BEAUTY & LIFESTYLE
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BEYONCE'S RENAISSANCE FILM HAS HIT THE BIG SCREEN. ITS GRAND.
MEET THE PATTERNS! WE'RE ALL 13 FAMILIAR WITH FESTIVE COLORS, BUT NOW WE'RE TALKING PATTERNS!
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MOMMA BEAR-- A WOMAN'S FASHION LINE THAT MAKES US FEEL SEXIER IN COMFIER CLOTHES
CITY & COMMUNITY LA MOM PUBLISHES NEW BOOK 34 "Where Did My Brother Go? " TO HELP kids understanD loved ones are always with them, even after deatH
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OUR INTERVIEW WITH LUCY RAMIREZ THOMPSON OF PEZ CANTINA (SPOILER ALERT: A NEW RESTAURANT WILL SOON OPEN)
MOTHERHOOD & WELL-BEING 52 Cover story: SIMONA GRACE WANTS MORE MOMS TO RUN FOR OFFICE AND HER ORGANIZATION CAN HELP ACHIEVE THAT
ALLERGIES ARE A PAIN FOR MANY OF 72 US SO WE'VE ROUNDED UP THE BEST PRODUCTS TO LEAD AN ALLERGEN-FREE NEW YEAR!
FOOD & FESTIVITIES 78 DON'T LET HOLIDAY PARTIES STRESS
YOU OUT. PLAN A FUN TABLESCAPE THAT WILL GIVE EVERYONE HAPPY CHRISTMAS MEMORIES!
104 NEIGHBORING VENTURA COUNTY IS
CELEBRATING ITS 150TH BIRTHDAY. WE VISIT THE MUSEUM OF VENTURA AND ASK OURSELVES WHAT HOME MEANS TO US
"Where Did My Brother Go?" HELPING YOUNG ONES FIND PEACE Recently released, Where Did My Brother Go? and debut book, Where Did My Mother Go?, help kids understand in beautiful and profound ways that their loved ones are always with them, even after their physical death. After dealing with the painful death of her youngest son, Ryan, Katonya decided to artistically express her grief through storytelling. She is also the mother of musician, Frank Ocean. With the current state of our world- mass shootings and gun-related deaths on the rise, talking to children about death and how to grieve is important. Writing this book helped Katonya grieve, and she hopes it helps others as it did for her Additionally, with the holidays approaching, this book makes a thoughtful and memorable gift for children, especially for those who have suffered a loss.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Katonya B. Breaux is the founder and President of Unsun Cosmetics, Inc. a Los Angeles-based cosmetics company dedicated to providing both beauty and skin protection to women of all skin tones. Born in New Orleans, Breaux grew up in Los Angeles as the seventh of eleven brothers and sisters but returned to New Orleans where she obtained a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Arts Administration. She stayed in New Orleans for 20 years, running a construction company she started just before finishing graduate school. In 2013, Breaux returned to Los Angeles to be nearer to her family and to launch an idea she had been working on, her cosmetics company UNSUN. A fearless and driven mother of two, she began writing children's books after the unexpected death of her youngest son, Ryan in 2020. Breaux focused her energy on healing and found solace in writing and giving children an outlet for healing as well. Breaux currently resides in Los Angeles with her two dogs Castro and Sasha.
