Author: May S Ruiz

Masters of Taste has Pivotal Role in USHS plan to end homelessness

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 2 April 2026 on Hey SoCal

Masters of Taste 2026 host chefs Vanessa and Thomas Tilaka-Kalb of Agnes. | Photo by May S Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Masters of Taste, Southern California’s premier food festival held its media preview night on Wednesday, March 25 at the Rose Bowl’s Court of Champions. In a departure from previous previews, the event was staged outdoors directly beneath the Rose Bowl sign instead of in the locker room.

Guests were treated to a selection of food and drinks that will be served at Masters of Taste 2026 when it returns to the Rose Bowl on April 19. We mingled with other food writers and chatted with the chefs who were serving a sampling of food and beverage purveyors pouring alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.   

Masters of Taste media preview held at the Rose Bowl’s Court of Champions. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Local Masters of Taste participant and Pasadena native, Christian Esteban – son of the founders of Chaaste Family Market on Allen Avenue – happily invited attendees to try Filipino favorites lumpia (spring rolls) and turon (deep fried slices of banana in a crepe-like wrap). The Tilaka-Kalbs of Agnes Restaurant and Cheesery on Green Street in Old Pasadena greeted us warmly and offered fried cheese curds with a dilly ranch dip. Dennis Cruz of STK Steakhouse in Santa Monica served beef bone marrow, which Filipinos call “bulalo,” topped with a smidgen of caviar, toast crisp, and microgreens. We downed all the delicious fare with non-alcoholic sparkling water slightly flavored with hops from LA-based beverage company HOPWTR. 

Christian Esteban of Chaaste Family Market. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey Socal

There wasn’t time to indulge in other delectable fare and refreshing beverage because we had to head over to the dinner tables. After guests were seated, the program began as servers brought out the different courses and drinks that evening. Participating chefs and beverage producers were introduced and they described each succeeding dish or drink we were enjoying.

Midway through dinner, attendees were reminded of the reason we were there: to promote the event that benefits Union Station Homeless Services (USHS). Katie Hill – who was named CEO of USHS merely weeks before the Eaton Fire – quite literally had a ‘baptism by fire’ and was thrown headlong into the center of activity. USHS’s Adult Center was converted into a central hub for donated essentials and hot meals for the thousands of Altadenans and Pasadenans who became homeless overnight. 

USHS CEO Katie Hill. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

When Hill took the stage that evening she reiterated USHS’s mission – to end homelessness through housing, supportive services, and connection to community. Last year the organization served more than 4,200 people. It helped over 1,200 individuals and families move into permanent housing and another 2,200 people stay in housing. It also assisted nearly 2,000 to find safety through shelter or outreach. At the same time, USHS served over 700,000 meals. 

“These are big numbers, but every one of those numbers is a person, a family, a story,” Hill clarified. “But here’s the reality – homelessness is becoming part of us all; it’s reaching more people. And we’re seeing it affect people who never thought they would face it: people who lost their home through fire; people who are working full time, sometimes multiple jobs, and still can’t afford the rent; seniors on fixed income who have been priced out of the community they’ve lived in for decades. This is no longer something that affects someone else. It affects our neighbors, our co-workers, sometimes our own family and friends – people who did everything right and still found themselves without a safety net.”

Masters of Taste media preview menu. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

“So we took a hard look at where we are and where we can make the biggest impact,” continued Hill. “Over the past year, we’ve built a new three-year strategic plan for our staff, our partners, and the people we serve. It’s focused, it’s practical, and it’s centered on five priorities – preventing homelessness before it starts, integrating behavioral health in housing, expanding workforce development and job pathways, strengthening food access, and increasing affordable housing – because these are what would solve homelessness.”

“As a result of that planning, I’m excited to share that we are launching a new initiative that brings together two of those priority areas: food access and workforce development,” Hill disclosed. “It’s a culinary workforce program that will be operated out of our brand-new commercial kitchen and will allow us to do two things at once – feed more people as the need continues to grow in our communities and create real job pathways for the people we serve. Participants who earn food safety certifications will work in our commercial kitchen and build the skill they need to enter into the workforce.”

2026 Masters of Taste restaurateurs and beverage purveyors. | Photo By May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

And Hill announced the plan that received the biggest applause. “This is where THIS community stepped up in such a powerful way. Many of the chefs and restaurant partners involved in Masters of Taste have committed to hiring our graduates.”

“We are absolutely thrilled that our first cohort of graduates will work with our Union Station Food Services team as they are featured this year at Culinary Masters,” Hill added. “This is not just training, it’s not just food, it’s a direct bridge from homelessness, to employment, to long-term stability.”

Masters of Taste at the Rose Bowl. | Photo courtesy of Masters of Taste

“And that’s why Masters of Taste matters,” emphasized Hill. “Yes, it’s one of the top food events in L.A. but it’s also one of the most impactful. Every ticket, every sponsor, every story shared helps fund housing, food programs, and workforce development. Events like this help us fill that kitchen, train more people, serve more meals, and move more people into stable housing.”

“To everyone in this room – our sponsors and our media partners – you shape how people understand this issue and there are a lot of misconceptions out there. You decide what story gets attention and the stories that matter the most are the human stories – the ones about each person that we’re able to help, each family, each kid whose life has changed because of this work. And that’s what moves people to do something about it. Your work is critical in this effort and we’re so grateful for your partnership,” Hill concluded.                                                                          

Vanessa and Thomas Tilaka-Kalb. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

When Masters of Taste 2026 host chefs Thomas and Vanessa Tilaka-Kalb came on stage, Thomas said they have been eagerly waiting for this opportunity to host the event and promises to make this year the best one yet. And Vanessa said they plan to transform the Rose Bowl into the “field of Cheese.”       

The brainchild of Rob and Leslie Levy, owners of The Raymond 1886 and Knox & Dobson in Pasadena, Masters of Taste was a concept Rob adapted from a childhood friend’s organization in Chicago called “Inspiration Café” which delivers sandwiches to the homeless. When the former CEO of Union Station asked him to be on the board, he set out to find a better way to raise funds than asking people to get all dressed up to attend a gala they only felt obligated to attend. Leslie came up with the idea of having chefs gather for an event that was so amazing it didn’t feel like it was a charity affair. 

Rob and Leslie Levy (third and fourth from left) surrounded by the Raymond 1886 team. | Photo courtesy of Masters of Taste

On their first year at the Rose Bowl, a spontaneous line dancing broke out on the field – a delightful occurrence that was totally unanticipated. It was when they knew they had stumbled upon a successful endeavor. There was another year when it rained which, incredibly, made it an even better event. Nobody left – 3,000 people on the field stayed through the rain; Levy said it was the most memorable year they’ve had.

Masters of Taste continues to grow bigger every year; it has flourished through the COVID pandemic and the Eaton Fire. This year’s participating restaurants are: Agnes, Alexander’s Steakhouse, Ayara Thai, Bianca Sicilian Trattoria, BOA Steakhouse, Casa Cordoba, Celestino Ristorante, Chaaste Family Market, City Club of Los Angeles, Descanso Restaurant, Dorasti, Emporium Thai, Fitoor Santa Monica, Harold & Belle’s Restaurant, Love & Salt, Marina Restaurant, Paloma, Paradise Dynasty, Pez Coastal Kitchen, Poppy + Rose, Ramen Tatsunoya, STK Steakhouse, Sushi Roku, The Exchange Restaurant (Freehand LA), The Italian Deli Co., The Second Wind, Truffle Brothers, Uchi West Hollywood, Wife and the Somm, and Zira Uzbek Kitchen.

Dim Sum from Lunasia Signature. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Joining them on the Rose Bowl field on April 19 are these beverage sellers: Above Board Liqueurs, Akagisan Sake, All Season Brewing Company, Arts District Brewing Company, Broda Vodka, Broken Shaker, Bücha Whole Fruit Hard Kombucha, Burden of Proof, Empress 1908 Gin, Eever -Tree, Good Intentions Coffee, Knox & Dobson, LA Bay Gin Distillerie Californienne, Lyre’s, Meadows Estate Vineyard and Winery, Navarro Vineyards, Old Hillside Bourbon, Paperback Brewing, Pucker Up Lemonade Company, Sake High!, Savage Rabbit Distribution, Shelter Distilling, Shinju Japanese Whisky, Smoke Lab Vodka, Subourbon Life, Sunright Tea Studio, The Raymond 1886, Ventura Spirits, Warson Wine Company, and Xoloitzcuintle Tequila.

The bakeries and confectioners in this year’s Masters of Taste are: All About the Cinnamon, Bertha Mae’s Brownie Co., Cakes by Chante, Delight Pastry, Id-Éclair, Laderach, Lark Cake Shop, Magpies Softserve, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pazzo Gelato, Perlas Ice Cream, Porto’s Bakery & Café, Rico Rico Snack Carts LLC, and The Pink Cookie.

STK Steakhouse is one of the many participating restaurants in Masters of Taste. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Major sponsors for this year’s event include: U.S. Bank, AltaMed Foundation, City National Bank, Pepsi, the Rose Bowl Stadium, Smart & Final, Soyfoods of America, Sysco, Vesta Food Service, Westport Construction, and Whittier Trust. 

With a vast array of food and beverages to be savored and imbibed, the 2026 Masters of Taste is coming back this April 19 better and more fun than it has ever been. More than an afternoon and evening filled with culinary, beverage, and sweet offerings along the 50-yard line at the iconic Rose Bowl, attendance will help USHS in its mission to end homelessness. 

Pasadena Buddhist Temple Celebrates Completed ‘Healing and Hope’ Mural

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Also published on 24 March 2026 on Hey SoCal

The completed “Healing and Hope” mural unveiled. | Photo courtesy of the Pasadena Buddhist Temple

The Pasadena Buddhist Temple celebrated the completion of the “Healing and Hope” mural at 3 pm on Sunday, March 22. The brainchild of Kyoko Gibbs, wife of the temple’s spiritual leader Rev. Gregory Gibbs, who collaborated with Miki Yokoyama, an artist and Eaton Fire survivor – it was a way of restoring the community after their life-shattering experience.

It was a festive occasion with about 70 people in attendance. A video about the progress of the mural was shown, after which attendees were invited to gather outside for the unveiling of the completed mural.

About 70 people attended the celebration at the Pasadena Buddhist Temple. | Photo courtesy of the Pasadena Buddhist Temple

Gibbs’s younger son Ren and his friends Winston and Felix – fittingly attired for the occasion in happi (a tube-sleeved Japanese coat) – walked rapidly as they uncovered the mural. Their fast-walking provided a light-heartened moment for the mothers present who found it entertaining. Keiro and Little Tokyo Service Center were recognized for their compassionate support. Yokoyama shared her story in creating the mural with the community and invited everyone to sign their names on the painted primer area, the ground part.

