Nov-Dec 2013 - Westside People

ACTIVE LISTINGS BY SANTIAGO ARANA
BY APPOINTMENT
BY APPOINTMENT
HAVEN & CO.
BY APPOINTMENT
Holiday Greetings!
491 N TIGERTAIL RD, BRENTWOOD
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212 VANCE ST, PACIFIC PALISADES
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13023 W. SUNSET BLVD, PACIFIC PALISADES
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by Christopher Young Designs.
You will find gifts for everyone;
friends and family!
We offer complimentary gift
wrapping & validated parking.
1832 OLD ORCHARD RD, BRENTWOOD
6 BD | 8.5 BA | Offered at $8,999,000
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201 MANTUA RD, PACIFIC PALISADES
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560 MARQUETTE ST, PACIFIC PALISADES
Land/Lot | Offered at $7,975,000
BY APPOINTMENT
361 S. LA PEER DR, BEVERLY HILLS
4 BD | 3.5 BA | Offered at $3,399,000
507 12TH ST, SANTA MONICA
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BY APPOINTMENT
14923 W. SUNSET BLVD, PACIFIC PALISADES
2 BD | 2 BA | Offered at $1,575,000
HAVEN & CO.
SANTIAGO
ARANA
Principal
310.926.9808 | Santiago@TheAgencyRE.com | BRE# 01492489
www.TheAgencyRE.com
Gifts ∙ Home Décor ∙ Jewelry
11965 San Vicente Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90049
310.476.3060
www.havenandcompany.com
CONTENTS
NOVEMBER + DECEMBER 2013
VOLUME 1 NUMBER 5
12
14
SANTIAGO ARANA
A rising star in real estate and
the American dream
meatball.
LINDSEY HAUN
The actress and musician has a
recurring role in True Blood
16
ROY VONGTAMA
A radiation oncologist
succeeds as an actor
18
CLIFF GARTEN
20
westside people
Recreating public space from
his Venice studio
NAOMI LEVY
One of the first female
rabbis leads a unique Jewish
community
14
12
On the Cover:
Pictured: Realtor Santiago Arana
Photography: David Fairchild
4
Westsi d e Pe o p le
| N ovember + December 2013 | westsidepeoplemag.com
16
WESTSIDE PEOPLE
18
meatball slider.
the new meatball slider.
One very meaty meatball, topped with our famous pizza sauce and our award-winning mozzarella,
served up on a King’s Hawaiian® Sweet Roll. Fresh. Very fresh.
FreshBrothers.com, or use our iPhone, iPad and Droid apps. Santa Monica, 310.656.6888. Marina Del Rey, 310.823.3800.
Brentwood, 310.826.0777. Hollywood, 323.962.6262. West Hollywood, 310.652.5252.
David Fairchild Studio
B R E N T WO O D
PAC I F I C PA L I SA D E S
SA N TA M O N I CA
David Rosenfeld
Publisher, Editor
Susan Bagnoli
Art Director
Holiday Event Photography
Editorial
Taylor Van Arsdale
Ed Pilolla
310-316-5547
d
n
a
y
Happ lidays
Ho
e
f
a
S
Photography
David Fairchild
www.DavidFairchildStudio.com
Advertising
You Can Have
the Very Best. . .
. . . NOW!
David Rosenfeld | 310-528-3101
Pamela Perrine | 818-823-5873
Accounting
To our readers:
Linda Rosenfeld
Westside People magazine welcomes your feedback and reaction to our magazine. And we are
always looking for new story ideas. Please send your letters to info@westsidepeoplemag.com
Westside People (ISSN 1234-5678) is published bimonthly by DMR Publications, Inc. Westside
People is distributed free in Brentwood, Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades. No part of this
periodical may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written consent. The
entire contents of Westside People magazine are Copyright 2013 by DMR Publications, Inc.
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Westsi d e Pe o p le
| N ovember + December 2013 | westsidepeoplemag.com
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W E S T S I D E EVENTS
LOS ANGELES’ LARGEST HOLIDAY RUNNING EVENT
STARLIGHT FOUNDATION
CELEBRATES 30 YEARS
Mr. T and half the cast of Full House were
among the Hollywood stars that celebrated
the 30th anniversary of the Starlight
Children’s Foundation recently at the
Skirball Cultural Center in Brentwood. The
foundation serves millions of hospitalized
children around the world per year with
technology and educational programming.
Pictured: (far left) Kathleen Robertson
with husband Chris Cowle. (left) Bob
Saget, Candace Cameron Bure, Starlight
chairman Roger Shiffman, John Stamos.
Photos by Westside People.
Starlight.org
SUSAN SARANDON HONORED
AT BEYOND HUNGER
Sponsored by Bruce P. Mitchell
For the past 36 years I have
sponsored and produced the
Santa Monica Venice Christmas
Run as a family and community
oriented event. I take great pride
in putting on a well organized
and fun event and in giving the
best shirts with the best art work
of any race around. I sincerely
hope you enjoy this years event.