BUY THE BOOK! Amazon, Barnes & Noble $11.99 (paperback) & $21.79 (hardcover)
MUSEUM OF
VENTURA COUNTY
CELEBRATING150 YEARS WITH A SPECIAL EXHIBITION: "THE PLACE WE CALL HOME" BY ANABEL MARQUEZ
W
HEN FACED WITH THE INCESSANT URBAN SPRAWL OF THE L.A. METRO AREA, SOME PEOPLE WONDER IF THEY’LL EVER REACH GREENER PASTURES. BUT SALVATION LIES AHEAD… A SHORT JAUNT NORTH OF LOS ANGELES ALONG ONE OF THREE WESTWARD-LEADING HIGHWAYS TRANSPORTS YOU INTO NEIGHBORING VENTURA COUNTY, WHOSE VAST AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE REMINDS US THAT THE OPEN SPACE OF STRAWBERRY FIELDS AND ORCHARDS, IS LITERALLY FOOD FOR THE SOUL. IN THE SMALL TOWN OF SANTA PAULA, RIGHT OFF THE 126 FWY, THE MUSEUM OF VENTURA COUNTY’S AGRICULTURE MUSEUM, IS CURRENTLY DISPLAYING A SPECIAL EXHIBITION TITLED "THE PLACE WE CALL HOME,” IN CELEBRATION OF THE COUNTY'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY. WE MEET WITH THE MUSEUM’S CHIEF CURATOR, CARLOS ORTEGA, AND, AFTER TOURING THE FACILITY, IT BECOMES CLEAR WHY MANY ANGELENOS HAVE LEFT BUSY LOS ANGELES NEIGHBORHOODS FOR CITIES LIKE CAMARILLO, OJAI AND OXNARD— THERE’S A CERTAIN SUBURBAN PEACE YOU FEEL IN VENTURA COUNTY AND THE CURRENT MUSEUM EXHIBITION DOES A GREAT JOB IN TRANSMITTING THAT. “THIS WAS A COMMUNITY EFFORT FROM THE BEGINNING,” EXPLAINS ORTEGA DESCRIBING THE VARIOUS INSTALLATIONS THAT COMPRISE “THE PLACE WE CALL HOME”. THERE IS A SPINNING WHEEL THAT IS INTENDED TO BE A VISUAL METAPHOR OF HOW A REGION’S POLITICAL LANDSCAPE CAN CHANGE OVER TIME PRIORITIZING THE FOCUS ON CERTAIN EVENTS WHILE CONCEALING OTHERS; THERE IS A TV INSTALLATION WITH SIX SCREENS SHOWING MOVING IMAGES OF PEOPLE IN THE AREA’S FARMING COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE DECADES. AND, AMONG OTHER DISPLAYS, THE PHOTO WALL, A MOSAIC OF IMAGES PAST AND PRESENT, CHRONICLES THE COUNTY’S DIVERSE HISTORY.
“THIS IS A VERY SMALL SAMPLE,” ORTEGA SAYS. “THE POINT WAS, YOU DON’T NEED TO BE A POLITICIAN, YOU DON’T NEED TO BE FAMOUS IN ORDER TO BE A PART OF THE COMMUNITY AND HELP EACH OTHER.” THE PHOTO WALL FEATURES THREE MIRRORS THAT WERE SUBMITTED BY THE CHUMASH ART COLLECTIVE. THE CHUMASH WERE THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS OF THE REGION. “IN CHUMASH CULTURE, TIME IS A CYCLE THAT REPEATS ITSELF CONSTANTLY,” EXPLAINS ORTEGA. “THE WAY THEY CONCEPTUALIZE TIME IS— EVERYTHING INTERTWINES. WE LIVE WITH OUR ANCESTORS FROM THE PAST, WE ARE HERE TODAY AND THE FUTURE GENERATIONS ARE WITH US AS WELL.” THE MIRRORS ARE POSITIONED SO THAT GUESTS CAN SEE THEMSELVES SURROUNDED BY IMAGES OF OTHERS WHO’VE HELPED MAKE VENTURA COUNTY WHAT IT IS TODAY, SAYS ORTEGA.
"THE PLACE WE CALL HOME" EXHIBITION IS A FITTING TRIBUTE TO VENTURA COUNTY'S RICH PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. IT HIGHLIGHTS THE SIGNIFICANT EVENTS, INDUSTRIES, AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE SHAPED THE COUNTY OVER THE LAST 150 YEARS. MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, PERHAPS, IS THE EXHIBITION’S INTENTION TO ENCOURAGE VISITORS TO ASK THEMSELVES WHAT HOME MEANS TO THEM. “THE CONCEPT OF HOME CAN VARY AND EVOLVE THROUGH THE YEARS AND IT CAN BE A MIX OF MANY THINGS AND THIS IS AN EXPLORATION OF IT,” SAYS ORTEGA. "THE PLACE WE CALL HOME" IS A RESULT OF EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT WITH COLLABORATION FROM FIFTEEN ARTISTS, SIX HISTORICAL SOCIETIES, SIX PHOTOGRAPHERS, AND SEVERAL OTHER LOCAL RESIDENTS, ORGANIZATIONS AND NON-PROFITS, MAKING IT A TRULY AUTHENTIC REPRESENTATION OF THE COUNTY’S HERITAGE.
-CARLOS ORTEGA, CHIEF CURATOR, MUSEUM OF VENTURA COUNTY
THE EXHIBITION IS SCHEDULED TO RUN THROUGH OCTOBER 2024 AND WILL BE PAIRED WITH A SERIES OF EVENTS AND PROGRAMS TO CELEBRATE THE COUNTY'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY. IT’S A MUST-VISIT FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT VENTURA COUNTY'S PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE AND IT SERVES AS A REMINDER OF THE AREA’S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS.