On October 11th, Gold Ridge Organic Farms proudly presented the event “Butterfly Effect.” The evening was a collaboration between artist Layla Love and the owner of Gold Ridge Farms, Brooke Hazen. Together, they crafted a night of art, charity, and music to be remembered.
The art and the artist
Layla Love is a mixed media artist and humanitarian. Her work has been featured in over one hundred international art shows and exhibitions alongside household names like Picasso and Warhol. Additionally, Love has held a permanent showroom in Chelsea, New York, for over a decade, making a permanent mark on the New York art scene.
Love’s upcoming show will feature forty original artworks displayed in a barn with French-inspired architecture. The night, dubbed the Butterfly Effect, will be hosted at Gold Ridge Organic Farms in Sebastopol, California. The venue is, in fact, owned by Brooke Hazen, an author and activist. Following the show, Love is planning on doing a year-long artist’s residency for Hazen at Gold Ridge Farms.
Many special guests will be joining Love and Hazen at the event. One such guest is Anthony Haden-Guest, an art writer and cartoonist who has worked closely with Love and provided commentary on her work for many years.
Aiming to engage all of the senses, Love and Hazen have orchestrated live music and performances to accompany the natural beauty of Hazen’s farm and the artistic wonder of Love’s works. In particular, Lily Fangz and Louis Solywoda will be performing at the event.
To bring taste into the equation, Solmates Chocolates will have a pop-up at the event. It will be the debut of their line of delicacies infused with “divine love, pure intentions & artisanal blends.”
Above all, Love has always believed in pairing art with purpose and activism. This enchanting evening, entitled “Butterfly Effect” in reference to the chaos theory concept that a small action can cause cataclysmic change, does just that. I had the chance to speak to Love directly about the event.
An interview with Layla Love
I know you just had a show in Prague. How did it go? What was the experience like for you? What do you love about the city, and how do you feel it connects with your art?
Love: “Prague is one of my top three favorite cities in the world,” she says, describing it as magnificent and explaining how she made many connections throughout her time there. The show, called “Small Works, Big Impact,” will travel to Berlin, Tokyo, and New Delhi. She shared that it was an honor for her to be in the show at the Fusionism museum.
How did you start working with Brooke Hazen on this event, and why did you choose this venue in particular?
Love: “I met Brooke Hazen through my work in activism in the anti-trafficking space. Brooke and I were introduced by a mutual friend.” The venue, she says, is “beautiful and artistically inspiring” due to its French architecture and aesthetics.
This event is unlike a traditional art gallery with its immersiveness. How does that interact with your art? What do you hope comes of the merging of the two?
Love: “I believe in the full immersive power of being lifted out of the ordinary world through artistic experience.” The various forms of art complement and highlight each other. Therefore, Love enjoys incorporating the fine arts with dance, music, and other types of performances, believing that their power is stronger combined
Tell us about Reef Revival and Rise of the Butterfly. What do these organizations mean to you?
Love: “Reef Revival is a wonderful mission because the majority of the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean. So, saving the oceans helps to preserve life on Earth and to bring us away from the path of extinction.” On September 27th, her position with Global Coralition was confirmed, bringing together the arts and sciences to achieve mutual goals of environmentalism and activism.
Since the age of 21, Love has been working with women in vulnerable situations in Japan, Vietnam, West Africa, and Bosnia, to name a few. She helped them through atrocities during an ongoing 15-year mentorship with celebrated journalist and activist Gloria Steinem. As part of this mentorship, Love co-founded Rise of the Butterfly with Steinem to continue supporting this cause.
Which of all the pieces displayed at Gold Ridge is your favorite, and why?
Love: “A piece called ‘Love From the Roots’ on birchwood in 24 carat gold. Inspired by Hawaiian culture featuring a tarot root.” This work is particularly striking to me as well. I specifically love how the tarot root resembles a heart, showing how love connects the two figures to each other and to nature. It is simply breathtaking.
Since Gold Ridge has such close ties to nature, how does nature serve as an inspiration to you when you are creating?
Love: “Walking through the fields, lying under the stars, stewarding the land are some of the habits I practice to foster a connection with the natural world,” she says. This, in turn, ends up serving as inspiration for her art.
She sees a symbiotic relationship between her art and nature. The two strengthen each other, magnifying their impact.
What is the most exciting part of this show for you? What has been the most difficult aspect of organizing it?
Love: “The most exciting part of this show for me is the musician Lily Fangz. Fangz is one of the many performers who will be on stage at Gold Ridge on the night of October 11th.” The speakers from the Redemption House, the founders of Global Coralition, the producer of Chasing Coral, and Anthony Haden-Guest also excite Love.
The most difficult aspect of curating the evening was working with a small town community that has less experience with the art world. Love’s shows typically take place in large cities, and she is used to near celebrity-treatment. Finally, the barn at the farm differs from a traditional art gallery, which has been an adjustment for her.
What does activism mean to you? What steps do you think the average person can take to change the world for the better?
Love: “Activism means participating in anything larger than your own self-interests. On a small scale, activism means looking at your local community, starting with those in your home. Ask yourself how you can help the natural world around you. Kindness is the basis of activism.” Once you are ready, you can become a warrior performing activism on a global scale like Love does. But Love concedes that being a warrior is difficult and infrequently rewarding.
In such uncertain and fragile times, everyone desperately needs love and support. Sadly, we don’t have to go far to find someone in need.
What message do you hope is taken away by those who attend and view your work?
Love: According to Love, this show is unique because it focuses on two different causes instead of one. Building off that, she hopes that attendees will realize that there are no rules for creation and will walk away with a sense of empowerment to contribute to their own communities. She believes that activism starts with the ones closest to us. In other words, reaching out to a friend or family member is activism on the smallest scale.
Love notes that instead of being a focus, “art is a backdrop to activism, connection, and environmentalism.” These days, her art seeks to capture beauty in a world where art seems to be more pessimistic than ever. All in all, she hopes that others are inspired by her to see and celebrate the beauty around them.
What other projects and shows do you have coming up? Which one are you most looking forward to?
Love: “I have an upcoming show in Miami, which will be more fun and celebratoy.”. In contrast to Butterfly Effect, this show is focusing solely on art. The Miami show will be taking place at the Betsy Hotel. Adding to the excitement, it has the theme of blooms and butterflies.
This upcoming winter, Love will have two galleries in New York City for Reef Revival. As part of the exhibit, she has designed a sculpture. Furthermore, Love has a street art-inspired show in Brisbee, Arizona. Love enjoys street art for its accessibility and lack of pretentiousness as compared to other forms of artwork.
What comes next? Follow Love’s journey
To support Love directly and the causes that she believes in, you can donate to both Rise of the Butterfly and Reef Revival, if you have the means.
Also, feel free to buy from her clothing line, Layla Love Collection, which features unique printed clothing and is a more accessible way to experience her work.
Finally, be sure to follow Love’s artistic journey on her Instagram @laylaloveart and to visit her website.
