Ever Present: TRANSA—A Celebration at the Getty Center

On September 6 Getty’s performance series Ever Present will host “TRANSA—A Celebration,” a sitewide music event celebrating transgender artistry in collaboration with Red Hot Organization, the storied activist art collective using music as a force for social impact and cultural dialogue.

Channeling TRANSA the album, a spiritual journey in 8 chapters released in 2024 by Red Hot, this event features a bold lineup of musicians across the gender spectrum. The experience begins at 3 p.m. with sound installations in Getty’s Central Garden, pop-up reading and screening rooms, and continues into the evening for a featured concert with musicians in the museum’s outdoor courtyard stage at 6 p.m. Featured artists include Ahya Simone, Green-House, Nina Keith, Devendra Banhart, CLARITY, Noah Klein, Cole Pulice, Jodie Landau, AV María, Teddy Geiger, Fashion Club, Portraits of Tracy, Kei Austin, plus special guests, all under the artistic direction of David Longstreth (Dirty Projectors).

“It’s a privilege to feature this extraordinary project and celebrate the trans community alongside the Red Hot Organization’s inspiring legacy at the Getty, especially as our exhibitions right now are centered on expansive expressions of queer love,” said Sarah Cooper, Getty performance programs specialist. “Ever Present is a place to honor the voices and histories that are always with us in this diverse world, even if they are not always visible in the dominant narratives of our institutions.”

To enrich the performances, visitors can explore a screening room featuring Red Hot’s archive of music videos, documentaries, and other rich media and artist collaborations from the 1980s to today. ONE Archives—home to the world’s largest collection of LGBTQ+ materials—will also create a pop-up reading room celebrating trans and non-binary histories.

“Trans people have always existed, known by many names across time and culture, often as spiritual healers and leaders,” said Massima Bell, TRANSA co-producer. “In a world still grappling with profound challenges, our journeys—and those of all oppressed peoples—carry blueprints for possibility. TRANSA offers a glimpse of our collective liberation and the light that lives in all of us.”

Red Hot Organization is a non-profit, activist music production company that released the acclaimed concept album “TRANSA” co-created by producers Dust Reid and Massima Bell. The album honors the legacies of trans and gender non-conforming artists through music, poetry and spoken word.

Guests can visit the museum’s related current exhibitions, including “Queer Lens: A History of Photography” and “$3 Bill: Evidence of Queer Lives.” Getty’s public programs calendar displays additional upcoming events and exhibition tours.

Free reservations for the Getty Center are available online. On Saturdays, museum art galleries are open from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. and parking is $25, $15 after 3pm and free after 6 p.m.

Ever Present is an ongoing experimental series that brings contemporary performance into the Getty's architecture and gardens.

Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit that launched in 1990, dedicated to fusing advocacy with art through connecting artists to the causes they care about most. The typical Red Hot project has been a compilation album of original music. All of the artists, labels, songwriters and many others donate their time, fees and royalties to support Red Hot’s charitable mission: promoting public health through diversity and fighting for equal access to care.