Los Angeles Downtown News 03-21-22

March 21, 2022 I VOL. 51 I #12

Making an Impact La Plaza de Cultural y Artes names Buckley new CEO

Helping Others Trio supports Afghans settling in LA County

+ ‘The Queen’s Ball:

A Bridgerton Experience’

Doctor’s Day Publishes March 28, Artwork due March 23 FROM PRESCHOOL TO POSTGRAD

For more info. contact Michael Lamb 213-453-3548 • mlamb@timespublications.com or Catherine Holloway 213 -308-2261 • cholloway@timespublications.com

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OPINION

Be still, my heart

By Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News Columnist hecking my email inbox, my eyeballs leap to a particular message and its sender’s name: Gloria Steinem! OMG! What better Women’s History Month gift could I possibly receive than a personal email from the woman who changed my life. I cross my fingers before opening it while wishing upon the lavender candle I have burning in my office. “What could it be?” I wondered. “Dear Ellen, You were entered in a Feminist Nerd sweepstakes, and you’ve won a month in Hawaii with me and yearlong funding for your favorite cause!” Shaking, I opened it.

Subject line: “Checking on you.” Body of email: “Hi, How are you doing and I hope you are staying safe? Please email me back when you get this. I need a little favor from you. Love, Gloria.” Poop… no sweepstakes. Still, you don’t ask for favors, large or small, from just anyone!

I’m having a bit of a niggling feeling about the email, as there are so many scams now. So, before I write back, I ask my husband about it — his business name is The Tech Daddy, after all. Is this a scam? He says the “from” and “reply-to” addresses are legit, and the email looks OK to him.

I write back immediately. Subject line: “We’re great! How may I serve you?”

Body of my reply: “Dear Gloria, We are doing well. I was teaching a class when your email came in. I was ready to say, ‘Anything… I’ll do anything for you!’

However, I’m revising that to ‘I would do most things for you.’ What can I do?

Love, Ellen.”

Gloria’s response was almost immediate: “Thanks for responding; I am sorry for bothering you with this mail. I need to get a Google Play gift card for my friend’s daughter. It’s her birthday, but

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I can’t do this now because I’m currently away, and I tried purchasing online but unfortunately had no luck with that.

Can you get one from any store around you? I’ll pay you back as soon as I return.

Kindly let me know if you can handle this. Love, Gloria.”

My “hoax” red flags — no, red fireworks — are going off. I find Gloria’s office number and tell her assistant, “This is Ellen Snortland. Do you happen to know if Gloria sent me an email requesting that I get a gift card for a friend?”

“You’re not the only one who has called,” she says. “Gloria was hacked. Thanks for checking.”

I am relieved and also crushed. Did the scammers look for the geekiest Gloria fans and target us for maximum cruelty? And it could even be politically motivated. There are so many people on the ultra-right who consider feminists to be the scourge of humanity. Granted, we are a threat to patriarchs, whether Russian, American or from another planet. Maybe Tucker Carlson did it. He hates Gloria and is apparently a Russian asset.

Do I worship Gloria Steinem? No, I do not. Do I regard her as both a mensch and a catalyst for the blessed life that I live? Absolutely.

I’m so grateful to my late mother, who looked up to Eleanor Roosevelt as someone to emulate. We, as a society, don’t make it a practice to hold up women as exemplars for living, even less now than in my mother’s generation. “Ellen, be like Eleanor Roosevelt.”

“Why?” “Beauty doesn’t last, but commitment to other people does, and she cares about everyone. Be like that.”

When I was 17, I was happily one of about 30 people to attend a lecture by two real live feminists, Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughes, in a small lecture hall in Billings, Montana. What a

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revelation they were! For the first time and hoaxes. in my life, I saw a woman I aspired to be The Ukraine situation has caused like. I vowed to be a woman that Gloria a massive increase in hacking and Steinem would be proud of. Now, we scams. Some are generated by Russian have women and girls (and gender non- state-sanctioned hackers, while many conforming folks) bending themselves are “the regular suspects” who are takinside out to “look” good, to emulate ing advantage. The New York Times’ bodies rather than spirits and passions.

