The Artists LeFey are pleased to name Angela Mia Torres as December’s Morongo Basin Original.

What makes Mia stand out to us is that many extraordinary qualities come together in her: she is an innovative artisan, a fine crafter, a community organizer, an activist, a reliable support, and a good friend. She cares without discrimination for people, animals, and the environment.

The Artists LeFey met Mia when she championed the revival of the dormant Joshua Tree Pride celebration, drawing together poets and actors and singers and speakers and parade-goers and cooks and servers and representatives of services to the LGBTQ+ community all over the Basin and the Coachella Valley.

She embodies her advocacy for the visual arts community, offering promotional opportunities for artists and her skill to frame their works.

She has years of theatre experience providing technical expertise, and we have seen her apply the same creativity and versatility that it takes to be a Technical Director to her broader life in the Basin, making a stage appear behind the Shops at Zanny’s for Pride and other events, supporting World Split Open Press’s publishing and performance
projects, and making beautiful, functional, original furniture for clients in an ever-widening circle of influence in the High Desert.

Recognizing Mia as a Morongo Valley Original, seems to us a very good way indeed to end a year.

©2020 The Artists LeFey