“Judicanti Responsura,” the music duo formed in 1984 by tubaist William Roper and percussionist Joseph Mitchell – who were fire survivors as well – set the stage beautifully to welcome people in the Hondo, the main building. The Altadena Cookie Company provided custom cookies for the event.

Miki Yokoyama, at right. | Photo courtesy of the Pasadena Buddhist Temple

The “Healing and Hope” mural took a few months to paint, with Eaton Fire survivors participating in the project. In mid-March, the mural was almost done.

Yokoyama recounts, “I completed the final touches on the mural last Sunday, the 15th. This week, I have been applying a top coat over the finished painting, painting the ground directly below the wall white, and preparing a space where everyone who participated in the mural can add their signatures.”

People’s signatures on the mural. | Photo courtesy of the Pasadena Buddhist Temple

For Yokoyama, the completion of the project is as joyful as it is bittersweet. “This experience has been incredibly meaningful to me,” states Yokoyama. “Working together with everyone on a single mural was something that truly helped and supported me. I had been struggling mentally over the past year since the fire, so I am very grateful to Kyoko for proposing this project. The time spent painting with everyone allowed me to focus on both the creative process and connecting with others. Each day, I felt that these moments were healing my heart. Seeing everyone working so hard on their parts of the mural gave me strength and courage.”

“My feelings right now are quite complex,” Yokoyama discloses. “I am very happy that we were able to complete the mural. At the same time, I feel a deep sense of sadness knowing that this time of creating together has come to an end. Since Kyoko and I first began discussing the location of the mural, I have been coming to the site five days a week for about two months, so it has been a very special part of my life.”   

Custom cookies from the Altadena Cookie Company

Those sentiments are echoed by Gibbs, “I already miss the sense of togetherness from working together. It brought me happiness and strength. The bond we formed through the mural project, and of course during last year’s gatherings and activities, will stay in my heart and help me move forward! I will cherish all the encounters.”

“Feeling the results of the community’s teamwork is truly empowering,” adds Gibbs. “We are stronger together, and I am deeply thankful to be part of this caring and supportive community! This mural gives me a deep sense of hope, seeing how something beautiful and empowering has emerged from such a devastating event.”

Indeed the Eaton Fire, as tragic as it has been, provided the impetus for Altadenans to unite – whether to fight for accountability from county officials or to work on an artistic endeavor that commemorates their shared experience. And that is a wonderful outcome to celebrate.     

Norton Simon Museum Exhibits Galka Scheyer Collection

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Also published on 2 March 2026 on Hey SoCal

Alexei Jawlensky. Mystical Head, 1917. | Photo courtesy of the Norton Simon Museum, The Blue Four Galka Scheyer Collection

An intimate exhibition at the Norton Simon Museum, called “Dear Little Friend: Impressions of Galka Scheyer,” focuses on the art dealer and promoter’s close relationship with the artists she represented. On view from Feb. 20 through July 20, it features works of art gifted to her by Alexei Jawlensky, Maynard Dixon, Peter Krasnow, and Beatrice Wood, among others; the show is curated by Gloria Williams Sander.

Culled from Scheyer’s archive, the exhibition offers a close look at the significant role the German-born collector played in bringing European modernism to the United States and promoting the so-called Blue Four – Lyonel Feininger, Alexei Jawlensky, Paul Klee, and Vassily Kandinsky.  

The title “Dear Little Friend” comes from the affectionate salutation Feininger adopted in his letters to Scheyer and captures the personal connection and collaborative spirit that defined her activities in Europe and California. Alongside the artwork are correspondence and ephemera that testify to her dedication to art and to her artists, as well as the excitement she generated in pursuing her mission.

Vassily Kandinsky. Small Worlds II, 1922. | Photo courtesy of the Norton Simon Museum, The Blue Four Galka Scheyer Collection

In her lifetime Scheyer accumulated more than 450 works of art, according to Sander. All of the Blue Four’s work belonged to her and some were on consignment from the artists; what remained unsold at her death were returned to the artists or their estate. Composed of paintings and works on paper of various sizes and media – including illustrated letters – they could not be displayed simultaneously and would have been stored for rotation in exhibits and salons.    

Scheyer bequeathed her collection to UCLA with the proviso that the university meet the same conditions of a 1944 gift of her friend Walter Arensberg’s modern art collection. Arensberg’s donation required UCLA to provide a building for his collection within five years; additionally, Scheyer stipulated that the university must publish a modest catalogue of her collection. When UCLA failed to meet the conditions, the fate of the Scheyer collection was left to a committee.

In 1953, the committee entrusted Scheyer’s collection of 450 works by the Blue Four and other modern artists (plus a cache of 800 documents) to the Pasadena Art Institute, which evolved into the Pasadena Art Museum and moved to a new building on Colorado Boulevard. The late Norton Simon took over the facility in 1974 and fulfilled the Scheyer trust’s provisions by publishing a catalogue of the collection.

Lucretia Van Horn. Portrait of Galka Scheyer, 1927-30. | Photo courtesy of the Norton Simon Museum, The Blue Four Galka Scheyer Collection

Born Emilie Esther in Braunschweig, Germany, in 1889 to a middle class Jewish family, Scheyer studied art and music. She had dreamed of becoming an artist but in 1915, after seeing the paintings of Alexei Jawlensky at an art exhibition in Switzerland, decided to be an art promoter instead. Thus, her career as an art dealer was born. She organized shows for him in Munich, Berlin, and various cities around Germany to drive interest in his work. Jawlensky gave her the moniker “Galka,” the Russian word for jackdaw – a gregarious, intelligent crow.

“It was Jawlensky who introduced her to Paul Klee, Vassily Kandinsky, and Lyonel Feininger, all of whom were on the faculty of the Bauhaus in Germany – a forward-looking university of art design and architecture,” explains Sander during a walkthrough of the exhibition. “They all became friends. This was in the 1920s when times were tough in Germany politically and economically. Artists were having trouble showing and selling their work so Galka decided to go to the United States to promote them.”

“They banded together and took on the name ‘The Blue Four,’” Sander says further. “They all had different artistic styles, but they wanted to give her a sort of rubric to help her organize exhibitions. ‘Blue’ has a long-standing importance for modernism in Europe and the United States; it’s considered to be a spiritual color.”

Peter Krasnow. Recalling Happy Memories, c. 1927. | Photo courtesy of the Norton Simon Museum, The Blue Four Galka Scheyer Collection

However, when Scheyer arrived in the U.S. she realized getting a foothold in the modern art world was a challenge. It was through a combination of fate and opportunities that she came to California and held her first show called “The Blue Four” at Stanford University in October of 1925. It was such a phenomenal success that the San Francisco Examiner proclaimed her the “Prophetess of the Blue Four.”

“The reaction – not only to the works that she was showing, but also to her charismatic delivery and lecturing – was immense,” states Sander. “In March of the following year, Roi Partridge,  who was the chairman of the art department at Mills College, wrote to let her know how much he enjoyed her show and lecture and invited her to come to Mills. And Scheyer was able to augment her income through speaker fees.”

Scheyer promoted herself and the Blue Four using marketing brochures printed with the Blue Four logo of four blue stripes and contained endorsements and her skills as a lecturer and art dealer.      

“Galka was one of the most amazing art impresarios in the United States in the early 20th century,” Sander pronounces. “She was a single woman in a profession as an art dealer inhabited by men, which was an unusual task she set for herself. The Galka Scheyer archive is a testament of her activism in the United States on behalf of four European artists whom she represented from the 1920s to the 1940s in trying to seed a taste for European Modernism and Abstraction. It was new art that was not conventional in California at that time, when it was very conservative and the prevailing art style was still in the Impressionism and post-Impressionism. Artists came here to paint the beautiful landscape.”

Beatrice Wood. Portrait of Galka Scheyer, 1934. | Photo courtesy of the Norton Simon Museum, The Blue Four Galka Scheyer Collection

“It was a real blessing for modern artists when Galka came to California,” continues Sander. “One of the first artists she met when she arrived in 1925 was Maynard Dixon. Most people would think of him as the artist who painted landscapes of the western United States and its native peoples. He had a modernist outlook in his flat spaces and cool colors. He loved Galka’s lectures and her style and introduced her to his wife, Dorothea Lange, who did those memorable photographs of people in desolate lands and plains during the Depression. It was Dorothea who took the photograph that Galka used for her brochure. Dorothea was a good friend of modernist photographer Imogen Cunningham, who was married to Roi Partridge who was also a printmaker.”

In a matter of months Scheyer found herself in an intellectual, creative community in the Bay area. It provided the foothold she needed in promoting the art of the Blue Four. Dixon and Scheyer maintained a friendship after she moved to Los Angeles. One of the paintings in the show is Maynard’s stylized drawing of Galka on which he inscribed, “To Mme Moderne Kunst” which means “To Mrs. Modern Art.” 

“This is one of the most iconic images from the collection that shows Galka,” Sander explains as she points to another artwork. “It’s by an artist named Peter Krasnow, who’s Ukrainian-born but came to the United States in 1907. He attended the University of Chicago but he really wanted to come to the West Coast. His painting shows Galka at what many people would recognize at that time if they knew her. She has a pointer in her hand and teaching a rapt audience. The scene is a combination of realism and fantasy, and he named it ‘Recalling Happy Memories.’”

Edward Hagedorn. Galka Scheyer Viewing Modern Portraits of Galka Scheyer, c. 1926-28 | Photo courtesy of the Norton Simon Museum, Anonymous Gift, Courtesy of Denenberg Fine Arts

Another artwork in the exhibition is from Edward Hagedorn. “He was a self-taught artist from Berkeley,” explains Sander about the next painting. “Hagedorn was practicing a style that wasn’t getting much traction for him despite shows he held in artist associations and print clubs. But when he saw the Blue Four material at the Oakland Gallery show that Galka held in 1926, he was amazed. He saw an avenue for himself to move forward. They became friends and he did this beautiful drawing of Galka sitting on a wood chest and behind her is a pedestal. She’s thrilled to be looking at an artwork – on which there’s a number 4 – that a gentle giant is showing her. You can see the affection that is communicated in their glances.”

