Artist Statement: Sing for Hope Pianos is such a wonderful project for city beautification and community engagement. For the past several years I’ve been working with Arts for LA and other similar organizations as an activist to bring more art to the streets and to the schools. I’ve also been working as an LAUSD program supervisor for an elementary after-school program throughout the quarantine and believe that these types of social-emotional arts projects are what children need to brighten their days.
Çiğdem Akbay is an artist, founder of CHIGMA Productions, and creator of the Mar Vista Kids & Craftz Festival, an annual back-to-school event at the Mar Vista Branch Public Library. She enjoys developing creative projects that beautify and engage her community. From 2016–17, she served as the Deputy Director of the Mar Vista ArtWalk and was appointed as Chair of the Mar Vista Community Council’s Education, Arts & Culture Committee from 2018–20. In 2019, Çiğdem was selected by Arts for LA’s Cultural Policy Fellowship program and was a participant in “Adventures in Public Art”, a 6-week mural workshop organized by the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District.
