<![CDATA[Dreams by Machine - News]]>Sun, 08 Mar 2026 14:47:23 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Whirlwind Times]]>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 19:15:10 GMThttps://www.dreamsbymachine.com/blog/whirlwind-times
Green miniature figurine in a balck paper skirt, tailcoat, and hat
Whirlwind times and a glimpse of all the projects in motion. Take a peek at the latest newsletter!

Many thanks to Outside In Theatre, Nightlight Books, the fine folks at the College Arts Association conference and the CalArts career fair, the Los Angeles Makery, Underdog Bookstore, DIYabled, James MacDevitt and Window Dressing, Glendale Library Arts and Culture, Socks Whitmore, Dr. Ifunanya Nweke, Ed.D, MNLM, Sade Musa of the Los Angeles Spoonie Collective, Alexis Neumann, Susan Ruth and too many more to mention.

Keep inspired, keep up your own activism and know that you are loved.

https://alaurabrody.substack.com/p/whirlwind-times

]]><![CDATA[DIVERSE/CITY and Wearable Art]]>Wed, 28 Jan 2026 22:22:43 GMThttps://www.dreamsbymachine.com/blog/diversecity-and-wearable-art
Amidst the horrors, there are still ways to celebrate.
January 31 DIVERSE/CITY opens at Underdog Bookstore with a workshop on making your own diverse kitty
February 15 is the deadline to submit your wearable art
and now through March 20th visit my latest installation, Phoenix Rising, at Adams Square Park in Glendale.
Keep that hope alive and fight fascism wherever and however you can.
Let's double down on DEIA.
XO Laura
A kaleidoscopic patchwork room sized robe with full sleeves and skirt and a flame ruff extending to the ceiling
]]><![CDATA[OM 2025 Events and Artist Talk]]>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 06:16:42 GMThttps://www.dreamsbymachine.com/blog/om-2025-events-and-artist-talk
A series of hanging spoons and the text Opulent Mobility 2025 10th anniversary show at the Los Angeles Makery 260 S. Los Angeles St, LA 90012 December 14 Disability Drawing Club with Renee Reizman 11:30 AM - 1 PM, gallery open 1-4 PM.
Artwork: The Weight of Spoons by Alexis Neumann
Many thanks to all who joined us for the Opulent Mobility opening last Sunday! If you missed it, you are welcome to join us this Sunday for Disability Drawing Club with Renée Reizman and stay after for the Makery holiday party and art market.
December 21 is a masks required day for our immunocompromised guests.
And the artist talk will be a hybrid Zoom/in person event on December 28th from 1-2 PM PST. Get in touch for the link!
A mirror tiled AFO brace in a mirrored box and the text Opulent Mobility 2025 10th anniversary show at the Los Angeles Makery 260 S. Los Angeles St, LA 90012, December 28 artist talk 1-2 PM, gallery open 1-4 PM
Artwork: IN/VISIBLE: IN/VALID by Lee Rosen
]]><![CDATA[10th Anniversary of Opulent Mobility]]>Sat, 29 Nov 2025 20:06:25 GMThttps://www.dreamsbymachine.com/blog/10th-anniversary-of-opulent-mobility
Flyer with three images: a pin up in lingerie with one prosthetic leg held up, a pale skinned woman in blue wearing a crown and a sash reading Miss Diagnosed, and a pale skinned face covered in light green frogs and white frog eggs. Text reads Opulent Mobility 2025 10th anniversary show at the Los Angeles Makery 260 S. Los Angeles St, LA 90012 December 4-28
You are cordially invited to the 10th anniversary exhibit of Opulent Mobility at the Los Angeles Makery! Preview on Thursday, December 5th from 6-9 PM and opening with live music by Tom Peters and a skin writing performance by Teresa Bernadette on Sunday, December 7th from 1-4 PM.

Go to https://www.opulentmobility.com/om2025.html for an online slideshow.

This month we are thankful for the artists of Opulent Mobility 2025:
April Bermudez, Teresa Bernadette, Ashley Bravin, A. Laura Brody, Kat Chudy, Sky Dai, Adeola Davies-Aiyeloja, Susan Else, Liane Enkelis, Dellis Frank, Ash Hagerstrand, Bailey Hammond, Josephine “Joey” Hernandez, David Isakson, Kellianne Jordan, KYRIANNA, Heidi Latsky Dance, Ellen Mansfield, Monica Marks, Dennis Miller, Joy Murray, Alexis Neumann, Kristen Olinger, Marina Otchuda Say Gynt, Tom and Linda Peters, Priya Ray, Lee Rosen, Abigail Stockinger, Emily Tironi, and Kacy Treadway.