The film industry was taking off in Los Angeles in the 1920s when Scheyer met Josef von Sternberg, a renowned Hollywood director. He asked her to show him some of the pieces she was selling and he bought $600 worth of artwork. That confirmed that L.A. was the place for her and she made plans to move. The sale, which was massive at that time, enabled her to purchase a parcel of land and she asked the modernist architect Richard Neutra to build her home in the Hollywood Hills.

“In 1927 Galka met Beatrice Wood, a renowned ceramicist in Los Angeles, who was a friend of Walter and Louise Arensberg, who had a home in L.A. and lived in New York,” Sander relates. “They were the first collectors of modern art in the United States and had salons that Beatrice and Galka would frequent. Wood created a piece that showed Galka holding court.”

Wolo Trutzschler. Caricature of Galka Scheyer, 1935. | Photo courtesy of the Norton Simon Museum, The Blue Four Galka Scheyer Collection

One artwork in the exhibition is from Trutzschler. “Swiss caricaturist Wolo Trutzschler came to the United States, and went to Chicago for a bit,” informs Sander. “He made money doing caricatures of people at cabaret and selling the art to newspapers. He decided to come to L.A. in the late 1920s and lived on Olvera Street and was part of the German émigré community. He met Galka and created a piece depicting her in her milieu – she’s holding a number 4 and a trowel in her other hand because she loved to garden. Next to her is her poodle, whom she called Blue-Blue.”

That Scheyer made numerous connections is evident in the exhibition’s displays. “Galka met Angelo Ravagli who married Frieda Lawrence, the former wife of D. H. Lawrence,” says Sander. “The Ravaglis lived in New Mexico but they started coming more frequently to Los Angeles in the 1930s. Through Galka, they made the acquaintance of a rare book dealer in L.A. who became the exclusive publisher of the manuscripts of D.H. Lawrence in the United States. As a thank you gift to Galka, Ravagli made a drawing showing her lying on a rug on a hill where her house would have been, with her poodle by her side.” 

Scheyer mounted more than 60 exhibitions from 1925 to 1944, including one-man shows (i.e. Feininger, or Klee). They include traveling exhibits around California and the U.S. held at museums, galleries, and university art galleries. Additionally, she hosted salons at her home that had art displays and lent artwork to the salons and parties of other clients. The artworks she loaned to Marlene Dietrich in March 1929 (a list of which is included in the exhibition case), is an example of one such informal installation.

Angelo Ravagli. Galka Scheyer, 1936. | Photo courtesy of the Norton Simon Museum, The Blue Four Galka Scheyer Collection

The last part of the exhibition shows Scheyer’s house. “I wanted to bring people’s attention to her house because it’s inseparable from her work – and her spirit in many ways,” explains Sander. “Galka worked with Neutra to build a house that’s open to nature but with plenty of wall space. She had moveable screens on which to hang works of art for special shows and every room in her home displayed the art of the Blue Four. She had salons where people discussed art. She was the first resident at the top of the hill and was able to get permission from the city to name the street Blue Heights Drive. And the number she took for the house was 1818 because eight is divisible by four.”

“Galka lived there until her death in 1945,” Sander states. “It was sold in 2024 to a German art collector and business man and it will be the home of the newly established Blue Heights Art & Culture whose mission focuses on fostering contemporary artistic creation and hosting curated exhibitions within this historically significant, modernist space.”

Sander hopes viewers of the exhibition take away that “Galka Scheyer served as a powerful catalyst for the West Coast art scene, bridging the gap between bold new trends and a growing audience. Her work was driven by kinship, not just commerce. The portraits, artworks, and letters on display are more than artifacts; they are tokens of gratitude from a community that responded to her vision with enduring friendship.”

Over eight decades after Scheyer’s death, she will continue to be a source of inspiration for artists who will take part in the Blue Heights Art & Culture’s residencies. Through exhibitions like “Dear Little Friend: Impressions of Galka Scheyer” and “Maven of Modernism: Galka Scheyer in California” before it, the Norton Simon Museum is ensuring that her legacy as an ardent lover of art lives on.        

Pasadena Buddhist Temple’s Mural Offers Healing and Hope

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 23 February 2026 on Hey SoCal

The Healing and Hope Mural painting in progress. | Photo courtesy of Miki Yokoyama / Pasadena Buddhist Temple

The Eaton Fire killed 19 people, destroyed over 9,000 structures, and brought untold grief to the community. More than a year later, displaced Altadena and Pasadena residents are still reeling from the trauma. There are constant reminders of what they lost and memories of that fateful day are still fresh in their mind.     

As much anguish as the Eaton Fire wrought, there have also been many instances of a community coming together in their shared experience. The most recent of such moments is a group painting initiated by Miki Yokoyama who created a mural at the Pasadena Buddhist Temple. The brainchild of Kyoko Gibbs, wife of the temple’s spiritual leader Reverend Gregory Gibbs, the mural symbolizes what she thinks everyone needs – healing and hope.  

The temple almost became a casualty of the fire had it not been for the bravery of neighbors who put out the flames. Gibbs recalls, “Greg and I, along with our younger son, live in the temple residence, so we followed the evacuation order in the very early morning of Jan. 7 and drove to a hotel. Watching the news at the hotel, we recognized the temple’s neighbors getting burned down despite the efforts of firefighters. Feeling urged to return to the temple, we drove back there to find our ‘heroes’ and some other temple members trying to extinguish the flames that had landed between the tea garden and the edge of the main building, Hondo.”

The Pasadena Buddhist Temple at night. | Photo courtesy of the Pasadena Buddhist Temple

“As we heard and learned about the temple members, associated friends, and neighbors’ loss and damage due to the fire, we were deeply hurt – not just physically but also emotionally,” continues Gibbs. “No words were spoken; we cried while holding and hugging them.”

Immediately, the temple community collaborated on events and efforts to help fire survivors. “Since two days after the fire, the restaurants in Little Tokyo (Azay and Far Bar) and San Gabriel (Yama Sushi), Little Tokyo Service Center, Keiro, Pasadena Japanese Cultural Institute, and the churches and temple in the affected Altadena and Pasadena areas, along with many others such as Buddhist Churches of America, Tanaka Farms, King’s Bakery, Go For Broke, and many more, have stepped up to the plate. Each individual person and organization gave them a hand in a selfless and compassionate way. As we continue to move forward, I am truly grateful for everyone’s kindness.”                                                                                                               

The Gibbses themselves have been the recipient of people’s generosity. “During the remediation process for all the temple facilities, we needed to relocate to the temple’s friends’ house for about two months,” Gibbs says. “We were so fortunate to receive their kind offer. The temple is now fully restored and I am very thankful for those two temple board members who tirelessly worked with the insurance and intensive cleaning companies.”

The temple is now fully restored. | Photo courtesy of the Pasadena Buddhist Temple

For its part, the temple raised and distributed close to $90,000 to fire victims and actively continues to raise funds for them. “On the first anniversary of the fire, we presented them with a card and a small monetary gift. We wanted them to know that we are thinking of them. Additionally, we will be holding a White Elephant Sale, which opens to them first for free before the general public. We will also have a Girls’ Day Celebration with the tea ceremony, which they will be invited to join. More financial support will be distributed soon from the social welfare committee of Buddhist Churches of America (Pasadena Buddhist Temple is a part of BCA).”

Another activity that took place one year after the Eaton Fire was the creation of a mural. Recalls Gibbs, “As the first anniversary of the fire approached, I was thinking about what we – as the whole affected community – could do to help heal and inspire hope. Then, SOGs (Sons of Gardeners), who volunteer twice a week to maintain the temple grounds, were discussing painting a concrete section of the ramp outside. And it hit me with the idea of creating a mural instead of just painting. I brought up this concept with them and shared it with the temple board, and they all rallied behind it right away!”

“Fortunately, Keiro, which has been a financial supporter of activities and events for fire survivors, also agreed to continue its support,” Gibbs says further. “I knew who I needed to ask to lead the mural designs – Miki. She isn’t a member of the temple but I met her through the meal program for fire survivors.”

In mid-November, Gibbs reached out to Yokoyama and proposed crafting a mural and inviting the participation of those who had lost their homes in the fire as a way to help restore the town. They discussed what kind of wall painting they wanted to create and developed the concept together. To signify what it represents, they called it Healing and Hope Mural.

Miki Yokoyama. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

The Eaton Fire decimated Yokoyama’s home and all her artwork, and wreaked havoc on her mental health. She discloses, “The emotional shock was immense; I struggled with symptoms of PTSD for a long time. During the first year after the disaster, I believe that painting truly saved me. Now, through this project, I find healing in creating together with the temple community and others who were also affected by the disaster. Realizing that I am not alone and receiving strength from everyone involved fills me with deep gratitude.”       

Yokoyama describes how she transferred the painting – measuring approximately 70 feet long by 56 inches tall – on the wall. “I first created a rough sketch on paper and then projected it onto the wall. However, many of the finer details will be added freehand while looking at the actual wall. From here, I plan to add more delicate lines and dots to develop the piece further.”

Yokohama’s drawings of the mural. | Photo courtesy of Miki Yokoyama

“This project is open to everyone, regardless of artistic experience,” explains Yokoyama. “Before we began painting together, I prepared the mural by drawing the outlines in black ink. Although I predetermined the colors, my hope is simply that everyone enjoys the process. I tell participants that it is perfectly fine if they paint outside the lines or even cover the black outlines. I will make any necessary corrections afterward, so everyone is free to add color as they wish.”

“At present, the mural is about halfway complete,” Yokoyama adds. “Much of the white space has been filled, and the next steps are to apply a second layer to the lighter areas of ink, retrace the black outlines, and then add finer lines and dots. By layering these delicate details, I hope to bring greater depth and subtlety to the work. Even if it takes time, I am committed to leaving behind the best possible piece.”

“As we continue working together with the community – shaping it according to our shared intentions – I am also excited to see how the mural will ultimately come together,” Yokoyama says further. “I am very much looking forward to its completion.”

Photo By May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

When the mural is completed, people will recognize the animals and flowers they see in their town. And since Altadena is renowned for Christmas Tree Lane, Yokoyama incorporated Deodar Cedar trees in the artwork. The two churches along Lincoln Avenue – First Presbyterian Church of Altadena and Sacred Heart Catholic Church – as well as Altadena Community Church on Lake Avenue, are also depicted. Millard Falls Trailhead is portrayed in the center of the painting.   

One of the Eaton Fire survivors who went to the temple to paint heard about it through her mom who is a member of the temple. She asks that her name not be mentioned but graciously agrees to talk about her participation.

