ARRAY 101 Presents FALL OF FREEDOM
2025-11-21 15:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Amanda Cinema, 180 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles, 90026, United States
This week on November 21, ARRAY will join the national movement, Fall of Freedom, by hosting a pair of rare theatrical screenings of Ava DuVernay’s work regarding the democratic imagination, 828: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PEOPLE and music video FAMILY FEUD (Jay-Z ft. Beyoncé). Following the screenings, join producers Paul Garnes and Tammy Garnes for a discussion about how storytelling and the arts can be used as powerful tools during a time of civic urgency and cultural change.
FALL OF FREEDOM
A nationwide series of artistic protests organized by artists like Dread Scott and Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright Lynn Nottage, set for November 21, 2025, as a collective act of resistance against what participants call authoritarian overreach by the Trump administration. The initiative invites museums, theaters, bookstores, and cultural spaces to host creative events highlighting freedom of expression and resistance to censorship.

ABOUT THE FILMS
828: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PEOPLE (2016)
This short film traverses a century of Black progress, protest, passion and perseverance of African-American people. The project gives historical perspective within the creative framework of one date that has had a profound effect on America. Commissioned by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to commemorate the museum’s opening, the film screens daily at the museum.
FAMILY FEUD by Jay Z ft. Beyoncé (2017)
A cinematic music video that spans over 400 years to explore themes of family legacy, infidelity, and national unity. The narrative weaves between a dystopian future and the present, featuring a star-studded cast.

ARRAY LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
2026-04-01 - 2026-07-03 | Corner of Glendale Blvd + Colton St., Los Angeles, CA, 90026, United States
Stop by ARRAY’s Little Free Library at the Corner of Glendale Blvd + Colton St. and contribute to ARRAY’s SPRING 2026 BOOK DRIVE!

PROSPERITY MARKET @ ARRAY
2026-04-18 11:00 - 19:00 | 164 Glendale Blvd, 164 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90026, United States
Soak in the sun and good vibes when Prosperity Market pulls up to ARRAY on Saturday, April 18! Enjoy shopping with purpose and directly support the values you believe in.
Prosperity Market is a mobile farmers market that features Black farmers, food producers and chefs. Traveling throughout Los Angeles, the trailer brings a curated farmers market experience directly to you, making it easy to support local Black-owned businesses while expanding food access for everyone.

ARRAY @ PLAY x WORLD BUILDING GAME
2026-07-25 12:00 - 15:00 | ARRAY Creative Campus, 180 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90026, United States
Step into Marooning Bodies, an experimental world building game that invites us to gather, imagine and create together. During this game, we will move through a series of activities involving writing, drawing and discussion within a group to collaboratively build a model of a future society. Guided by artist and creator Mims, we’ll explore what it might mean to build a community grounded in collective care, shared responsibility and new possibilities for living together. No special skills or experience is required. Come with an open mind; ready for discovery. This game experience will last approximately 3 hours.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Mims is an artist, abolitionist, and facilitator based in Los Angeles. Her work spans performance, advocacy, public art, social practice, and the creation of fine art objects. She experiences the body as a site of liberation and approaches it as her first place of inquiry. Grounded in embodied knowing, her practice explores relationships between self, community, land, and more-than-human life. She is deeply interested in questioning as a tool for collective understanding, the role of interpersonal relationships in building healthy communities, and the sacred wisdom held in cultures and ecosystems around the world.
She is the founder of Marooning Bodies, an immersive world building game and artistic ecosystem rooted in maroon histories, biomimicry, and communal imagination. She is also the creator of Uncle Ronnie’s Room, an installation and advocacy project centering her uncle’s incarceration and the collective labor of abolition.
Mims’ work has been supported by the California Arts Council, Converse, LA County Department of Arts and Culture, NYU’s Center for Ballet and the Arts, and residencies in Senegal and Ghana.

ARRAY @ PLAY is a summer storytelling series to spark your sense of play through game and films as a tool for strategy, connection and community-building. Hosted on ARRAY’s Creative Campus.

Our July program brings together an interactive world-building game followed by a short film showcase to explore how we claim space, forge new pathways and shape the communities we call home. Through collaborative gameplay, we’ll gather, imagine and create visions for a new world together. The accompanying films ground these themes in lived experience, from one person’s pursuit of surfing as an act of healing, to an intimate portrait of a vibrant inner-city neighborhood through the eyes of everyday residents. This convening invites us to consider the act of play as a transformative practice, revealing community as something we create and sustain together.

