October 10, 2025 12:00 PM
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Oct. 10, 2025) - Six Los Angeles County-based artists have been chosen as the 2025/26 cohort for the city of Santa Monica Camera Obscura Art Lab artist residency program.
They are: Cheyenne Green, Harmony Harris, Faith-Ann Young, London James, Anahid Boghosianand Sara Hassan Khani(bios provided below).
These six artists will continue to develop their work during 14-week residences in two studio spaces located in the Camera Obscura building overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Palisades Park. The artists were selected by a panel of artistic peers.
As part of the artist-in-residence program, these talented individuals will bring their artistic expertise and expression to the community by leading free workshops open to the public.
Artists receive an honorarium of $2500 and $500 materials budget for public workshop(s).
Cheyenne Green will be leading a hands-on workshop with natural materials during Vamos al Parque!, an event commemorating both Hispanic Heritage Month and Santa Monica's 150th Anniversary celebration, set for Sunday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Palisades Park.
Harmony Harris will lead a painting workshop at the final installment of Gather and Growwith Vinyl Vibes on Saturday, Oct. 18 in Reed Park. The event celebrates October as LGBTQ History Month with a music listening area, a dance party and a wine garden by Santa Monica's own Offhand Wine Bar.
Future artist workshops will be posted on the city events calendar at santamonica.gov/events.
Over the last two years, the Camera Obscura Art Lab artist residency program has evolved to respond to the needs and challenges face by the artist community, including limited resources, fluctuations in the gig economy and the rising cost of studio space and art materials. Changes include an increase in outreach efforts and promotion to a broader artistic community and an increase in artist stipends. This year included a priority for artists affected by the Eaton and Palisades Fires.
The Camera Obscura Art Lab artist residency program is part of a network of artist opportunities offered by the city of Santa Monica's Cultural Affairs Division that has served over 200+ artists across a variety of disciplines.
To learn more about city of Santa Monica artist opportunities, click here.
Artist bios:
Cheyenne Greenis a visual artist whose work explores nostalgia, femininity, and identity through layered, expressive painting. Drawing on her Tongva/Chumash heritage and upbringing in the San Fernando Valley, her art carries deep cultural and emotional resonance. Her recent works channel the intensity of memory and the vibrancy of girlhood, inviting viewers into a world where identity is fluid, soft and powerful.
Harmony Harrisis a Black queer artist, muralist and community organizer based in Altadena whose bold murals and chalk installations transform public spaces with vibrant color and radical joy. Through workshops, open studios and collaborative projects, they use creativity as a tool for healing, resilience and belonging. With over 100 community-made works and 75+ public events, Harmony champions art as collective care, centering justice, equity and joy.
Faith-Ann Youngis a Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist whose large-scale installations blend photography, digital collage, and textile sculpture. Her dreamlike works transform space into sanctuaries for reflection and healing, often using layered images on translucent fabrics to evoke memory and ceremony. Rooted in personal history and the Japanese concept of Mono No Aware, her practice deepened after her father's Alzheimer's diagnosis. She has exhibited internationally and is an active voice in Los Angeles's Japanese-American and AANHPI communities.
London Jamesis a ceramic artist from Chicago, now based in Southern California, whose work explores sneaker culture, identity and representation. In 2017, she founded Porcelain Sneakerhead (PSH), a project that reimagines sneakers and other cultural symbols as intricate ceramic sculptures, trophies, and planters. Through PSH, she transforms functional objects into artifacts that honor personal and community narratives while addressing representation in ceramics. Her practice also emphasizes accessibility and mentorship, creating space for young artists of color to engage with clay as cultural expression.
Anahid Boghosianis a Los Angeles-based Armenian-American multidisciplinary artist whose work spans painting, assemblage and installation. Using reclaimed materials and found objects, she creates pieces that explore identity, memory and resilience while celebrating imperfection. She transitioned from design to fine art in the 1990s and has exhibited nationally and internationally for over 30 years. Rooted in her heritage and lifelong exploration of belonging, her practice uplifts underrepresented voices and invites reflection on both personal and environmental renewal.
Sara Hassan Khaniis an Iranian-born multidisciplinary artist and educator based in Long Beach, California, whose work spans drawing, painting and printmaking. Her practice explores memory, displacement and the power dynamics embedded in fragile architectural spaces. Using a layered visual language that blends drawing, collage, photography and printmaking, she creates dreamlike works where memory and structure coexist. Exhibited internationally, her art examines the human cost of broken systems while highlighting the overlooked spaces where resilience emerges.
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