Phoenix Rising by A. Laura Brody is on display at the Adams Square Mini Park Gas Station from Monday, Jan. 12 – Friday, March 20. Phoenix Rising is a room-sized robe made from discarded unwanted clothing donations left over from the LA wildfires. These clothes are cut into irregular shapes and sewn into a garment with a room-sized skirt, full sleeves and a wired collar reaching the ceiling. The phoenix is a symbol of rebirth through fire, and that is Brody’s hope for Southern California and around the country – that we may rise after destruction and shine anew.

Brody has 30 years of experience as a costume crafts person, designer and maker. She has made costumes for LMFAO, the Black Eyed Peas and Rhianna, among others. She has worked for Netflix, Disney Imagineering, the LA Opera, Disney and Nickelodeon TV, Diavolo Dance Theatre and many specialty costume houses. Her relaxed, encouraging and adventurous approach to teaching makes pattern making, draping, crafts and sewing accessible and fun. 

Brody is the founder and curator of Opulent Mobility, an international exhibit that celebrates disability in all its forms. She turns wheelchairs, walkers and mobility scooters into works of art and transforms reclaimed materials, giving them new lives. 

Exhibited at Brand Library & Art Center in spring 2025, Opulent Mobility: Re-Imagine Disability and Mobility in Collaboration with the Students of Glendale Unified School District illuminated disability culture and the challenges that disabled populations face. Brody was recently interviewed as part of the Arts & Culture Commission’s Spotlight Series. Visit GlendaleArtsAndCulture.org/SpotlightSeries to learn more about her body of work and inspiration behind Phoenix Rising.

An artist reception will be hosted by the Adams Square Neighborhood Association on Saturday, Jan.24 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Adams Square Mini Park Gas Station is located at 1020 E. Palmer Ave. in Glendale. This temporary art installation is sponsored by the Glendale Arts & Culture Commission through funding from the Urban Art Program, and support from Glendale Library, Arts & Culture, Glendale Community Services & Parks, and the Adams Hill Neighborhood Association.