“Wirecutter” website has the best and I really did transform after that eve- easiest to understand advice on how ning in Billings. As much as I admire to protect yourself. Just Google “Wirewomen who didn’t take an activist path, cutter Practical Guide Securing Mac” or I had never seen a woman who embod- swap out “PC” for the word “Mac.” Don’t ied my values so thoroughly. I called my put this off! And please install any sysmother the night after I saw Gloria and tem updates that have been issued in Dorothy. EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski the last week.

STAFF WRITERS: Andrew Checchia, Andres De Ocampo, Julia Shapero “Mom, what do you think of Gloria Ellen Snor tland has b een writCONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sara Edwards, Kamala Kirk Steinem?” ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanieing this column for decades and teachTorres STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Luis “She’s your Eleanor Roosevelt. ” Chavez es creative writing. She can be reached CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Myriam Santos Indeed, she has been and continues at ellen@beautybitesbeast.com. Her ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb to be. award-winning film “Beauty Bites Beast” FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris And now for a word from the Tech is once again available for download or Daddy, aka my hubby, Ken Gruberman, streaming at vimeo.com/ondemand/ regarding the recent increase of scams beautybitesbeast.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski DEPUTY EDITOR: Luke Netzley STAFF WRITER: Annika Tomlin CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Laura Latzko, Bridgette M. Redman, Ellen Snortland STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Chris Mortenson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Mario Hernandez, Vanie Poyey ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway (213) 308-2261 Michael Lamb (213) 453-3548 FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

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Terry Herkner, Janet Elkins and Betty Carmona are helping Afghan refugees through the International Institute of Los Angeles.

Photo by Chris Mortenson

Alex T. Nguyen is the International Institute of Los Angeles’ development director.

Photo by Chris Mortenson

Trio helps Afghans settle in LA County

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor ongtime Pasadena resident Janet Elkins wants to spend her retirement years helping others.

She and her friends Terry Herkner and Betty Carmona have turned to helping Afghan refugees who settled in the area through the International Institute of Los Angeles. The 100-year-old agency coordinates the resettlement of refugees.

The three women are collecting gently used laptops, phones, tablets, iPads,

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bicycles, strollers and car seats for Afghans who were displaced.

“The Afghans are eager to work and become self-sufficient,” she said.

“Their lives are challenging, but with the help of technology, they will be able to navigate their lives, find jobs, permanent homes, enroll their children in school — all the things we take for granted.”

Elkins stressed that she needs laptops, not desktops. The refugees are living in temporary housing, and it is difficult for the educated, middle-class folks to carry around desktops.

They have sourced IT people to ensure the electronics are wiped and updated before they are delivered to Afghan refugees.

“We’re pretty serious about this,” said Elkins, a Chicago native.

“We spend a lot of time with these people. They’re polite and eager to get jobs and to assimilate to the United States and into their new lives. They’re very appreciative for what America is doing. There’s a limit to what the government can do.”

International Institute of Los Angeles Development Director Alex T. Nguyen is appreciative of Elkins, Herkner and Carmona.

“That’s really valuable,” Nguyen said.

“That’s something everyone needs, and it’s quite expensive to get new computers, so we’re there collecting refurbished ones in really good working condition.

“That’s going to aid in their job search, or for kids who are going back to school. They’re essential as food and clothing.”

Headquartered near Downtown LA, the International Institute of Los Angeles was founded in 1914 to help newly arrived immigrants integrate into their new lives in Los Angeles. Nguyen said the organization helps refugees and immigrants secure their first job, get legal help, or find child care providers so they can work outside of the home.

Throughout the years, the institute has empowered hundreds of thousands of refugees and survivors of human trafficking with skills and resources to become self-sufficient and successfully start new lives in Southern California.

In August 2021, the culmination of a military offensive led to the overthrowing of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan under President Ashraf Ghani. That led to an international airlift of fleeing civilians, just after Ghani fled to Uzbekistan. The United States military withdrew from the country, as per the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement signed in February 2020.

