Mara Russell, a 1975 Palisades High School graduate, joined the Land O’Lakes Foundation in Arlington, Virginia, as Title II Institutional Capacity Building Manager in June. Having worked in food aid in the U.S. and overseas in Iraq, Somalia and Moscow, Russell is now managing a grant that supports food aid programs in Zambia. Russell says the objective of the USAID/Food for Peace grant is ‘to improve coping with food insecurity and using dairy as a coping mechanism.’ While Land O’Lakes has been involved in developing food aid programs since the early ’80s, Russell says, ‘this is different from what they’ve done in the past because we’re not just providing technical support, we’re working with people.’ For example, the program will be providing Zambians with dairy cows, or ‘food aid on legs.’ Having recently returned from a four-day trip to Zambia, Russell says ‘many people are caring for relatives and kids who don’t belong to them’ as a result of sickness or death in the family. Therefore, families receiving extra food rations would benefit from the livestock option, which could provide milk and an income for the family. Russell first became interested in Africa while attending UCLA, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology. Specifically intrigued by social organization and political anthropology done by Africanists, she attended a summer volunteer program called Operation Crossroads in Kenya, then went on to earn her master’s in anthropology from Columbia University. ‘Up until age 16, I wanted to be an actress,’ says Russell, but ‘I did a good job in U.S. history and went the social studies route.’ Originially from New York, she grew up in Detroit and Baltimore before moving to the Palisades with parents Claryce and David in 1974. Russell joined CARE (a humanitarian organization fighting global poverty) as an intern in 1986, performing administrative work before negotiating food aid programs. She helped initiate monetization programs with CARE, working in Honduras and the Dominican Republic, then became deputy and acting director in the old Food Unit in New York. Russell’s desire to go back overseas took her to northern Iraq in 1991, after the first Gulf War, where she worked in a three-month food distribution program. Stationed in Zacho, near the Turkish border, she helped provide food rations for people coming over the border into Iraq. She was amazed that some of the food she distributed included pate and Belgian chocolate. ‘We were not recognized by the Iraqi government,’ she says. ‘We didn’t get visas in Baghdad.’ However, in comparison to the recent Iraq war, Russell says, ‘aid came in from all over the place’it was a broad coalition, a joint initiative.’ Another difference Russell sees is that when she was working in Iraq in ’91, ‘there was a real partnership between the NGOs and the military…the military knew when to take their hands off. My concern [now] is that the military is in charge and sometimes their approach is not as appropriate as it could be. We’re draining resources that could be used in more appropriate ways.’ At the end of 1991, Russell went to Mogadishu, Somalia, where there was no social framework and a lot of civil strife. ‘It was the first war zone I’d been in and I was terrified most of the time,’ says Russell, who had to evacuate to Nairobi three or four times in the six weeks she was there. ‘It was a crapshoot whether [food] distribution would be successful on any given day.’ Now, Russell says, ‘work has been done to manage and secure situations [in countries] where aid is required, but it is still a very inexact science.’ Having known aid workers who were killed, she admits that some of the work she has done is ‘not for the faint-hearted and people who have nervous reactions to gunfire.’ Though Russell had never anticipated working in a war zone, she says, ‘I wanted to try it out and see what it was like…I did my best, it just didn’t suit me.’ She chose to go on to Russia in 1992, and worked in Moscow as distributing food manager for a couple years. She also wrote a proposal for food coming into Armenia after visiting the area of the 1988 earthquake. ‘It had been four years [since the earthquake] and nothing had been fixed at the epicenter,’ Russell says. ‘Everything was the same’the housing complex where people had died and the clock still on the time of the earthquake. People were living in big water pipes even in cold weather.’ Russell rejoined CARE in 1999, and worked as coordinator for Food Aid Management (FAM), the 16-member PVO consortium that programs USAID/FFP Title II food resources. FAM is a USAID/FFP-supported project, and CARE has served as the project holder for the consortium since FAM’s inception more than 15 years ago. (The FAM project will end September 15.) As FAM coordinator, Russell and her staff had the responsibility of coordinating/facilitating with FAM consortium members the implementation of strategies and activities related to improving and strengthening the Title II programs. ‘Mara [did] a remarkable job bringing together managers and staff from 17 disparate organizations to accomplish FAM’s work,’ said Bob Bell, Food Resource Director, on June 4, her last day of work. Having worked in food aid for almost two decades, Russell believes people ‘need to recognize more clearly that needs are changing constantly. There’s a growing recognition that there’s no such thing as a steady state’things improve and then get worse again. In some ways, what’s really challenging is the degree of resilience to which we’re able to respond to food emergencies, different kinds of disasters, droughts and civil strife.’ She says the main focus becomes, ‘How can we best develop systems to respond better and provide [these countries needing food aid] with the capacity to deal with these problems themselves.’ Mara Russell currently resides in Bethesda with her 10-year-old daughter, Rebecca.
