A fellowship of Southern California cultural institutions, including Performance Art Museum, 18th Street Arts Center, LACE, Highways Performance Space, and the Getty Research Institute, banding together for a single and stellar purpose?
It’s an intriguing venture, one that suggests several effervescent events brimming with big ideas, and art-strong concepts, are just ahead.
That’s now taking place over a long and lively stretch of time, and by “stretch of time” we do mean two years.
That stretch began in late 2025, when “… an unprecedented multi-year, multi-institution initiative” celebrating “High Performance” magazine commenced, shining a spotlight on some of the most engaging performance artists of today.
The publication, which ran for about two decades following its 1978 launch, was billed as “… the world’s first international magazine devoted exclusively to performance art.”
Count on scintillating and conversation-starting moments to fill the 18th Street Arts Center on the final afternoon of January 2026, when artists gather to perform, converse, and celebrate prismatic and powerful concepts behind the seminal magazine.
The “free and open to the public” event begins at 1 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Santa Monica-based art hub.
Other events, talks, and exhibitions are rolling out over the colorful course of the conference, with appearances by magazine founder Linda Frye Burnham and some of the people at the heart of the vibrant art scene, a scene that raised LA’s already considerable creative vibes in the ’70s, ’80s, and 1990s.
Details for “Ready, Set, Go! High Performance” Launch are available on the 18th Street Arts Center site.
Updated Jan. 28