“Miki was there and she showed me where to paint, provided paint and brush, and instructions,” she begins. “I painted the windows on the house light blue as she instructed. She explained that it was okay to paint over lines as these will be repainted after the color is applied; the community painters are adding color and the artists are adding detail. While I was there one of the artists was refining with details. She used a Q-tip to add white spots to a red butterfly. The mural is a representation of the local community and the hope that exists in the Eaton Fire area to rebuild the physical and emotional aspects of the community.” 

Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Painting the mural offered a brief respite from her daily stresses in the aftermath of the fire. She says, “The consequences of the fire a year later are still part of a continuing domino effect in various ways that will remain for many years. Growth and hope are also results of this effect. Projects and institutions such as the Pasadena Buddhist Temple bring the community together for positive focus and forward momentum.”     

It is exactly what compelled Gibbs to come up with a community endeavor. She declares, “Through this experience – coloring in the mural while chatting with others or working quietly – I would like all to feel connected and empowered. You are not alone. We are stronger together.”

Dorano Jewelry Makes Special Days Sparkle

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 2 February 2026 on Hey SoCal

The Dorano Jewelry store on Huntington Drive in Arcadia. | Photo by May S. Ruiz/Hey SoCal

Gold is regarded as a risk-averse asset and safe haven during times of uncertainty. And recent geopolitical instability sent the price of gold soaring to an unprecedented high of over $5,000 per ounce then plunged below that mark.

But long before the huge demand for it and the wild price swings grabbed financial news headlines, the enduring value of gold inspired songs from Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” to Harry Styles’ “Golden.” The metal — universally enjoyed as a piece of jewelry — symbolizes beauty, longevity, power, status and wealth.

In certain Asian cultures, gold figures prominently in people’s customs and traditions. Newborn children in China are commonly gifted with a piece of gold jewelry; gold is also a part of the Lunar New Year celebrations. In Korea, a gold ring is usually given for a child’s first birthday. In India, gold is purchased during the annual Diwali festival to bring wealth and good luck.             

For Garen Avetisyan, proprietor of the Dorano Jewelry store on Huntington Drive in Arcadia, jewelry and the craftsmanship behind it are his life’s work. Creating memorable pieces are a source of pride and joy for this immigrant from Armenia who now calls Glendale home.

A 14-karat yellow gold necklace and ring with fancy sapphires. | Photo by May S. Ruiz/HeySoCal.com

Avetisyan’s story is that of very immigrant’s journey from their homeland to a new place to build a new life. Born and raised in Yerevan, Armenia, he started working in the jewelry business when he was 18. In 2012, at the age of 37, he and his family migrated to California and the following year he opened Dorano Jewelry. 

Making jewelry is an art and skill that Avetisyan honed back in Armenia. He relates, “I had family members in the jewelry business and I always enjoyed watching them work, so I decided to follow in their footsteps. I took private jewelry courses in Armenia and also spent years observing, reading and educating myself on the profession and training. I still continue to expand my knowledge to this day.”

Uprooting oneself and beginning anew in a foreign country is a huge challenge and Avetisyan knows it only too well.

“I began looking for a storefront for my jewelry business soon after my family and I came to California,” Avetisyan recalls. “Since I had only been in America for such a short period of time, I had no credit history. Therefore, a lot of people turned me down despite the fact that I was willing to pay for a few months in advance. It was very difficult to gain people’s trust. I stumbled across one location in Arcadia and spoke to the owner directly. Thankfully, after our conversation, he decided to give me a chance and that’s how my shop opened in Arcadia in early 2013.”

A display case at Dorano Jewelry. | Photo by May S. Ruiz/HeySoCal.com

The moniker he gave to his shop — Dorano Jewelry — is a portmanteau of sorts and has a special meaning. Reveals Avetisyan, “I always admired the Italian language and used it as an inspiration for my store name. ‘Oro’ is Italian for gold and ‘d’oro’ refers to something made of gold. I incorporated these words and created the unique name of ‘Dorano.’ I believe it reflects the elegance and timelessness associated with gold jewelry.”

While finding the location for his shop was a fortuitous initial step, making a success of the business seemed an insurmountable undertaking early on in his business venture. He struggled to make ends meet yet he persevered.       

Avetisyan says, “The first few years were very difficult for me because I was starting over in a new country and speaking a language not native to me. I had no connections, no reputation and didn’t know a lot of people. But I chose to continue this journey because I felt a huge responsibility to continue my life’s work that I had begun in Armenia. I didn’t view this passion of mine only as a job but also a skill that had so much history and hard work behind it. I had confidence in myself and my ability and I knew that if people gave me a chance, they would also recognize value in my work.”

“I realized that I was making progress when customers would visit the shop and share that they were recommended by my other clients,” continues Avetisyan. “I was excited that word of mouth was growing because it meant I was building trust with the community. As more people became happy with the work and product I was providing them with, I knew that all the struggle was worth it and continued to work just as hard.”

Garen Avetisyan, jeweler/gemologist and proprietor of Dorano Jewelry. | Photo by May S. Ruiz/HeySoCal.com

There is no shortage of jewelry stores in the vicinity — every mall has at least one — where shoppers can buy a necklace, ring or a pair of earrings. But what could be more exceptional than owning a bespoke piece that reflects one’s individuality? Custom work is Dorano Jewelry’s niche and Avertisyan has set out to make his shop stand apart.            

He declares, “Dorano Jewelry is unique due to our deep expertise and detailed attention to each client. The staff is skilled across all aspects of the business, including custom designs, appraisals, repairs, sales and more. Thus, customers receive all services in one place quickly yet efficiently. This helps us ensure consistency and quality, and build close relationships with all our guests.”

“Dorano Jewelry holds itself to a high standard and has maintained this benchmark of care since day one,” Avetisyan emphasizes. “The business first advertised on television and social media to try and spread the word. After our first year, we relied primarily on word of mouth, focusing on growing the business through trust and reputation. Over time, satisfied customers became the best promotion.”

Being able to offer a variety of services has served Avetisyan well. “Dorano Jewelry operates as a ‘one stop shop’ as the business is evenly divided among custom work, repair services and jewelry sales from our display,” he says. “Each of these areas makes up approximately one-third of our business, allowing us to serve a wide variety of customer needs.”

14-karat white gold ring with green tsavorites and diamonds. | Photo by May S. Ruiz/HeySoCal.com

Many people think bespoke jewelry is prohibitively expensive — a misconception that Avetisyan hastens to clarify.      

“Custom jewelry is definitely affordable at Dorano Jewelry,” Avetisyan asserts. “The most requested items are engagement rings and wedding bands and we offer a large variety of options and customizable details to best fit our clients’ budget. Whether they are simple elegant designs to more intricate pieces, we work very closely with all clients to ensure they receive the best quality within their budget.”

But it isn’t just the product and service that make Dorano Jewelry different. Avetisyan clarifies, “Dorano Jewelry is more than just a jewelry store, it’s a community and welcoming space. We focus on building a relationship based on trust and connection, allowing clients to come to us for guidance and support. Through this genuine relationship, we celebrate the most meaningful life moments together — from engagements to weddings to family milestones. The community feeling is what makes this store so special.”

Repeat business and customer loyalty are vital for every business’s success. And Dorano Jewelry has been fortunate to have both.

“Sixty percent of our business is generated from existing clients while 40% comes from new customers,” says Averisyan. “The majority of our clients are locals — I would say about 80% are from Arcadia, Pasadena and nearby cities. The remaining 20% is from Santa Barbara, San Diego and even clients who now reside in Las Vegas and visit us sometimes.”

14-karat rose gold ring with pink quartz, diamonds, pink sapphires and rubies. | Photo by May S. Ruiz/Hey SoCal

Asked if there’s one particular piece he has created over the years that is memorable, Avetisyan quickly replies, “A client wished to design a custom ring based on a lost heirloom left behind by the client’s ancestors. We worked closely together to maintain the sentimental value of the ring based on the client’s memory and description of the heirloom. Our goal was to preserve its history while also customizing the ring to best fit the client’s style and needs. We used an amethyst for the center stone and incorporated Indian symbols reflected through shape and detailing, referring to custom 3D designs to guide us. We achieved a refined and timeless finish.”

“I specifically remember the extensive research involved with this piece,” Avetisyan expounds. “To fully understand what the client wanted and realize the client’s vision, I studied symbolism and cultural meaning to best design the historical elements with accuracy and respect. I had the chance to explore this cultural background, making the piece challenging to make but with a rewarding outcome. It was one of the coolest projects I completed, learning a lot in the process.”

Having a piece of jewelry created by Dorano Jewelry means acquiring something that evokes significance for the person wearing it. Whether it’s to celebrate Valentine’s Day, a birthday, a wedding or anniversary, jewelry makes any special occasion sparkle. But it can also be just a practical, wearable investment — and jewelry makes even the everyday shine. 

Holiday Motor Excursion Showcases Rare Antique Cars

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 9 January 2026 on Hey SoCal

Peter Eastwood’s 1910 Stevens Duryea

For residents of the Michillinda Park neighborhood in East Pasadena, an ostentation of peacocks promenading on the boulevard is an everyday sight. But on a recent Sunday morning, we are pleasantly surprised to observe dozens of antique and vintage automobiles driving past our house.

It is a fascinating spectacle that invites further investigation. I take a break from pruning my roses and walk about 200 feet to Michillinda Park where I see several antique cars on the road while people chat by tables laden with pots of hot cocoa and coffee. I learn that this car show is an annual event and someone points out the organizers, Jean and Peter Eastwood, who are siblings and lifelong Pasadena residents.

A 1909 Pierce Arrow (left) and 1920 Model T Ford (right). | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

I approach the Eastwoods and Peter proudly says that this is the 69th year they’ve been holding this annual antique car show. He proceeds to give me the history of the event, which is known as the Holiday Motor Excursion (HME), but interrupts himself to inform me that he actually has the history written down somewhere.

Indeed for the 40th anniversary of HME, Peter authored a write-up about how the event originated on behalf of the Eastwood family.            

December 25th in Southern California is, more often than not, sunny and clear. It was on one of those Christmas days back in the early 1950s when the seed was planted that eventually grew into the Holiday Motor Excursion.

In Pasadena that Christmas morning, Doug and June Eastwood suggested to their five children, after opening their presents,“Let’s go to Uncle Warwick and Aunt Millie’s to see what (cousins) Joyce and Elaine got.”

Jean and Peter Eastwood. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

It did not take long for Richard, Sharon, Jean, Peter, and David to squeeze into Dad’s Model T Ford for the ride over there. After the cousins compared gifts, Warwick’s 1905 Buick was cranked up and a short trip around the corner took the families to Bill and Lola Collier’s house for a look at Nancy’s presents. This prompted Bill to take out his 1910 Maxwell and the three families went for a short ride. Then to Ward and Betty Kimballs’s house for Christmas cookies and tea.    