Image description:
Flyer with three images: a pin up in lingerie with one prosthetic leg held up, a pale skinned woman in blue wearing a crown and a sash reading Miss Diagnosed, and a pale skinned face covered in light green frogs and white frog eggs. Text reads Opulent Mobility 2025 10th anniversary show at the Los Angeles Makery 260 S. Los Angeles St, LA 90012 December 4-28. Artwork: Disabled Folx by Ashley Bravin, Miss Diagnosed by Kristen Olinger, and Brain Fog by KYRIANNA.


]]><![CDATA[Welcome, Goddesses]]>Thu, 02 Oct 2025 21:15:14 GMThttps://www.dreamsbymachine.com/blog/welcome-goddesses
Sleeping woman with bedclothes that turn into hills with houses and spilled water on the floor that becomes the ocean. Text reads Enter the Goddesses 3 Sunday Oct. 19 2-3:30 somatic workshop, Gallery open 1-4 Pm, Embodiment of Refuge with Asteria at the Los Angeles Makery, 260 S. Los Angeles St, 90012
Take a sneak peek at Enter the Goddesses 3!
Preview tonight, Oct. 2, 6-9 PM with Goddess crafting
Opening Oct. 5, 1-6 PM with live poetry and tarot readings
And events each Sunday in October.
Welcome, Goddesses.

Slides:
She Wears Her Golden Crown by Adeola Davies-Aiyeloja
Sculpture of stacked bulbous shapes in red, yellow, blue, green, and gold with a head on top wearing a golden crown

Spiritual Goddess Ochun by Adrienne Franklin
Crocheted doll with brown skin, a yellow bikini top and split skirt, yellow curly hair and golden jewelry

Flora by Aleka Corwin
A circular face ringed with spikes and covered in flower petals

Priestess by Christine White
A black robed figure holds a sculpture of a rattlesnake with a crocheted sheer white veil

Hygeia by Cora Ramirez
Circular painting of a woman with windblown dark hair holding a snake against a background of waves, a ruin, and a moonlit sky

Afternoon Tea by Joanne Chase Mattillo
A technicolored image of a woman in a bright blue negligee seated at a red table set with pink teacups in a garden

Diana Ross by Krista Kelly
Glamour portrait of a brown skinned woman with a large Afro crowned with crystal formations coming up off the top of her head and around the sides of her face

Matrilinear Ascendancy by Lisa Tomczeszyn
A golden frame around golden branches and leaves with a stacked totem of three women: maiden, mother, and crone

Untitled Mary series by Louise Leathers
Renaissance scene of a woman surrounded by attendees holding a platter of condoms

Astitva Devi by Priya Ray
A seated blue woman in a wheelchair with a small green dog on her lap and a wall of purple and grey text behind her reading "disabled people are people"

Rose by Liane Enkelis
Pink and orange rose with text reading Enter the Goddesses 3 opens Sunday Oct 5, 1-6 PM, Live poetry and tarot readings, Pussy Power Poets Linda Kaye, Ed Burgess, Anna Broome, Richard McDowell with Natalie Fratino on bass at the Los Angeles Makery 260 S. Los Angeles St 90012.
]]><![CDATA[Hey Goddesses!]]>Fri, 05 Sep 2025 22:01:55 GMThttps://www.dreamsbymachine.com/blog/hey-goddesses
Reclining. ceramic figure holding a blue-green orb with red and orange flowers on top
Nurturing Gaia by Connie Roldan
Hey, goddesses, hope you are taking good care of your hearts.

In the news:
Enter the Goddesses 3, extra time for OM 2025, Genius Teatime with REBDUCE, Vanessa, and Sable, and ways to help our neighbors at home, across the country, and afar.

There are 67+ artists for Enter the Goddesses III and a host of events to delight us! So many thanks to everyone who shared your work. Opening is Oct. 5 from 1-4 with live poetry and tarot readings and there are events each Sunday with the gallery open from 1-4. Free street parking if you can find it, or there are lots close by. 

The Opulent Mobility 2025 call for art is extended to September 15th, and I am excited at the work that has come in so far! Please share your art that re-imagines disability as opulent and powerful and get in touch if the fee causes hardship.

Looking forward to the stunning speakers this fall on Genius Teatime:
REBDUCE of ARTWATER life on September 20, 
Vanessa Hernández Cruz of Galaxies Dance October 18, and
Sable Mensah of Full Out Healing on November 15th.
Sign up for these wonderful speakers, activists, and advocates at the links.

