Kay Brown & El Beh
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Kay Brown comes from a long line of activists and change makers and was raised in a house full of women in a teeny tiny logging town in Oregon that no longer exists. Currently living in Los Angeles by way of scholarships to the Cornish School of Art and Music in Seattle, Chouinard Art Institute and a 15-year period in Humboldt County working for one of the first blind judges in California. She is a mother of 2 sons with 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Her eldest son, Kristofer Youngstrom, shares this activism as a IBEW mentor and her younger son, Kenton Youngstrom, is a professional guitarist. When a member of the Mexican American Education Commission, Textbook Taskforce Chair, she raised the issue of the lack of inclusion of the role and contributions of Mexican Americans, African Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, Women and Labor in the state adopted textbooks for K-12. This research culminated in a lawsuit against the California State Board of Education for non-compliance with California Education Code. She also founded a weekly newspaper and helped establish the Hispanic Urban Center, a teacher re-training institute in Los Angeles. As a fine art printmaker, she is a member of many professional associations. She has exhibited in national and international juried art shows and is a tireless volunteer with the Center for the Study of Political Graphics, Los Angeles City Attorney Dispute Resolution Program, Venice Arts Council, California Lawyers for the Arts and is currently participating in an artist residency at Social Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) in Venice, California where she introduces traditional and non-traditional printmaking techniques to K-8 and adult art students. She keeps herself busy during the pandemic working on art projects and commissions, creating political prints and graphics, making face masks to distribute from antique kimonos and other beautiful fabrics, and is a recent recipient of a Department of Cultural Affairs award.
El Beh is a theatre artist, performer, musician, singer, composer, mover, shaker, educator, forever student and glowing unty to many a nibling. They are a co-host of Drag Spectacular Spectacular and a proud company member of Shotgun Players, Mugwumpin and detour dance. Her cello playing has been heard with such folks as Taylor Mac, The Bengsons and the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony and they were named one of KQED’s Bay Brilliant Artists to Watch. Growing edges and digging deep are their fuel along with shared experiences, community making and alternative mutual aid solutions. They feel big, laugh loud, like to feel her bare feet in the grass and skinny dip in the ocean. She has spent the pandemic joyfully making music with families via the internets, developing their 2 hour morning routine that consists of 2 things, eating more bread than she ever has in their entire life combined and constantly trying to fuck up the systems that need fucking.