It only took a year or two for the spontaneous Christmas Day itinerary to expand and visits were made to the homes of John Walgamott, Bob Coombes, Louis Cook, Dick Mendelson, and other Pasadena area Horseless Carriage Club friends.

The sight of a small caravan of antique cars crisscrossing Pasadena only hours after Santa had been there was always greeted with cheers from the neighborhood residents.

1920 Duesenberg racecar. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Before long, club members from outside the area were feeling left out. The explanation that the Eastwoods were just out having some fun and that it really wasn’t an organized club event was not what they wanted to hear.

It was at this time in the mid-1950s when families in their antique cars started showing up at Doug or Warwick’s house on Christmas morning, not wanting to miss out on “the fun.” Over the years, homemade cookies had to be supplemented with store bought doughnuts and the first of several 100-cup coffee pots were put into service.

1911 Pope Hartford. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Sometime in the late 1960s the event date was changed to the weekend between the holidays and the departure point was moved to the Pancake House located between Doug’s and Warwick’s homes. As the event grew in popularity, the Model T Club and other clubs with newer cars joined in. In the late 1980s, to maintain the flavor of early day motoring and to keep the event to a manageable size, participants were invited to bring vehicles built before 1933.

Over the years the HME has been fortunate to be invited to visit many wonderful family homes, collections, and businesses in the area. Many visits have been made to the Dean Hensley, Burton Burton, and Don Ricardo Collections, just to name a few.

Somewhere along the line the HME. was adopted as a Horseless Carriage Club of Southern California event but the Eastwood family still handles all the event planning. For over 30 years Warwick and Millie hosted the dessert stop at their home at the event’s conclusion. In 1994 they decided to take it easy and Gary and Sheryl Hunter eagerly volunteered to take over and host the party at their home in nearby Arcadia.

The popularity of the event can be gauged by the 450 nametags and 150 copies of driving instructions given out last year – not to mention 30 dozen doughnuts, 400 cups of coffee, and 200 cups of orange juice.

1925 White Yosemite Tour Bus (yellow car on left), 1923 Model T Ford (right); 1910 Jackson (in back)

At some later time, the Arcadia County Park became the Holiday Motor Excursion’s departure point. Cars arrive as early as 6:30 but the event officially commences at 7:30 and the tour begins promptly at 9:30.

“This year there are 110 participating cars,” discloses Eastwood. “I believe the oldest car this year is a 1909 Stanley (steam powered!). A few arrived on trailers but most are driven to the event. I know that two of the cars that came by trailer were from Arroyo Grand and Hanford, California.”

1929 Model A Ford. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Continues Eastwood, “The tour route is usually around 30 miles. We drive about 10 miles winding through the picturesque neighborhoods of Arcadia and Pasadena. Then we stop at a different park for coffee and donuts provided by our club – the donut stop is part of the event’s annual traditions.”

“Then we carry on for another 20 miles through more scenic Pasadena neighborhoods along the arroyo and other areas,” Eastwood adds. “We then circle back for lunch at Clearman’s North Woods Inn or  Clearman’s Galley on Huntington Drive and Rosemead Blvd. From there we take a short drive to a nearby club member’s house for dessert. The route changes every year because we want to keep people guessing. But we come to Michillinda Park every two or three years”

The Horseless Carriage Club (HCC) doesn’t promote the event to the public according to Eastwood. The information is posted on the club’s website for the car owners. HME shirts – the artwork for which was created by Disney animator and HCC member Ward Kimball – are available at the event and they are discussing selling them through the club website.      

Model T Ford. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Unlike other antique car shows, HME is not a fundraising affair. Eastwood clarifies, “The event is merely an opportunity for the car owners and their families to have some holiday fun. The emphasis is on the driving aspect. We are fortunate that we can enjoy our cars this time of year – many clubs in other areas don’t have the weather we have.”                             

After a while, the tables of drinks and donuts are cleared and club members get in their cars to resume the tour. The drivers and passengers of the antique cars happily wave to people who happen to see them making their way to their scheduled stop on the route. And at every stop bystanders and onlookers marvel at the exquisite automobiles.  

What started for the Eastwood family as a fun Christmas day jaunt around the neighborhood has grown into an eagerly anticipated annual tradition for hundreds of car enthusiasts and even those who might know next to nothing about antique cars. Watching the beautiful rare cars we don’t normally see on our streets certainly puts a smile on our face. What a delightful treat!                 

Local Man Founds Rebuild Altadena from the Ashes of Eaton Fire

/ May S Ruiz / 1 Comment

Also published on 5 January 2026 on Hey SoCal

A view of the Eaton Fire on Washington Blvd. in north Pasadena. | Photo courtesy of Grigory Heaton/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Jan. 7, 2025, dawned bright, clear, and very windy in the San Gabriel Valley, with the mountain peaks clad in snow. Most Altadenans and Pasadenans went about their usual chores and workday despite the windstorm. But by the end of that fateful day the lives of several thousand people in these two towns would be upended.

According to news reports, shortly after 6 p.m., residents observed flames on a hillside in Eaton Canyon. While the fire itself was not large, 59 mph wind gusts pushed sparks across the canyon. The wind shifted the embers west into central Altadena and decimated a large swath of the unincorporated L.A. county area.     

The Eaton Fire was the fifth deadliest and second most destructive wildfire in California’s history. Approximately 7,000 residential and commercial structures burned to the ground overnight, with 19 deaths reported. Most of the residents are still temporarily housed, residing in motels and extended-stay hotels in Pasadena and neighboring cities.               

The Rose Bowl parking lot serves as the base for hundreds of firefighters. | Photo courtesy of Tom Stokesberry of the Forest Fire Service/Wikimedia Commons

An Altadena man, David Ly, and his family were among those who were displaced. He recalls the horrors they experienced.

“Jan. 7 started for us like a normal day,” says Ly. “We heard about a fire, but at first we didn’t think much of it. Fires happen, and you assume it’ll be contained. Later that day, my brother, who lives in the Highland Oaks area of Arcadia, called and said he could see the fire raging behind his house. He told us he was evacuating to our parents’ place and that we should do the same because the wind could turn at any moment. That’s when it became real and was truly one of the most traumatizing days of my life.”

“I remember going back on the morning of Jan. 8  thinking the fire was done because as I drove up Lake Avenue, everything seemed quiet,” Ly continues. “I had no idea I was literally driving into an area still burning. I saw homes on fire, and it was this surreal scene of memories literally disappearing. When I reached my own street, the power lines were down, and there was just this heavy sense of disbelief. I locked eyes with neighbors who were also there, and we just stood silently crying. By the time I got to where my house had been, it was all gone. You could still smell the smoke. I’ll never forget that feeling of seeing everything just, gone.”

Ly and his family proceeded to drive out to Dana Point that same day. Then they went to Phoenix to stay with family, to get some distance, and breathe. While it was a moment of disbelief and trauma, for him it was also when he began to realize how many others needed help. The past year had been a difficult journey, but it also gave him purpose — help others rebuild.

David Ly at one of the rebuild sites. | Photo courtesy of Rebuild Altadena

“Rebuild Altadena was born from the ashes of this fire, so we are not business as usual,” declares Ly. “Our focus is on rebuilding smarter and more fire-resilient, based on what this community has lived through. The concept behind it is rebuilding as a community. After the fire, it became clear that families were overwhelmed trying to navigate everything on their own — the County process, insurance, engineering, timelines, and rising construction costs.”

“We bring together a coordinated network of designers, engineers, and contractors who are focused almost entirely on Altadena,” Ly explains. “Just like our organization, their priority is helping this community rebuild – not chasing projects across Los Angeles. That’s where our Group Build approach comes in. It means our entire network is concentrated on the same area, working under the same County requirements and fire-rebuild conditions. By staying local, our partners are able to respond faster; keep pricing lower and more stable, even as tariffs and material costs fluctuate; reduce inefficiencies caused by labor shortages; share real-time knowledge from project to project; and move families through the rebuild process together. That level of coordination simply doesn’t happen when a contractor has job sites scattered across multiple cities.”

Rebuild Altadena uses bulk purchasing to protect homeowners from sudden cost spikes. By buying materials — including cabinets, tile, FirePoint plywood, HVAC systems, and lighting — in volume, the company can lock in pricing and reduce exposure to shortages and supply-chain disruptions.

“At the heart of everything we do is a neighbor-first philosophy,” emphasizes Ly. “Rebuild Altadena exists to make sure families who want to come home can do so with a rebuild that is reliable, locally built, transparent, and fire-resilient. This isn’t about shortcuts or volume — it’s about rebuilding Altadena smarter, safer, and with accountability that lasts long after construction is complete.”

The company is supported by a network of about 25 building professionals, comprised of  contractors, designers, structural and civil engineers, surveyors, permit expeditors, and specialists in fire-hardening and resilient construction.

“We also have key staff members who bring deep lived experience and local leadership to the work,” Ly says. “One example is Steve Lamb, a fifth-generation Altadenan who lost his home in the Eaton Fire. Steve previously served on the Altadena Town Council and is a residential designer whose career has focused on historical preservation. His background reflects the values of this community — respecting Altadena’s architectural character while helping it rebuild stronger and safer. People like Steve don’t just contribute professional expertise; they carry the history, pride, and long-term vision of Altadena.”

David Ly and the Rebuild Altadena team. | Photo courtesy of Rebuild Altadena

“And our network continues to grow every day,” adds Ly. “More individuals and companies reach out because they want to help. They see the need, they believe in the mission, and they want to be part of rebuilding our town the right way.”

Since its founding, there have been four Rebuild Altadena Fairs, each growing dramatically as the community and industry partners have rallied behind the effort. Each Fair brings in 50 to 70 building professionals — architects, designers, engineers, builders, SBA representatives, county officials, material suppliers, and fire-hardening specialists. These events have drawn up to 2,000 attendees, making them one of the largest community rebuild gatherings in the region.

“When we first started, the goal was simple: give fire-affected families a place to meet architects,designers, the SBA, the County, and builders — all in one room, without barriers or confusion. But the Fairs have evolved into something much bigger,” Ly explains. “Our most recent event included: fire-hardening materials; 3D visual walkthroughs of rebuild designs; Vicon exterior fire-sprinkler demonstrations; a full Rebuild Zone where homeowners could see, feel, and compare real materials; windows and doors; tile and flooring options; roofing systems; lighting by Maison Enterprises; and other essential components of a resilient rebuild. It’s become a true one-stop experience where families can get educated, meet their teams, and touch the materials that will become their future homes. For many residents, the Fair is the first moment they feel clarity and hope again.”

