Lancaster, CA. June 20, 2025 -- The Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH) is pleased to announce the inaugural MOAH Fest, a dynamic celebration of art, community, and cultural expression. Join us on Sunday, June 29, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a day of interactive workshops and a compelling performance, all inspired by the themes explored in MOAH’s current exhibition, m\other.

With a focus on fiber and textile art, m\other challenges dominant narratives surrounding matriarchy and femininity by offering expansive interpretations of what it can mean to “mother.” The exhibition highlights practices rooted in queer, Indigenous, and spiritual perspectives on care, creation, and resilience.

Begin the day with the Mug Rugs Weaving Workshop, led by artist and educator Mica Scallion-Ford. Participants will learn to construct sustainable cardboard looms and create small handwoven textiles. Scallion-Ford’s workshop reflects the nurturing, hands-on labor often associated with caregiving, while promoting sustainability and accessibility in fiber arts, values at the heart of m\other’s inquiry into how we care and create.

Continue with Tapestry Weaving for Beginners, facilitated by artist Diane Williams, whose practice explores personal and collective histories through fiber. This workshop introduces fundamental weaving techniques using simple tools, enabling participants to create their own tapestries while engaging in the meditative, restorative process of textile creation, a practice deeply aligned with the exhibition’s exploration of generational knowledge and acts of care.

The day culminates in an evocative performance titled Tangal by multidisciplinary artist Adrian Clutario. Rooted in Filipino folklore, this atmospheric performance reimagines the mythical manananggal, a creature that separates her winged torso from her legs, as a powerful metaphor for queer identity, grief, and transformation. Through haunting visuals and song, Clutario channels the manananggal's estrangement and resilience, drawing poignant parallels to the lived experiences explored in m\other. Their performance interrogates traditional understandings of femininity and selfhood, offering a radical redefinition of what it means to be seen, mothered, and whole.

MOAH Fest is free and open to the public. We welcome all to join us for a day of creativity, reflection, and community engagement as we continue the dialogue initiated by m\other.

About the Artists:

Adrian Clutario is a multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Oakland, California. Their practice involves a variety of techniques; sculpture, installation, furniture, performance, and fashion. Deeply utilizing drag and craft sensibilities, Clutario exaggerates and blurs the lines of design, space, and familial lineage – striving to heal around diasporic generational trauma.

Mica Scallion-Ford is an artist and educator based in Los Angeles, California. Their practice is rooted in the use of fiber and sustainable materials.

Diane Williams is a Filipinx interdisciplinary artist, living and working in Los Angeles, California. Willaims creates mixed-media, textile-based, wall-hanging, suspended, and free-standing sculptural weavings. In her work, she often asks how the Filipinx can contend with the impossibility of retrieving the stories of people who have been forgotten or omitted in history. The materials and methods employed by Williams allow her to reconstitute lost histories and reconnect with her indigenous Filipinx culture.

About MOAH:

The Lancaster Museum of Art and History is dedicated to strengthening awareness, enhancing accessibility, and igniting the appreciation of art, history, and culture in the Antelope Valley through dynamic exhibitions, innovative educational programs, creative community engagement, and a vibrant collection that celebrates the richness of the region. MOAH is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extended hours on Thursday until 8 p.m. MOAH is located at 665 W. Lancaster BLVD on the corner of Lancaster BLVD and Elm Avenue. For more information, please call the museum at (661) 723-6250 or visit: www.lancastermoah.org.