Soyaraj Naidoo, 59; Owner of Palisades Auto Detail
Soyaraj (Dees) Naidoo, owner of Palisades Auto Detail, passed away on July 22. The resident of West L.A. was 59. ‘The best way to describe the life and personality of Uncle Dees is: He lived today like there was going to be no tomorrow,’ said his nephew Haresh Oudraijh. ‘Better understood by Americans in the following terms: ‘Hollywood or Bust.” Born on September 6, 1944 in Durban, South Africa, to the late Munsami and Gnambala Naidoo, Dees attended Telwinsing School in South Africa. At the age of 21 he married the love of his life, Shanti. Together they had four children: Shamine, Marlon, Sandi and Ronald. Dees lived in Verulam, South Africa for most of his life and worked in the engineering field for several companies, including an international firm, Dorbyl Marine. He also managed several soccer teams. In 1988, he relocated to Johannesburg, where he owned a successful engineering company. He and Shanti were well known for opening their home to people who were destitute and had nowhere to go. In 1993, Dees immigrated to Los Angeles to be with his brothers, Vassie (the former owner of Palisades Bakery on La Cruz) and Jakes and their families. Two years later he became the proud owner of Palisades Auto Detail, located in the parking lot between Sunset and La Cruz and soon to be named after him. Dees captivated people with his wonderful smile and his famous ‘Hi Honey’ line at his detail shop, and will be fondly remembered for his humor and his devotion to his children. In addition to his wife and children, Dees is survived by his son-in-laws, Edward and Ivan; daughter-in laws, Mesh and Reshma; grandchildren Damian, Selisha, Shenise, Tyron, Allissa, Sasha, Taelon, Kailene and Carrie; brothers Bobby, Vassie, Jakes and Sunny; sisters Baba and Mummy; and a host of nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother Boya and sisters Shirley and Savathrie. Services and interment were held at Holy Cross Mortuary in Culver City.
John C. Thiele, 81; Writer, Director
John C. Thiele, 81, a resident of Pacific Palisades since 1952, died peacefully in his sleep on July 26. He was a wonderful, smart, witty, kind and gentle man with a great love for family and friends. The son of film director William Thiele and Barbara Thiele, John was born in Munich, Germany, on February 8, 1923 and came to America with his family via England in 1934. He graduated from Hollywood High School and earned a degree in theatre arts at the University of Iowa. In 1943, John joined the U.S. Army and was deployed through France into Germany and Austria. After returning home and touring with the USO, he married Lally Deene in 1949. John and Lally moved to the Palisades in 1952 with their young son, Christopher. John, a proud member of the Writer’s Guild, started his long career in the film industry as an actor in New York City in 1945 and moved on as a screenwriter, freelance television writer, writer and director of television commercials and feature director. He wrote and directed many ‘Lone Ranger’ episodes, was writer/ director on the feature film ‘Fume of Poppies’ and wrote and directed more than 100 industrial films. In 1992, John retired from his long career and spent three years cruising the rivers and canals of Europe aboard his motor yacht, Blue Calypso. He enjoyed many visits from family and friends and returned home to the Palisades in 1995. Predeceased by his son in 1987, his wife in 1988, and his brother Frederick in 2002, John is survived by his granddaughter Jessica Thiele of Pacific Palisades; his sister Dorie Taylor (husband Jim) of Brentwood; his sister-in-law Mimi Thiele of Edmonds, Washington; his daughter-in-law Linda Thiele of Pacific Palisades; and his nephews David Thiele of Everett, Washington, and Tony Rush of West Los Angeles. A memorial service will be held today, August 5, at 2 p.m. in the Palisades Presbyterian Church, corner of Sunset and El Medio. In lieu of flowers, John requested that donations be made in his name to Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church, 15821 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.