The site gets ready for rebuilding. | Photo courtesy of Rebuild Altadena

Starting in the new year, one major Rebuild Altadena Fair every three months is being planned. These quarterly events allow Ly’s team to keep homeowners updated, introduce new technologies, and bring in additional experts as the rebuild landscape evolves.

“Families are still facing very complex concerns in the rebuild process, and these Fairs help address the biggest challenges we hear every day,” states Ly. “These include navigating the County process which is unfamiliar and stressful, especially for families who lost everything overnight. People are overwhelmed by engineering corrections, plan-check timelines, fire-zone requirements, inspections, knowing what to submit and when.”

“Additionally, homeowners are concerned about rising construction costs and insurance gaps,” Ly says further. “Many homeowners worry their insurance payout won’t cover today’s costs. They need guidance on budgeting, materials, and how to avoid unnecessary expenses.”

“Fire-hardening and long-term safety are also major concerns,” declares Ly. “Residents want to rebuild stronger but often don’t know which materials are best, what new codes require, and how exterior fire sprinklers, roofing, windows, doors, and siding work together. This is why we bring FirePoint sheathing, Vicon exterior fire sprinklers, and other fire-resilient products to the Fairs.”

“And then there are temporary housing pressures,” Ly cites. “Families are still paying rent out of pocket. Delays hurt not just emotionally but financially, creating urgency for clear timelines and dependable teams.”

The first fire-resilient rebuild.| Photo courtesy of Rebuild Altadena

“Another worry is knowing who to trust,” says Ly. “After a disaster, homeowners are approached by dozens of contractors and consultants. Many fear choosing the wrong people. Rebuild Altadena was created so residents have vetted, local professionals they can rely on. The quarterly Fairs give families a place to get answers, explore materials in person, meet trustworthy experts, and move forward with confidence.”

Out of roughly 4,500 single-family homes lost in the Eaton Fire, Ly estimates that about 60% to 70% of residents intend to rebuild, though everyone is moving at a different pace depending on insurance, finances, and the County process.

“Most families are still in the design, engineering, or plan-check stages, working through approvals and corrections,” Ly says. “A smaller number have reached construction. And we’re very proud that one of the very first rebuilds in Altadena is a Rebuild Altadena project. By the one-year anniversary of the fire, that home will be in painting and finishing stages.”

“Not only is it among the first to rise from the fire, it’s also the first home in the entire burn zone to use fire-resilient materials like FirePoint Sheathing, which is designed specifically to withstand extreme heat exposure,” Ly explains. “For many families, that home represents hope — a sign that rebuilding is possible, and that we can do it smarter and more resilient than before.”

Rebuild Altadena is currently supporting more than 30 homes in the design and planning phase, which includes architectural design, engineering, and county plan check.

The first Altadena Rebuild home is expected to be completed around the first anniversary of the Eaton Fire. | Photo courtesy of Rebuild Altadena

“On the construction side, two homes began construction in mid-December,” Ly says further. “We anticipate three additional homes breaking ground in the first half of January, assuming permitting and utility coordination stay on track. Aside from the first home that will be in finishing stages, the timelines for the other rebuilds vary based on lot conditions, design complexity, utilities, and fire-hardening requirements. For most projects, a realistic expectation is 12 to 18 months from permit issuance to completion.”

Ly is also rebuilding. And being one of the first rebuilds in Altadena comes with its own unique set of challenges, one that every family after him will face as well.

“For example, we’re dealing with major utility uncertainties,” Ly explains. “Southern California Edison still hasn’t confirmed whether they’re going overhead or underground with the new electrical system, which affects design, trenching, and timelines.”

“Because of new fire codes, many homes — including mine — now require interior fire sprinklers,” cites Ly. “That means a lot of families must upgrade their water meters, and one of our clients was quoted an astronomical price by the water company just to make that change. These are things no homeowner planned for.”

“And that’s why Rebuild Altadena has taken on a strong advocacy role,” Ly declares. “We’ve already helped the community win important battles: eliminating unfair fire hydrant flow test fees for each individual home; challenging cross-lot drainage requirements that didn’t make sense for wildfire survivors; pushing back on County fees and conditions that were originally designed for single new homes being built in an established neighborhood — not for a town where thousands of homes burned overnight.”

“We didn’t ask for this disaster,” asserts Ly. “We lost our homes, our stability, and in many ways our sense of place in a single night. Families should not be burdened with excessive fees and code upgrade costs that were never intended for a mass-rebuild situation. So yes, I’m rebuilding — but I’m also fighting every day for the families behind me, making sure the path gets a little clearer and a little fairer for all of us.”

Rendering of a future rebuild. | Photo courtesy of Rebuild Altadena

“Altadena is in a complicated place right now,” Ly says further. “There’s a mix of grief, frustration, determination, and hope all happening at once. Physically, many lots are still empty, and that can make it feel like time has stood still. Simultaneously, there’s real movement happening — plans being approved, foundations going in, and the first homes starting to rise. Progress is uneven, but it’s real.”

“Emotionally, people are tired,” laments Ly. “Many families are still displaced, paying rent, navigating insurance, and waiting on approvals. There’s frustration with the pace of utilities and permitting, and uncertainty about what comes next. But there’s also a strong sense of resolve. Neighbors are more connected than they were before the fire. People are sharing information, showing up for one another, and pushing for fair treatment together. You see it at community meetings, at the Rebuild Altadena Fairs, and even just on the street.”

An article in the Los Angeles Times in November 2025 featured the first house that was rebuilt after the Palisades Fire. The developer-owned showcase home, which was constructed within six months, was an advertisement of sorts for Thomas James Homes. The company has a library of home plans available for faster rebuilds and claims a rebuild typically takes 12 months.           

Asked if this can be done in Altadena, Ly replies, “I saw that article, and it’s an impressive accomplishment. But comparing the Palisades rebuild to Altadena isn’t exactly apples to apples. In the Palisades example, the contractor rebuilt his own model home — a single property, on a standardized lot, with no insurance complications, and no displaced family depending on it. That allowed him to fast-track the process and present a ‘template’ home.”

The Rebuild Altadena office on Marengo Avenue in Pasadena. | Photo courtesy of Rebuild Alatdena

“But Altadena is different,” expounds Ly. “We pride ourselves on our diversity — our lots, our architecture, and our neighborhoods are not cookie-cutter. Many of us don’t want pre-designed, identical boxes placed across the community. People want to rebuild homes that reflect who they are, not a one-size-fits-all model. And with that individuality comes complexity: unique slopes and topography; older utility systems; unanswered questions from SCE about overhead vs. underground power; interior sprinkler requirements that force water meter upgrades; soils, drainage, and grading challenges; insurance delays; and County processes that were never designed to handle over 4,500 rebuilds at once.”

“So while it’s inspiring to see a house rebuilt in six months, making that promise in Altadena would be unrealistic — even irresponsible,” Ly continues. “False promises give families hope in the short term, but they cause real pain when they fall apart. What we are focused on is speed with integrity — rebuilding smarter, stronger, and with fire-resilient materials. Our goal is to eventually streamline to a point where 12-month rebuilds become achievable.”

What would success look like and what accomplishments does Ly envision for Rebuild Altadena?

“Success for Rebuild Altadena isn’t measured by how fast we rebuild homes,” states Ly. “It’s measured by whether families feel supported, empowered, and protected throughout one of the hardest experiences of their lives. Success is thousands of families back home, living in a safer, stronger, more unified Altadena. That’s what we’re fighting for every day.”

Very soon now, a Rebuild Altadena house will be completed. It will most probably be celebrated not only by the family that moves in, but by the thousands of other families who are still displaced. Each house that rises from the ashes of the Eaton Fire provides them with a glimmer of certainty that one day in the not-too-distant future they will be back — exhausted by the ordeal they’ve been through, but very happy to return to the town they call home.

Altadena Forever Run to Benefit Those Affected by the Eaton Fire

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 29 December 2025 on Hey SoCal

Firefighters spray water from a hose during the Eaton Fire. | U.S. Forest Service photo taken by Capt. Jason Benton / Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons


The Eaton Fire of January 7, 2025 will be endlessly seared in the collective memories of the Pasadenans and Altadenans who experienced the largest blaze in the history of the San Gabriel Valley. Overnight 19 people died and 9,000 structures were reduced to ashes, among them 80 homes at Upper Hastings Ranch in Pasadena and over 4,500 in Altadena.

Large corporations and private citizens across the country responded immediately to the disaster – sending cash, food, personal items, and other basic necessities to the various collection sites that opened during the days following the fire.

All through the year, several non-profit organizations emerged in Altadena to continue to support those who were affected even as the rest of the country moved on to other important matters. Community leaders have worked ceaselessly to keep the momentum going and thought of ways to ensure we didn’t forget that thousands of Altadenans are still grappling with the aftermath.

Two individuals – Victoria Knapp and Ethan Marquez – are collaborating on an event to benefit those who were affected by the Eaton Fire. They are co-chairing the Altadena Forever Run which will be held at 8:00 am on Sunday, January 4, 2026 at the Mariposa Junction in Altadena.

Thousands of runners and community members will gather for a10K, 5K and 1K family run raising critical funds for residents still recovering from the Eaton Fire – including individuals and families who remain displaced, are living in vehicles, or are running out of short-term rental assistance.

Victoria Knapp is a longstanding Altadena community leader and organizer whose civic work has focused on connection, recovery, and purposeful engagement. A former Pasadenan, she made Altadena her home in 2011, where she spent the next 15 years deeply involved in community life. She played a central role in crisis communication and community coordination after the fire, helping residents navigate loss while fostering collaboration among neighbors, small businesses, and local organizations throughout the recovery period. She is a firm advocate for community-based initiatives that bring people together with purpose and meaning, including the Altadena Forever Run, which reflects her belief that shared action – like running together – can be a powerful force in healing and resilience.

Ethan Marquez is a 26-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department with a career spanning custody, patrol, training, and command assignments. He was on the scene during the Eaton Fire, playing a critical role in emergency response and community coordination. In August 2025, he was promoted to Captain of Altadena Station, where he continues to emphasize operational excellence, public safety, and community partnership. A dedicated endurance runner and philanthropist, he runs marathons while pushing his son in a wheelchair to raise awareness and funding for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research, using running as both advocacy and a deeply personal expression of service.