And some ways to help our neighbors and compadres here, across the country, and abroad:
NDLON and CHIRLA for immigrant rights and care
The Trevor Project and National Network of Abortion Funds
World Central Kitchen, Standing Together, and International Rescue Committee 
And the wisdom of Rebecca Solnit for much needed inspiration.

Big hugs, my friends. There is much to fight, but we can do this together.
XO Laura
]]><![CDATA[Goddesses, Geniuses, and Growing Together]]>Sun, 24 Aug 2025 22:47:19 GMThttps://www.dreamsbymachine.com/blog/goddesses-geniuses-and-growing-together
Mannequin wearing a black back brace with jewel toned floral mosaic pieces, a heart shaped cut out, and a white supplement bottle flower at the chest.
Belated August updates and what's to come this fall:

Many thanks to the 65 (!) artists who submitted work to Enter the Goddesses 3! I'll reach out to you all by the end of the month. It feels like we're all needing some Goddess energy right about now. The show will run October 2-26 with an opening and poetry reading Oct. 5, a party for LA based TELEPHONE artists Oct. 12, a somatic workshop Oct. 19, and closing/artist talk October 26th.

Opulent Mobility 2025 call for art is extended to September 15— we could all use a little extra grace right about now. That show will run through December 2025.

There was a fascinating discussion with Diane Kolin of Arts Ably on Genius Teatime last Saturday! Stay tuned for the archived talk on YouTube and for our next guests: Rebduce of ARTWATER life on September 20, Vanessa Hernández Cruz of Galaxies Dance October 18, and Sable Mensah November 15th. In the meantime, please enjoy the archived talk and edited transcript of Genius Teatime with Joan Russell and Running Towards Life.

Socks Whitmore, Ifunanya Nweke of Jazz Hands for Autism, Marisa Hamamoto, and I are planning a disability arts festival in Los Angeles! Tentatively scheduled for October 2026- and we will find a way to make it happen despite the vicious cuts to all things artistic, accessible, and inclusive. Next meeting is August 13th from 5-6 PM on Zoom. Disabled creatives, get in touch to help make the magic happen.

Also, the SoCal Disabled Artist Coalition is meeting September 17th from 7:30-8:30 PM on Zoom to discuss ways we can help each other thrive in these turbulent times. Contact me to join us.

Many thanks to the City of Santa Monica and LA Performance Practice for bringing me out to meend at Gather and Grow! We had a lovely time. If you’re in the area, the next session will be October 4th.

And hey, friends, a note of encouragement in these tumultuous times.

I listened in on the public comment section of California City's planning commission meeting the other night, where there are plans for Core Civic to build up an existing facility as a huge detention center/concentration camp. (Let's call it what it is.) I have to say how proud I am of my fellow Californians from all walks of life who unanimously stood up/spoke in via Zoom to oppose this with all of their hearts and with far better arguments than I brought to the table.

Want to know what you can do? That is just one thing. What local city council meeting could you attend? School board meeting? Mutual aid group? Letter writing group? Protest? "Know your rights" stand in front of your local Home Depot? What historical precedents and movements can you read and learn about in detail, and use their specific tactics?

There are so many ways to chip away at this horrific mess- and to build something that is at once better and far less destructive than what we had before. And there are people who are already doing this hard work. We can join them.

XO Laura

]]><![CDATA[mending with art, community, and thread]]>Mon, 07 Jul 2025 22:36:27 GMThttps://www.dreamsbymachine.com/blog/mending-with-art-community-and-thread
Faded jeans with a red and white striped heart sewn over the top edge of a pocket
How do I keep afloat these days? With art, community, disabled joy, and mending. Let's take good care of each other.

Upcoming mends:

Mending Our Spirits is next Sunday and Friday the 18th from 3-6 PM at the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica. Bring something you love that needs repair or stop by for a snack and learn a few stitches! It's free, fun, and deeply satisfying. Many thanks to LA Performance Practice for this artist residency.

Join us for disabled joy:

- Celebrate Disability Pride! DIYAbled and I are sharing art by disabled artists all through July on IG.
- Join our production team for the MetamorphAble Disabled Dimensions Arts Festival! We're planning for 2026 and meeting monthly. Email maddartsfestival@gmail.com to sign up.
- If you missed the terrific DCA Disabled Artist Cohort meetings, Vanessa Hernández Cruz, Socks Whitmore, and I are keeping the conversations flowing. Get in touch to sign up for the next one July 23rd, 6:30-8 PM online.
- And join Dr. Inunanya Nweke from Jazz Hands For Autism on our next Genius Teatime July 26, 3:30-4:30 PM online as we discuss ways to make learning work better for all.