When the U.S. military pulled out, more than 1,000 potential volunteers signed up with the International Institute of Los Angeles. Nguyen said they offered to host families, donate various items, or pick them up from the airport to help them get settled.

“We’ve had an outpouring of support,” he said. “I was surprised by the support and immediacy — especially just seeing the news coverage of how vulnerable these families are. They left with nothing. A lot of these families were at U.S. military bases for several months. They’ve gone through a lot.”

Prior to Nguyen’s hiring, the International Institute of Los Angeles was funded through government contracts. Now, it has expanded into private funding and individual donations.

“We resettle folks all over LA County and neighboring counties,” he said.

“We have been recruiting a lot of new case workers and aides who speak Dari and connecting Afghans to benefits. The bulk of what we do is accessing the benefits they’re entitled to. We can get medical for them and CalFresh for food as well as jobs within several months of arrival.”

The institute’s priority is getting folks on their feet. During the Trump administration, he said, the refugee admission numbers were at an all-time low.

Many resettlements closed across the country.

“During this current administration, it was brought back up again,” he said.

Across the country, agencies and nonprofits have been overwhelmed with the numbers.

“This crisis has caused a huge influx of folks needing help,” Nguyen said.

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La Plaza de Cultural y Artes names Buckley new CEO

By Laura Latzko LA Downtown News Contributing Writer s the incoming CEO of La Plaza de Cultural y Artes, Leticia Rhi Buckley is aware of the impact she’s about to make.

Buckley is the institution’s first Latina chief executive officer.

“I bring a new perspective to the role. I take pride in that and want to make sure all voices are heard,” said Buckley, who starts her new role on April 4.

La Plaza de Cultural y Artes highlights the talents, stories, art and histories of Mexican, Mexican American and Latino individuals in Los Angeles through exhibitions, music and dance performances, film screenings, discussions, culinary programs and cultural experiences.

Buckley will take over for the retiring John Echeveste. She has more than 30 years of experience in the arts, entertainment and communication industries. Recently, she served as The Music Center’s senior civic strategist.

She has also been acting executive director, chief deputy and director of communications and marketing for the Los Angeles County Arts Commission; a Los Angeles County arts commissioner; The Music Center’s director of marketing and communications; vice president for the Californians for the Arts/California Arts Advocates; a Los Angeles Theatre Academy board member; the Arts for Healing and Justice Network board chair; Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra advisory council member; a Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board marketing committee member; a marketing and PR manager for Cirque du Soleil; and an adjunct professor in the Center for Business and Management of the Arts at Claremont Graduate University.

With the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Buckley helped develop the Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative report, which ensures everyone in Los Angeles has access to the arts.

Buckley earned a degree in political science from Loyola Marymount University.

Early in her career, she started out as a promotions assistant for KROQ-FM. Buckley also founded her the boutique marketing firm The Selling Point, which was specialized in Latino market-

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Leticia Rhi Buckley will start as chief executive officer of La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in April.

Photo by Vanie Poyey

La Plaza de Cultura y Artes is an institution dedicated to showcasing the contributions and stories of Mexican, Mexican American and Latino people in Los Angeles.

Photo by Mario Hernandez

ing, special events and PR. She worked with clients such as Disney Theatrical Productions, the Los Angeles Democratic National Convention 2000 and Cheech Marin’s “The Chicano Collection.”

Supervisor Hilda L. Solis recently honored Buckley for her work during Hispanic Heritage Month. In 2019, the Loyola Marymount University Latino Alumni Association gave her the Alumni Role Model Award.

She was also named as one of “100 Most Successful Hispanic Women” by Hispanic Magazine.

In the arts

Growing up in East Los Angeles, Buckley and her sister were encouraged to take an interest in the arts by their Mexican immigrant parents. She danced with a local ballet folklorico company as a child and later took part in marching band.

Her grandmother attended church at La Placita Church, next door to La Plaza.

When Buckley heard La Plaza was being built about a decade ago, she was happy to see a Latino, Mexican and Mexican American cultural institution coming into the area.

“It was exciting to learn that the buildings were being repurposed into a place where our stories can be centered,” Buckley said.

