DCA’s Performing Arts Division celebrates female ingenuity and creativity through its annual Empowerment event from April 28 to April 30, 2023. Each year, two women who contributed to the world artistically and passionately will be recognized and acknowledged and their work and impact will be highlighted. To further support this celebration, new works by other artists inspired by these legends will also be presented. DCA is honoring Corita Kent and Dolores Huerta at its Lankershim Arts Center for the inaugural year of the pilot program. Corita Kent, also known as Sister Mary Corita, was an American artist, designer, and educator, as well as a religious sister. By the 1960s, her vibrant serigraphs were drawing international acclaim. Corita’s work reflected her concerns about poverty, racism, and war, and her messages of peace and social justice continue to resonate with audiences today. Co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association, Dolores Clara Fernandez Huerta, also known as Dolores Huerta, is one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century and a leader of the Chicano civil rights movement. This event, inspired by two courageous women, will include performing arts presentations, screenings of films about their lives, and panel discussions on the topic of female empowerment.

Weekend Schedule:

Friday, April 28 at 7:00 pm
Dance and spoken word by Teresa Barcelo, Jaclyn Rose Bernstein, Vanessa Hernández Cruz, Marisa Ervin, Mandy Kahn, Rosalynde LeBlanc, Sadie Yarrington, and Leah Zeiger.

Saturday, April 29
9:00 a.m. to 12 noon, button making, arts and crafts presented by the Corita Art Center
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., “Rebel Hearts” film screening, followed by an intergenerational conversation moderated by Nellie Scott, Director of the @coritaartcenter
7:00 p.m., a second showing of spoken word and dance featuring the work of Teresa Barcelo, Jaclyn Rose Bernstein, Vanessa Hernández Cruz, Marisa Ervin, Mandy Kahn, Rosalynde LeBlanc, Sadie Yarrington, and Leah Zeiger.

Sunday, April 30, 2023
8:30 a.m., Blessing: Aztec Dancers Danza Divina de Los Angeles
9:00 a.m. to 12 noon, wellness fair and art activities with Self-Help Graphics & Art
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., “Dolores” film screening, followed by a conversation with director Peter Bratt and Ms. Dolores Huerta, who will appear virtually

Image credit: Corita Kent, x give a damn, 1968, serigraph, 22 ¾ x 22 ¾”