John M. Christie, 72; Geology Professor, Expert on Orchids
John McDougall Christie, a professor emeritus of geology at UCLA and longtime resident of Pacific Palisades, died on May 7 at his home, surrounded by his family and his orchids. He was 72. Christie grew orchids of every kind for over 40 years and was past president of both the Malibu Orchid Society and the Orchid Society of Southern California. He lectured on the culture of orchids and amazed many with his encyclopedic command of the classification and botanical names of almost every plant. He enjoyed the temperate climate of Southern California and the wide range of plants that thrive here. He loved to share his gardening expertise about all kinds of plants, camellias, fuchsias, local trees, as well as orchids and inspired many beginning orchid growers and home gardeners. He will also be remembered by many Palisadians for his involvement with No Oil, Inc., in their long and successful fight against Occidental Petroleum’s bid to drill near the beach, between Potrero Canyon and Temescal Canyon, in the 1970s. Born on December 4, 1931 in Calcutta, India, where his father ran a jute mill, Christie soon returned with his family to Invergowrie, Scotland, in 1935 and was educated in Dundee. He earned his bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. from Edinburgh University, and did his research work in the Highlands of Scotland. In 1956, he emigrated to the United States as a researcher and instructor at Pomona College and married Helen Herd, also of Invergowrie, Scotland, in 1957. In 1958, Christie joined the faculty of the geology department at UCLA and began a distinguished career as a professor and researcher in structural geology. His specialty was quartz crystals and their deformation in laboratory and field conditions; his research interests ranged from the White and Inyo Mountains of eastern California (with a special preference for the rocks surrounding the Papoose Flat Pluton) to the microscope, measuring the crystallographic orientation of quartz grains. His expertise in transmission electron microscopy led to his work with NASA on the first rock samples to return from the moon. This was also one of the few instances when Christie became interested in rocks devoid of quartz. As a professor and graduate student advisor, Christie influenced the careers and lives of countless students, sharing not only his professional knowledge but also his personal interests and encouragement. His home was often filled with students for dinner parties and late-night discussions on subjects ranging widely from geology, horticulture, Napa Valley wines, current events and the virtues of single malt Scotch to the possibility of the existence of the Loch Ness monster. Professor, colleague, orchid grower, Scotsman, mentor, husband, friend, and father, Christie shared his encyclopedic knowledge of many subjects generously and with a dry wit. He will long be remembered by the many people whose lives he touched. He is survived by his wife, Spring Verity of Pacific Palisades; the three children from his first marriage, all of whom grew up in the Palisades and graduated from Palisades High: Catherine Johnson (husband Larry) of Mar Vista, Donald of Los Angeles, and Ann Ketelaar (husband David) of Pismo Beach; grandchildren Ian and Megan Johnson and Vincent and Andrew Ketelaar; and his former wife, Helen Christie of Santa Monica. A memorial service is planned for September at UCLA. Please contact the family for more information.
