Mixing SCIENCEArts

&

the Science of ART CONSERVATION

Murals

Part IV

ELAC ADMINISTRATIONMarvin Martinez, PresidentDr. Richard A. Moyer, Vice President,

Academic Affairs/Liberal Arts and SciencesLaura M. Ramirez, Vice President, Workforce

Education and Economic DevelopmentOscar Valeriano, Vice President, Student ServicesDr. Ann Tomlinson, Vice President,

Administrative ServicesErlinda De Ocampo, Associate Vice President,

Administrative Services

LACCD 2013-2014 BOARD OF TRUSTEESScott J. Svonkin, PresidentSteve Veres, Vice PresidentMike EngMona FieldErnest H. MorenoNancy PearlmanMiguel SantiagoLaMont G. Jackson, Student Trustee

LACCD ADMINISTRATIONDr. Francisco C. Rodriguez, ChancellorDr. Adriana D. Barrera, Deputy ChancellorDr. Felicito Cajayon, Vice Chancellor for

Economic and Workforce DevelopmentBobbi Kimble, Interim Vice Chancellor for Educational

Programs and Institutional EffectivenessDr. Albert J. Roman, Vice Chancellor

for Human ResourcesJeanette Gordon, Chief Financial Officer/TreasurerCamille A. Goulet, General CounselJames D. O’Reilly, Chief Facilities Executive

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORSRaymond K. Cheng, Chairman of the Board*

Associate Director, Cedars-Sinai Medical CenterSandy Ho, Treasurer*

E.V.P. & Regional Manager, Preferred Bank. President, LA Chinese-American Sheriff Advisory Committee

Marvin Martinez, Director President, East Los Angeles College

Marshal Chuang, Director President, JMC Motors, Inc

Marissa B. Castro-Salvati, Director, Local Public Affairs Region Manager, Southern California Edison

Christine Y. Chui, DirectorPhilip A. Cohen, Director, Chief Executive Officer,

Monterey Park Hospital & Garfield Medical Center Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, AHMC Healthcare Inc.

Tina Hwang, Director Vice President and Cluster Bank Manager, Southern California District/HSBC USA, N.A.

Priscilla Lizárraga, Director Senior Vice President, TELACU Industries

Asif Mahmood, Director M.D., F.C.C.P. Diplomat American Board of Internal Medicine & Pulmonary Diseases

Helen Romero Shaw, Director Public Affairs Manager, The Gas Company

Selina S. Chi, Executive Director Dean of Resource and Institutional Development, East Los Angeles College

Martha C. Pelayo, Development Officer STEAM Project Director, East Los Angeles College

* east los angeles college alumni

STEM PROGRAM STAFFDr. Armando M. Rivera-Figueroa, Program DirectorMarina Rueda, STEM CounselorMartha C. Pelayo, STEAM Project DirectorPatricia Reynaga, SFP-STEM AdvisorBrissa Palacios, SFP-Office TechnicianLidya Ermias, SFP-Office TechnicianShahriar Sharifi, SFP-Office TechnicianMaria Calpito, SFP-SpecialistPatrick Hawthorne, Student WorkerLuis Nava, Student Worker

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE

1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez Monterey Park, California 91754 323.265.8650

ELAC SOUTH GATE EDUCATIONAL CENTER

2340 Firestone Blvd. South Gate, CA 90280-2646 323.357.6200

LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

770 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90017 213.891.2000

6:00pm – 8:00pmS2-RECITAL HALL

Wednesday, December 3, 2O14

El Pueblo Historical Monument Collection

About STEAM ›The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) family at ELAC is excited to welcome you to the adventure and excitement of “Mixing Arts and Science.” This three-year effort, which started last semester, explores the integration of science and arts and how these two fuse seamlessly to provoke the human senses. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) is an initiative that we have developed with the goal of engaging students and members of the general community in the appreciation of art through a scientific viewpoint, and the appreciation of science from an artistic perspective. Through this initiative students and the community will join us on a journey where we will explore the science of art conservation and what the impact of that has been to the artistic community in Los Angeles. This initiative is possible through funding from the US Department of Education, to help increase awareness on the importance of science in different facets of our life, while aiming to increase the number of students pursuing a degree in STEM.

This semester’s installation on Mixing Arts and Science will focus on the conservation of murals, with the focus on a particular historic and controversial mural in Los Angeles, América Tropical. It is through the collaboration of experts with the passion to share the history of this mural that we are able to bring this event to you this evening. We are thankful to Chris Espinosa, General Manager of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, who enthusiastically agreed to participate in this STEAM event. We also extend our appreciation to Leslie Rainer, Senior Project Specialist of the Getty Conservation Institute for her commitment to the City’s birthplace and its history, and Mahmood Karimzadeh, AIA, Principal Architect for the City of Los Angeles for his time and dedication to this project. Also our gratitude goes out Karen Rapp, VPAM Director for participating in tonight’s event. Finally we would like to thank our special guest, George Yepes, for sharing his passion and expertise in bridging STEM and the Arts through Murals.

We hope that you enjoy the evening.

