LEGACY

An “alternative space” without a permanent, fixed location, SSB used the entire city of Los Angeles as a generative resource—partnering with established art and presenting organizations, but also producing performances on Venice Beach; in parking lots, hotel rooms, deserted skyscrapers and derelict buildings; on broadcast television; even on Amtrak trains.

The era was a time of tectonic shifts and called for unique solutions to the particular requisites of artists, as resources for these groundbreaking creators were particularly limited on the West Coast. A core participant in Los Angeles’ extraordinary diversity and growth in artistic production and collaboration, SSB instigated support systems and rounded up whatever was needed for pioneering artistic events by learning what it could from conventional museum, entertainment, and media practices—then inventing the rest.

SSB was based on the principle that the artist always comes first. SSB engaged in a process with creators, partners, and audiences where outcomes were sometimes unknown. “We’re a telephone,” the founders were fond of saying. “A conduit of energy. Anybody can do what we do. What do you need? We’ll help find it!” That “can do” spirit, nose for talent, and sense of fun was part of the journey. To connect people and art—to give them a peak experience, to surprise, delight, disturb—was SSB’s intention and it continues to be the driving force behind the organization’s trajectory into the future.