Merz Makes Mark at Nationals
Six Swimmers Qualify for Nationals And Paly Team Impresses at Industry Hills
By SUE PASCOE Palisadian-Post Contributor Six Palisades-Malibu YMCA swimmers got a chance to visit Washington, D.C. and make an impression at the 2004 YMCA Long Course Nationals last week in Baltimore, Maryland. Competing against the best swimmers from over 150 Y programs nationwide, 17-year-old Alexa Merz finished first in the 50 meter Freestyle in 26.80 and Paly teammate Cara Davidoff finished second in 27.13, making her first U.S. Open cut. Merz, an All-CIF swimmer at Harvard-Westlake, swam the qualifying round in 27.15 while Davidoff, who won the Post Cup Award as outstanding senior athlete at Palisades High in June, qualified in 27.25. Then, in the 100 meter Freestyle, Merz took first place again by clocking 59 seconds flat (six hundreths of a second faster than her qualifying time) while Davidoff was sixth overall in 1:00.29. To cap her stellar meet, Merz placed fifth overall in the 50 backstroke and Davidoff was 11th in both the 50 Butterfly and 200 Freestyle. No one was more excited about the performances of his top two girls than Paly head coach Adam Blakis. ‘Alexa was easily the fastest qualifier in the 100 but she really had to fight to win the finals against an older girl from Green Bay, Wisconsin,’ he said. ‘Alexa just out-touched her at the end and won by one hundreth of a second. Cara also swam great and pushed Alexa the whole way in the 50. To have them finish 1-2 in that event was phenomenal.’ Merz’ two national titles were Paly’s first since the late 1980s when Tim Gair won the 100 butterfly. The boys 200 Medley Relay team of Peter Fishler, Dan Fox, Paris Hays and Brian Johnson became the first Paly relay team to make a national cut in 30 years, placing 63rd in that event. The same foursome also qualified in the 400 Medley Relay. During the regular year, Paly swimmers attend YMCA meets which culminate in the Y Championships in March. In the summer, swimmers switch to the long course season for USA Southern California Meets. To encourage swimmers at all levels, from beginners to those who hope to qualify for Olympic trials, there are different time standards and swimmers compete others with similar times. In order to qualify for the Junior Olympics, swimmers must meet certain time standards. On July 24-25, Paly swimmers who had at least B times in each event were qualified to swim in the Industry Hills Meet. The races were exceptionally fast because it was the last chance for swimmers to try to qualify for summer Junior Olympics. In the 8 & under girls division, Courtney Carswell placed 7th in the 50 Free (43.06), third in the 100 Free (1:33.26), sixth in the 50 Back (51.07), fifth in the 50 Breast (58.76) and second in the 50 Fly (51.11). In the 8 & under boys group, Alexander Landau took seventh in the 100 Free (1:34.16) and 50 Fly (49.90), 10th in the 50 Back (52.85) and fourth in the 50 Breaststroke (55.72). In the girls’ 10 & under division, Catherine Wang was second in the 100 Fly (1:25.65) and 100 Breast (1:35.98), fourth in the 50 Free (34.40), ninth in the 100 Free (1:18.44), fifth in the 200 Free (2:49.70) and 50 Breaststroke (46.24) and sixth in the 200 I.M. (3:05.87). In the B division, Olivia Kirkpatrick won the 50 Breast (49.85) and was third in the 100 Breaststroke (1:50.03). Matthew Piazza placed first in the 50 Free (35.80) and third in the 100 Free (1:23.66) while teammate Nicholas Edel was third in the 200 I.M. (3:39.25), sixth in the 200 Free (3:17.38) and 10th in the 50 Free (38.55) and 100 Back (1:53.18). Paly’s 11 & 12 girls had a strong showing from Alexandra Edel, Alison Merz, Kimberly Tartuvall, Shelby Pascoe, and Jennifer Tartuvall. Edel swam sixth in the 50 Breast (40.11) and 10th in the 100 Breast (1:29.35). Alison Merz qualified for Junior Olympics with a time of 36.20 in the 50 Fly and 100 Fly. In the B division, she also took sixth in the 200 Free (2:43.64) and 10th in the 50 Breast (46.31). Pascoe took third in the 100 Back (1:26.67) and fourth in both the 200 Free (2:41.14) and 50 Back (40.03). Tartavull was 11th in the 100 Fly (1:31.29). Matthew Thornson took seconds off of his previous best times and placed second in the 50 Breast (44.45). Fourteen-year-old Samantha Brill took fourth in the 50 Free (29.99). The qualifying time for her age group for Junior Olympics was 30.90, which she easily made. She also finished seventh in the 100 Free (1:06.22) with another Junior Olympics qualifying time. Earlier, she had qualified for Junior Olympics in the 100 Back and 100 Breast. Jessica Schem, 13, was runner-up in the 200 Backstroke in 3:02.91. Alison Piazza, Alexandra Baraff, and Chelsea Davidoff represented Paly’s 15 & over girls division. Chelsea, who had also already made Junior Olympics in two events, tried to increase the number of events she’d be swimming there. In the B division, Piazza placed seventh in the 100 Free (1:07.61), fourth in the 200 Back (3:05.85) and sixth in the 100 Back (1:27.62). Alexandra Baraff placed eighth in the same event in 1:29.05. For the boys, Paris Hays won the 50 Free in 26.18, a reportable time faster than an AAA time, one day before he left for Y Nationals. Evan Gore took 10th in the same event in 30.40. Daniel Fox placed second in the 200 Free (2:38.66) and ninth in the 100 Fly (1:06.52). ‘Some of the kids have been putting in two practices a day and all their hard work is resulting in excellent swims and faster times,’ Blakis said. ‘I’m really proud of everyone’s hard work this summer.’ The Junior Olympics began Wednesday and continue through Sunday in Mission Viejo. Paly swimmers attending the meet are Danny Fujinaka, Alison Merz, Catherine Wang, Samantha Brill, Chelsea Davidoff, Matthew Piazza, Paris Hayes, and Peter Fishler.
