In 2025, I was selected for a residency and fellowship through Artists at Work, an artist workforce development program managed by THE OFFICE of performing arts + film. The residency, developed in partnership with the LA County Department of Arts & Culture, is designed to address Cultural Preservation and Community Identity after the devastating fires in LA County in 2025.
I am working with community members affected by the Pacific Palisades fires, in partnership with the Pacific Palisades Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library and the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. Titled The Palisades Before the Fire, this project hopes to center the stories of the community from before the fire, to preserve people’s memories of the places and community that have been lost. The project has three components: oral history collection and archiving, public art workshops, and collaborative art projects that will be gifted back to the community.
As part of the initial phase of the project, I have collected oral histories from community members who wish to share their stories, including those who lost their homes in the fires, those who worked or attended school in the community, the unhoused population, library patrons, and business owners. This helped me get grounded in the community and learn about it as an outsider, which will help me create artwork that resonates with people from the Palisades.
The oral histories, along with images of the native flora and fauna of the area, have served as inspiration for concept artwork to be created as a textile artwork, primarily using embroidery that will be gifted to the Pacific Palisades library, with the hope that it will be displayed in the new building once reconstruction is complete. The collaborative artwork is being created through workshops with the community and in collaboration with the library Teen Council, with members from the local high school, Pali High.
Excerpts from the stories and artwork will be compiled into a zine for community members to keep. I have been hosting printmaking workshops, and the finished prints will be photographed for the zine that will highlight oral histories, photographs, and artwork reflecting the Palisades community. Lastly, an archive of recorded conversations will be organized to share with LAPL for their archives.
This project is in progress and slated for completion by November 2026.
To learn more: https://www.artists-at-work.org/natalie-m-godinez