“The Altadena Forever Run is about honoring what we’ve lost, supporting those still recovering, and reaffirming our commitment to one another,” state Knapp and Marquez. “After the Eaton Fire, our community showed that resilience isn’t just about rebuilding homes, it’s about standing together, staying connected, and moving forward with purpose. This run reflects the heart of Altadena: strong, compassionate, and forever connected.”

The course passes through neighborhoods and foothill corridors impacted by the fire, featuring on-course storyboards that highlight survivor experiences and ongoing recovery efforts. Organizers say one of the most meaningful aspects of the event is the regional turnout, with runners traveling from across Southern California and beyond to stand in solidarity with Altadena residents.            

Community leaders and first responders are expected to attend – including Robert Luna and Kathryn Barger. The Los Angeles Laker Girls will also be on site to cheer on runners and support the event atmosphere. The Altadena Forever Run is supported by corporate and community partners, including SoCalGas, GoFundMe, East West Bank, First City Credit Union, and Toyota of Pasadena.        

Proceeds from the event directly support Altadena residents who continue to face housing instability and are seeking viable pathways to rebuild and return home. Although the emergency response has ended, many residents continue to recover in the long term with limited resources.

But through the tireless efforts of dedicated individuals and the support of the community, Altadenenas will get through this unfathomable tragedy and get back on their feet stronger than ever before.   

Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum Exhibit Opens at the Huntington

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 13 November 2025 on Hey SoCal

Installation photo courtesy of The Huntington

“Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum,” makes its West Coast debut at The Huntington’s Marylou and George Boone Gallery from Nov. 16 to March 2. Curated by E. Carmen Ramos, forming acting chief curator and curator of Latinx art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the exhibition features 60 dynamic works by nearly 40 artists and collectives that trace more than six decades of Chicano printing as a form of resistance, community building and cultural reclamation.

Commencing with the late 1960s Delano Grape Strike, the precursor to the United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union, the prints in “Radical Histories” depict momentous events in the history of community activism and the formation of collective identity. Chicano artists used silkscreens, posters, and offset prints to mobilize communities – often with barbed wit, lively colors, and evident urgency.

The exhibition is arranged in five thematic sections: “Together We Fight,” “¡Guerra No!” (No War!), “Violent Divisions,” “Rethinking América,” and “Changemakers.” Each section highlights how Chicano artists have used the accessible and reproducible medium of printmaking to confront injustice, affirm cultural identity, and engage in transformative storytelling.

Installation photo courtesy of The Huntington

Section 1: Together We Fight

The opening section explores how the UFW, cofounded by César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, collaborated with visual and performance artists to support the fight for farmworkers’ rights. Key labor actions inspired a wave of Chicano art that functioned as both political expression and tangible solidarity. Artists adopted the UFW’s iconic black eagle, embedding it in posters, prints, and murals that raised awareness and helped fund the movement. The union’s visual language extended beyond its own campaigns, appearing in advocacy materials for the Texas Farm Workers Union and the Cannery Workers Committee in Sacramento.

Section 2: ¡Guerra No! (No War!)

Since the 1960s, Chicano graphic art has played a vital role in advancing antiwar resistance. These works serve as rallying cries, counternarratives to mainstream media, and spaces of reflection. Chicano artists have used print and poster art to critically examine U.S. military interventions in Vietnam, El Salvador, Chile, Iraq, and elsewhere.

Section 3: Violent Divisions

The U.S.-Mexico border has been a central theme in Chicano art. Printmaking has enabled Chicano artists to raise awareness about the experiences of immigrant communities because it is affordable and prints are easily distributed. Recurring iconography – such as the monarch butterfly, a symbol of natural migration – challenges the notion of geopolitical boundaries. Figures like the Virgin of Guadalupe and ancient Mesoamerican goddesses appear as powerful cultural symbols.

Section 4: Rethinking América

This section presents works that broaden historical narratives by including perspectives rooted in resistance and cultural reclamation. The artists drew inspiration from revolutionary figures and movements to create narratives that center Mexican American and Indigenous perspectives. Using mapmaking and record forms like the ancient Mesoamerican codex, Chicano artists also created speculative past and present narratives to reimagine social landscapes.

Linda Zamora Lucero, América, 1986, screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Gilberto Cardenas and Dolores Garcia. | Photo courtesy of The Huntington

Section 5: Changemakers

Portraiture is a cornerstone of Chicano art, used to educate audiences and celebrate both cultural icons and overlooked figures. Artists often base their portraits on documentary photographs, transforming black-and-white images into vivid prints that honor the subject’s life and legacy. Featured changemakers include political prisoners, activist leaders, attorneys, actors, and artists—individuals who challenged the status quo and shaped history.

By email, Dennis Carr, Virginia Steele Scott Chief Curator of American art, and Angélica Becerra, Bradford and Christine Mishler Associate Curator of American Art – also the venue curators –  discuss the exhibition’s origins, its relevance, and viewer takeaways.

“Radical Histories was organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum to highlight the central role Chicano artists have played in shaping American visual culture,” begins Carr. “The exhibition began touring nationally in 2022 following its debut at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and The Huntington is presenting its first West Coast exhibition.”

“While the core exhibition is drawn from SAAM’s collection, our presentation places particular emphasis on Los Angeles as a vital center of Chicano printmaking,” Carr clarifies. “To honor that history, The Huntington commissioned a new mural by Los Angeles–based artist Melissa Govea, created in collaboration with Self Help Graphics & Art, a community print studio that has supported Chicanx and Latinx artists since 1973.”  

Melissa Govea’s mural. | Photo courtesy of The Huntington

“Through this partnership, we commissioned Melissa Govea, a Los Angeles–based artist who is Chicana and Purépecha,” explains Carr. “Govea began her career as a muralist and is known for work that honors community, ancestry, and cultural memory. Rather than giving her a specific direction, we invited her to respond to the themes of the exhibition. The result is a dedicated gallery featuring a new mural, a sculptural installation, and print-based works that together reflect multiple dimensions of her practice. This marks the first time her work has been presented in a museum context.

“Her mural, titled ‘Sangre Indígena’ (Indigenous Blood), draws on portraits of friends, collaborators, and cultural leaders who have shaped her life. The work recognizes the generations of artists, organizers, and knowledge-keepers who came before her, while affirming the presence, agency, and creativity of those shaping Los Angeles today.”  

Installation Photo courtesy of The Huntington

It would be an oversimplification to say how many works in the exhibition are from L.A. artists, as Becerra explains.    

“Many artists in ‘Radical Histories’ have deep ties to Los Angeles, whether they lived, studied, printed, organized, or collaborated here. The most meaningful connection is through Self Help Graphics & Art, which offered open studio access, mentorship, and a  collaborative printmaking environment to generations of Chicano and Latinx artists.

“Artists such as Barbara Carrasco and Ernesto Yerena Montejano continue to live and work in L.A., and their practices remain rooted in local community networks. So rather than thinking in terms of birthplace alone, it’s more accurate to say that Los Angeles is one of the central homes of Chicano printmaking, and the exhibition reflects that history.”

Installation photo courtesy of The Huntington

Asked if the exhibition has taken greater meaning now with ICE raids targeting Hispanic communities and looking Hispanic or Latino is enough to get one handcuffed and thrown into a detention camp, Becerra replies, “The themes in ‘Radical Histories’ are both longstanding and timely. Chicano printmakers have historically used posters and prints to address labor injustice, state violence, displacement, and the struggle for belonging – issues that continue to resonate today.”

Becerra says further, “What museums like The Huntington can offer is space: a place to look closely, process, reflect, and connect personal experience to shared history. These works remind us that art has always been a tool of community care and resistance.” 

As for the viewer takeway, Carr states, “We hope visitors come away with a deeper understanding of how Chicano artists have used printmaking to organize, to tell stories, to build community, and to assert cultural identity. And we hope they see that art is not separate from daily life – it is a tool for resilience and collective meaning-making.”

“In addition to the exhibition itself, The Huntington will host public programs, bilingual gallery talks, and hands-on workshops in collaboration with local artists and partners,” adds Carr. “A major highlight will be Historias Radicales: Latinx Identity and History in Southern California, a two-day conference on December 5–6, connecting the exhibition to The Huntington’s co

Norton Simon Museum Celebrates 50th Anniversary

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 20 October 2025 on Hey SoCal

Jan Brueghel the Younger. Flowers in a Gilt Tazza, c. 1620. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

October 24, 2025 marks the 50th anniversary when the Pasadena Art Museum was renamed Norton Simon Museum. It is only fitting then that 50 years to the day, the museum will debut the exhibition called “Gold: Enduring Power, Sacred Craft.” On view in the lower level exhibition wing through February 16, 2026, it explores the artistic and cultural function of gold in 57 objects drawn from the museum’s American and European and South and Southeast Asian collections.

The objects in this exhibition were crafted from metal excavated from mines across three continents and transported over vast regions, often in the form of currency. In the hands of trained craftspeople, this processed gold was transformed into jewelry that adorned Roman patrician women or spun into thread that was then woven into textiles for elite patrons in Europe and Asia.

Co-curated by Maggie Bell, Norton Simon Museum’s associate curator, and Lakshika Senarath Gamage, assistant curator, “Gold: Enduring Power, Sacred Craft” being the exhibition during the 50th anniversary celebration came about serendipitously. They had been contemplating to collaborate on an exhibition that would bring the Asian collection and the American and European collection together. When they began this project two years ago, they realized there was a common element in the artwork they were looking at.

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Goldweigher, 1639. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

“As we were looking at the objects in our collections, a theme emerged and we realized we talk about gold across mediums – tapestries, sculptures, painting, works on paper – as an opportunity to get to know and celebrate the collection,” Bell begins. “We systematically went through all the objects that had gold as a medium. At the same time we started thinking about the way gold as a metal interacted with other medium and also what gold means symbolically, even to representations of gold in thread or in paint. There are so many ways to approach this subject. There are things in the exhibition which don’t actually have gold in them but evoke ideas and associations with gold.”

Later in the process they realized the exhibition they had been planning was going to be completed around the same time as the museum’s 50th anniversary celebration. And it was a happy coincidence because the milestone is traditionally symbolized by gold.     

“With the story we wanted to tell together, we started with about 200 possible objects,” continues Bell. “We got to know these objects and started doing research. And one of the best things that happened in the process is that I learned so much from Lakshika about her collection and the stories and themes that we can tell together. In conversation with each other and through research we narrowed them down. There were only a certain number of objects that would tell that story clearly and we consolidated them to the 57 that visitors will see in the exhibition.”

