Embers of Generational Memory

For more than 35 years, the California Community Foundation's Fellowship for Visual Artists (FVA) has provided financial support and professional resources to more than 300 visual artists in Los Angeles County. This exhibition highlights the 2026-2027 FVA cohort—a dedicated group of artists whose practices reflect the histories, cultures, and geographies of Los Angeles. The work of these nine fellows— Eva Aguila, Kimberly Robertson (Mvskoke), noé olivas, Carol Zou, Ashton Phillips, Reynaldo Rivera, alexandre ali reza dorriz (ali reza), Melissa Govea, and Carla Jay Harris—spans across mediums, including photography, painting, drawing, beadwork, sculpture, and social practice. While varied in form, each artist shares a commitment to engaged storytelling, rooted in personal and collective histories, ancestral memory, and identity. Guided by Craft Contemporary's elemental focus, Embers of Generational Memory turns to fire as its inspiration. Though perhaps more frequently associated with destruction, the works in the exhibition understand fire as a crucial source of life that creates the conditions for regeneration. Across a wide range of materials and practices, the artists challenge and dismantle oppressive ideals and traditions, questioning ownership of colonized lands and natural resources. They confront the loud silences surrounding gender violence and inherited norms, while uplifting the visibility and invisibility of communities of color. Celebration, ceremony, cultural, and historical perseverance are fundamental to the regeneration process and resonate throughout the exhibition. Embers of Generational Memory reminds us that the embers carried by each artist keep generational memory alive, creating space to imagine what a liberated coexistence might be.