Armando M. Rivera-Figueroa, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Chemistry MESA and STEM Programs Director East Los Angeles College

Photo by Gary Leonard

Sponsored by the US Department of Education HSI initiative – P031C110092

A special acknowledgement to Red Bull for their contribution to tonight’s event

For More Information on ELAC STEAM Contact ›

Martha C. PelayoSTEAM Project Director, Community Relations

Pelayomc@elac.edu (323) 780-6783

For More Information About STEM Programs at ELAC Contact ›

Dr. Armando M. Rivera-FigueroaAssociate Professor of Chemistry, Program Director

Riveraam@elac.edu (323) 780-6730

GANAS ›GOALS AND NEEDS FOR ACCELERATED STEM

On September 22, 2011, the U.S. Department of Education awarded East Los Angeles College a grant (Award # P031C110092) for a project entitled, Goals And Needs for Accelerated STEM (GANAS). This cooperative grant, with the University of Southern California (USC), aims to increase the number of community college students, particularly traditionally underrepresented students, who transfer to a baccalaureate program and finish in a STEM discipline.

GANAS has been able to allow ELAC to develop different activities to target each specific goal under the grant. Activities ranging from outreach, to engagement, to preparation for success, to intervention and remediation strategies have been and are continually developed.

The success of our STEM program builds on a thorough review and continuous evaluation process, which allow us to evolve with the constant and dynamic “metamorphosis” of the process.

Special Guest › GEORGE YEPESArtist and Muralist

In 1992, George Yepes was named “El Fuego de Los Angeles” (The Fire of Los Angeles) by Councilman Richard Alatorre and the Los Angeles City Council. In 1993, for the Los Angeles Subway project, George Yepes was partnered with Ricardo Legorreta, the AIA Gold Medal architect from Mexico City, as the duo “Lead Urban Design Team” in charge of designing seven subway

stations beneath East Los Angeles. In 1997, Mayor Richard Riordan and the Los Angeles City Council named George Yepes a “Treasure of Los Angeles”. Also, in 1997, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction named George Yepes to the State Task Force on the Visual and Performing Arts for the California Department of Education. In 1998, the Governor and Secretary of State of California, hand picked George Yepes to paint a seventy-foot vaulted ceiling mural, titled “The Promise”, at the State Capital in Sacramento. In 1999, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously adopted a resolution commending George Yepes for establishing a training program that assisted teachers to effectively implement State Learning Standards for the Visual Arts.

In 1992, George Yepes founded the Academia de Arte Yepes, a free mural painting academy through which Yepes (the sole teacher and with no funding) has taught over 2,000 students, for free, from the low-income neighborhoods of Los Angeles and Chicago. In 1993, to generate renewed interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and to cultivate and inspire the next generation of explorers; George Yepes and the Academia de Arte Yepes, in partnership with NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana: established and implemented a fourteen-year National Educational Model titled: “The Marriage of Art, Science, and Technology”.

George Yepes’ paintings are in forty museum collections, and have been collected by a widely diverse audience including Sean Penn and Madonna, Patricia Arquette, Nicolas Cage, Cheech Marin, Anthony Keidis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez. In 1999, Yepes’ Warner Bros. album cover for Los Lobos titled “La Pistola y El

Corazon” was selected as one of the One Hundred Best Album Covers of All Time by the editors of Rolling Stone Magazine. Yepes’ artwork is also on the cover of Untie the Strong Woman by bestselling author, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Her book, Women Who RunWith the Wolves was on the New York Times Best Seller list for 145 weeks.

Hollywood actors Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Antonio Banderas, Eva Longoria, Carla Gugino, Marley Shelton and Patricia Arquette have modeled for several Yepes paintings. Since the year 2000, Yepes has collaborated with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino on numerous projects including Once Upon a Time in Mexico 2003; the double feature Grind House 2007; Machete 2010; and the new 2014 Robert Rodriguez/Frank Miller movie, Sin City 2 “A Dame to Kill For”.

For 40 years, from East Los Angeles, to Princeton, NASA, Dubai, and Hollywood’s Silver Screens, George Yepes has been an ambassador of Art and Culture for the City of Los Angeles.

Panelists ›

Christopher P. Espinosa, Panel Moderator General Manager, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument

Chris Espinosa currently serves as the General Manager for El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument. El Pueblo is near the site of the early pueblo or town where forty-four settlers of mixed heritage journeyed more than one-thousand miles across the desert from present-day Mexico and established Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles del Rio de Porciuncula. El Pueblo is a major tourist

destination attracting over two million visitors annually.

Chris previously served as the Director of Capital Projects for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa. In that role, he was the Mayor’s appointee to several Administrative Oversight Committees for the City’s bond-funded construction programs, including Proposition Q (Police and Fire Stations); Proposition F (Fire Stations and Animal Shelters); Los Angeles Zoo Capital Improvement Program; and, the Municipal Facilities Committee, which oversees the construction and renovation of public facilities, land acquisition, and lease agreements.