ARRAY @ PLAY: SHORT FILM SHOWCASE
2026-07-25 15:30 - 17:00 | ARRAY Creative Campus, 180 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90026, United States
Ride the tide and roll through the streets with a duo of documentaries lensed by surfers and skateboarders of color. Exploring the persistance of play, these stories on screen remind us that space is something we can inherit or adopt, protect and pass on. From pavement to shoreline, we claim and center these spaces as our birthright. The back-to-back screenings will be followed by a conversation with the filmmakers.
FEATURED FILMS:

View Clip

MOVING MOUNTAINS
Directed by Jessa Williams of INTRSXTN Surf
MOVING MOUNTAINS, documents the raw and inspiring journey of Tre’lan, a young Black man from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who escapes his troubled past to find redemption on a remote Hawaiian island. Through the transformative power of big wave surfing, Tre’lan confronts his trauma, embraces healing, and discovers the resilience to reshape his future and find peace in the ocean’s most powerful waves.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Jessa Williams is an award-winning director, producer, and creative entrepreneur based in Los Angeles. Her directorial debut, MOVING MOUNTAINS is a short film about her partner Tre’lan Michael, one of the few Black big wave surfers in the world. Celebrated for its emotional depth and cinematic strength, MOVING MOUNTAINS received top honors at the Tribeca x UNINTERRUPTED Film Festival, selected personally by LeBron James, Naomi Osaka, and Joel Embiid.

THE MOTHER TO MY STYLE
Directed by Cleon + Tre of Neighbors Skate Shop
THE MOTHER TO MY STYLE, is a historic record of Leimert Park, a unique and legendary south-central Los Angeles community that is a cradle of black-culture and pan-Afrikan energy. Leimert Park is the mother of a movement, a sound, and the identity of a community that is inevitably going to change. This film is a dialogue between the generations of the past, the present and those to come. It’s a road map; it is a window to where we are coming from and a vision of where we are headed.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS:
Cleon and Tre are co-owners/co-founders of Neighbors Skate Shop a retail/community space located in the heart of the Crenshaw/West Adams districts in South Central Los Angeles. Neighbors Skate Shop is a bridge between generations; an attempt to protect and preserve the legacy of their community in Leimert Park through the love, energy and momentum of skateboarding.

View Clip

ARRAY @ PLAY is a summer storytelling series curated to spark your sense of play through games and films as a tool for strategy, connection and community-building. Hosted on ARRAY’s Creative Campus.

Our July program brings together an interactive world-building game followed by a short film showcase to explore how we claim space, forge new pathways and shape the communities we call home. Through collaborative gameplay, we’ll gather, imagine and create visions for a new world together. The accompanying films ground these themes in lived experience, from one person’s pursuit of surfing as an act of healing, to an intimate portrait of a vibrant inner-city neighborhood through the eyes of everyday residents. This convening invites us to consider the act of play as a transformative practice, revealing community as something we create and sustain together.

ARRAY @ PLAY x LOVE, PEACE & SPADES
2026-08-22 12:00 - 16:00 | ARRAY Creative Campus, 180 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90026, United States
Pull up + play! Join ARRAY + Love, Peace & Spades™ for an afternoon of conversation, culture and card games open to all experience levels.
ARRAY invites Love, Peace & Spades™ to our Creative Campus to host their signature Talk + Play program. We’ll begin with “The Importance of Preserving Play” panel, a moderated discussion and community talkback exploring why play matters, what we lose when it disappears and what it means to preserve the games passed down for generations. Then we pull up chairs and play. Spades. Bid Whist. Tunk. Dominoes. These are not just games; they are family heirlooms. Whether you’re picking up a deck for the first time or returning to a game you grew up with, Talk + Play creates a welcoming space to learn, relearn and share in the enduring traditions that have kept communities connected for decades. Free lessons provided!
Bring your curiosity, your game face and your community spirit. There’s always room at the table.

ARRAY @ PLAY is a summer storytelling series to spark your sense of play through games and films as tools for strategy, connection and community-building. Hosted on ARRAY’s Creative Campus in Los Angeles.