—Bruce Mitchell
Register at www.christmasrun.com
424-238-5526
1308 Montana Ave
BRE #00963197
Santa Monica, CA 90403
EMAIL: bruce@brucepmitchell.com
WEBSITE: www.brucepmitchell.com
Heifer International honored Susan Sarandon for
her exceptional support at the 2nd Annual Beyond
Hunger gala in September. The aid group works
with small farmers in more than 40 countries to
provide livestock and training. It’s helped more
than 94 million people improve their lives as well as
their communities with a focus on environmental
sustainability.
Pictured: (right) Amanda Fuller and Josh
Zuckerman. (far right) CEO Pierre Ferrari with
honoree Susan Sarandon. Photo courtesy Heifer
International Photo courtesy Heifer International
Heifer.org
Lady
PIER DEL SOL WITH MARIA SHRIVER
The 5th Annual Get Lucky for Lupus LA poker
tournament took place in September on the roof of the
Petersen Automotive Museum in Beverly Hills.
Maria Shriver joined Special Olympics Southern California in October to
celebrate the largest fundraising event of the year for the organization
her mother Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded in 1968. The event known
as Pier del Sol included nearly 35 of LA’s top restaurants in a giant
international food court with games and live entertainment.
Pictured: (above) Ian Ziering, Katie Cleary and Michael
Kernan. Bobby Brown with wife Alicia Etheredge.
LupusLA.org
Pictured: (above) Maria Shriver with two Special Olympics athletes.
Photo courtesy Southern California Special Olympics.
SOSC.org
LUCKY LUPUS DRAWS CELEBS
8
Westside Peo p le
| N ove mber + December 2013 | westsidepeoplemag.com
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westsidepeople mag.c om | November + Dec ember 20 13 |
Wes ts ide Peo p l e
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10/30/13 1:26
W E S T S I D E SPOTLIGHTS
LOLLICUP RIDES BOBA TEA CRAZE
When Alan Yu and Marvin Cheng founded Lollicup Coffee and Tea 13
years ago, they had a simple goal in mind. They wanted to bring the
most popular beverages from Taiwan to the United States. The most
common drink was boba milk tea, invented in Taiwan during the
1980s with its signature tapioca balls. Since its arrival, boba tea (or
bubble tea) has swept the nation, especially on college campuses.
Lollicup now has 36 licensee locations in the U.S., four corporateowned stores throughout the Southland, and two international
locations in China. Each location is unique. The Sawtelle and Wilshire
store welcomes a young crowd with bright lights, dance music and
fun artwork hung on orange walls. Television screens display a menu
of more than 70 variations of tea from Thai to taro, with choices of
beverage add-ons, such as boba, fruit, jellies, and more. They also
serve food, such as Beef Noodle Soup, Fried Seafood, and Popcorn
Chicken. Store Manager Emily Huang, who was raised in Taiwan, said
working at Lollicup makes her feel close to her heritage. “A lot of
boba tea from other places can make you feel bloated,” Huang said.
“At Lollicup, we use a special Chinese herb that lets you digest the
tea faster and you are not left with that bloated feeling.”
Pictured: Store manager Emily Huang with assistant manager Phi
Zin at Lollicup’s Sawtelle and Wilshire store.
Lollicup.com 2206 Sawtelle Blvd 310.231.8688
LADY CHOCOLATT: A CHOCOLATE LOVE STORY
For Linda and Roberto Zucchi their road to America was paved in chocolate. The owners of Lady Chocolatt made
several trips to California in 2009 from their home in Italy looking for jobs when they discovered a small chocolate
and coffee shop for sale off Wilshire. Three months later they’d quit their jobs in Italy, sold their home and moved to
America. “We just fell in love with this chocolate and decided to buy the place,” Roberto said. “Now we are working
together every day and very glad to be here.” Lady Chocolatt sells imported Belgium chocolate as the sole US
distributor for a family chocolatier. Their boxed hand-picked assortments are a perfect holiday and gift idea that
can be purchased in the store and ordered on-line. As opposed to large commercial brands of chocolate, Lady
Chocolatt’s Belgium imports contain less sugar and more cocoa butter that’s unique to one of the oldest chocolate
making traditions in the world. “There’s nobody in the world doing as good a chocolate as Belgium,” Roberto said.
Pictured: Roberto and Linda Zucchi
Lady Chocolatt 12008 Wilshire Blvd Chocolatt.com 310.442.2245
10
West s i d e Peo p l e
| November + December 201 3 | wes ts idepeoplemag.co m
HAVEN & CO. OWNER CINDY
WILLIAMS
Cindy Williams grew up in Brentwood and lived most of
her life on the Westside. For the past five years owning
and operating Haven & Co., the upscale lifestyle boutique
on San Vicente in Brentwood, has been her passion. Every
item, from the hand-blown glass and jewelry to the table
displays for the holidays, are hand-picked by Williams with
an attention to detail and an understanding of what her
clients want. “Because we’re a relatively small business,
they are going to see my face and the same associates
who have been here for years,” Williams said. “You’re going
to get personal service, your packages walked to the
car and a beautifully wrapped gift at no charge.” Earlier
this year, Haven & Co. took over an adjoining space and
opened their floor room to three levels and 3,000 square
feet. There she displays the beautiful Christmas trees and
wreaths, including Hanukah versions, which she’s offering
this year to personally decorate for individuals in their
homes. Also new this year are various lines of jewelry
including those by her son Christopher Young, who along
with Williams’ other son Daniel also works in the store. “I
really enjoy it,” Williams said. “That’s why the store looks
like this. There’s so much energy and so much love that
goes into it.” Haven & Co. also specializes in elegant dining
room table settings custom designed to match any piece.