Prior to his position with the Mayor’s Office, Chris worked for the City Council in the Office of the Chief Legislative Analyst. His work included citywide budget formulation, ethics and campaign finance issues, and public safety related initia-tives. He has also worked for the Mayor’s Office in New York City and for a congressional member in Washington, D.C.

Mahmood Karimzadeh, AIA Principal Architect, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering

Mahmood Karimzadeh, AIA, has earned Bachelors of Science and Master Degrees in Architecture and Urban Planning. After graduation he worked in private sector for 10 years where he designed and managed large commercial and residential projects in Middle East, California and Canada. He has participated in several national and international design competitions and has won several

overseas and California commissions before joining the City of Los Angeles in 1991.

Mahmood is the City’s Principal Architect with the LA Bureau of Engineering, managing the $400M Municipal Facilities Program. This Program is responsible for design and construction delivery of public projects in City of Los Angeles. He is also the Program Manager for the Los Angeles Citywide Sustainable Design Program and chair of the Citywide Sustainable Design Task Force.

Leslie Rainer Getty Conservation Institute, Senior Project Specialist

Leslie’s early interests were in literature and language, along with an appreciation of the outdoors. She was born and raised in Denver, where her summers included hiking, rafting, rock climbing, and survival camp.

She spent 1990 in Rome at ICCROM, earning a certificate in mural paintings conservation, and at CRATerre-EAG, training in earthen architecture preservation—a course of study ultimately incorporated into the master’s degree in conservation of architectural finishes that she earned from Antioch University in Ohio.

In 1993 she consulted on the GCI’s project to conserve historic bas-reliefs at the Royal Palaces of Abomey. From 1995 to 1997 she was a GCI senior research fellow while working on the project. She then returned to private practice, continuing to consult on GCI projects. In 1998–99, she was a fellow at the American Academy in Rome.

In 2002 Leslie returned to the GCI to work on projects in China, Africa, and Los Angeles. Currently she is conducting research on grouts and helping to organize a conference in Mali on earthen architecture. She still enjoys fieldwork and her collaboration with colleagues in science and conservation. That particularly includes Arlen Heginbotham, a decora-tive arts conservator at the Getty Museum, whom Leslie met at the Getty. He is now her husband.

Program 6:00pm › Welcome and Introductions Dr. Armando M. Rivera, STEM Programs Director Dr. Richard Moyer, ELAC Vice President Academic Affairs

6:10pm › Guest Speaker Introductions Martha C. Pelayo, STEAM Project Director

6:15pm › Latino Art at ELAC Karen Rapp, VPAM Director

6:20pm › The Role of STEM in Murals George Yepes, Artist and Muralist

6:35pm › Panel Presentation

7:35pm › Q&A

7:50pm › Closing Remarks Dr. Armando M. Rivera

Guest Speaker ›KAREN RAPP Vincent Price Art Museum, Director

Karen Rapp has served as Museum Director of the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College since 2007. She oversaw VPAM’s recent expansion into a stand-alone, 40,000 sq. ft. facility on the college campus in Monterey Park, CA.

At VPAM, she oversees the presentation of permanent collection shows as well as temporary exhibitions. Recent projects include solo shows of artists

Barbara Carrasco, Pearl C. Hsiung, Ken Gonzales-Day, Carlos Almaraz, and Shizu Saldamando. Rapp also curates a project series called HOY SPACE that has received critical attention for its focus on underrepresented artists in the community.

She earned her B.A. degree in history and art history from the University of California, Los Angeles and an M.A. in cultural history from the University of California, Riverside. She is recognized for her interdisciplinary work within the arts as well as for building connections with communities through exhibitions and public programming.

América Tropical ›DAVID ALFARO SIQUEIROS

David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974) was a revolutionary and one of the great Mexican artists of the 20th century. As a founding member of the Mexican Muralist Movement he believed art should be created in public spaces. He wanted his work to be reflective of the environment where it was created.

When Siqueiros arrived in Los Angeles, the Plaza at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument was already a place of political free-speech. He began teaching fresco techniques to young artists at

Chouinard Art Institute. Siqueiros soon forged long term relationships with influential people which led to his being commissioned to create the mural at El Pueblo de Los Angeles.

The creation of the mural began in late 1932 and it was to be painted on Italian Hall overlooking Olvera Street. Everyone anticipated it would depict a tranquil scene that would correspond with the overall nostalgic themes of the marketplace. Instead Siqueiros’ América Tropical challenged that imagery and his mural became a catalyst for controversy.

The unveiling of América Tropical was met with both animosity and acclaim. Some praised Siqueiros for visually depicting his views on imperialism in the Americas. Others criticized him for abandoning classic techniques and for combining haunting imagery with politics. In the end, it was decided that the mural was out of place and by 1938 it was completely whitewashed.

The mural has survived years of weathering and natural disasters and is now conserved and on display to the public. What exists now is but a ghost of what Siqueiros revealed in 1932. Introducing the mural once again, the América Tropical Interpretive Center hopes to invite a new generation of people to analyze and discuss its universal themes of censorship, tolerance, and social justice.

El Pueblo Historical Monument Collection Above Photos by Gary Leonard