ARTIST-WORKERS
NAVEL is led by a group of artist-workers who develop initiatives, host programming, and tend to the cooperatively managed organization’s daily operations.
IRINA CONTRERAS
Irina Contreras is an interdisciplinary artist and cultural worker born and based in Los Angeles. For more than 15 years, they has worked at the intersections of the arts, community organizing, and education. Currently, they are Program Specialist with the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture focusing on arts education, juvenile justice, and youth development. Previously, they were the School and Community Programs Manager at Museum of the African Diaspora, where they organized healing-informed development and training opportunities for educators and mental healthcare professionals.
Contreras is the founder of The Miracle Bookmobile and cofounder of Night Kitchen, a strategic planning consultancy that offers sliding-scale services to QTBIPOC communities seeking to initiate cultural projects. They received their MFA/MA from California College of the Arts and their BFA from Otis College of Art and Design. They have pursued an artistic practice alongside a lifelong dedication to transformative justice practices.
MICHAEL HOLT
Michael Holt is an artist, producer, and creative strategist based in Los Angeles. Holt is a partner at Family Affairs Studio and a founding member of the independent artist space NAVEL, where he has organized programming for artists and cultural workers since 2018. Holt is also cohost of POWERVERS, a podcast exploring queerness and sexuality, and has been an independent manager and producers for choreographer Spenser Theberge as well as Chris Cruse’s underground rave SPOTLIGHT. From 2012 to 2015, Michael was the Assistant Director of Marketing at Lincoln Center, where he guided loyalty marketing efforts across the center’s eleven programs and festivals. He holds an MA in Performing Arts Management from New York University and a BS in Business Management Marketing from Brigham Young University.
ELAINA PROVENCIO
Elaina Provencio is a Mexican-Indigenous filmmaker, producer, and artist based in Los Angeles. Their work include documentaries, art installations, as well as various fiction and non-fiction written works. They are inspired by their family’s history as activists and educators, following their move from Mexico to California as immigrant farm workers. Elaina currently serves as a consultant to various cultural projects and organizations through their work with the independent artist space NAVEL.
Contact
General - hello@navel.la
Rentals - space@navel.la
Fundraising - sustainability@navel.la
Bookkeeping & Payroll - pay@navel.la
Resources for Cultural Workers - care@navel.la
Accessibility - accessibility@navel.la
Press - press@navel.la