Buckley changed positions at this time because she wanted to be part of an institution that shared Mexican, Mexican American and Latino culture, stories, history and art forms.

“I had worked most of my career for large institutions,” she said.

“Most of them were white-led institutions, centered around Western art forms.

At this stage in my career, I wanted to put the same energy into an institution that was more representative of the community it serves. La Plaza is already culturally rooted and as an LA County anchor cultural institution should receive the same level of resources and attention.”

She said she believes that La Plaza has a strong foundation, and she would like to add to her predecessors’ work.

“It is an opportunity to build and honor the legacy of those whose vision make La Plaza possible while evolving into an anchor cultural institution that is recognized

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Covered California will help BUSINESS and supported for its impact and value,” Buckley said.

Starting out

In Buckley’s first days, she hopes to get to know the institution on a deeper level. She doesn’t plan to make sweeping changes overnight but wants instead to help it to continue to grow and evolve.

“I have no intention of coming in and changing everything. So much good is already happening. The first 30 to 60 days will be about assessing and learning. I want to understand the strengths and opportunities and build from there,” Buckley said.

In her position, she will be involved in long- and short-term strategic planning of programming, budgets, fundraising and the use of different spaces. Buckley will work closely with the board of directors and her 30- to 40-person staff. During the interview process, she noticed the strong bond between the board and staff.

From these folks, she can cull institutional knowledge. She said in the CEO position, it is important to put egos aside and concentrate on results.

“You can accomplish so much if you don’t care who gets credit,” Buckley said.

Throughout her career, Buckley has developed honest and transparent business relationships and collaborations. She said this is one reason why she’s been successful.

“It is all about how you nurture those relationships and deliver what is promised with authenticity and transparency,” Buckley said.

Buckley hopes to further utilize spaces such as La Plaza Cocina for cooking events and shows and the campus’ edible teaching garden for community education and programming.

“The work of La Plaza isn’t prescribed.

It is a museum and cultural center, offering critical social infrastructure that centers around Latino experiences, varied and diverse at its core. La Plaza is where our many perspectives shape the narrative about Los Angeles and beyond,” Buckley said.

The Echeveste effect

Echeveste came to the La Plaza in 2014 after working in the marketing and PR industry.

He led the cultural institution and mu-

seum during a period of growth, when its budget, staff and attendance saw a significant increase. He witnessed the importance of La Plaza’s programs and exhibits.

“It’s meant a lot to make to see what we have accomplished in the community, especially when I see families come in.

I will see mothers and fathers pointing out certain things they see in the exhibits that are meaningful to them. ‘Your grandpa used to play on that baseball team’ or ‘I remember La Esperanza Bakery used to be in this building back in the ’60s,’” Echeveste said.

“It’s good to see that we are really making those connections with community people and that they can come here and see La Plaza as something that they are proud of, and it’s a way that they can express their pride for their culture. By the same token, it’s important for non-Latinos to come here and learn about Latino history, art and culture, too.”

During his tenure, the campus added La Plaza Cocina, a Mexican food museum with a teaching kitchen, a gift store and an exhibition; La Plaza Village, a mixeduse project with apartments, murals from Chicano artists, and a retail space; and the Historic Paseo Walkway between the cultural institution and the historic La Placita Church.

When Echeveste came on with La Plaza, it was still a fairly new institution.

“We were still trying to find our footing and see what our place was in the community. That’s where I really focused on when I got here,” Echeveste said.

“We really wanted to make La Plaza more of a community hub. … We have a very beautiful facility here that was underutilized, so we wanted to make use of the property.”

Before the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 200 events, including talks and film screenings, took place at La Plaza. During the pandemic, La Plaza offered virtual content. It’s ramping up once again for in-person events.

“We’ve really seen that as a way to expand our reach and our audience,” Echeveste said about virtual events.

“Now, we are reaching even larger numbers of people, and we are reaching them all over the country and in some cases all over the world, too.”