And in January, look for bedding, home furnishings and
apparel in the showroom. In addition to the retail business
on San Vicente, Haven & Co. ships products anywhere in
the U.S. from its website.
Pictured: Cindy Williams displaying a Christmas tree
she can create for clients in their home.
Haven & Co. Haven.bridgecatalog.com 11965 San
Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles 310.476.3060
Everything’s easier when you work with the best.
For over 20 years, Westside native Cort Wagner has built a solid reputation as a top
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throughout Southern California.
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CS Financial is a real estate broker licensed by the CA BRE 1257559 NMLS 31132
Santiago Arana:
Staking a claim
How a Bolivian native
became a real estate
powerhouse
By David Rosenfeld
Photos by David Fairchild
Pictured: Santiago Arana with wife Kyle and sons
Dylan, 6, and Cole, 4.
12
Wes ts i de Peo p l e
S
antiago Arana came to the United States with little more than $100 in his pocket at
age 23 from Bolivia. Without knowing any English he got a job busing tables at a
restaurant. Less than 10 years later and he’s one of the Westside’s top realtors for
luxury homes.
“You can call it the American dream,” he said. “I came here with nothing, but
I had a vision. I knew that if I worked hard and had these dreams that I would get to a point
where I’m at now.”
It didn’t come easy for by any means. It took him five attempts to get a meeting with
Rodrigo Iglesias, a realtor who Arana sought as a role model. Like Arana, Iglesias came to the
United States – in his case from Argentina 20 years earlier – with very little and made a name
for himself. For several years Arana mentored under Iglesias until branching off on his own.
“I have a great deal of respect for the way he planned his career,” Iglesias said. “His
success is a testament to what he does every day. He is a very hard working guy and he’s
dependable. He says what he wants to do and he does it.”
| N ove m b e r + De c e mb e r 20 13 | we st si d e p e op l e ma g .c om
Beginning in 2007, Arana struggled through the heart of the
recession, put in long hours and continued to build relationships
in the community. Most people in the real estate business either
grew up in the area or rely on family and friends for referrals to get
started. Arana had none of that.
“It was hard at first,” he said. “I had to do a lot of door
knocking, holding open houses to meet people. I didn’t go to
school here, or college here, so I don’t have that connection with
friends. I had to do everything I could to get to know people first.”
And now that the market has heated up again, he finds himself
at the top of the game in luxury real estate in Brentwood, Pacific
Palisades and Santa Monica. He lives in the Palisades with his wife
Kyle and sons Dylan, 6, and Cole, 4, who attend local schools.
Recently Arana entered a partnership agreement with realtors
Billy Rose and Mauricio Umansky at The Agency. Currently with
a strong presence in Beverly Hills, Arana plans to head new offices
in Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica. The firm was
recently featured in the Wall Street Journal for its unique approach
to luxury real estate.
“I want to believe that clients hire me for who I am, not where
I am, but at the same time I want to be at a company that gives me
the right tools to be able to deliver a better service,” Arana said.
“In no time flat, Santiago has (deservedly) established himself
as one of LA’s premier agents,” said Rose, president and cofounder of The Agency. “We are extremely excited and proud to
have him lead our charge into the Westside.”
Umansky, The Agency’s CEO and Co-founder, notes, “Santiago
is a stand-up guy. He has amazing taste in properties and business,
and the work he’s done on the Westside is simply incredible.”
In Bolivia, Arana’s father was a notable politician and his
mother a kindergarten teacher growing up in Tarija. When he first
arrived in Los Angeles, Arana already had a degree in business
administration and a year of marketing and finance education from
a private university in Bolivia
with his intention to get a
master’s degree in finance.
When a friend urged the
tall, good-looking Arana
to try acting and modeling,
he went on a few casting
auditions. He said he didn’t
like that his success was in
somebody else’s hands. He
quickly realized he needed a
more tangible profession so he
turned his sights on real estate.
As he grew as an agent,
Arana said he read books and
studied the success stories of
self-made men for inspiration.
“I always admired
successful men in general,”
Arana said. “I always watched
and studied what successful
men did. In most cases, I
noticed that very successful
men woke up early in the
morning and worked. And they
each had a dream and worked
very hard toward achieving it.”
Today Arana has earned a reputation as an honest
realtor that’s made a big impact in recent years. Three years ago
when Arana told developer Jeremy Levy he had a buyer for his
multi-million dollar spec home, Levy thought he was bluffing.
“Usually the agents are telling you that because they want to
get the listing,” Levy said. “About a week later we were in escrow.
What I learned from him immediately is that he is honest.”
In October Arana listed a $17 million colonial home Levy built,
this one with a lot of Arana’s input along the way. Levy turned to
Arana about the latest design features that buyers are looking for.
“I’m on the front lines, sitting here every Sunday hearing from
people about what they want from the house,” Arana said. “They
wish the windows were bigger, the floors were different. Houses
went from Mediterranean to traditional right now. You are hearing
where the demand is going.”
Levy said it’s worked out great. “This is just the second house
we built in Brentwood,” he said. “Because I have Santiago on my
side, I will continue.”
He doesn’t normally talk about celebrity clients, but Arana
recently listed Larry David’s $15 million home in the Palisades,
which was openly reported by the media so he can discuss it.
Arana credits much of his success to his ability to carry himself
among high profile clients and work well with them.
“You have to have the ability to speak with lawyers and
business managers,” Arana said. “You have to position yourself so
they respect your opinion. The ability to do that is important.”
Most important for Arana, however, is managing expectations
and maintaining a good reputation.
“As a realtor all you have is your reputation,” he said. “Every
person you encounter you want to treat them in a way there’s no
doubt that the day you think of any of your family and friends
you’ll throw my name out there. For the most part that has
worked.” g
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Wes ts ide Peo p l e
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“It’s this beautiful Russian vodka bar with a separate space for
music. We’re typically a four-piece band but we play how we feel—
some nights we have four guitarists on stage with cellists and other
nights it’s just me and a guitarist.”
The music is best described as Fiona Apple meets Queen and
her latest music video, “Addicted”—which she also directed, is
about a woman who’s been abused by her husband and ends up
beating him to death and sewing him into the sheets of a bed. A
look at the video shows directorial depth and imagination and
Haun’s character, while a little dark, is both captivating and delicious.
“The story is told non-linearly, very David Lynch very Kubrick,”
she explained.
Haun loves Kubrick and is quick to share her favorites, among
them The Shining, Dr. Strangelove and Barry Lyndon. And even
though she’s young she cherishes iconic films such as Logan’s Run,
Bladerunner, The Twilight Zone (the original series) and a new
flick called Anti-Viral. She’s also a huge fan of HBO’s Game of
Thrones, AMC’s Breaking Bad and Dexter. Her film and television
appreciation was fostered by her father, who shared his love of
films with his daughter.
Given her experience and passion for storytelling the move to
directing seems a natural one. Her next venture is directing, Nanoblood, a queer-positive sci-fi short starring Last Man Standing’s
Amanda Fuller.
And just because it’s still on everyone’s mind…what does this
performer think about Miley Cyrus and the MTV “twerking” debacle? “There’s a part of me that thinks it was a stroke of genius …
I saw her on SNL and thought, “she’s so punk rock” I mean, she’s
more punk rock than anybody out there who is mainstream … She
just shocked everybody. But I think she knows exactly what she’s
doing.”
For more information on The Haun Solo Project visit HaunSolo.com. g
Lindsey Haun
By Taylor Van Arsdale
Star of the HBO series
True Blood fronts her own
rock band with regular
gigs in West Hollywood
W
hat you notice first about Lindsey Haun are her inquisitive
blue-green eyes. The actress, who is best known for her role
as Hadley on the HBO cable series True Blood, is a true
chameleon. Wholesome looking, poised and articulate, she
looks nothing like her vamped up character on the show. In fact, she’s a
brunette arriving in casual black yoga pants, and I almost don’t recognize
her.
When we sit down over coffee at a trendy Santa Monica café she sips
her mocha latte delicately and talks with me about her acting career, the
Miley Cyrus debacle (on which she has definitive opinions), her new music
project (of which she’s most excited) and all things science fiction.
Haun doesn’t have the “typical” child actor’s story. She wasn’t forced
into a career she didn’t want nor did she suffer any great trauma. Her
father, a musician who toured with the band Air Supply, and her mother,
who worked three jobs, both encouraged their daughter to pursue the arts
because she loved performing.
“I was five years old when a friend of the family got permission and took
me from preschool to the agency and then to the audition and I booked the
job,” Haun said.
From there she landed parts on Melrose Place, 3rd Rock From the Sun
and Diagnosis Murder. It’s not every child actor who gets the opportunity
to work with director John Carpenter, and at the tender age of nine, Haun
landed her first feature film role in Village of the Damned. “John was wonderful with the kids on set as was Kirstie Alley,” she said.
Haun fondly recalled a tough scene in which Alley joked around with the
kids to get them to laugh between takes and the patience from the adults on
set. However, what Haun took away from the experience was more valuable—a deep insight into the craft of acting.
“At nine years old I realized I had to act ‘on the other side’ meaning I
had to bring [emotion] to the scene for the other actor,” she said. “After
Village came out and I hit 12, I lost a lot of roles. Casting directors saw
me as the ‘scary child’ and didn’t want to cast me in “Barbie” commercials
anymore. It was a really weird time and I was in this transitional phase and
for the first time, the rejection was starting to get to me … before, I loved
going to auditions and it was fun and it didn’t matter whether I got the job
or not.”
Undaunted, Haun started writing poetry and putting her lyrics to music.
She formed a band, 7th Fall and despite the rejection, continued to audition
while playing clubs on the Sunset Strip.
“I started to develop an anxiety around acting but I didn’t want to quit,”
she said.
