LBHS Schedules
Varsity
•••
Fri, March 5
Coed Cross Country
Los Alamitos @ Central Park (HB)
1:30 p.m.
Boys Tennis
Home vs. Sage Hill
3 p.m.
Girls Volleyball
Corona del Mar @ Main Beach
3 p.m.
•••
Sat, March 6
Girls Water Polo
@ Newport Harbor
1 p.m.
Boys Water Polo
@ Newport Harbor
3:30 p.m.
•••
Final donation tally for Village HopeCore doubles best year in just 30 days
Can there be an upside to the pandemic?
Maybe – if you listen what Tom Berndt has to say.
“I learned a lot in this COVID-19 year. In my past nine years with my Auxiliary with Village HopeCore (VHC) collecting hats and glasses to be sent to Kenya for those with eye issues, I’ve always depended on my fellow realtors to bring the items or donate cash. Realtors by nature are service oriented, giving people. This COVID-19 year, I couldn’t get in front of them. Not allowed. So I had to go online for help. The first to step up was Stu News. With enthusiasm! Later, Nextdoor neighbors. And my Facebook. And past clients. Everyone stepped up.”
As everyone knows, COVID-19 gave us time at home whether we liked it or not.
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Photo by Bob Ortiz
Tom Berndt with his donations for Village HopeCore
Berndt continues, “This is where COVID-19 came in. People had time to go through their garage, desks, gym bags, etc., and drop off daily donations in a big box in front of my Coldwell Banker office in South Laguna, also Dana Point. Every day the box had items. My cubicle started to get crowded.”
In 30 days, I almost doubled my past best year, which took six months. I literally reached the limit the volunteers at VHC could carry on their flight. Along with the hats and glasses are a volunteer doctor, nurse, dentist, hygienist, and vitamins. All pay their own way. The tally…over 800 hats for the kids, over 2,000 reading glasses for adults. Most new from cash donations, and over 400 new and used sunglasses.”
These are much needed donations – things we take for granted.
“Chogoria sits at almost 7,000 ft. They have little protection from the sun. Children develop cataracts,” says Berndt. “Adults have poor vision. A $1 pair of reading glasses can alter a life. I know. I wear them. Every dollar donated goes to the people. Not many charities can say that. My Auxiliary promises such. Now I take a break and then plan for next year. Thank You Stu News for your generosity.”
Gate & Garden Tour will take place in person on May 1, with timed entries
Laguna Beach Garden Club has announced that it will be resuming its 15-year tradition of a spring garden tour open to the public and Garden Club members alike. In 2019 the Club had a stellar, sold-out event that broke records for funds raised to support local school gardens, scholarships for local students, and civic environmental and beautification projects in town.
Consequently, the bar has been set high to provide another experience that will thrill the senses.
“When I think of spring and Laguna Beach, one of the first thoughts that jumps to mind is the incredible experience of attending a garden tour. It just screams out spring, a new beginning!” says LB Garden Club member Karen Nelson. “To think about being outside, enjoying nature, and seeing beautiful gardens created by some of our city’s residents is a joy.”
Of course, 2021 will have an entirely new normal given the necessary adjustments to living in the time of COVID-19.
This year Susan Denton, a Garden Club member and retired nurse practitioner with a Master’s Degree in Nursing from UCLA, has taken the position of Gate & Garden Tour Director. Susan’s medical background and knowledge of epidemiology are a wonderful bonus in planning for a safe and enjoyable tour for all.
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Submitted photo
Susan Denton, 2021 Gate & Garden Tour Director
“For the foreseeable future, when people are out in public and wearing masks, social distancing and frequent hand washing are ‘musts’ to help prevent disease that may occur wherever we go,” says Susan.
“In addition to these precautions, entrance tickets will be timed this year to allow for social distancing of our tour guests. This will be integral to providing our guests a safe Gate & Garden Tour experience.
“By nature of the tour being an outdoor event, it meets the threshold of being a lower risk event as the large volume of air outdoors serves to dilute the virus that might be shed by others in the space. But each individual needs to make their own health decisions based on their risk factors and vaccination status.”