Vermont Author to Visit Village Books
Howard Frank Mosher is a longtime baseball coach and long-suffering Boston Red Sox fan, so it didn’t take too much time for him to finish his latest book, ‘Waiting for Teddy Williams,’ which started showing up on bookstore shelves last week. Already the novel has received rave reviews from a number of credible sources, including the Chicago Sun-Times and Portland Oregonian. Mosher will visit Village Books (1049 Swarthmore Avenue) at 7:30 Monday night to autograph copies of the novel and present a slideshow entitled ‘Baseball and the Writing Life,’ during which he will compare baseball and writing. ‘The idea came to me in a flash when I drove by a kid looking out a barn door window,’ says Mosher, who lives in Irasburg, Vermont. ‘I pulled into a nearby McDonald’s, let my thoughts flow and outlined the whole book in about 15 minutes.’ Palisadian Bob Vickrey, the local representative for publisher Houghton Mifflin, suggested Mosher visit the Palisades to promote his book on the West Coast: ‘He has written eight other books and I had heard about the success they’ve had out east,’ Vickrey said. ‘I thought it would be cool to have Howard come here and discuss his latest masterpiece because he’s a fabulous writer.’ ‘Waiting for Teddy Williams’ is Mosher’s ninth book. Two others have been made into movies, ‘Stranger in the Kingdom’ starring Martin Sheen and ‘Where the Rivers Flow North’starring Michael J. Fox and Rip Torn. Last year, he published ‘The True Account,’ a comic novel about the Lewis & Clark expedition. Mosher’s fantasy tells the story of Ethan Allen, an 8-year-old boy from Kingdom Common, Vermont (the spiritual home of the Red Sox Nation), who is consumed with two things: finding out the identity of his father and playing for the Red Sox. ‘This is the creation myth of every baseball fan,’ says Bill ‘Spaceman’ Lee, a Red Sox pitcher from 1969-78. ‘E.A. is as lovable as Huck Finn.’ ‘We’re happy to have Howard coming,’ says Village Books owner Katie O’Laughlin. ‘People will love the magical, quirky character he creates. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and Howard is a charming man.’
Leicester Back With Cubs
Palisadian Jon Leicester was recalled from Triple A Iowa back to the Chicago Cubs on July 21 to add depth to the Cubs’ pitching staff as the team looks to make a late run in the National League wildcard race. It is the second stint with the Cubs for Leicester, who made his major league debut June 9 against the St. Louis Cardinals and earned his first win June 13 at Anaheim. In eight appearances from June 6 to July 11, Leicester compiled a 2-0 record with a 2.63 earned run average, allowing four earned runs in 13.2 innings. As of Tuesday, the 6-3, 230-pound right-hander had played in five games since his return to the Cubs’ roster and had lowered his earned run average to 1.89. He had appeared in 13 games and was 3-0, allowing 12 hits and four earned runs with 15 strikeouts in 19 innings. Last Friday, he struck out two Philadelphia Phillies in one and one third innings to earn his third victory. Leicester began the 2004 season at Iowa, the Cubs’ Triple A affiliate. Despite pitching well in his first stint with the Cubs, he was optioned back to Iowa along with fellow pitcher Michael Wuertz, the day Chicago activated Kerry Wood and Mike Remlinger from the disabled list. A former Post Cup Award winner at Palisades High, the 25-year-old Leicester now dons jersey number 51 for the Cubs. As a child, Leicester lived in Brentwood and attended Paul Revere Middle School, then moved to Pacific Palisades in ninth grade. He chose PaliHi over University, played his prep career under head coach Russ Howard and was named the school’s outstanding senior athlete in 1997. He was drafted by the Cubs in 2000. Until two years ago, Leicester was a regular at Pali’s annual alumni game. In 2002, he went three-for-three with two towering home runs and a double in a performance Pali’s longtime scorekeeper John Mitchell called ‘the best I’ve ever seen in all the alumni games.’ The next day, Leicester was off to spring training in Daytona Beach, Florida, with one of the Cubs’ Single-A teams. In addition to Leicester, the Cubs’ pitching staff includes Wood, Greg Maddux, Mark Prior, LaTroy Hawkins, Kent Mercker, Carlos Zambrano and Matt Clement.