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Haun admits stubbornness is a great trait in some ways though not in
others. As she got older she looked less like the child from Village Of The
Damned and began to receive calls from Disney once again. Taking roles on
shows such as Malcolm in the Middle, Alias, and Star Trek Voyager, Haun
jumped back into the fray.
It was several years later Haun said, “I had heard an interview with Alan
Ball on NPR and was like, “I’ve got to work with him.” The opportunity to
work on Ball’s latest show came soon after in the form of a co-star role on
True Blood.
“Junie Lowry-Johnson and Libby Goldstein were casting, who I love and
I thought I was auditioning for them,” Haun said. “I didn’t realize it, but it
was an audition for everyone; for all of the producers and writers and Alan
Ball was there as well. I did three lines on one page and two hours later they
called me and told me I booked it. It was the easiest job I ever booked.”
The part was not scheduled to be a re-occurring role and when I asked
her why she thinks they wrote her in for six more episodes she credits her
ability to work well with others.
“I was professional, I got along with everyone on set,” she said. “I
remained on set during my breaks in case I was needed, and I made sure
to give the editors a lot to cut back to when I wasn’t reading lines. I made
sure I was reacting to the actors in my scenes, I tried to bring an interesting
element to each scene and with my character I tried to create a fully realized
human being.”
Today Haun is excited about her band, aptly called The Haun Solo Project, which has a residency the first Tuesday of every month at Bar Lubitsch
in West Hollywood.
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we s ts id e p e op le m a g .c o m | N ovember + D ecember 2 01 3 |
West sid e Pe ople
15
By David Rosenfeld
R
oy Vongtama is no down-and-out actor. He holds degrees in biology from
the University of Pennsylvania and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Buffalo. A board certified radiation oncologist, he currently substitutes part-time at two Westside practices when the lead physicians are away.
“You probably don’t want a part-time surgeon doing your operation,” he
joked. “But my field is more intellectual in that we’re using CT and MRI guidance to plan treatments.”
Almost 10 years after first juggling both careers, his acting is taking off and he
continues to be a highly respected oncologist on the Westside. He’s a published
author on research papers and he’s spoken at conferences about emerging techniques in one of the most advanced fields in medicine.
Long-time friend Brian Kim MD, who attended residency with Vongtama at
UCLA, said he’s truly earned the respect of his peers.
“This is something you can’t do without knowledge and expertise in your
field,” Kim said. “Anytime you hear that he’s acting, some people might tend
not to take him seriously for his doctoral achievements, but actually he’s a very
accomplished physician and he’s proven people wrong about that.”
In recent years, Vongtama has been landing more acting roles, appearing in
the Bucket List, CSI, Scandal and The Shield, among others. In 2010 he was
nominated for Best Actor at the American International Film Festival. Not
surprisingly he often plays a doctor such as his recurring role this year as Dr.
We are NOT square.
Roy Vongtama: Actor, Oncologist, Spiritual Warrior
Landrum on Days of Our Lives. And while he draws on his medical career on
screen, Vongtama said acting has made him a better doctor.
“To be a really good doctor you have to have an open mind and empathize,”
he said. “I learned a lot of how to empathize with people through acting because
you can’t really connect with somebody unless you can listen and that’s what
acting is all about.”
Out of medical school, Vongtama likely could have landed a spot at any residency program in the country. He had the kind of grades and reputation that
institutions like MD Anderson in Houston target for recruitment. After several
interviews he chose radiation oncology, a cancer subspecialty, at UCLA not only
for its program but because he wanted to be an actor.
“The chairman of the department told me, ‘If you come here we will protect
your time and you can take your vacations when you need to for auditions and
jobs as long as you get your residency done,’” Vongtama said.
Pursuing a creative talent, especially acting, while keeping a day job is obviously nothing new, but to manage something as complex and demanding as
radiation oncology represents a feat not for the unsophisticated.
“He’s done something a lot of people wouldn’t have the courage to do,” said
friend and fellow actor and writer Taylor Grant. “He worked really hard to become a doctor, but he had inside of him a passion for the arts and filmmaking and
acting. I don’t think he got a lot of support for that decision early on.”
Vongtama uses his experiences as a physician in his creative pursuits as well.
The production company he founded called Resonant Entertainment takes on
relevant themes in short films based on true stories. They also produced a fulllength feature called Reach coming out soon through Hanover House about a
young man given a 50-50 chance of surviving cancer. Vongtama said he got the
idea from the patients he’s met as an oncologist.
“The happiest people I see a lot are the cancer patients,” he said. “Because
they know now what it’s going to be. It tends to give you more of an urgency of
being happy. I see that a lot and I wanted to do a film about that.”
Vongtama, who grew up in a Thai-Buddhist family, meditates twice a day and
attends the Self-Realization Fellowship in Pacific Palisades. Most of his extended family lives in Bangkok where he travels almost once a year.
“I know my purpose for service is beyond my own ego-driven goals,” he said.
“In acting, the result of my best work is not guaranteed. In medicine if I do my
best work and take the test or see a patient we’re going to get a result we’re
looking for. Because I have both I tend to have more gratitude because I know
how rare it is to be able to do something that I love to do.” g
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Wests id e Peo p le
| N ovember + December 2013 | westsidepeoplemag.com
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Cliff Garten: Recreating public space
The sculptor emerges from his Venice
compound to share what makes him tick
By Ed Pilolla
T
housands walk past, but few may notice on the freeway overpasses, downtown city streets, train stations and bus stops across
America. The artwork of Cliff Garten is ingrained in the modern
landscape.
Garten designs public art, or large-scale art in public places. He is
known as an installation artist, but he just calls himself an artist. He
thinks the term public art is somewhat misleading. He prefers civic art
and Garten’s been making it around the world for the past 13 years.
He said he wants to change the way American infrastructure is designed and built so that the design draws attention to the resources we
use and even educates the public as to why those resources are precious.
“But we don’t do that,” said Garten. “We build it in a base and mean
fashion. I mean, I am not saying that engineers haven’t done a good job
satisying our needs but not necessarily our desires.”
Public art wasn’t really recognized as an artistic field until the last
few decades while the National Endowment for the Arts paved the way
in the 1980s. Plenty of civic art projects across the country remain delayed because of budget cutbacks, but enough are funded at one-half to
two-percent of the overall budget. In some cases, cities even require it.
Garten had a tenured teaching job at a Midwest college but left to
make civic art and moved west where he felt the social and cultural
conditions were more open. Since then Cliff Garten Studio has completed more than 40 public sculptures, including pieces at civic centers,
hospitals and light rail stations.
He and his wife Molly Reid along with their young daughter live in
what Garten calls their compound on Preston Way in Venice. Dense
foliage and hedges surround a house and a large, two-story studio in the
back next to the alley where deliveries come and go. Reid, an architect,
designed the family home and studio.
“The last decade was about turning inward, establishing a family,
home and studio, building my work in public and creating a business,”
Garten said. “The studio and home combine and life opens on the inside
of what we have built here.”
Garten grew up in three different states on the East Coast before
studying sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design. He earned his
masters in landscape architecture from Harvard. Civic art is what
Garten is known for, but he also produces personal, studio art. Two of
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West s i d e Pe o pl e
| N ove m b e r + De c e m b e r 2 0 1 3 | we s t s id e p e o p le m a g .c o m
The Ken Hahn Bridge at the entry of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy.
Photo by Jeremy Green courtesy Cliff Garten Studios
his sculptures are currently on view in the exhibition called Tapping the
Third Realm on display in the Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis College of Art
and Design through Dec. 8.
Meg Linton, the director of galleries and exhibitions at the Ben
Maltz Gallery at Otis, believes that Garten’s time creating public art has
broadened the appeal of his studio work.
“I think it’s really interesting that he was originally trained as a
sculptor and became a landscape architect and designer,” Linton said.
“And now that he’s cycling back to making his own personal work,
there’s a real level of sophistication because he’s had so much interaction with the general public. His sculptures are really accessible and
challenging at the same time. He’s been able to make the bridge. He
actually considers his audience, which is really wonderful.”
While making the transition from tenured Midwest professor to Los
Angeles artist, Garten left the gallery and museum world because he
wanted his artwork to be a part of everyday life and not sectioned off
within a gallery or museum. Within the last two years he returned to his
personal studio work where he says, “it doesn’t have to do with serving
anybody.”
That’s in contrast to the public art pieces, which are often finished
only after compromising with oversight agencies and technical realities.
The fact is Garten enjoys operating dual artistic practices, including
running a business.
Garten got his start mastering ceramics. He said he is creating all the
time in his head he will continue to work it out in its physical form. He
works closely with architects, landscape architects, engineers and construction crews because it is the only way to integrate his work into the
public realm. Over the past six years, large-scale sculptures with more
detailed lighting have become a greater part of his work.
Since these pieces interact with sunlight during the day and artificial
LED light at night, Garten has become his own lighting designer. In
North Hollywood outside the Art Institute of California, Garten’s Sentient
Beings sculptures capture the sunlight in the day and change colors with
LED lighting throughout the night. In Koreatown in May, Garten will
unveil his largest project in Los Angeles, a 45 by 70 foot long screen and
sculpture titled Los Angeles Opens Its Heart of Compassion at a large
residential and commercial project on Wilshire. At the center will rest a
sculpture inspired by the Lotus flower, a strong
Conservancy was designed to have reptile skin
symbol in Korean culture.
to represent life in the nearby ecosystem. ThouOutside a community theater in Texas,
sands of drivers on La Cienega see it every day.
Garten designed a sculpture called Rhytons
“Very simply what I do is I go to a place
inspired from a drinking horn. When somewhere somebody wants to commission me to
body walks around it an audio feed from
work and I decide if I can work there or not,”
inside the theater trips, encouraging people
Garten said. “Some places don’t have the right
to move around it. This month in Calgary,
energy, they don’t have the right budget or
Alberta, he is completing artwork for two gatethe right conditions. And If I say yes, then
way light rail stations in the downtown area.
what I do very simply is I gather energy on the
The stations have a series of eight 30-foot
site, and coalesce it into the presence of these
tall sculptures that change colors when trains
sculptures that then re-condition the way the
arrive, dock and depart. Garten said one of his
people experience the place. If there’s nothing
goals is to create sculptures that can perform
there I find inspiring, I just don’t do it. Most
as part of the infrastructure that runs the city.
places, given the right amount of attention,
“He’s somebody who’s adept at working in
have something beneath the surface that
complicated urban environments,” said Angeworks.”
la Anderson Adams, public art administrator
Studio work is another story, and process.
for Arlington County, Virginia.
In Garten’s studio inside his family comIn Arlington, Garten is currently workpound, photos of his many public art projects
ing on a “Corridor of Light” to mark a main
flank a long table. On the opposite wall hangs
entrance to Arlington County by metro with a
his personal work. A termite is made of wood
procession of sculptures that light up next to
chips near a snack of wood made of cast iron.
Sculptor Cliff Garten beside one of his studio pieces.
the Marine Corp. Memorial, otherwise known
A snail is made of hard silver material and the
Photo courtesy Cliff Garten Studios
as the Iwo Jima Memorial. Garten needs to
shell is visibly soft. The bee is made of wax
satisfy federal and county overseers as well as other advisory panels.
with red polka-dotted fur. They are beautiful objects meant to engage
“Solving an urban design problem is what Cliff does uniquely well,”
the audience in a simple question of how nature is changing because of
Adams said.
the actions of human beings.
The first step in creating public, or civic art is visiting the location.
“When I make art in public places it is a simple act of resistance
The sculpture grows out of consideration for what’s going on at the site,
that shows us that we can do better and make art a part of our everyGarten said. The Ken Hahn Bridge at the entry of the Baldwin Hills
day lives in a big way, Garten said.” g
west si depeo pl emag.com | N ovember + D ec ember 20 13 |
Wes t s ide People
19
Naomi Levy:
A unique
brand of
Judaism
By David Rosenfeld
The leader of Nashuva in Brentwood was
among the first class of ordained female rabbis
T
he first thing you notice at a Shabbat service led by Rabbi
Naomi Levy is the music. An eight-piece band with a complete
drum set accompanies the evening at the Brentwood Presbyterrean Church.
Part rabbi, part lead-singer, Levy leads the Jewish community
they call Neshuva, which means “we will return.” It’s a fitting name
for a group Levy founded in 2004 with the intention of reaching Jews
searching for a spiritual practice.
Shabbat services with Nashuva include all kinds of music from
rock, African and reggae with traditional Jewish songs and prayers.
She adds a period of meditation, something she says has always been
a part of the Jewish tradition, though largely ignored by traditional
synagogues. All the services too are webcast over the internet through
the Jewish Journal, a publication her husband founded.
“I didn’t want to feel like looking back at my rabbinic life that I
could have done something but I didn’t even try,” Levy said. “Nashuva
was born as an attempt to reach the kind of Jews that don’t belong to
synagogue and to find a language and sense of music and prayers that
are coming from a contemporary place.”
It was during a rabbinical at a Venice synagogue when she first
started to get the idea for a new type of Jewish community. Those in
the neighborhood might walk into a service she was giving and she
could almost count how long they would stay, she said.
“More and more I was learning that so many unaffiliated Jews are
deeply spiritual. And they are finding their spirituality outside of the
synagogue,” she said. “Jews are highly overrepresented in American
Buddhism given our size as a people. So my goal was to address the
spiritual quest of the Jewish seeker and begin that journey with the
outsider.”
Nashuva has grown to more than 1,000 members, though there is
no formal membership process by design. And there are no mandatory offerings or tickets to high holidays. Nashuva typically holds high
holidays in Temescal Canyon that looks more like a concert in the park
than a religious service.
Jared Levy, no relation, discovered Nashuva through one of the
band members he represented as a manager. His friend suggested
20
Wests id e Peo p le
| N ovember + December 2013 | westsidepeoplemag.co m
he attend one of the services about seven years ago and Jared’s been
going ever since.
“I was just blown away with the soul that she brought to it,” he said.
“I had just never been to a religious service like that before. It really
brought me back to Judaism.”
Three years ago, Naomi conducted the ceremony at Jared’s
wedding. Growing up, he said he went to high holidays and had a bar
mitzvah but never really connected to the services.
“A lot of times you’re just reading the words and sometimes don’t
even know what they mean because it was just a ritual and tradition,”
he said. “Naomi brought a lot of heart to it, so I really got the meaning
and the love behind Judaism much more than I’d ever gotten before.”
On a monthly basis the group commits to volunteer service like
assisting the homeless on skid row. And each Thanksgiving they host a
meal for homeless in South Central Los Angeles.
Levy, who was among the first class of female rabbis to be ordained
in the conservative tradition, said her adaptation of the service has
been extremely well-received.
“In the beginning I was a little concerned that this might cause
problems,” she said. “But the reality is I’ve probably gotten more positive feedback from trying something different than what I was doing
before that was more pro-forma.”
Levy said she wanted to be a rabbi at age four, far before women were being ordained. It wasn’t until her senior year in college at
Cornell in 1984 that women were first accepted into the conservative
Jewish seminary, and she joined the first class.
Today the mother of two lives with her husband and youngest
daughter in Venice. It’s here the family keeps an organic vegetable
garden complete with chickens and a pair of pygmy goats. They can’t
help make the backyard feel like a scene from Jerusalem right in the
heart of Venice, in many ways the epitome of the spiritual practice she
promotes through Nashuva.
