Citizen Artist Reading Group: Free Virtual Session

If you want a Sunday morning that feeds your head instead of your feed, this one is worth a calendar block. 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica hosts its monthly Citizen Artist Reading Group on October 18, and it happens entirely online, so you can join from anywhere in the city. It is a quiet entry on the long list of things to do in Los Angeles this month, and it costs nothing.

When: Sunday, October 18, 2026, 10 AM to 12 PM Where: Virtual, via a meeting link from 18th Street Arts Center Cost: Free and open to the public

What the group is about

The reading group takes its name from The Citizen Artist, an anthology drawn from High Performance magazine, which for decades documented artists working outside traditional institutions and tied their practice to civic life. The 2026 series is a year-long inquiry into art, politics, performance and community, meeting monthly from January through December.

Each session picks up foundational and experimental texts from social practice, community-based performance and the art/life tradition. Themes run from feminist lineages and environmental interventions to activism, justice and collective transformation.

Session 10 on October 18

This month's readings, listed by the organizer, are:

• "The Selma Project: Understanding, the Struggle for Community" by Bob Leonard
• "Drawing the Line at Place: the Environmental Justice Project" by Mat Schwarzman
• "We All Are Theater: An Interview with Augusto Boal" by Douglas L. Paterson and Mark Weinberg
• "Resolving Conflicts: A Poet's Residency in Tulsa" by Alice Lovelace

The guest is Sara Daleiden, who works on civic engagement, creative placemaking and network development, with bases in Los Angeles and Milwaukee through her initiative MKE<->LAX. Expect a conversation about neighborhoods, public space and equity rather than a lecture.

Practical info

All sessions are virtual and public, and you do not need to have attended earlier months to follow along. The meeting link is posted on the event page, so check it before Sunday and have the readings handy if you want to take part in the discussion. Come with a copy of the texts, a notebook and a question or two.

If you are filling out a weekend and searching for LA events this weekend that do not require a parking spot, a virtual session like this pairs well with a walk or a gallery visit afterward. The Santa Monica arts center itself, at 1639 18th St, runs residencies, exhibitions and public programs through the year, and its calendar is a good place to find more upcoming events in Los Angeles that sit outside the usual nightlife circuit.

Browse more in Arts and Culture or see what else is on in Santa Monica.