Arballo, Archives Intern, Fall 2019

    Brande Bytheway, Space Manager, Fall/Winter 2019

    Molly WK, Space Manager, 2018-2019

    Alexander Quetell, Development Intern, 2019

    Mars Avila, Archives Intern, Spring 2019

    Chris Tyler, Communications & Outreach Manager, 2018-2019

    Abdiel J. Lopez, Programming Intern, Fall 2018

    Yesenia Perez, Communications Intern, Fall 2018

    Kathleen Deems, Communications Intern, Spring/Summer 2018

    Aarum Alatorre, Programming Intern, Spring 2018

    Caspar Boehme, Special Projects Lead

  • Anise S Hines

    Arielle Baptiste

    Daleen Saah

    Hande Sever

    Huntress Janos

    Irina Contreras

    Jasmine Lin

    Joal Stein

    Matthew Donovan

    Norit Admasu

    Reina Imagawa

    Renée Reizman

    Sandra So Hee Chi Kim

    Selwa Sweidan

    Simen Musæus

    Tyler Pridgen

    Yewande Pearse

  • Aarum Alatorre

    Alexis Blair Penney

    Allison Littrell

    Amanda Vincelli

    Analisa Teachworth

    Angela Seo

    Blaine O'Neill

    Brandon Avery Joyce

    Carlye Packer

    Cassandra Bickman

    Celine Kuklowsky

    charles mathis

    Chris Cruse

    Dan Bustillo

    Daniel Paul

    Dany Naierman

    David Ertel

    Emily Barker

    Emily Snyder

    Fiona Duncan

    gloria galvez

    Grace Denis

    Hayden Dunham

    Hunter Shaw

    Ian McPherson

    Iris Fraser-Gudrunas

    Jaklin Romine

    Jennifer Moon

    Jermaine Spivey

    Jerome AB

    Jia Gu

    Jonas Wendelin

    Jordan Richman

    Julio Cann

    Justin Sayre

    Kandis Williams

    Kalyane Lévy

    Kathleen Deems

    Kenneth Nicholson

    Kristel Brinshot

    Kristoffer Josefsson

    Leila Nematzadeh

    Leon Joshua Dische Becker

    Mackenzie Goldberg

    Mandy Harris Williams

    Michael Holt

    Nicolas Grenier

    Nina Sarnelle

    Peter Kalisch

    Phuc Le

    Samantha Blake Goodman

    Sara Constantino

    Sasha Tillmann

    Sean Monahan

    SOPHIE

    Spenser Theberge

    Susanna Battin

    Symrin Chawla

    Terrence Koh

    Tom Leeser

  • Chris Tyler, No Cruising

    Daleen Saah, Sofra Daymeh

    Dorit Cypis, One Another

    gloria galvez, Zapatista WiFi Rebellion

    Jasmine Nyende, A Right to Defiance

    Yewande Pearse, 0.1%

  • Jonas Wendelin

    Kandis Williams

    Sara Constantino

    Spenser Theberge

    Tom Leeser