The host venue will be the beautiful and historic Laguna Beach County Water District’s “Mediterranean Revival” District headquarters located at 306 Third St.
“This venue allows us much more space to spread out and allow our guests to experience all that the tour has to offer,” Susan adds.
For more details, and to purchase tickets visit www.lagunabeachgardenclub.org.
Early Bird tickets are available until April 23 for $50 plus a handling fee. For more information or sponsorship opportunities, email Susan Denton at [email protected].
LBHS Class of 1970 creates “Virtual Reunion” for its 50-year class reunion
Due to the pandemic, the 50-year class reunion for the Laguna Beach High School Class of 1970 was canceled (or postponed a year). It was scheduled to be celebrated last September. However, as with many events during the past year, the organizers came up with an innovative plan.
What occurred was a collaboration to create a “Virtual Reunion,” whereby old classmates were encouraged to send photos and an expression of gratitude. A site was set up to host the outpouring from those who participated, and it was a complete success.
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LBHS Class of 1970 graduates can connect with their classmates virtually
John Slowsky (class of 1970) says, “We have lost contact with a lot of our classmates, although they stay in contact with their hometown via Stu News. Here is the site, so if anyone wants to see the virtual reunion, they can go to the following address: www.kindmemories.com/LBHS1970.”
Notable alumni from this class are artists Jon Seaman (who created the whale sculpture in Heisler Park), Hedy Buzan, and Laguna patriot Howard Hills.
Pacific Marine Mammal Center celebrates 50-Year Anniversary
Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC), formerly Friends of the Sea Lions (FSL), is celebrating its 50th Year Golden Anniversary in 2021. From a small three-person rescue team, rehabilitating seals in a bathtub, PMMC has grown into a leader in marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation and top-level scientific hub and education center.
FSL was the first licensed marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation center in the state of California. It began with two lifeguards, a veterinarian, and a concerned little girl for a sick harbor seal on the beach.
“In 1971, Jim Stauffer, Dr. Rose Ekeberg, and I started a small group known as the Friends of the Sea Lions,” said John Cunningham, co-founder for FSL. “With the help of a handful of Laguna Beach high school students, our mission was to rescue, rehabilitate, and release sick and injured seals and sea lions along the Orange County coast. Today, 50 years later, I am so proud to still be a part of what’s become a world-class nonprofit now known as the Pacific Marine Mammal Center.”
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Courtesy of PMMC
A field trip to FSL in the original barn
“I’m so proud to continue to see the community get behind this important mission,” said co-founder Jim Stauffer. “It’s been great to watch it grow all for the benefit of these precious marine mammals.”
To date, PMMC has rescued over 10,000 marine mammals, all of which are federally-protected species that contribute significantly to our ocean eco-systems. Additionally, the organization educates tens of thousands of students annually, hosts up to 50,000 patrons annually at its visitor center in Laguna Beach, and is now diving head first into forefront research projects including ones involving cancer in sea lions and crucial killer whale research in hopes to save the dwindling southern resident killer whale (SRKW) population.
“I am excited to join the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in celebrating their 50th Anniversary and all of the extraordinary contributions they have made to our region,” said U.S. Representative Mike Levin. “Now more than ever, it is critically important that we protect marine life and promote conservation, and I deeply appreciate the PMMC’s leadership on those values over their storied history. Like many families in our community, my kids have made lasting memories at the Center and we look forward to more visits in the future.”
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Courtesy of PMMC
Sea lion kisses at the beach
The organization has been through many ups and downs, surviving two catastrophic floods and mudslides, multiple fire evacuations, and a three-year-long sea lion UME or unusual mortality event – bringing PMMC to the very limit on resources. The PMMC community has always shown up and the organization would not be where it is today without that continued support.
“Pacific Life has been a proud supporter of the Pacific Marine Mammal Center for over three decades,” said Tennyson Oyler, President of Pacific Life Foundation. “We have seen firsthand the critical work that the Center has done for our local marine life, and we are delighted to see the organization continue to grow as an important contributor to conservation and science-based education and a champion for our environment.”
