Reading The City

Reading the City was a series of artist conversations from August 2020 - December 2021 that explored Compton's unique cultural contributions and engaged a broader discussion on place, placemaking, and art in the city. In addition to documenting and archiving virtual conversations between artists, we commissioned writers to examine Compton’s artistic synergy with art movements across the world and the Black diaspora. It is cross-published on KCET Artbound as part of "Compton: Arts and Archives," which explores the history, arts, and culture that make the “Hub City” an arts city, edited by Jenise Miller.

You can access the conversations here:

Reading The City: Compton and The Literary Imagination

Reading The City: Compton Artists on Art

Reading The City: Compton Off The Wall

Reading The City: Compton Unscripted

Reading The City: Compton Freestyle

You can also view F. Senyon Kelly’s Essay, The Rise of the Fly Girls: The Compton and South Central Women Who Helped Shape West Coast Hip Hop, by clicking the image below: