Author: The Argonaut

Santa Monica rolls out the red carpet for special celebration By Bridgette M. Redman Sometimes an artist’s most fanciful flights of imagination are also the ones that hit closest to home. The Third Street Promenade will spring to life this Saturday with a celebration of death that includes altars, dance, art and music. The Santa Monica community will celebrate the lives of those who have gone on before us with the Día de los Muertos Community Celebration from 5 to 10 p.m. It’s a family-friendly celebration that will include booths with goods from more than 30 local BIPOC vendors. “We were very careful to incorporate as many members of the community as possible, paying tribute to tradition,” said Kathleen Rawson, CEO of Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. “We wanted to provide our community with ample opportunities to learn about the importance of Día de los Muertos while also giving them a chance to have some fun, dance, sing and celebrate.” Activities will include traditional ballet folkorico dances, mariachi music, community altars, La Catrina sculptures, face painting and kids’ crafts, and a makers market with BIPOC vendors that Angel City Market curated. The celebration will begin with dancing at 5:30 on the Promenade Main Stage. “It should be a fun, family-friendly event that celebrates the cultural significance behind Día de los Muertos,” Rawson said. “Santa Monica Ballet Folklorico will offer a...

Multicity art campaign encourages people to choose Earth By Bridgette M. Redman As people gather around the world to discuss climate change, Fifth Wall is greeting them with murals stressing the importance of climate work. Fifth Wall is the largest venture capital firm focused on technologies for the global real estate industry. Their mural project is intended to draw public attention to the real estate industry’s need to invest in climate technology. The real estate industry is considered the world’s largest contributor to the climate crisis as it accounts for nearly 40 percent of global energy, greenhouse gases and raw materials. The mural launched at 6 Rose Avenue in Venice in October — the second in the multicity campaign — went up last week to coincide with the Milkin Institute’s Global Conference which had the theme “Charting a New Course.” It will be up until November 4. The mural was created by Kent Yoshimura, an artist and multimedia creative who has directed content for such global brands as AT&T, Ford, Lego and McDonalds. Yoshimura learned about Fifth Wall’s mission when they hired him and it was one he could get behind. “I would much rather work with a company that is goal-driven for a cause I care about like sustainability than a company that is just in it for the profit and doing marketing on the basis of self-promotion...