Project Create | Rematriation Retrospective Artist Talk

Leonina Arismendi, an interdisciplinary artivist whose work braids storytelling, environmental justice, and public art, will appear in conversation with artist and educator Melani N. Douglass of the Family Arts Museum during this intimate closing reception and artist talk for the *Rematriation Retrospective* exhibition. The event reflects on the decolonial context, process, and power of rematriation—a return to ancestral ways of being, community-rooted care, and creative resistance. Arismendi will share reflections from her self-deportation journey, writings on Medium, and the ongoing workshops she co-leads with her two children across Washington, DC, which root artivism in joy, earth-based healing, and interdependence. She will also discuss presenting at the World Pride Human Rights Conference and plans to expand the *Rematriation* project to South America for COP30 in Brazil later this year. The conversation honors the deep work emerging from the Social Arts & Culture x Aspen Institute Arts Program Environmental Artivist Fellowship, where both artists first connected.

When: Friday, July 25, 2026, at 5:30 PM

Showtimes: One talk begins at 5:30 PM; the event serves as the closing reception for the exhibition.

Tickets: Free and open to the public; no advance pricing or purchase required.

Lineup: Leonina Arismendi (artist and artivist) in dialogue with Melani N. Douglass (artist, educator, and founder of the Family Arts Museum)

Run time: Not explicitly provided by the source, but typical artist talks of this nature last approximately one to one and a half hours.

Ages: Not specified; the free, public nature suggests all ages are welcome.

Venue: Project Create DC, 2208 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Washington, DC 20020

Note: This talk is the closing reception for the *Rematriation Retrospective*, a living body of work exploring ancestral ways, environmental justice, and intergenerational healing through public art installations and community workshops.