Juan William Chávez

Watch the full video in the link in bio. Kiersten Torrez and I want to thank everyone who joined us last Saturday at Laumeier Sculpture Park to celebrate our commission Wak’a Garden. This project is the second installment in Laumeier’s Begin Again series, which highlights the Park’s 50-year history of collaborating with artists and supporting new commissions and exhibitions, curated by the talented Dana Turkovic. A big thank you to the thoughtful and creative performers who helped us activate the Wak’a’a Garden: Lyn McClain Tess Angelica Losada-Tindall), and Aida Lizalde. Many Thanks to Bobby Best for your exceptional video. Your ability to capture our story with empathy, a sense of community, and creativity is truly the BEST! Wak’a Garden - Laumeier Sculpture Park Video description: Wak’a Garden is a Laumeier Sculpture Park commission by 2026 Visiting Artist in Residence Juan William Chávez and 2026 Kranzberg Exhibition Series Artist Kiersten Torrez. Curated by Dana Turkovic and filmed by A Broadys Work Films Performers: Saundra L. McClain-Kloeckener Native Women’s Care Circle Educational Consultant - Teacher-Storyteller Tess Angelica Losada-Tindall Dancer, choreographer, and scholar Aida Lizalde Artist, sculptor

🌿✨ Join us for the debut of “Begin Again: Wak’a Garden” this Saturday, April 18 from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. This organic, amphitheater-shaped sculpture serves as a place for reflection, educational workshops, and performances. “Wak’a Garden” artists Juan William Chávez and Kiersten Torrez, joined by Saundi McClain-Kloeckener, Aida Lizalde and Tess Angelica Losada-Tindall will activate the space with a planting performance from noon–12:30 p.m. Presented alongside Art & Nature Day, enjoy free, art- and nature-inspired activities for the whole family. Come enjoy a day at the Park! Link in bio to plan your day.

Gardening Together as Public Art Sound and Gardening Performance and Native Bee and Plant Workshop. Artist Juan William Chavez, along with Artist and master gardener Kiersten Torrez, Alex Luna from Fleet Farming, and Black Bee Honey members. The performance aims to raise awareness about the crucial role pollinators play in our ecosystem and highlight the pressing issue of food insecurity faced by many in Central Florida. One in seven people experiences food insecurity, totaling over 500,000 individuals who may struggle with reliable access to healthy food. The performance underscores the importance of supporting native pollinators, who are essential to pollinating over 80% of flowering plants and are critical to crop production. Alarmingly, more than 22% of North America’s native pollinators are at risk of extinction, making native plant gardening vital for preserving biodiversity and ensuring food systems remain intact. #artpollinationbuildingfoodjusticethroughcreativityexhibit #bloombergphilanthropies #bloombergpublicartchallenge #artpollination

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the opening of “Begin Again: Wak’a Garden,” a commission with 2026 Visiting Artist in Residence Juan William Chávez and 2026 Kranzberg Exhibition Series Artist Kiersten Torrez. Artists Chávez and Torrez were joined by Saundi McClain-Kloeckener, Aida Lizalde and Tess Angelica Losada-Tindall to activate the space through a beautiful and thoughtful planting performance. Before and after, guests created no-sew aprons and learned about native gardening and pollinators. 🌱🐝 The exhibition is on view through April 2029. If you’re visiting our 39th Annual Art Fair next weekend, we highly recommend experiencing “Wak’a Garden.” It’s located on the South Lawn, just beyond the main footprint of the Fair. Photos: Wil Driscoll 📍We acknowledge the ancestral lands of the Osage Nation, Missouria, and Illini Confederacy, the lands on which Laumeier Sculpture Park is located. We pay respect to their elders, past and present.

Opening performance of Wak’a Garden (April 2026 - April 2029) by @jwchavez and @kiertor at @laumeierstl | photos by Wil Driscoll. Video of performance, link in bio. Kiersten Torrez and I want to thank everyone who joined us last Saturday at Laumeier Sculpture Park to celebrate our commission Wak’a Garden. This project is the second installment in Laumeier’s Begin Again series, which highlights the Park’s 50-year history of collaborating with artists and supporting new commissions and exhibitions, curated by the talented Dana Turkovic. Wak’a Garden - Laumeier Sculpture Park description: Wak’a Garden is a Laumeier Sculpture Park commission by 2026 Visiting Artist in Residence Juan William Chávez and 2026 Kranzberg Exhibition Series Artist Kiersten Torrez. Curated by Dana Turkovic and filmed by A Broadys Work Films Performers: Saundra L. McClain-Kloeckener Native Women’s Care Circle Educational Consultant - Teacher-Storyteller Tess Angelica Losada-Tindall Dancer, choreographer, and scholar Aida Lizalde Artist, sculptor

Wak’a Garden's opening and Native Plant Performance at @laumeierstl . Link in bio for more information.