As part of the ongoing celebration of this historic milestone, PMMC will make this year’s annual Gala a very unique and memorable event highlighting the organization and community’s achievements over the years, and will release limited edition products and apparel, and host other surprises.
To start off, the organization has released a special homage to PMMC’s 50th Anniversary with the creation of a commemorative 50th Anniversary page at www.pacificmmc.org/50thanniversary.
“Throughout its history, it’s been a collaborative effort. That was made clear from Day 1 with the transformational work of John Cunningham, Jim Stauffer, and Dr. Rose Ekeberg, who were volunteers for years in making this the organization it is today,” said Peter Chang, CEO of Pacific Marine Mammal Center. “We continue to be a direct product of the remarkable passion and compassion from the community 50 years later, and that’s something we are extremely proud of. PMMC would like to thank every single volunteer, staff member, supporter, community member, donor, person who called an animal in, educator, collaborator, and everyone in between. Because of you, we are not only celebrating the past. We are looking forward to the future of Pacific Marine Mammal Center.”
LCAD unveils plans to honor Jonathan Burke’s retirement after 40 years
Laguna College of Art + Design (LCAD) has announced plans to honor Jonathan Burke who retired as President, culminating a career of 40 years.
Terry Jones, chairman of the LCAD Board of Trustees, said, “Jonathan’s life’s work has left an indelible mark both on LCAD as an institution and on countless students, faculty, staff, and volunteers. We look forward to celebrating his tenure in a way that is befitting of his grand legacy.”
Jones and the LCAD Board of Trustees announced several initiatives that will honor Burke’s distinguished LCAD career, including the renaming of the College’s current fine art program as the “Jonathan Burke Fine Art Program” so that all future graduates will carry his name on their BFA and MFA diplomas in perpetuity. On May 21, 2021, Burke will be the keynote speaker and receive an honorary LCAD degree at this year’s virtual Commencement.
LCAD will also name the path to studios 8, 9, and 10 as Burke Way, honoring Burke’s roots as a teacher. The LCAD Board of Trustees commissioned Cedar Waxing, Benevolence, a painting by LCAD Alumnus Alia El Bermani, BFA, 2000 who graduated summa cum laude.
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Submitted photo
LCAD’s former president Jonathan Burke
A fundraiser in support of the LCAD Student Center has been launched, allowing all to make a tribute gift in honor of Burke’s unprecedented and unequaled impact on the College.
Burke joined LCAD, then known as Laguna Beach School of Art, as a Fine Arts instructor in 1980. His rapport with the students and his extraordinary artistic talents positioned him for growth and leadership within the organization. He soon took on the responsibilities of Chair of Fine Arts, then Dean of Fine Arts, Interim Dean of Visual Communications, and Co-VP of Academic Affairs, which led him to his role as President and CEO.
“Jonathan has been the heart and soul of this institution since its early days and his commitment to excellence and creativity will long endure at LCAD. I am grateful for the many years we worked together, and I know that he will be missed,” said Hélène Garrison, Chief Operating Officer and Provost of LCAD, who has worked alongside Burke for 35 years.
During Burke’s tenure as President, the school experienced unprecedented evolution and improvements that positioned LCAD for strategic and responsibly-managed growth that allowed the college to provide the state-of-the-art facilities and extensive services to its staff, faculty, and, most importantly, its students.
The College added East Campus, which houses the Suzanne Chonette Senior Studios and the Administration Building; South Campus, home to campus housing, AR/VR, graphic design, fine arts photography classrooms, and photography and recording studios; the LCAD Gallery in downtown Laguna Beach; and expansion of the Big Bend Campus, home to classrooms and studios for animation, graphic design, and game art.
With Burke at the helm, the school also added the MFA programs in Drawing, Painting, and Game Design, a Post-Baccalaureate program, and new undergraduate majors including Entertainment Design and Experimental Animation.
A constant voice and advocate for the students, Burke is a driving force behind the development of a capital campaign to build a new student center at the Big Bend Campus, designed to enhance the student experience.
