Santa Monica Artists Program Moves To Bergamot Station With 6 Residents

SANTA MONICA , CA — Santa Monica's artist residency program is moving to Bergamot Station Arts Center, where six Los Angeles County artists will spend the coming months creating new work while leading free workshops for the community.

The city announced Friday that Sasha Mazhara, Chinaedu Nwadibia, Bella Ortiz, Seda Saar, Avila Santo and Nicolette Spear have been selected for the 2026-27 Artist Residency Program after being chosen by a panel of arts professionals.

The upcoming residency marks the program's first year at Bergamot Station Arts Center after relocating from the Camera Obscura Art Lab in Palisades Park. The artists will work from studio space in the City Gallery at Bergamot Station, which is home to more than 20 galleries, design firms and nonprofit arts organizations.

Each artist will spend 14 weeks in residence while receiving a $2,500 honorarium and a $500 materials budget. As part of the program, they also will lead free workshops intended to give residents an opportunity to explore a variety of artistic disciplines.

The six artists work across a range of mediums, including photography, painting, sculpture, installation art, music and performance.

Mazhara is a documentary photographer whose work examines themes of displacement and identity following her move from Ukraine to the United States. Nwadibia combines photography, sculpture, performance and writing to explore culture, communication and identity through her Nigerian and African American heritage.

Ortiz, a self-taught Chilean American visual artist who works under the name EDTHEGOATKILLER, creates paintings, murals and apparel centered on identity, rebellion and belonging.

Saar creates installations, sculptures and paintings influenced by architecture, light and color. Her work is currently featured in the "Water is a Currency" exhibition at the Annenberg Community Beach House, where it will remain on display through Sept. 27.

Santo, whose work focuses on rhythm, music and performance, will lead an embodied rhythm workshop during Santa Monica's COAST festival on Sunday. The open streets event, celebrating the FIFA World Cup final, is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., while Santo's workshop will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Camera Obscura Art Lab.

Spear's large-scale oil paintings examine the relationship between people and technology, exploring how digital devices can both connect and isolate those who use them.

The residency program also will be represented during Santa Monica's annual State of the City celebration on July 23, where Ortiz is scheduled to lead a blind contour drawing workshop on Main Street. Previous resident Anahid Boghosian, who participated in the 2025-26 residency, also will take part in the COAST festival with a live painting demonstration and an exhibition of work created during the program.

Future workshops led by the new residency class will be announced through the city's online events calendar as the residency gets underway later this year.