La Plaza de Cultura y Artes 501 N. Main Street, Los Angeles Noon to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays lapca.org

Skiermont Derby, Dechert make Bank Tower moves

By LA Downtown News Staff ilverstein Properties revealed two new lease signings at the U.S. Bank Tower in DTLA. Skiermont Derby LLP, a boutique patent and civil litigation firm, has signed a seven-year lease for 4,500 square feet and is slated to occupy a portion of the 58th floor when it relocates from 800 Wilshire in the summer.

Dechert LLP, a global law firm founded in the United States, has expanded its existing lease to include an additional 5,900 square feet on the 49th floor of the tower. The firm currently occupies 9,700 square feet within the U.S. Bank Suite, also on the 49th floor, and is slated to take over the new space in September.

“We’re delighted to see two top law firms grow their Los Angeles presence at the U.S. Bank Tower,” said Jeremy Moss of Silverstein Properties.

“Downtown Los Angeles is one of the most active real estate markets in California and continues to attract residents and businesses from across the country. We are spending the year upgrading the building’s lobby, amenity spaces and outdoor space, and look forward to evolving the look, feel and culture of the building.”

With offices in LA and Dallas, Skiermont Derby LLP offers 15 experienced trial lawyers who understand high-stakes commercial litigation for fees significantly lower than those of traditional large and midsize law firms.

The firm represents multinational corporations, family companies and individuals in disputes involving technology, pharmaceutical, entertainment, telecommunications, manufacturing, hospitality, aerospace, energy, software, real estate, media and securities industries.

“We could not be happier about the move to U.S. Bank Tower. I have worked Downtown for most of my career, and U.S. Bank Tower has always been a gorgeous building and the focal point of the Downtown skyline,” said Paul Derby, Skiermont Derby’s managing partner.

With approximately 1,000 employees across 22 offices worldwide, Dechert LLP is frequently retained to work on some of the world’s most challenging transactions and disputes. Clients include corporations, financial institutions, sovereign states, quasi-sovereign entities, and private and high-net-worth individuals around the globe. The firm also has a long-standing tradition of providing pro bono services to individuals and organizations who cannot otherwise afford legal counsel.

The U.S. Bank Tower was designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and built in 1989 by Maguire Properties. Located near the Pershing Square Metro station, it is the second tallest tower in Los Angeles, at 1,018 feet, and one of the most prominent buildings on the city skyline. U.S. Bank Tower is LEED Gold certified, and existing tenants include U.S. Bank, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, Thomson Reuters and Marsh USA. Silverstein Properties acquired the U.S. Bank Tower in September 2020 and announced a $60 million capital improvement program in May 2021. Upgrades across 35,000 square feet of common spaces include redesigning the building’s main entrance and lobby.

New amenities will include a day-to-night juice and cocktail bar, a grab-and-go market, seating, collaboration areas and more. The Vista will provide a new amenity destination for building tenants on the 54th floor, featuring panoramic views of Los Angeles. The elevator system will also be fully modernized. Building upgrades are set to be completed by the end of this year.

Across Silverstein Properties’ portfolio, tenants now have access to a new hospitality program, INSPIRE Your Day, that offers hotel-quality amenities and access to neighborhood perks, daily fitness classes and monthly social events through an on-site concierge. These services are all accessible to tenants via a dedicated app.

JLL led negotiations for the landlord in both deals. Skiermont Derby LLP was represented by Savills, and Dechert LLP was represented by Cushman & Wakefield.

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Covered California will help FEATURE

Tifanee Taylor, who owns Gather LA, learned to crochet at age 5.

Photo by Chris Mortenson

Yarn Crawl returns after 2-year hiatus

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor aving been unraveled for due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the LA County Yarn Crawl is returning, stitching together 15 women-owned small businesses.

“We’re so excited to be bringing back the Los Angeles Yarn Crawl in 2022,” said Maridee Dangcil, president of the LA County Yarn Crawl.

“After missing two years, we’re also looking forward to welcoming all new crafters who started working with yarn while we were all asked to stay at home. If this is your first crawl or you are a seasoned veteran, it’s going to be a great weekend and there will be lots of new unique and special things to see and do.”

The sprawling event — from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 24, to Sunday, March 27 — covers a diverse group of yarn shops, including Gather LA, which is participating for the ninth time.