Art and community coming up:

- A silent auction (open now for bidding) and art fair July 20 (DM for address) to support CHIRLA and our immigrant neighbors and friends. 
- Celebrate the Goddess in all her forms and share your goddess art with us! Deadline August 1st.
- And once again we challenge you to re-imagine disability as opulent and powerful. Deadline to submit art for Opulent Mobility 2025 is August 31.

Resources and help:
CHIRLA
Doctors Without Borders
FreeFrom
National Network of Abortion Funds
NDLON
The Trevor Project

I almost didn't do this newsletter. This week has been brutal. But I know we can make amazing things together in spite of those that would do us harm. Take good care of your hearts, my friends. We need you around. And reach out, please.
XO Laura

]]><![CDATA[CLosing Time]]>Thu, 26 Jun 2025 21:09:22 GMThttps://www.dreamsbymachine.com/blog/closing-time
Gallery with large photos on the side walls, three sculpted goddesses and 2 wheelchair Madonnas in back, an a yellow-gold undulating ceiling installation overhead.
Opulent Mobility at Brand Library & Art Center. Photo by Stacy Meineke
And now the shows have closed.

Many thanks to Brand Library & Art Center for hosting Opulent Mobility! I am proud of the artists, allies, and the Brand team for making this a reality. Thanks also to the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs for bringing Socks Whitmore, Vanessa Cruz, and me in to co-host the Disabled Artist Cohort discussions!

If you missed the exhibit, here's a brief video tour.
https://lnkd.in/grUYrXUB

And if you missed the cohort, have no fear! Socks, Vanessa, and I plan to continue the conversations on the last Wednesday evening of each month. Please get in touch to get on the list. These discussions have been warm, lively, thoughtful, and a great way to be in community in these turbulent times.

We need each other more than ever to keep up the good fight.
]]><![CDATA[Thriving in Tough Times]]>Fri, 06 Jun 2025 21:52:58 GMThttps://www.dreamsbymachine.com/blog/thriving-in-tough-times
A figure looks at glow in the dark art. text reads The Los Angeles Makery Presents: The Glow Show! June 3-28, 2025, Opening 6/7 6-9 PM! 260 S. Los Angeles Street, Little Tokyo makery.la
This month and into the next: art events, calls for art, disability art and activism, and so many ways to mend.

Soothe your soul, cast a spell, and share your art!
Saturday from 6-9 PM is the opening for the Glow Show and The Voodoo Doll show at the Los Angeles Makery AND LA Art Share's Summer Salon.

You are cordially invited to Opulent Mobility at Brand Library & Art Center! Open now through June 21st- take a peek here for a video tour.

Celebrate the Goddess in all her forms and share your goddess art with us! Deadline August 1st.

And once again we challenge you to re-imagine disability as opulent and powerful. Deadline to submit art for Opulent Mobility 2025 is August 31.

Mending many ways:
Many thanks to Underdog Bookstore for bringing me back for Visible Mending! Bring your soft goods that need fixing June 7th from 12-2 PM to Underdog in Monrovia, CA.

This month's mending at the Hollywood Food Coalition is June 19th (aka Juneteenth). They love their volunteers- sign up if you're able.

June 22nd is Radical Repair at the Makery- if tariffs, Target, and Temu are getting you down, learn to fix your finery and leave fast fashion in the dust.

And stay tuned for Mending our Spirits at the Miles Playhouse. My artist residency starts June 27th!

Disability arts and activism:
June 13 is the 50th Arts Ably podcast episode and we're celebrating with a group talk! Join in at 3 Pm PST/6 PM EST.

The final Disabled Artist Cohort meeting is June 25- and you have a chance to make this an ongoing event! Sign up to talk networking and help build our collective, and check out the archived sessions.

Many thanks to Louise at the Blink of an Eye podcast for our discussion of Opulent Mobility and the importance of access.

And July 4-6 I'm helping with the arts portion of an Accessible Virtual Pride celebration along with Mouthwater, Calling Up Justice, and DIYAbled! 

Plus excellent resources to protect ourselves and others:
Mutual Aid LA groups (look for mutual aid in your area)

Folks that help (and might help you too):
Doctors Without Borders
FreeFrom
National Network of Abortion Funds
NDLON
Standing Together
The Trevor Project

Be most excellent to each other.
XO Laura

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