“We want to explore gold as a medium but also as an idea,” Bell states. “We want to show the ways in which gold as a material physically does endure for millennia, hence the title. Also, it has a grasp on our imagination globally; visitors will see in the geographical range of these objects that gold really has so much power as a medium.”                                                             

Gerard David, The Coronation of the Virgin, Maria in Sole, c. 1515. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

The exhibition is divided into three themes: power, devotion, and adornment. The 57 objects represent about 17 countries across four continents, spanning from 1000 BCE to the 20th century.

“Through these works we explore how gold traveled across land and sea, how it was crafted, and how it has been imbued with special meaning, particularly with devotion,” explains Gamage. “This is possibly the first time South and Southeast Asian art are displayed together with American and European collection in the special exhibitions galleries. I do want to emphasize that this is not a comprehensive picture of gold because we are drawing solely from the Norton Simon Museum collection and these objects were mostly sourced by Norton Simon himself.”

Museumgoers will find a clean, front-facing plan and objects displayed on tables in the center instead of against the wall. The first gallery focuses on power, the second on devotion, and the third contains jewelry and the smallest objects. Interior walls and display stands are painted red, inspired by a lot of the images in the space. The lighting will be different in each gallery.

Asia: China, Tibet, Headdress, 20th century. Gold Metal with semiprecious stones. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

Gamage elaborates, “Visitors won’t see any artwork on the peripheral walls and it’s a deliberate design choice to give prominence to the objects. Maggie and I worked very closely with the designers to create an exhibition that felt meaningful to visitors. The layout allows them to create their own pathways and gives them the freedom as they walk around to see these connections with their own eyes. And rather than separating them into just Asian and European, we wanted the objects to have interesting sightlines so visitors can see Asian objects visually interacting with American and European objects. That highlights function and meaning, whereas a division by geography and time loses those meaningful trajectories.”

A map at the entrance indicates where the objects originated and where the gold came from. In the first gallery, the very first object visitors will see is a bovine sculpture from 18th century China.

Asia: China, Tibet; Asia, Nepal, Bovine, 18th-19th century. Gilt-copper alloy. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

“We chose this because it is associated with strength, power, and resilience, and possibly tied to ancient Chinese feng shui tradition,” explains Gamage. “The function is not exactly known because not much research has been done about this object. The practice itself remains unclear but the charging bull has long been viewed as an auspicious symbol of prosperity and abundance.”         

One of the foremost European objects in the first gallery that addresses the power of gold – both as an economic material as well as a symbolic medium – is a portrait of Sir Bryan Tuke, who was appointed treasurer and secretary of Henry VIII’s royal household in 1528.

“This is a copy after a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger, a German artist primarily for the court of Henry VIII,” Bell describes. “Holbein was both a painter and a jeweler and was renowned for designing jewelry for Henry VIII and his wives, and incorporating those designs into the portraits he did of the people in Henry VIII’s court. Because Holbein was a 16th century artist and this was done in the 17th century, it’s possible that Tuke’s descendants commissioned the new portrait to hang in their home as a reminder of their own connections to the Court of Henry VIII in the previous century.”

Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Sir Bryan Tuke, c. 1527. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

“It’s very true to the original Holbein portrait especially in the way that the cross jewelry is hanging around Bryan Tuke’s shoulders,” explains Bell. “It’s very conceivable that Tuke designed this hefty gold cross himself. I really like this image because a treasurer gets the economic power of gold; it also has an interesting symbolism around the use of gold in this portrait. When this was painted Tuke had just recovered from a really serious illness. It has additional meaning because gold was associated with longevity and good health since it never tarnished.”

In the second gallery, objects on devotion and the sacred role of gold in making art are displayed.

“It was a really fascinating theme to think through with Lakshika because gold has different meanings in Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism that is very complex,” Bell declares. “For example, in the Christian tradition, gold is incorporated into images of religious figures as a way to honor them. But it also becomes a bit tricky because poverty is such an ideal in Christianity, so integrating gold undermines the value of poverty as a Christian virtue.

“But in Buddhism, there is the tradition of genuine sacrifice that comes from giving gold as a gift. It was really interesting to think through those ideas with Lakshika in terms of using gold to craft religious images and the different symbolic and devotional implications that they have.”

Workshop of Cornelis Engebrechtsz, The Adoration of the Magi, c. 1520. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

One of the first European displays in the second gallery is a painting called “The Adoration of the Magi.” It is a scene showing the three kings who traveled from the four known corners of the world – Asia, Europe, and Africa – to honor the Son of God with extravagant gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold..  

“What I found interesting that I didn’t realize, is that in a lot of these images from the 16th and 17th century, Christ is shown interacting with this pot of gold,” says Bell. “I find that thought-provoking because, at the same time. the Holy Family was also honored for their poverty. Christ was born in a manger, surrounded by farm animals but he was being honored with gold and he’s reaching out for the gold, and in some paintings even holding the gold coin.”

A South Asian object in the second gallery is the sculpture of Indra – the Hindu god of storms, thunder, and lightning, and was historically the king of gods.   

Asia: Nepal, Indra, 13th century. Gilt bronze. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

Gamage states, “Indra is in this particular posture called the ‘Royal Ease.’ He wears a very distinctive Nepalese crown and he also has a horizontal third eye that clearly tells us that this is the god Indra. There are various ceremonies that are very specific to the veneration of Indra, particularly in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal.”

In the third gallery, called adornment, objects are mostly jewelry. The one object from the Asian collection is a bracelet made of pure gold dated 1000 BCE – the oldest object in the exhibition.  It is from the Uragu Kingdom, which is modern Turkey, Armenia, and part of Iraq. 

Asia: Urartu, Bracelet with Animal Head Terminals, c. 1000 BC. Gold. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

“We have an eclectic group of ancient European objects,” enthuses Bell. “There are two Egyptian cats that we’re really excited about. These were on trend for collectors in the 1960s. We have figurines of various goddesses decorated in gold in someone’s home as talismans. We have this fantastic pair of earrings which are hollow inside but made of pure gold. They’re beautiful! It’s a testament to the power of gold – it doesn’t tarnish even after millennia. We were desperately trying to find photos of Jennifer Jones, Norton Simon’s second wife, wearing these to some events. But we have not been able to verify this.”

Europe: Roman, Pair of Earrings, 3rd century CE. Gold. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

The Gold exhibition will feature four technical stations, created by the museum’s conservator, behind the two large tapestries. Bell expounds on the reason for this.

“We’re thinking about gold as a material and we had no idea about the many ways gold can be manipulated to become ink, paint, thread, leaf, or something you can melt. There are so many things you can do with gold. It’s alchemical in a real sense. We kind of condensed them into these four major techniques that you see throughout the show: gold leaf on painted wood panel, gold threads, gold paint, and gilded cast metal – which is the majority of the work that Lakshika is displaying from the South and Southeast Asian collection. So we’re very grateful to our conservator and we hope they will enhance the exhibition experience for our visitors.”

Giovanni di Paolo, Branchini Madonna, 1427. Tempera and gold leaf on panel. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

Asked if they learned something when they worked on the exhibition they didn’t know before, Bell replies, “Training our eyes to recognize the different techniques was a skill I didn’t have before. That was something we acquired through looking at objects to get a sense of ways that gold paint or gold leaf could be applied. And also, just understanding the complexity of gold as the material resource in the world. What’s it meant to get from a mine or a river into the hands of the artist is extraordinarily difficult to understand, and I was very humbled by that research.”

Gamage echoes Bell’s sentiment  “One of the most interesting things I learned is a very deep appreciation for those artists who used gold in magical ways we would never even have imagined. For example, to see how gold was coiled and wrapped around another thread and how it was used in a tapestry, cut silk embroidery; or in painting as gold leaf. Today, we have this state-of-the-art technology and are capable of so many modern and technological marvels. But to know that humans were capable of such intricate and extraordinary artistry was deeply humbling, to mimic Maggie’s words. That level of technical expertise and finesse they had – and that they did by hand – is something that still amazes me.”

Rendering of the Norton Simon Museum’s main entrance and pedestrian walkway. | Image courtesy of ARG and SWA

The Norton Simon Museum’s 50th anniversary celebration will include a community weekend, which is free to the public, to be held on November 7, 8, and 9. There will be exhibitions, various activities, live music, and the unveiling of the improvement project.

A book called “Recollections: Stories from the Norton Simon Museum” is also available for purchase. A fascinating read, it contains essays penned by former and current staff about some of the paintings, sculptures, and artworks in the museum’s holdings. 

In the book’s introduction, Emily Talbot, Vice President of Collections and Chief Curator, recalls the museum’s history. Maggie Bell traces Tiepolo’s “Allegory of Virtue and Nobility’s” acquisition and journey to Pasadena. Talbot lets us in on the little-known friendship between Norton Simon and abstract expressionist artist Helen Frankenthaler. Dana Reeb’s essay informs us Simon amassed one of the largest and most important Goya print collections in the world. Likewise, Lakshika Senarath Gamage reveals how Simon assembled the largest body of Chola period bronzes that allowed him to wield the most influence in this area of the art market.

Recollections. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Rachel Daphne Weiss explores the collaborative purchase of Poussin’s “The Holy Family with the Infant St. John the Baptist and St. Elizabeth” between Simon and the Getty. Leslie Denk writes about Cary Grant’s gift to the museum of Diego Rivera’s painting “The Flower Vendor.” Gloria Williams Sander gives us an insider look at how the right frames present paintings to their best effect. Bell’s second essay sheds light on how the West Coast exhibition “Radical P.A.S.T.: Contemporary Art and Music in Pasadena, 1960-1974” explored Pasadena’s role as a generative hotbed of contemporary art. John Griswold, Head of Conservation and Installation, discusses the museum’s collaborative approach to conservation.

Gloria Williams Sander reflects on the moment Photography became accepted in the art world as a medium worthy of collecting and exhibiting. Alexandra Kaczenski uncovers the legacy of Printmaking in Los Angeles. Gamage’s second essay examines Architect Frank Gehry and Los Angeles County Museum of Art Curator Pratapaditya Pal’s vision for the Asian galleries and the arrangement of the objects displayed within. The last essay by Griswold and Talbot talks about the Norton Simon Museum’s loan exchange program, which gives museumgoers the opportunity to view significant artworks from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Musée d’Orsay.   

Norton Simon’s extraordinary art collection has been a Pasadena treasure since its founding. It has magnificently lived up to the purpose Simon envisioned when he assembled one of the finest European and South and Southeast Asian masterpieces in the world. In the capable hands of the museum’s stewards and curators, Simon’s legacy will continue to enrich our lives and flourish well into the next 50 years.