Returning this year is the passport prize promotion, where each of the 15 shops will feature a $300 gift basket prize. To enter, crawl participants will drop their completed passports with stamps from the Yarn Crawl sprawl of shops visited. See layarncrawl.org.

There will also be general crawl prizes, free patterns, and a treasure hunt pattern in knit and crochet.

Of the 15 shops —14 brick-and-mortars and one mobile truck — there are 20 owners featuring 11 California natives. The remaining U.S. transplants to LA County are from Austria, New York, Connecticut, Minnesota and Arizona. Together they have a 273 combined years of yarn business ownership experience.

Owned by Tifanee Taylor, Gather LA is housed in a bookstore that sells travel guides, attracting people from around the world. She understands the fine balance of meeting the needs of international travelers and Los Angeleno locals.

“I have some yarn from indie small buyers,” she said. “I have a brand called Galler Yarns and three of their yarn bases — the Super-B, W.O.W. and one that is 100% alpaca.”

Left-handed Taylor, who learned to crochet at age 5, ironically retaught herself to crochet in her 30s from a book found in Last Bookstore by sitting across from a friend using a mirroring technique. She finds herself as a shop owner mirroring her own fiber arts community’s need to stay looped into “creating” for her own relaxation and well-being.

Taylor had to pivot to loop during the pandemic.

“The very first weekend of the shutdown, I knitted a chunky fringed shawl, and it’s hanging up in the shop now,” she said.

“Making that really helped me stay grounded during those first days. I do hope that all the people who picked up a hook or needles over the pandemic will continue to knit and crochet and be interested in increasing their skills.”

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The sprawling LA County Yarn Crawl covers a diverse group of yarn shops.

Photo by Chris Mortenson

Tifanee Taylor’s Gather LA is one of 15 shops participating in this year’s LA County Yarn Crawl.

Photo by Chris Mortenson

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Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

Mary Little’s work can be found in collections around the world.

“Lineage” features large pieces such as this one called “Alexander.”

Photo courtesy of Mary Little

Photo courtesy of Mary Little

Sculptor uses canvas to trace a lifetime of scenery

By Bridgette M. Redman LA Downtown News Contributing Writer ver ything comes from some where. Artist Mary Little traces her creative genealogy from her industrial views in DTLA to the wild, rugged coastlines of Irish farmlands on a remote peninsula.

These experiences inform her work, which shows from Saturday, March 26, to Saturday, April 23, at PH-1, 1700 S. Santa Fe, Downtown. Honoring her artistic journey, the exhibition is called “Lineage.” The opening reception is noon to 5 p.m. Friday, March 25.

“For the first 10 years of my life, I lived on a farm, the countryside on the northeast coast of Ireland,” Little said.

“I lived on a peninsula that was just 3 miles wide. That was my life, and I very rarely left the peninsula until I was 10

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years old, and my family moved to Belfast. I went from intense green to gray.”

Little sculpts with unbleached canvas, manipulating it to create patterns that speak to her, that explore how light, surface and gravity interact.

She uses advanced sewing techniques to create patterns and shapes.

The canvases hang on walls, pieces sewn together in ways that sometimes bunch or ruffle.

The movement of the sculptures in this exhibit was born out of her memories, representations of how she saw the landscape and how it was shaped by the ocean.

“I really miss the countryside and the tiny little fields, the way things are really worn down,” Little said. “Everything in the countryside where I grew up was old. There was moss and rocks

and water inlets and big, soft boulders you saw on the beach on the west side of the peninsula. On the east side were sandy beaches and you’d see patterns on the beach. It was that sensibility of things being worn down and having soft gentle waves to them that I’m really picking up in the patterns.”

To name the pieces in the exhibit, she pulled from family surnames and then from neighboring farmers. Eventually, she started naming the really large pieces after land masses.

“I’m tapping into those places that are all around where I grew up,” Little said. “As I get older, I think more and more about those first 10 years of my life. It’s a really big foil against where I am now. I live Downtown, and my windows look at the back of a warehouse.

