As we countdown to the end of our residency application process for the year, we want to take a little time to introduce you to our selection committee for the 2021-2022 residency cycle! 

Last year was the first time we brought on a committee to assist us with reviewing applications and selecting our residents, and we’re excited to continue that practice this year. We worked to select committee members who represent different parts of the Level Ground community, and bring a rich variety of perspectives to the decision-making process. 

As the committee reviews the applications we’ve received, they will  consider a variety of factors including the experimental nature of the applicant’s work; how the work challenges systemic privilege and the ways in which we structure identity; the collaborative components of the work; and the skill level of the applicants. Along with these criteria, and as we did last year, we’ve challenged the committee to holistically evaluate the applications, favoring equity and voices that often go unheard in the art world. 

This year’s committee is comprised of:

LAUREN COUCH

Pronouns: he/she/they
Role: SKEW 2020 Curator

Lola Rose Eros is the artistic pseudonym of Lauren Couch, a multifaceted full-time artist whose work combines visual art with dance, fashion and self-portrait. Drawing inspiration from his Black and queer artistic forebears and peers, from Prince and Grace Jones to Angelica Ross and Def Sound, among so many others—Lola brings a dazzling vision of bold, fantastical color and Black, trans majesty to their work. 

Follow Lauren on Instagram @lola.rose.eros 

RAE THREAT

Pronouns: she/they
Role: Level Ground Collective Leadership Council & 2018 Artist-in-Residence

Rae Threat is a Thai-American artist, photographer, filmmaker, and activist. She is renowned for her alternative approach to photography, stemming from her desire to invest stereotypes and challenge views. 

Follow Rae on Instagram @raethreat

RA AVIS

Pronouns: she/her
Role: Level Ground Board Member

Ra Avis is an award-winning blogger and author based on out of Long Beach, CA. She is a once-upon-a-time inmate, a reluctantly-optimistic widow, and a generational storyteller. Ra writes regularly about grief, incarceration, and the inheritance of being Chicana-Desi.

Follow Ra on Instagram @rawra.avis

TAMISHA TYLER

Pronouns: she/her
Role: Level Ground Collective Leadership Council

A PhD candidate studying Theology, Culture and Ethics, Tamisha Tyler is a dynamic speaker and facilitator, she hosts workshops and discussion around diversity, community and art. 

Follow Tamisha on Instagram @tamisha_tyler

CHANCE CALLOWAY

Pronouns: he/him
Role: Level Ground Collective Leadership Council

Chance Sion-Raize Calloway is a storyteller who splits his time between book and film projects. His series Pretty Dudes, the basis for his most recent novel, has become an award-winning phenomenon worldwide.

Follow Chance on Instagram @chancescalloway

GABBA BAYA

Pronouns: they/them
Role: Level Ground 2020 Artist-in-Residence

gabba baya works with experimental game design to create hyperreal spaces in which they address gender, race, and international politics. As an interdisciplinary worker – using sound, video, and 3D animation – they develop worlds where multifaceted, sometimes contradictory, realities exist simultaneously. 

Follow gabbah baya on Instagram @gabbahbaya