In Session: Cecilia Vicuña at MOCA Grand Avenue

Most museum programs ask you to look and move along. In Session asks you to sit down, read something, watch something and talk about it with strangers. On Saturday, December 12, 2026, MOCA Education brings that format to MOCA Grand Avenue with a session built around Cecilia Vicuña, the artist who won the inaugural Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize.

When: Saturday, December 12, 2026, 11:30 AM Where: MOCA Grand Avenue, 250 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles Price: Free with RSVP Organizer: MOCA Education

What In Session is

In Session is a recurring MOCA program where visitors take part in readings, film and video, and writing activities tied to the exhibitions on view. The point is self-reflection and group conversation, not a lecture. Nobody needs an art history background. You show up, take in the material, write a little, and talk it through with the people at the table.

Why Cecilia Vicuña

This edition centers on Vicuña, whose exhibition, The Dream of Water: Quipu of Encounters Maricunga, opens at MOCA on November 15, 2026. Her work has long been tied to land, water and thread, so a session that pairs reading and writing with her ideas should make a good companion to the show. If you plan to see the exhibition, the session is a way to arrive with context. If you go first, it is a way to sit with the work before the crowds do.

Practical info

Capacity is limited to 15 people, and the free ticket requires an RSVP through MOCA's event page, so reserve early. That small number is the draw: a real group discussion rather than a crowd listening. For anyone sorting through upcoming events in Los Angeles that cost nothing and ask something of you, this is a good one.

MOCA Grand Avenue sits in Downtown LA on Grand Avenue, close to Metro's Pershing Square and Civic Center stations, and a short walk from Grand Park and the other Bunker Hill museums. Parking is available nearby, though downtown garages charge by the hour, so transit is the easier route on a weekend morning. Plan to arrive a few minutes before 11:30 so the group can start on time.

If you are putting together a list of things happening in Los Angeles this season, the museum's wider calendar is worth a look too. You can browse more arts and culture events across the city, or see what else is on in Downtown. Full details and the RSVP link are on MOCA's own page.