There is graffiti and tagging, people

living in the streets down below. It’s just such a contrast.”

Contrast isn’t a negative thing. She said she is exactly where she wants to be, and she and her husband worked hard to find a way to make it to Los Angeles.

“Los Angeles has been so much better to live in than I ever thought,” Little said.

“When I was younger and making furniture, a lot of people said I would do well in Los Angeles. They would mean Hollywood and glamour, because the furniture I was making was sculptural with rich, colorful material.”

Two decades ago, she moved to San Francisco to teach, but they couldn’t afford to live there and moved to Connecticut.

“We were literally heartbroken that

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we left,” Little said. “I had never felt anything like it. We both felt like we’d made such a big mistake to leave California but couldn’t think of a way back.”

Eventually, they were introduced to Craft in America and found their place in Downtown LA While she was still making furniture then, she was ready for a change.

Thanks to support from the creative community, in 2015, she left furniture making behind and concentrated on her sculptures, works defined as being “devoid of functional references.”

Los Angeles’ character feeds her work, just as the coasts, inlets and small hills of Ireland do. The glamour of Hollywood does not.

“I feel Los Angeles is full of character,” Little said. “It’s really rough. People find their own way. It’s full of creative people trying to stand on their feet. It’s not the glamorous place that people in my family in the UK or London think it is. It’s just real, and I love that.”

“Lineage” is Little’s fourth exhibit since the pandemic began. They build on the emotions and reflections of the past two years.

“Lineage” marks the first time that all her pieces are at least 70 inches by 50 inches — and many are much larger. In the last seven years, Little has explored various sizes in her work. Last summer, she explored smaller work, pieces that were 16 inches by 20 inches or by 24 inches.

“I always want my work to go into people’s homes, so it made sense to explore smaller work,” Little said. “I hadn’t done that for a long time.”

After a few months, she gave up because it wasn’t working for her or her message.

“It made me realize that I personally — and the work and the canvas ­— work much better when it has more space to breathe,” Little said.

“It has to have a sense of abundance and generosity. Those were the two goals I have with the pieces, not just in the size but within the content, the feeling of the work.”

Informing her work Little trained as a furniture designer at the Royal College of Art, and much of what she learned there continues to

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inform her practice and work.

Only now, instead of creating items designed for function, she focuses on the ritual of repetition to create her works. Combining precision planning and intuition, she lets the canvas speak to her. The process of cutting and stitching develops a rhythm.

As a self-managed ar tist, Little spends her mornings taking care of the business end of art, and then, when all the chores and administration are out of the way, she eats lunch and moves to her creation stations. It is then that her ritual takes over.

“I can stand at the cutting table methodically cutting pieces of the same shape, or I might be sewing together pieces of the same shape,” Little said. “I notice that within 3 minutes, I can just feel everything melt away.

It is very, very good for my emotions, and I’m working hard. I’m producing something, so that satisfies my Protestant work ethic, but it’s just that thing where there is just enough, where my brain is engaged in the making of it, but not so much that it exhausts me. It just absorbs the good part of my consciousness and lets me relax. I don’t do it because of that, but I discovered that was happening.”

She said it speaks to her, but she also feels it speaks to those who see it.

There are repeated forms that she describes as warm and tranquil.

She points out the difference in working with cloth as opposed to, for example, painted steel. Steel would be precise, but cloth is not.

“It is slightly imprecise and softened,” Little said.

“You start to look at the pattern and you see where it is not quite right or one part is more bulbous than the other. If you are standing in front of it, there is more to take in. I think that helps people to be quite mellow.”

She said she hopes people will come to this new space and enjoy not just the work but the view out the window. The exhibition space, located near her studio, looks out on industrial East LA with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background.

“I’d love people to just come to see the work,” Little said. “Even if they just want a view of East LA and coming to see my work is a secondary thing, I would enjoy that. I think it’s all about engagement.”

“Lineage” WHEN: Various times Saturday, March 26, to Saturday, April 23 WHERE: PH-1, 1700 S. Santa Fe, Downtown COST: Free admission INFO: marylittle.com

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Created in 2022, “Balligan” is made of unbleached canvas.

