Performance Art Museum Presents 21 & OVER At Catch One Nightclub

Ahead of its 2025 grand opening, the Performance Art Museum will present 21 & Over, a performance art series spanning three nights in October at L.A.'s iconic Catch One nightclub. Taking place on three consecutive Tuesdays (Oct. 15, Oct. 22, and Oct. 29), the events will feature an intergenerational lineup of over 21 local and international performance artists hailing from the worlds of art, music, dance, opera, nightlife, rave culture, and more.

Artists include Rocío Boliver "La Congelada de Uva," Trisha Brown, Nao Bustamante, Mariel Carranza, Patrisse Cullors, Carmina Escobar, keyon gaskin, Guillermo Gómez-Peña & Balitrónica (La Pocha Nostra) with Sarah Stolar, Sebastian Hernandez, Hugo Hopping, Keioui Keijaun Thomas, Terence Koh, Kia LaBeija, Paul McCarthy, Ashland Miles, Linda Mary Montano, Elliot Reed, and Ebun Sodipo. Legendary nightlife personalities and drag performers Page Person, Miss Barbie-Q, and Dynasty Handbag will serve as event emcees. Multidisciplinary artist Alima Lee will serve as the series DJ and musical director, creating a unique soundscape throughout the program.

"We're honored to present this lineup of artists that represent a broad and unique range of performative practices, and we're thrilled to showcase their work at Catch One, the legendary nightclub known for its service to the LGBTQ+ and Black communities - a place that has been a center of self-discovery for many of the participating artists," said Performance Art Museum Director Samuel Vasquez. "This robust program demonstrates the vision of the Performance Art Museum to advance the visibility, legacy, and scholarship of past and present artists working in performance."

Jewel's Catch One was opened in 1973 by businesswoman and activist Jewel Thais-Williams, the first Black woman to own a nightclub in the United States. As both the nation's first Black disco and the longest-running Black gay dance club in Los Angeles, it served as a safe space for the LGBTQ+ and Black communities for decades. Revered as the "unofficial Studio 54 of the West Coast," Catch One hosted legendary performances by Donna Summer, Rick James, Madonna, Whoopi Goldberg, Vaginal Davis, Sylvester, Luther Vandross, and others.

Honoring a history often relegated to the margins, 21 & Over celebrates the spaces where performance is born: in the streets, in the clubs, among the people. Extending the vision of the forthcoming PA Museum, the series seeks to challenge preconceived notions of what performance art is and can be. Following a successful conversation series presented in partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre earlier this year, PA Museum continues to host engagements throughout Southern California as the new museum takes shape.

Each 21 & Over evening will feature performances by an array of artists representing diverse practices from Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Mexico City, London, Portland, Copenhagen, and beyond, spread across the various unique dancefloors of Catch One.

Performances will incorporate elements of experimental opera, costumed tableaux, sculptural dance, body modification, dream rave, spoken word, durational work, intimate experiences, vocal choreography, disco, installation, and more. Live artworks range from dressing as Bob Dylan while singing the seven chakras to participatory exchanges of custom objects such as posters to a durational work that moves from room to room every 15 minutes. Additionally, various performances will honor Jewel Thais-Williams' legacy of promoting wellness and nutrition in her community.

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