(photos by Tony Assi and Sam Hurd, courtesy Boss Witch Productions)

Like many people this past year, artist Carmina Escobar found herself reevaluating and reflecting on her practice. Over email, she said that it gave her “the chance to explore a different model for creation.” The result was Boss Witch Productions, a new Los Angeles-based company that Escobar founded with artist friends and colleagues Madeline Falcone and Madison Heying. Launching this month, Boss Witch will support site-specific performance and sound art that engages with nature — the kind of work that all three artists have been deeply engaged with for years. Performances this year will take place at Joshua Tree, Mono Lake, and a Redwood forest in the Bay Area, and one of their top priorities, Escobar emphasized, has been to make sure all performances “cause no harm” to their particular environments.

On Thursday, June 10, Boss Witch kicks off with a series of virtual performances from the founders as well as special guests, including singer Dorian Wood, dancers and choreographers Oguri and Roxanne Steinberg, and composer Laura Steenberge. Escobar shared that we can expect to hear “guttural extravaganzas, an interactive playful auction,” as well as “a cheeky demo of our ritualistic Boss Witch cocktail recipe” and a preview of upcoming projects. The event will be livestreamed from the Los Angeles venue Coaxial and ticket proceeds will fundraise the company’s future ventures.

And what about the name? Escobar explains that it came from her love for “the slang of Boss Bitch,” which she then adjusted to incorporate the witch, “the symbol of wisdom, power, and challenge to the status quo.” She then added, “Cheekily, my last name, Escobar, means broom, so it’s very fitting.”

When: Thursday, June 10, 7–8pm (PST)
Where: online via Coaxial

More info at Boss Witch

Elisa Wouk Almino is a senior editor at Hyperallergic. She is based in Los Angeles. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.