Photo courtesy of Mary Little

The detail on the 70-by-50-by-5-inch piece called “Florence” shows the intricate and advanced sewing techniques Mary Little uses in creating.

Photo courtesy of Mary Little

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MARCH 21, 2022

Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

Have a ball at the immersive ‘Bridgerton’ experience

By Annika Tomlin LA Downtown News Staff Writer ridgerton” fans can pretend they’re mingling among the upper echelon of London society during “The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience,” starting Thursday, March 24, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in LA. The 90-minute event, which runs through the summer, transports guests to Regency-era London for a live concert by a string quartet playing the “Bridgerton” soundtrack.

“We chose Millennium Biltmore Hotel because it’s truly historic and well suited to the grandeur of the Regency era,” said Greg Lombardo, Netflix’s head of experiences.

“The Queen’s Ball will be held in The Crystal Ballroom — known as the ‘birthplace of the Oscar’ — and the Tiffany Room, under a hand-painted 30-foot ceiling, majestic balconies and magnificent Austrian crystal chandeliers.”

The experience marks the beginning of the second season, which starts the following day, Friday, March 25.

The experience’s highlights include immersive rooms featuring Madame Delacroix’s modiste to admire high society’s brilliant fashion trends, an underground Regency-era painting studio to strike a regal pose, and a visit with the Queen.

“Attendees will be greeted by the voice of Lady Whistledown and presented with opportunities to prove they are deserving of the Queen’s attention,” Lombardo said.

As the experience ends, the Queen chooses a Diamond of the Season, who represents high society’s most eligible person.

“Her Majesty, the Queen, will choose one special guest to become the Diamond of the Evening,” Lombardo said.

“She or he will have a shining moment on stage when presented to the Queen and other guests during the show.”

The Queen’s Ball is held daily, except for Mondays, to allow guests to come after watching the newest season.

“This experience spans both seasons, and we are excited to bring this experience to several cities across North America, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Montreal and Washington, D.C. — and more to be announced soon,” Lombardo said.

Tickets are on sale through the end of May, “with an end date yet to be determined,” according to Lombardo. There isn’t a dress code, but performers will don ballgowns and tuxes.

“Guests are highly encouraged to dress

“B

Shondaland’s Netflix hit “Bridgerton” partnered with Fever to create an immerse experience for fans in anticipation for the upcoming second season.

Photo courtesy of Fever

up in Regency-era-inspired or cocktail/formal attire,” Lombardo said. “The Queen is seeking her Diamond, and her eye is impeccable, after all.”

Specialty cocktails, inspired by “Bridgerton’s” characters, will be served, including The Diamond of the Season (Tanqueray London dry gin, lemon juice, honey syrup and hibiscus blueberry tea); Birds of a Featherington (Tanqueray Seville orange, lemon juice, jasmine tea simple syrup and mint) and The Sharma Twist (Tanqueray Rangpur lime, Earl Grey lavender liqueur and dry vermouth and a lavender sprig).

“To mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19, the event provider will implement health restrictions in line with local government guidelines, warnings or guidance and communicate these to visitors on the event website and in person at the event site,” Lombardo said.

“Visitors experiencing symptoms are asked not to attend the event. For our Los Angeles venue, proof of vaccination will be required.”

“Bridgerton” initially debuted on Netflix Dec. 25, 2020, and became the second most watched series on the platform.

“Shondaland effortlessly captured hearts around the globe by transporting Bridgerton viewers into a reimagined Regency-era London,” Lombardo said.

“Fans connected with every aspect of the series — from its delightful characters and the superb actors who brought them to life to the costume design, art and set direction to the soundtrack.

“We’ve co-produced with Fever ‘The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience’ to create a unique fan experience designed to immerse attendees in the lavish world of “Bridgerton” and bring this world to them across multiple cities.”

“The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience” WHEN: Various times Thursday, March 24, through the summer WHERE: Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles, 506 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles COST: Tickets start at $49; 21 and older INFO: bridgertonexperience.com/los-angeles

MARCH 21, 2022

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MARCH 21, 2022