Join us today from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. for the reveal of “Begin Again: Wak’a Garden.” Thank you to Juan William Chávez and Kiersten Torrez for their vision and dedication to this 50th anniversary commission. It has been an honor to see this project grow from concept to realization. Much collaboration and care went into building this amphitheater-shaped sculpture, spanning 50 feet wide and rising to 16 feet at its tallest point. Constructed from 250+ logs and natural materials, including branches, mud, and rocks, mainly recovered from the Park. A special thanks to our Curatorial team and St. Louis Parks and Recreation for assisting with construction, to St. Louis County Parks volunteers for helping with planting, and to our sponsors for making this installation possible! And a big thank you to Patrick Ganley for the hours spent in the tool cat moving logs and to Elsie Tuttle for helping track down additional logs! 🪵 ☀️ The rain has cleared out. Come celebrate with us today! A FEW DETAILS: The closest parking lot to Wak’a Garden is the back lot near the South Lawn. Locations + Schedule: 📍 SOUTH LAWN 🌿 11 a.m. / Exhibition opening 🌱 12–12:30 p.m. / Planting performance, followed by a native plant workshop 🎨 11 a.m.–2 p.m. / Stop by the art activities area curated by Torrez. Learn about native gardening and pollinators while making seed-starting soil blocks, planting grow bags, and creating no-sew aprons. 📍 KRANZBERG EDUCATION LAB 🌿 11 a.m.–2 p.m. / Discover the indoor Family Play Space and explore nature through movement and your five senses. Activities are free and open to all (while supplies last). ✨ Link in bio for more details.

A big thank you to @stlcountyparks volunteers for helping artist @jwchavez and master gardener @kiertor plant native species in Wak’a Garden! Celebrate the opening of “Begin Again: Juan William Chavez & Kiersten Torrez, Wak’a Garden” from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. on Saturday, April 18. Locations + Schedule: 📍 SOUTH LAWN 🌿 11 a.m. / Exhibition opening 🌱 12–12:30 p.m. / Artist-led performance, followed by a native plant workshop 🎨 11 a.m.–2 p.m. / Stop by the art activities area curated by Torrez. Learn about native gardening and pollinators while making seed-starting soil blocks, planting grow bags and creating no-sew aprons. 📍 KRANZBERG EDUCATION LAB 11 a.m.–2 p.m. / Discover the indoor Family Play Space and explore nature through movement and your five senses. Activities are free and open to all (while supplies last). We hope to see you there!

Wak’a Garden opening at @laumeierstl Saturday, April 18th, 11pm to 2pm — Performance starts at noon and ends at 12:30 p.m., concluding with a native plant workshop while supplies last. Hope all can make it!

Thank you to everyone who was able to join the Publication Launch Party: North St. Louis Creative Field Guide at @camstl The North St. Louis Creative Field Guide is a new publication that shares artworks, essays, and other creative contributions generated from a resident- and artist-led project of the same name. From 2024–25, members of a working group who live and work in North St. Louis embarked on a project to treat nature as an art studio that creates wellbeing, community building, and renewed investment in place. The resulting publication is far more than a collection of art that has come out of a community engagement project—it is an act of devotion to the people, places, and natural world of North St. Louis. You can buy a copy at the CAMSTL bookstore. North St. Louis Creative Field Guide team Lead Artists: Dail Chambers, Juan William Chávez Working Group Contributors: Cary Brown, Gabi Cole, AleXeana harlem, Tosha Phonix, Rev. LaQuindlyn Shanae, Ronda Smith Branch, Frankie Williams Community Engagement Lead: Alexis Creamer Project Curator: Michelle Dezember Designer: Kevin McCoy, WORK/PLAY SPONSORS This North St. Louis Creative Field Guide is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts' Our Town grant. Our Town grants support creative placemaking projects that integrate arts, culture, and design in efforts to advance local economic, physical, and other community-desired outcomes. Additional support is provided by the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis.

Saint Louis Art Museum SLAM Underground—SUMMIT celebrates Andean culture. Inspired by detailed Aymara weavings from Bolivia and the sculptures of Peruvian artist Blas Isasi, this event invites you to explore the Museum’s collection. Juan William Chávez created a soundscape that explores themes of Andean temporality, philosophy, and cosmology. The performance included samples from Peruvian psychedelic cumbia records, Andean percussion, wind instruments, Eurorack modular synthesizers, and layered delays to produce a meditative and ambient sound environment.

The install soundtrack has been Kenny Loggins, don't know why, but it feels right. BEGIN AGAIN: JUAN WILLIAM CHAVEZ & KIERSTEN TORREZ, WAK’A GARDEN Join us on Saturday, April 18 for the debut of Wak'a Garden South Lawn 11-2pm. Performance at Noon-12:30pm Exhibition opening at 11 a.m., followed by an introduction by Curator Dana Turkovic and a special artist-led performance with artists Juan William Chávez and Kiersten Torrez at Noon. As part of Art & Nature Day, get creative at the art activities area curated by Torrez from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and learn about native gardening and pollinators. Hands-on activities include making seeding soil blocks, planting grow bags and no-sew aprons.