Donna Dyson
By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Writer
EXPOSITION PARK — Donna Dyson is a true creative.
Once she sets her mind on creating something, she can’t stop until she brings it to fruition.
Her brand includes a magazine (Dysonna), a beauty salon, and the Dysonna City Art Gallery, where she hosts jazz, poetry and comedy nights. She also produces theatrical fashion shows and even wrote a book about her father, Art Dyson, founder of the Soul Scissors: Pioneer of Black Hair Care.
On May 18, Dyson’s 11th annual Dysonna Arts & Jazz Festival (Secret Rose Garden) will take place from noon to 6 p.m. at the Exposition Park Rose Gardens.
This year’s theme is “Secret Gardens: A Mystery Romance.”
The event, an idea she had more than a decade ago about bringing the community together, promises to transport attendees to “an enchanting world of creativity, culture and celebration,” where art, music and fashion blend.
Attendees can stroll through the gardens, where they will be surrounded by live painting, artist showcases, and interactive exhibits, as the sounds of jazz waft over them.
Festival highlights include a garden fashion show featuring designs by Olovell Clothing, Runway Boutique LA, the Journey XX, Michi Knitwear, and the Arnetta Robinson collection, plus vendors and artisans with unique handcrafted pieces.
There also will be four live jazz bands: the Mahesh Balasooriya Trio, the Don Littleton Quartet, Anton Sushev Quartet and the Joshua Christian Childress Quartet.
The festival also offers live artists painting on site, a hat competition, activities for kids and families to enjoy, plus curated vendors.
The Los Angeles County Mental Health Department is one of the vendors scheduled to provide mental health and artistic healing services.
“The Dysonna Arts & Jazz Festival is more than an event, it’s a celebration of becoming,” said the event’s producer and curator, Dyson, who is expecting 1,000 attendees. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. We bring healing, joy and connection to Los Angeles through art, music and shared experience.”
Dyson, an Air Force brat who was born in Puerto Rico and lived in Artesia, New Mexico, before landing in Los Angeles, said the family-friendly event encourages support for local artists, promotes cultural exchange and offers a soulful escape into beauty and community care.
“This is a movement, not a moment,” said Dyson, who has a foundation called Passion for Art. “It’s a movement because we try to work with the community. It’s about the community and working with artists, models and musicians. It’s about helping young people to thrive. I’ve been doing things in the community for 40 years. I love helping.”
Dyson, who will serve as the event’s emcee, said that whether she’s producing a jazz festival, a fashion show, a comedy show or an event featuring artists at her Dysonna City Art Gallery, her goal has always been to help others.
“I started giving scholarships,” Dyson said. “Sometimes it’s money, like $500 or $1,000, or it’s the opportunity for an artist to hang their art in my art gallery. My goal is always to help young artists in all genres.”
When Dyson started the event a decade ago, there was no stage; there was one quartet and a poet, and the event was free.
“We had music, art, and vendors in the beginning, but we have grown over the years,” said Dyson, who has been doing hair and working in fashion for more than 40 years. “Now we have a lot of different family-friendly activities. People like to do many different things at festivals, so we want to accommodate them. The more activities we have, the more we can serve the people.”
Admittedly always looking for her next adventure, Dyson plans to bring jazz, art and fashion productions to South Africa during Cape Town and Johannesburg Fashion Week as part of DysonnaVerse, her international fashion extravaganza.
“It’s going to be fabulous,” she said. “I can’t wait to take what I do here to South Africa. This is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Dyson, who is the sole producer of the festival but is looking for sponsors, said the 11th annual Dysonna Arts & Jazz Festival is not just about music.
“God has blessed me with this passion,” Dyson said. “I love what God is doing by helping me to help others. It’s not just about music, it’s about coming together and love. What I do is a spiritual thing. It’s my purpose. I’m learning that the growth is the journey.”
Attendees can bring blankets and picnic baskets.
Information: www.dysonna.com.
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