Panelists:
DR. NATHANIEL BRYAN (participating virtually)
Dr. Nathaniel Bryan is an Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Texas at Austin and the Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long Endowed Faculty Fellow. He is the founder of Black PlayCrit and author of Toward a BlackBoyCrit Pedagogy, a landmark text exploring Black boyhood, literacy, and early childhood education. His research centers equity, diversity, and social justice in early childhood spaces—and his work in the American Journal of Play sits at the exact intersection of scholarship and the cultural traditions Love, Peace & Spades exists to honor.
DR. XHERCIS MÉNDEZ
Dr. Xhercis Méndez is an Associate Professor of Women, Gender & Queer Studies at California State University Fullerton, a popular educator, decolonial feminist philosopher, and conflict resolution specialist. She is the Director of Education at Love, Peace & Spades™ and the co-architect of Spades Academy™’s curriculum through her consultancy, Listen Bridge Change Consulting. Her work bridges rigorous scholarship and community practice—building educational frameworks rooted in cultural truth and collective healing.
KIMELIA WEATHERS-SMITH
Kimelia Weathers-Smith is a former TV challenge producer turned entrepreneur, originally from Washington, D.C. After producing for competition series including Hell’s Kitchen, Project Runway, and Making The Cut, she channeled her creative instincts into game design and launched Kim For The Win. Her flagship title Brilliant or BS? is stocked nationwide at Walmart, Barnes & Noble, and Target. She and her husband co-founded The Blackout Game Night—the nation’s first free community game night built exclusively around games designed by Black creators—using play to build connection, spark conversation, and celebrate creative genius.
CJ “KINGSOUL” PETERS (participating virtually)
Clemille “Cj” Peters, Jr. is a gaming entrepreneur, producer, and UX designer best known as the founder of Konsole Kingz and the creator of the culturally authentic mobile card game Black Spades. Founded in 2004, Konsole Kingz helped establish a blueprint for an urban gaming lifestyle brand—spanning content, virtual goods, platform distribution, and influencer-led campaigns that connect Hip Hop culture and gaming. Recognized as an industry pioneer, his career reflects a rare ability to bridge culture and technology—delivering commercially viable gaming products while authentically representing an underserved audience at scale.

AUGUST 28: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PEOPLE @ 6PM
2026-08-28 18:00 - 19:00 | ARRAY Creative Campus, 180 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90026, United States
Commissioned by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to commemorate the museum’s opening in 2016, this 20-minute film reflects on six significant events in African-American history that all occurred on August 28 in different years. ARRAY joins the Smithsonian’s nationwide 10-year anniversary celebration of the film directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Don Cheadle, Regina King, Angela Bassett, David Oyelowo and more. A filmmaker conversation with Ava DuVernay will follow this screening.

View Trailer

Additional Screening @ 7:30PM

AUGUST 28: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PEOPLE @ 7:30PM
2026-08-28 19:30 - 20:30 | ARRAY Creative Campus, 180 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90026, United States
Commissioned by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to commemorate the museum’s opening in 2016, this 20-minute film looks at six significant events in African-American history that all occurred on August 28 in different years. ARRAY joins the Smithsonian’s nationwide 10-year anniversary celebration of the film directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Don Cheadle, Regina King, Angela Bassett and more. A filmmaker conversation with Ava DuVernay will be hosted BEFORE this screening at 6:30PM. Entrance for the conversation will begin at 6:20PM

View Trailer

Additional Screening @ 6PM

QUEEN SUGAR: 10-Year Anniversary Celebration
2026-09-12 12:00 - 16:00 | ARRAY Creative Campus, 180 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90026, United States
Join ARRAY and fellow QUEEN SUGAR fans for a daylong celebration of the TV series which debuted in 2016 and aired for seven seasons! Inspired by Natalie Baszile’s acclaimed novel Queen Sugar, the television series created by Ava DuVernay for the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) brought the Bordelon family, the land and the legacy of Louisiana to life, and created a steadfast community of viewers who saw themselves, their families and their experiences reflected on screen. We’re opening our Creative Campus in Los Angeles for the fans who watched, shared (#GimmeSugar) and carried the spirit of QUEEN SUGAR long after each episode ended. Spend the day reconnecting and revisiting the moments and the storylines that brought us together.
ABOUT QUEEN SUGAR
QUEEN SUGAR chronicles the lives and loves of the estranged Bordelon siblings in Saint Josephine, Louisiana. Reunited by a family tragedy, the Bordelons must navigate their complicated lives in order to run an ailing sugarcane farm.

PLEASE NOTE

No RSVP is needed to watch the panel via livestream. Stay tuned to this page on September 12 to press play at the livestream start.
In-person RSVPs do not guarantee your seat or entrance to our campus. We reserve the right to limit entrance based on event capacity for the day. Check-in begins approximately 30mins before each episode screening or panel.
The program schedule is subject to change.

AVA DuVERNAY'S MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY AT THE FORD
2026-10-29 20:00 - 22:00 | The Ford, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90068, United States
Main Character Energy is a movie night that refuses to stay quiet. Talkback is not only encouraged, it is invited. For one night only, ARRAY transforms The Ford into a cinematic storytelling experience curated and hosted by writer and director Ava DuVernay. Clips from iconic films that honor our shared humanity are paired with vibrant voices from today’s most captivating thought leaders, artists, actors, and filmmakers. Throughout the night, you will not just watch… you will respond, and at times, you will even step into the scene. On this night, you are not a viewer. You are the main character.
The night is about community immersion with others, shoulder to shoulder in the dark, led by cinema that provokes ideas connecting us to the most defining issues of our time. So come and make your voice heard, Main Character. We are ready for your close-up!
