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Get ready for the Palisades Annual Meeting & Social this Tuesday, May 11th! Come meet and join fellow residents, neighbors, parents and students. This year’s format will include interactive Q&A sessions with speakers and live entertainment. There is free, limited seating so arrive early.

Live, on stage will be:
* Carmen Trutanich, L.A. City Attorney
* Lisa O’Brien, White Point Elementary School Principal
* Jacob Haik, Juan Flecha and Steve Boehm, LAUSD
* Joe Buscaino, LAPD Sr. Lead Officer
* Andrea Vona, Palos Verdes Land Conservancy *** NEW! ***
* Kerri Kilgore, Tierra Vista (LAAFB housing at Pacific Crest & Pacific Heights)
* Deborah Lewis, Executive Director at Angels Gate Cultural Center

Entertainment will be provided by White Point Elementary School students: the bentriliquist, the tappers, american honey and other amazing entertainers. Peggy and Bruce Lindquist of the Corner Store will also be making an appearance.

We will be holding an election for 2010-11 board members. We need your help! Please consider joining the board to help our community. The PRA board meets ten times per year on the second Tuesday of each month (excluding August and December) at 7:00 pm at Angels Gate Cultural Center.

This would also be a good time to renew your membership if you haven’t done so already. It’s only $15 per house or apartment. You can also renew your membership securely online by credit card or paypal account.

WHAT: Palisades Residents Association Annual Meeting & Social
WHEN: Tuesday, May 11, 2010
* 6:00 pm Interaction Begins – Free food and drink
* 6:30 pm PRA Guests Q&A and Live Entertainment
* 8:45 pm Go home!
WHERE: White Point Elementary School Auditorium, 1410 Silvius Ave, San Pedro
CONTACT: pra@sanpedropalisades.org

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Save the Date! The Angels Gate Cultural Center will be holding their annual open studios next month. They usually have lots of activities for families and some very interesting artwork just a hop, skip and a jump away from home.

WHAT: Angels Gate Cultural Center Open Studios
WHEN: Sunday, May 16, 2010, 10am–4pm
WHERE: 3601 South Gaffey Street, San Pedro

We will post more information as it becomes available.

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There was a fire in one of the buildings housing artist’s studios early morning this past weekend at Angels Gate Cultural Center.

From the Daily Breeze:

“A building that houses eight art studios in the Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro is expected to reopen Wednesday in the aftermath of a weekend fire that damaged one of the studios.

The fire, reported at 5:30 a.m. Sunday, was extinguished quickly after flames and smoke were spotted by a member of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, which oversees the property.

The blaze burned one studio and caused minor smoke damage to the remainder of the 1940s-era building, a former U.S. Army barracks at Fort MacArthur located at 3601 South Gaffey St.

Sculptors, musicians, painters, writers and others who work in the building were not allowed inside while Los Angeles fire inspectors assessed the damage, said Deborah Lewis, director of the center. Though the building is old, there were no issues with asbestos, she said.

“We are airing the building the out, and we’re making sure that everything is safe,” she said.

One art class that meets in the building was moved to another building this week, Lewis said. The cultural center is comprised of five buildings with work-studio space for 52 artists.

A spokeswoman with the Los Angeles City Fire Department said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

CORRECTION: An article Wednesday about a fire at Angels Gate Cultural Center misstated the number of buildings on the site. There are a total of 11 buildings, including administration offices, constructed in the 1930s.”

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The arts are in jeopardy! Please read the following message from the Angels Gate Cultural Center Staff:

Dear Friends and Supporters of Angels Gate:

As you may already know, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs [Click here for link] is being threatened with catastrophic budget and staff cuts. Staff reductions of 24-48% have been proposed as has the total elimination of the $2.2 million in grants that the Department awards annually. This includes grants that have been awarded for the rest of this year that have not been invoiced. In addition, five councilmembers have introduced a motion to remove the city ordinance that guarantees 1% of the “hotel bed tax” for the Department’s budget, a move that would eliminate any obligation to fund the Department at all.

We don’t have to tell you about the valuable programs and organizations that will be adversely affected by this action. The arts in Los Angeles are a 14.8 billion dollar industry. For every dollar spent by the Department of Cultural Affairs, eight dollars are generated directly in jobs for artists and businesses. This doesnt even take into account the value of the arts to society overall.