As Burke embarks on his well-deserved retirement, he said, “As I think about my future, I am eager to return to my first passion: spending valuable time in the studio drawing and painting, as well as a desire to return to the wonderful community of representational artists. More than ever, I firmly believe in the value of an art and design college. LCAD continues to provide the best conditions for a creative person to transform and communicate their passion to be an artist into a relevant and fulfilling life and career.”
For more information about the Jonathan Burke Tribute Campaign, visit www.lcad.com.edu/about/support/jonathan-burke-tribute.
JoAnne Artman Gallery presents Yes, Masters II: A MANthology
A marker of a great work of art is its timelessness. JoAnne Artman Gallery proudly presents Yes, Masters II: A MANthology, an exhibition of recent works by Danny Galieote, Greg Miller, and Michael Callas, which pays homage to the past by putting a present-day spin on age-old masterpieces. The exhibition runs through April 16.
A departure from their typical styles and subjects, each artist created works specifically for this exhibition. Daring to assume a different artistic paradigm that combines 20th century attitude with traditional European sensibility, the culmination is a shared dialogue challenging conventional narratives in art with expressive color and a focus on figuration.
Playful and satirical, these contemporary adaptations of art history merge the classical with the commodification of art in pop culture and mass media, all while bringing Old Masters into a new world.
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Danny Galieote, “Freedom of Speech,” Edition 1 of 10, giclee on archival acid-free rag paper, 46 x 38 inches, framed
Drawn from the term “Old Masters,” the title refers to such prolific artists as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Rembrandt. Derived and abstracted from Old Masters paintings and ideologies, Galieote, Miller, and Callas deconstruct pictorial language and artistic agency through investigating the ways in which their masculinity, identity, and individualism are embedded in both the significance and composition of each work.
Using art history as a stepping-stone for newfound interpretations through the lens of pop subjectivity, these artists acknowledge the legacies of their predecessors in their modern and spirited anthologies.
A California native, Galieote began his art career in Disney animation studios. A top animator for films such as The Lion King and Tarzan as a character artist, Galieote honed his skill at hand drawing and the human figure. Well versed in art history, his influences include Renaissance masters such as Michelangelo, Rubens, and the Mannerist Jacopo Pontormo, as well as American realist painter George Bellows and other AshCan artists. Incorporating whimsical elements with modern social concerns, Galieote imbues light-hearted imagery with deeper connotations, illuminating timeless truths of the dualities of human nature.
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Submitted photo
Greg Miller, “Les Demoiselles,” acrylic paint, spray paint, collage paper on panel, 36 x 36 inches
Steeped in the process of taking all aspects of culture, art, architecture, and images that surround him, Greg Miller combines his paintings with found elements to the surface of his canvases and panels. Addressing art history and the fleeting nature of cultural ephemera and collective memory, his selection of pieces are a foundation of our culture, and with the found collages added to the surface, each piece tells a story of past, present, and future.
With these new paintings, Miller redirects his penchant for depicting the human figure towards reimagined classics. Evoking a sense of history, as well as magic, the historical influences of his recent painted works transcend time. Rooted in Pop art, street art, graphic design, and his life in Southern California, Michael Callas’ paintings are done with spray paint and precise stencil work. Intricately produced through a rigorous process of drafting, mapping, and hand-cutting precise templates before being transposed onto canvas with aerosol paints, Callas creates a surface that is uniform and rich in color.
Remaining true to his practice, Callas meticulously maps out color planes of saturated hues and gray tones, crafting dimensionality and dramatic light sources on his subjects. Applying his distinct approach of working in aerosols to the traditional oil paintings of the Renaissance, Callas explores the famous character archetypes and narratives throughout art history.
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Submitted photo
Michael Callas, “American Modern,” spray paint and stencil on canvas, 62.5 x 52 inches
These artists’ work will inspire, provoke, engage, and mesmerize. With visual perceptions always changing, peek behind the stories told and you’re sure to find the right artistic expression.
The art is on view by appointment at 326 N Coast Hwy. For more information, contact JoAnne Artman at (949) 510-5481, email [email protected], or visit www.joanneartmangallery.com.