Colman Aces July Tourneys
Olivia Colman, the No. 1 singles player on the Palisades High girls varsity tennis team, is enjoying a successful summer on the USTA junior circuit. Under the tutelage of new coach Brian Teacher, she won the girls’ 18s division of the Beverly Hills Open three weeks ago and took first place in the same division of the Costa Mesa Summer Classic the following week. After going undefeated in match play and earning the No. 3 seed in the City Individual tournament as a freshman last fall, Colman advanced to the finals of the girls’ 14s at the USTA National Open in February. Seeded 11th out of 64 players, Colman won four matches en route to the finals.
Pekar Makes Doubles Final
Palisadian Chase Pekar and doubles partner Torsten Keil-Long of Claremont participated in the boys’ 14s division of the War By the Shore junior tennis tournament July 19-23 at Balboa Bay Racquet Club in Newport beach. In a draw that included the top juniors from Hong Kong, who are on tour in Southern California this summer, Pekar and Keil-Long won their first two rounds against local competition by 6-0, 6-1 and 6-3, 7-5 scores. In the finals, they faced Hong Kong’s top-ranked duo of Michael Kwong and Ka Chun Ko) and lost 7-5, 6-3. Pekar won the 14s division of the Palisadian-Post Tennis Open last year and reached the boys’ 12s consolation finals at the K-Swiss Grand Prix Masters in Lakewood last October.
Making Art Communal
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
18th Street Arts Center aptly describes itself as ‘where art happens.’ And how. The complex in Santa Monica, now celebrating its 15th anniversary, has a dizzying array of exhibitions, performances and events, all anchored by the 18 artists and seven arts organizations that call it home. Each year, 500 artists participate in happenings there that attract close to 75,000 visitors to the complex at Olympic and 18th. 18th Street Arts Center offers an extraordinary point of convergence for artists and other like-minded souls. It’s a gathering place especially needed in Los Angeles, a city famous for being decentralized. About half of the artists both live and work there. ‘It’s a jewel,’ says one resident artist. ‘The only thing missing is a coffee/book shop,’ she jokes. ‘Then it would be perfect.’ ‘The artists pay rent that is well below market value,’ says Palisadian Clayton Campbell, the center’s co-executive director. ‘It’s essentially like being given a grant.’ The natural clustering of artists that once occurred on the Westside’most notably in Venice and Santa Monica’rarely happens now because of exorbitant rents. This complex, five converted industrial buildings located on an acre of land, stands at the forefront of residential art centers, revered among the 300 such centers now in the U.S., and viewed as a model by the international art world. On average, about two studio spaces become available each year, with applications for the highly coveted slots reviewed by committee. Once accepted, artists stay in the community for three to five years, sometimes longer, and for those coming from other countries, the stay is only three to six months. While artists come and go, a constant is having a diverse, multicultural community. ‘It’s really an experiment, a lot like L.A. is,’ Campbell notes. ‘The question is how can a city with so many ethnicities function as a coherent whole?’ Artists brought into 18th Street usually are emerging or midlevel in their careers. Residency promotes meaningful connections with fellow artists as well as provides training in how to successfully enter the marketplace. Instruction ranges from grant-writing and financial management to legal seminars sponsored by California Lawyers for the Arts, one of the resident organizations. ‘This place is sort of a proving ground,’ Campbell says, adding that many artists, especially people who have performed at Highways’a well-known venue for alternative performing arts that has been at the center since its inception’have gone on to prominence. ‘We encourage artists to bring experiments here,’ Campbell says, adding. ‘You can try things here you can’t try in a gallery.’ All artistic disciplines are embraced by the center, from poetry and drama to visual and performance art. The multitasking artist’one who crosses over from one art form to another ‘is now the norm according to Campbell, who is himself both a photographer and painter, in addition to arts administrator. The support of artists and their art extends well beyond the boundaries of the center, with arts education in area schools being a major component of 18th Street’s mission. Arts instruction is not solely art for art’s sake, rather it follows an integrated path, with storytellers being paired with science teachers, painters with math teachers. ‘We wish to be accessible to the community as much as possible,’ says Campbell, who points to foundation and grant support as critical to the functioning of 18th Street. The center now owns rather than leases its facility, paving the way for eventual renovation and expansion. ‘The Leopard’s Spots: Between Art, Performance and Club Culture,’ a group show of visual and performance artists active in the L.A. club scene in the ’90s, opens at the center on Saturday, August 7 with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. A closing party and open house happens at 18th Street Arts Center on Saturday October 16 from 7 to midnight. Contact: 453-3711 or www.18thstreet.org. Christine Morla Christine Morla celebrates her one-year anniversary at 18th Street Art Center in August. The dramatic new studio space has allowed her work to grow in scale and become more expressive in material. A first generation Filipino-American, Morla grew up in a extended family household of 15, watching her parents and grandparents work magic with their hands by weaving beautiful mats, bags and hats. ‘Their color sensibility was fantastic,’ says Morla, whose contemporary wall installations are derivative of this traditional weaving of the Philippines. Morla’s uses an electric, unusual color scheme in composing her own intricately patterned weavings made from Coloraid paper. They are arranged like a ‘constellation of stars’ on her studio wall. The weavings also make their way into her mixed media works on paper, compositions that combine geometric forms with more fluid, curvilinear flower shapes. Ultimately, Morla, who will teach at Oxnard College in the fall, hopes her work radiates with the same celebratory atmosphere she grew up in. ‘There was always a lot of food, color and people,’ she says. ‘I want to recreate that vibrant feeling.’ Clayton Campbell Campbell, co-executive director of 18th Street Arts Center for the past eight years, knows firsthand how tough it is to hook into L.A.’s art scene. Before coming to 18th Street, he spent five years feeling isolated in a studio in Hollywood. When his studio was burglarized, he knew it was time to move on. ‘They stole everything but the art,’ he recalls with a laugh. On behalf of 18th Street, he travels internationally four or five times a year, often negotiating contracts with ministries of culture in other countries. Bringing artists from virtually every continent to come live and work at the center is Campbell’s strength as executive director. When he takes off his administrator’s hat, he assumes the role of photographer and painter in his own 18th Street studio. One of his most recent works, ‘Words My Son Has Learned Since 9-11,’ a photographic installation, was exhibited in Paris this summer. In the series, his son Nick, now 13, holds signs with words and phrases that have come to be associated with that horrific day, from ‘anthrax’ and ‘yellow alert’ to ‘freedom fry’ and ‘duct tape.’ Last year, Campbell became a Knight, or Chevalier, of the French Order of Arts and Letters. He and his wife, Leslie Glatter, a television director, moved with Nick to the Palisades eight years ago. Lita Albuquerque With an international reputation as a visual, installation and environmental artist, Lita Albuquerque doesn’t fit the standard profile of artist residents at 18th Street. Nonetheless, she reaps the benefits of close interaction with fellow artists just the same as those just beginning their careers. Born in Santa Monica and raised in Tunisia, North Africa and Paris, she arrived on the California art scene in the mid-1970s as part of the Light and Space movement. Collaborating with architect Robert Kramer, Albuquerque created ‘Celestial Disc,’ the white marble fountain in the entrance courtyard of ‘Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral’ that is inscribed with Jesus’ words from the scripture ‘I am the living water’ in 37 different languages. Albuquerque set up shop at 18th Street in 1995 and considers it the perfect place to have a studio. ‘It permits me to hone in on the work, but at the same time it’s transparent’the studio is open to the community and other artists.’ She describes her recent work as following in the long tradition of painting. Her paintings juxtapose large circles comprised of powdered pigment encased in glass against a background of gold leaf, compositions she hopes will evoke the vibrational quality of light with pure color. ‘This is really what painting is about, but done in a contemporary form,’ says the artist.