“We try and bring the most powerful spiritual connected understanding of what Judaism is to people where they’re at,” she said. “And
really we’re just teaching what already exists in Judaism that people
just assume it doesn’t have.” g
#1 in Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica & Brentwood
W E S T S I D E CALENDAR
NOV 16: Heal the Bay Beach Cleanup
Join Heal the Bay 10 am to noon Saturday Nov 16 at Will
Rogers State Beach to help keep our beaches clean. Trash
bags, gloves and data cards will be provided. However,
you can help reduce the number of plastic trash bags
used for the cleanups by bringing your own bucket or pail.
Volunteers that take a test drive during any Nothin’ But
Sand summer cleanup will be automatically entered for a
chance to win an all-new eco-friendly Ford.
NOV 19: Temescal Nature Talk
Join veteran animal tracker Jim Lowery, author of The
Trackers Field Guide, at Temescal Gateway Park as he shares
his secrets to access the world of animals through their
prints. The behavior and personality of animals such as
badger, black bear and coyote can emerge from signs you
find in the field. Jim has trained thousands of trackers to
“walk with the animals.” Presented by Jim Lowery, Earth
Skills. Meet at Woodland Hall 7:30 pm, parking is free.15601
W Sunset Blvd, Pacific Palisades.
NOV 23: Boutique by the Sea
For some holiday shopping to benefit the education foundation of Palisades Charter High School, the group is hosting
35 unique vendors at Mercer Hall 10 am to 5 pm Saturday
Nov 23 for an intimate shopping experience complete with
food trucks. Choose from hand-crafted local items, including
some made by school staff and students. For more information email Kathleen at KHillseth@verizon.net.
NOV 28: Palisades Turkey Trot
On Thanksgiving morning, the 2013 Pacific Palisades Turkey
Trot begins 8 am at Pali High. The 5K (3.1 mi) course takes
runners through the El Medio Bluffs neighborhood, offering panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean before looping
back and ending at the 50-yard line at the Stadium by the
Sea on the Pali High campus. All proceeds benefit Hearts
with Hope, an initiative that provides medical, dental and
humanitarian assistance to children with congenital heart
disease in the underserved global community. Organizers
will also be collecting canned and boxed food to donate to
the LA Food Bank.
NOV 28: 34th Annual Free Thanksgiving Day
Feast
The Laugh Factory in Hollywood welcomes those away
from home, those who might be lonely, homeless, or
simply in need of a warm meal, a hug or a laugh free of
charge. Top comics will join other celebrities in helping
to serve each guest a turkey dinner. Comics will perform
live shows following each meal served throughout the
day. The Thanksgiving Day Feast runs from 1 to 7 pm. For
details call 323-656-1336.
DEC 7: 36th Annual Santa Monica Christmas Run
The Santa Monica-Venice Christmas Run is Los Angeles’
largest holiday running event and a great fundraiser. In
fact, the race is one of the most popular running events in
Los Angeles. The event has a 5k and 10k portion that winds
through the streets of Santa Monica and Venice, including
a stretch along the famous Venice Beach boardwalk. A kids
course is on Barnard Way. Proceeds from the event benefit
Harvest Home, a residential program for homeless women
and babies located in Venice. For more information visit
Christmasrun.com.
DEC 8: Art Show and Auction for Parkinson’s
Disease
An annual art show and auction features work by people
with Parkinson’s Disease begins 10 am Sunday Dec 8 at the
JNA Gallery at Bergamot Station. Living Artistically with
PD benefits scientific research, education and support for
those who have the disease. For more information call
310-874-8722.
THRU JAN 20: ICE Celebration
Every year Downtown Santa Monica transforms the corner
of 5th Street and Arizona Avenue into a premier outdoor
ice skating rink. The 8,000 square foot rink by the beach
offers residents and visitors a little taste of winter without
the bite. Open seven days a week. For more information,
call ICE at 310.461.8333
DEC 21: The Ugly Sweater Run
Rummage up the ugliest sweater you can find and celebrate the holidays and have fun with family or friends in
this 5K run. This 5K run begins at LA Historic Park, 1245 N.
Spring Street, Los Angeles at 11AM. The run is approximately 3.1 miles long on city streets and there will be hot
chocolate and a choice of Sam Adam’s Angry Orchard Hard
Cider as well as huge inflatables and photo stations. Every
participant is asked to bring a new toy to donate to the
local chapter of Toys For Tots. For pricing and deadlines
visit theuglysweaterrun.com.
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multiple offers on more than 10 properties this year! As prices have continued
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Please contact us if you would like a complimentary estimate of the potential
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We look forward to the opportunity to help whenever we can!
Additional complimentary service provided by The Edlen Team:
If you’d like your event listed in this magazine and on-line at WestsidePeoplemag.com please contact
Publisher David Rosenfeld at david@Westsidepeoplemag.com.
22
West side People
| N ovemb er + Decemb er 2013 | westsi d ep eop l ema g .com
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© 2013 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned By a Subsidiary of NRT LLC. Broker does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage,
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