Elana Mann is an artist and activist who explores the power of the collective voice and the act of listening through sculpture, sound, and community engagement. She has created sonic sculptures that are designed to be used by musicians, audiences, and activists alike. In her artwork, listeners become performers, protests become musical and music becomes protest.
Elana Mann has presented her work in museums, galleries, and public spaces in the U.S. and globally.
She has received numerous awards, including an International Artist-In-Residence at Artpace San Antonio, the California Community Foundation Artist Fellowship, the Stone & DeGuire Contemporary Art Award, the COLA Individual Artist Fellowship, and she was the inaugural artist-in-residence at Pitzer College's ceramics department. Elana received her B.F.A. with honors from Washington University in St. Louis, and her M.F.A from California Institute of the Arts.
Indeed, Elana has accomplished so much; one look at her website is testament to this. One can spend hours absorbing it — from her projects, writings, videos and poetry to her thoughts on social justice, and the power and agency we have as people. In exploring her site, my initial thought was that Mann could be an educator.
Getting to her artwork, within most of it there’s an element of sound. Yet, as a younger artist, Mann said this was confusing to her when she was in grad school. Then a connection revealed itself. It was her Jewish culture.
Elana's links plus an article in The Forward
View the exhibition Unprotected here: https://epoch.gallery/
Elana Mann, The Forward: https://elanamann.com/press/can-noisemaker-rattle-world-out-its-complacency-elana-mann%E2%80%99s-activist-art-mixture-politics-and
IMAGE CREDITS:
Elana Mann by Josh Caffrey.
Change Rattle image by Monica Orozco