Two nonprofits are teaming up for a two-day event dedicated to mental well-being, self-care, creativity, and fun. WisdoMania Foundation and Tangible Movement have planned this new event, WisdoMania Fest, to take place on the evenings of May 17 and May 19, with two very different nights in two different locations. Headlined by queer artist/songwriter X. ARI as well as Torri Shack, an advocate for mental health, suicide prevention, and trans issues, the two evenings of WisdoMania Fest are intended to lead attendees toward a sense of constructive peace and transformational self-awareness.
“WisdoMania Fest aspires to become the Coachella of Wellness,” says X. ARI, “Where thousands of people can unite to heal and celebrate the arts, the LGBT+ community and allies, and heal collectively.” Potential attendees should know what to expect from Coachella-like events in California.
May 17: Music and Movement in the Park
The first night of WisdoMania Fest is May 17, beginning at 5 pm in the Crystal Springs Picnic Area Pad A, B, C at Griffith Park. It starts with The Liber8Xperience, which invites attendees to bring a yoga mat and blanket to participate in “flow yoga, ecstatic dance, and sound bath.” The physical component of this evening is, to organizer Torri Shack, reflective of his own strategy for handling life’s challenges. For him, the path to overcoming problems like mental illness, addiction, and identity issues has “been deeply holistic,” focusing as much on physical activity as mental health management techniques and gratitude.
The evening’s next event, a performance by pop-punk/hip-hop artist Chloe Star, begins the event’s emphasis on music. This mainly comes from X. ARI’s WisdoMania Foundation, which emphasizes creativity as a tool for transforming pain into power.
May 19: Creativity, Performance, and Power at the Club
The second night of WisdoMania Fest takes on a different tone, starting at 4:30 pm on May 19 at the Catch One nightclub on Pico Boulevard. This evening begins with a “Songwriting for Wellness” workshop. “We would like to create a full-length album with the songs we write at our Songwriting for Wellness workshop,” says X. ARI. “At WisdoMania Fest we write a song that will be recorded and released, and everyone in the room is credited as a songwriter. This means when we release the songs on DSPs—digital streaming platforms like Spotify—the attendees can all see their names under song credits!”
The rest of the night at Catch One will be spent on a 45-minute mental health panel and performances by queer comics, artists, and allies Mav Viola and Bri Giger, and finally, musical performances by Noah Davis, Diarra Sylla, DJ Naté, and X. ARI herself.
Free Attendance and Liberating Aspirations
WisdoMania Fest is a free event for those looking for self-validation and liberation and who have a passion for mental health and the arts. Tangible Movement is a nonprofit focused on mental health and LGBTQIA2S+ issues. The WisdoMania Foundation is dedicated to using the arts to turn “pain into power” and bring mental health awareness to communities throughout Los Angeles. WisdoMania Fest is a capstone event for these two nonprofits to bring together their resources and goals to create a transformational experience for LA communities. Those interested in attending can register for WisdoMania for free.
Written in partnership with Tom White.