We need your help and we need it now

Angels Gate, in partnership with the Grand Vision Foundation, hosted a letter writing party, February 1, at the Grand Annex on 6th Street in Downtown San Pedro. They wrote letters to the city council, Council District 15 councilmember Janice Hahn and the Mayor’s office, letting them know how
important the Department of Cultural Affairs and its services are to you and your families. Your words can change things.

If you didn’t make our letter writing party, you can write a letter online via Arts for L.A.’s website [Click here for link]. If you don’t live in the City, but enjoy the services provided by the DCA, you should direct your Emails to either council president Eric Garcetti or councilmember Janice Hahn, who represents Council District 15, where the Angels Gate Cultural Center is located.

Write a letter online here: [Click here for link]

You can also contact your councilmember’s office directly, via the City of Los Angeles website [Click here for Council District 15 link].

Thank You,
The Angels Gate Cultural Center Staff:

Deborah Lewis, Executive Director
Marshall Astor, Visual Arts Director
Jessica Yang, Education Director
Oscar Garcia, Development Director
Dana Joy Helwick, Program Administrator

You can find out more about this issue on Marshall Astor’s website.

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Click for larger image.

The Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council is hosting a free pancake breakfast at Angels Gate Cultural Center on November 8. The public is encouraged to come visit the Cultural Center and enjoy pancakes and sausage while meeting members of the board to discuss topics and issues of local and citywide interest.

The Council will be giving away free tote bags and will be conducting free raffles throughout the breakfast.

WHEN: Sunday, November 8, 2009, 10:00 am to Noon
WHERE: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St.
DETAILS: For more details, call (310) 290-0049

Angels Gate Cultural Center is also having a studio artist art sale called the Crafty Vixens Holiday Sale in Bldg H from 11:00 a.m. to 5p.m. and a new art show, Plain and Simple, will be opening in Gallery A from 2 pm. to 4 p.m. that day as well.

WHEN: Sunday, November 8, 2009, see above for times
WHERE: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St.
DETAILS: Details available at www.angelsgateart.org.

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This Thursday night, October 29, head on over to Angels Gate Cultural Center for some scary stories around the campfire. Bring a chair and dress warmly!

WHERE: Angels Gate Cultural Center amphitheater (old gun emplacement)
WHEN: Thursday, October 29, 6:30 pm
DETAILS: $5 per person, Free for children 6 and under. No reservations required.

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Angels Gate Cultural Center has a new executive director, Deborah Lewis, and she and the staff are working on the advancement of the Master Plan that was so many years in the making. The center will be expanding their programs, performances and classes and would like a little feedback from you. They have an online survey that takes less than three minutes of your time. Your feedback will communicate your desires for the future of Angels Gate Cultural Center.

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Multi-media artist Jocelyn Foye will have a solo exhibition of new work in Project Room G3 at Angels Gate Cultural Center. Foye will be showing an installation created with the San Pedro Ballet, as well as presenting a live boxing match next door in Building H on Saturday, May 23rd.

Reception:
Saturday, May 23rd, 7-9pm
Boxing Match starts at 8:30pm in Building H

Exhibit:
May 23rd - June 13th, 2009
Saturdays 11am - 5pm (& by appointment)

What could be better on a rainy day than a play reading? Three play readings!

Angels Gate’s 2009 New Play Reading Series starts this Saturday. Each yet-to-be-produced play is set in contemporary Los Angeles and acted in by some of the most talented actors in L.A.  There is something for everyone from a comedy to a classic noir murder mystery to a drama-comedy. To read details about each play reading visit Angels Gate Cultural Center’s website.

DETAILS:
Saturday, February 7
2pm: Dark Matters by Oliver Mayer
5pm: The Ghost Building by Damon Chua
8pm: Year Zero by Michael Golamco
Angels Gate Cultural Center, Gallery A

Admission is $10 to each reading or $20 for the entire series. No reservations needed. Free parking. Food will be available for purchase during breaks - or bring a picnic.

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Tonight’s Palisades Residents’ Association board meeting has been postponed. We will update you with a new date and time soon.

***UPDATE****
The January board meeting of the Palisades Residents Association will be held Thursday, January 22nd, 7 pm at Angels Gate Cultural Center, Building A.