Carmen Zella TEDx Talk: The Healing Power of Public Art

We are honored to share that Carmen Zella, NOW Art Founder & Chief Curator, was selected by TEDxRedondoBeachStudio to deliver a TEDx Talk on Luminex and the healing power of public art. 

Can public art heal and connect communities?

NOW Art transforms downtown Los Angeles into an outdoor digital art exhibition that helps the community heal as we emerge from the pandemic. Using the city’s urban landscape as a backdrop, Luminex projects world-class digital art from six internationally acclaimed artists, including Refik Anadol and Nancy Baker Cahill. This immersive experience creates space for collective healing and mental health through sound, motion, nature, connectedness, and self-exploration.

ABOUT CARMEN ZELLA

Carmen Zella is an award-winning public art curator and producer. She is the Founder of NOW Art and its charitable division, NOW Art Foundation. Carmen collaborates with internationally acclaimed and local artists. Widely regarded in the art industry, Carmen advises clients on public and private artworks, experiential activations, and iconic landmarks that reframe urban landscapes and inspire cultural, social, and economic vitality. 

A visionary and thought leader, Carmen aspires to democratize artistic experiences. Her progressive approach intersects art, architecture, technology, and culture. Carmen’s portfolio of highly visible artworks across a spectrum of platforms includes: LUMINEX: Dialogues of Light; the renowned Liquid Shard in downtown Los Angeles’ Pershing Square; the revitalization of the Triforium, recipient of the LA2050 grant; the activation of the historical air-raid sirens for the LA Philharmonic’s production of War of the Worlds; and the cultural murals at La Plaza Village, winner of the Building Team of the Year Award from the American Institute of Architects LA. 

ABOUT TED 

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, often in the form of short talks delivered by leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED conferences, intimate TED Salons, and thousands of independently organized TEDx events around the world. Videos of these talks are made available, free, on TED.com and other platforms. Audio versions of TED Talks are published to TED Talks Daily, available on all podcast platforms. 

ABOUT TEDx 

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks videos and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. 

ABOUT TEDxRedondoBeachStudio 

TEDxRedondoBeachStudio is an independently organized event, licensed by TED, which features local voices and leading experts. Due to the pandemic, this year’s event is presented virtually, with a commitment to engaging and entertaining content.

CREDITS

A special thank you to each artist who was the true storyteller of LUMINEX: Refik Anadol, Nancy Baker Cahill, Sarah Rara, Luciana Abait, Carole Kim, and Akiko Yamashita. LUMINEX was made possible by a collective of community sponsors: NOW Art, Panasonic, Show Imaging, South Park Business Improvement District, JB3D, Normalynn Cutler, Chelsea Herman, and Colleen Angeles, Inc. All photography, videography, and editing by Koury Angelo and Mason Williams. This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxRedondoBeachStudio, an independent event. 

PARTNERS AND SPONSORS

@ted @nowartla @refikanadol @nancybakercahill @raraspeaks @shinealighton @akikoyamashita3d @lucianaabait @southparkla @panasonic @showimaging @arupgroup @normalynncutler @colleenangeles @kouryangelo

MISSION:

NXT Art is a non-profit organization that activates, inspires and advocates for public art. Our work expands creative expression, technology and discourse.