The Making of & the Humans Behind Northern Lights

Read more about our process for transforming the Circle Church and about the artists who made Northern Lights possible!

The Process

Art Supplies Drive

At Liminal Space we make a conscious effort around art material waste and we recycle or upcycle where we can. In addition to making less waste, it also makes art supplies accessible so our artists can create installations at lower costs.

In service to this ethos, we put out a call for an art supply drive in preparation for Northern Lights! Donors received 25% off of their ticket price. At the end of the event, all donated supplies went towards creating inventory for a community studio space.

Mural Meetups

Starting Sunday, December 18th, we held regular meetups to mural the gym at the Circle Church for our Northern Lights Event. Artist coordination was led by AugieWK of The Jams Brand. Find out more about AugieWK and The Jams Brand at https://www.thejamsbrand.com/augiewk

Sponsors

Northern Lights would not have been possible without our two sponsors!

11th Hour Coffee is where Liminal Space was born one year ago, and since then 11th Hour has nurtured our collective’s growth immeasurably. For a meeting spot over a latte, a community center to collaborate over many lattes and delicious food, and a central hub of events and culture, 11th Hour is the place to be.

Idea Fab Labs is a multi-use maker space and creative center in Santa Cruz, an incredible resource for contracting fabrication work for any project you can think of. Becoming a member, you soon realize how much of a steal the membership cost is, with tons of professional fabrication machines, free classes on how to use them, a full wood shop, and a vibrant community of creative people.

Donations

Setting up for a festival like this is a monumental effort! We are so grateful for the community members who dropped by to ask if anyone needed a helping hand. The artists deeply appreciated it. 

You can also support us by joining our Patreon or setting up a fiscal donation! It’s a way to appreciate the long hours artists have put in, help us pay for costs, and allow us to put on more community events like this in the future. Find out more at https://www.limi.space/donate

Artist Spotlights

BEARPAD

Bearpad is the artist behind COZYSPACE, a very cuddly interactive audio and visual installation. Quadrophonic low frequency rumbles and chill vibes where you get to dial in your AV experience for maximum coziness.

Ecosensuals

Ecosensuals is the creator of the Ecosensuals Apothecary, a witch-run apothecary dedicated to serving communities by merging herbal education and self-care. Suraya led two ecosexuality workshops in the apothecary room during Northern Lights.

Kristopher Funk

Kristopher created Alice in Genderbend, where visitors dove down the rabbit hole to explore a whimsical escape room twisting the classic tale of Alice to explore themes of gender and identity.

Rachel Barnes (Human Shaped Animal)

Rachel's work adorns the Trellus Nook in the Art Sanctuary. Geometric fabricated sculpture hand-painted in humanshapedanimal hues adorn the center stage. 

A|ex

A|ex is the visionary behind SONUS STRATUS: reactive biological visualizations cohabitating and evolving with an improvised electronic score.

Swayor and dev on

Hey, remember the best day of the school year? You know it was going DOWN when the teacher rolled in that CRT TV-strapped cart and popped on Shrek. Soda in dixie cups, Costco pizza, with a side-o-doritos. Swayor and Devon curated dreamy lofi VHS tapes to soothe our souls back to the best day of the year, presenting Movie Day.

The Letter Mermaid

Melissa made us a beautiful Northern Lights mural to set the scene for our celebration.

"As a hand lettering & illustration artist, I believe that words have the power to make an impact on how we see and experience the world. My art is a vessel for positive change, and as a way to process and explore my emotions."

The Jams Brand

AugieWK and Jessica Carmen, co-artists of The Jams Brand, created a breathtaking series of murals for Northern Lights. Thank you for leading the way with our muraling project!

The Jams have a mission to paint all the walls! Honoring their Chicano culture, The Jams bring to life vivid, bold works of art to beautify their community, and communities they visit.

Astral Mirage

Astral Mirage performed an incredible Circus Act at Northern Lights! They'll be back for future Liminal Space events, so stay tuned.