Phoenix Rising by A. Laura Brody

Art Installation at Adams Square Mini Park Gas Station

Phoenix Rising by A. Laura Brody is on display at the Adams Square Mini Park Gas Station from Monday, January 12 – Friday, March 20, 2026. Phoenix Rising is a room-sized robe made from discarded, unwanted clothing donations left over from the LA wildfires. These clothes are cut into irregular shapes and sewn into a garment with a room-sized skirt, full sleeves, and a wired collar reaching the ceiling. The phoenix is a symbol of rebirth through fire, and that is the Brody’s hope for Southern California and around the country – that we may rise after destruction and shine anew.

A. Laura Brody has 30 years of experience as a costume crafts person, designer, and maker. She has made costumes for LMFAO, the Black Eyed Peas, and Rhianna, among others. She has worked for Netflix, Disney Imagineering, the LA Opera, Disney and Nickelodeon TV, Diavolo Dance Theatre, and many specialty costume houses. Her relaxed, encouraging, and adventurous approach to teaching makes pattern making, draping, crafts, and sewing accessible and fun. Brody is the founder and curator of Opulent Mobility, an international exhibit that celebrates disability in all its forms. She turns wheelchairs, walkers, and mobility scooters into works of art and transforms reclaimed materials, giving them new lives. Exhibited at Brand Library & Art Center in Spring 2025, Opulent Mobility: Re-Imagine Disability and Mobility In Collaboration with the Students of Glendale Unified School District illuminated disability culture and the challenges that disabled populations face. Brody was recently interviewed as part of the Arts & Culture Commission’s Spotlight Series.

Visit GlendaleArtsAndCulture.org/SpotlightSeries to learn more about her body of work and inspiration behind Phoenix Rising.

Details

An artist reception will be hosted by the Adams Square Neighborhood Association on Saturday, January 24, 2026, from 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM. Adams Square Mini Park Gas Station is located at 1020 E. Palmer Ave., Glendale, CA 91205. This temporary art installation is generously sponsored by the Glendale Arts & Culture Commission through funding from the Urban Art Program, and support from Glendale Library, Arts & Culture, Glendale Community Services & Parks, and the Adams Hill Neighborhood Association.

About Library, Arts & Culture

Founded in 1907, the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department includes eight neighborhood libraries including the Brand Library & Art Center, a regional visual arts and music library and performance venue. Glendale Library Arts & Culture is supported in part through the efforts of the Glendale Library Arts & Culture Trust (GLACT). For more information visit GlendaleLAC.org, or contact Library, Arts & Culture at 818-548-2021 or via email at LibraryInfo@GlendaleCA.gov

About the City of Glendale & its Arts and Culture Commission

Known as the “Jewel City,” Glendale is the fourth largest city of Los Angeles County. With a population of more than 200,000, Glendale is a thriving cosmopolitan city that is rich in history, culturally diverse, and offers nearly 50 public parks, and easy access to a municipal airport. It is the home to a vibrant business community, with major companies in healthcare, entertainment, manufacturing, retail, and banking. Its Arts and Culture Commission administers a developer- funded program which is working to transform Glendale into an arts and culture destination for the Southern California region.

The mission of the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission is to enrich the human experience, reinforce Glendale’s identity and civic pride through arts and culture, and to recognize the importance of arts to our quality of life and to the local economy. This is accomplished by consciously integrating arts and culture into the daily life of the people of Glendale through urban design, planning, economic development, and education. For more information about the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission see the website: GlendaleArtsandCulture.org