LUCAS RIVERA
MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST, WRITER, EDUCATOR, PRODUCER, PLACEMAKER
My AfroRican State of Soul is a 15,000-word blend of narrative nonfiction and poetry that chronicles my journey. I was a child with a father who I could speak to but would never actually know. I grew into a man who learned to salvage healing from that loss, building an artistic vision for identidad, struggle, love and faith that has spread across the United States. Art was a means of survival, from turntables to dance, spoken word, painting and stained glass. These mediums opened my world, and allowed me to experience true love, accept faith, reconciliation, and eventually grace my own father with Aché (blessings) despite the pain of his absence.
In her foreword, Ruha Benjamin, Princeton University Professor of African American Studies, describes this journey as a model of “intergenerational healing,” which she points out “can only emerge from a new poetics.”
This work speaks to both budding young creatives and OG hip hop heads who remember the dawn of an artistic era. As a BIPOC man I have struggled against traditional conceptions of masculinity towards a path of love, acceptance, vulnerability and shared healing. I have built a 20-year career curating art, planning major events and programming cultural spaces at some of the most prestigious institutions in the United States. I have sold and commissioned work at the highest levels, but I am still forced to prove myself in elite arts spaces. My work speaks to everyone who has struggled with imposter syndrome, displacement and disempowerment. One of my guiding principles is that “I will not beg to enter where I am not seen,” which has brought me to where I am today.
Inspired by the culturally dynamic tradition of Afro-Puerto Rican poets such as Piri Thomas and Pedro Peitri, I draw upon their unfiltered approach in this decades-spanning body of work, while drawing from the emerging tradition of contemporary poetry and lyricism. My book is crafted to stand alone, but can form the backbone of a riveting stage performance with a full dance ensemble, drums, bass, keys and powerful voices.
My AfroRican State of Soul
Book Available NOW!
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Soy Afro-Rican
Album On Sale
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LIVE CONCERT & BOOK EVENT RSVP
October 21st 2023
Los Angeles Baha'i Center (ENTRANCE ON LA CIENEGA)
5755 Obama Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016
Poet
Dancer
Visual Artist
Producer
Placemaker
Lucas Rivera is a multidisciplinary Afro-Puerto Rican artist and educator who expresses his culture through various mediums. His work is an autobiography captured through music, dance, paint, and poetry. He has exhibited and performed in Puerto Rico, Texas, California, Florida, New York, New Jersey.
He is also an innovative arts and entertainment management executive with 20+ years of senior leadership experience in marketing, program development, talent relations, nonprofit management, and event planning.
He is a Philadelphia native who built his professional arts career performing and exhibiting in his Latino community for more than 16 years. In 2007 he spearheaded the development and implementation of a new arts facility focused on arts education for high school students at Esperanza Academy Charter. He then moved on to become the Executive Director of Artist and Musicians of Latin America, AMLA. During his tenure he produced some of the largest salsa festivals in Philadelphia and helped develop the next generation of Latin Jazz artists in that community.
Rivera made a name for himself in LA as the visionary behind Grand Park, a new Los Angeles County Park in Downtown Los Angeles operated by The Music Center. As the former Vice President, his vision for park programming was grounded in place-making through arts engagement and artist development focusing on local community artists. Since its opening in late July 2012, Rivera along with his team has programmed over 550 events in addition to the creation and full production of Los Angeles’s very own New Year’s Eve event, NYELA, which attracts over 50,000per year.
In 2016 he joined Fairpex as Senior Vice Presidents of Marketing and Programming. His work is centered on crafting artistic, engaging experiences that accentuate the unique characteristics of the communities they reflect. He spent 25 years building a career as a stage performer, event producer, arts educator and place maker to serve this purpose. At Fairplex he helped usher in a new era of creating events that celebrate the City of Pomona, Southern California and the cultural diversity that make it so unique. This approach has made Fairplex a more welcoming space for families and individuals from all walks of life, while advancing a vision for the future of the 487-acre campus.
Rivera is currently the Founder and CEO of Sakul Creative a consulting agency founded in 2020 that focuses on event strategy and program development that is grounded in community. The agency taps into Rivera’s extensive curated network of innovative artists, entertainers and strategists across Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia.