EAST COLLEGE LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez 770 Wilshire Boulevard Monterey Park, 91754 Los Angeles, CA 90017 323.265.8650 213.891.2000 Mixing ELAC SOUTH GATE EDUCATIONAL CENTER Arts 2340 Firestone Blvd. & SCIENCE South Gate, CA 90280-2646 323.357.6200 Part IV the Science of ELAC ADMINISTRATION Marvin Martinez, President Marvin Martinez, Director ART CONSERVATION Dr. Richard A. Moyer, Vice President, President, Academic Affairs/Liberal Arts and Sciences Marshal Chuang, Director Laura M. Ramirez, Vice President, Workforce President, JMC Motors, Inc Marissa B. Castro-Salvati, Director, Local Public Murals Education and Economic Development Oscar Valeriano, Vice President, Student Services Affairs Region Manager, Southern California Edison Dr. Ann Tomlinson, Vice President, Christine Y. Chui, Director Administrative Services Philip A. Cohen, Director, Chief Executive Officer, Erlinda De Ocampo, Associate Vice President, Monterey Park Hospital & Garfield Medical Center Administrative Services Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, AHMC Healthcare Inc. LACCD 2013-2014 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Tina Hwang, Director Vice President and Cluster Bank Manager, Scott J. Svonkin, President Southern California District/HSBC USA, N.A. Steve Veres, Vice President Priscilla Lizárraga, Director Mike Eng Senior Vice President, TELACU Industries Mona Field Asif Mahmood, Director Ernest H. Moreno M.D., F.C.C.P. Diplomat American Board of Nancy Pearlman Internal Medicine & Pulmonary Diseases El Pueblo Historical Monument Collection Miguel Santiago Helen Romero Shaw, Director LaMont G. Jackson, Student Trustee Public Affairs Manager, The Gas Company Selina S. Chi, Executive Director LACCD ADMINISTRATION Dean of Resource and Institutional Development, East Los Angeles College Dr. Francisco C. Rodriguez, Chancellor Martha C. Pelayo, Development Officer Dr. Adriana D. Barrera, Deputy Chancellor STEAM Project Director, East Los Angeles College Dr. Felicito Cajayon, Vice Chancellor for Economic and Workforce Development * east los angeles college alumni Bobbi Kimble, Interim Vice Chancellor for Educational Programs and Institutional Effectiveness STEM PROGRAM STAFF Dr. Albert J. Roman, Vice Chancellor Dr. Armando M. Rivera-Figueroa, Program Director for Human Resources Marina Rueda, STEM Counselor Jeanette Gordon, Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer Martha C. Pelayo, STEAM Project Director Camille A. Goulet, General Counsel Patricia Reynaga, SFP-STEM Advisor James D. O’Reilly, Chief Facilities Executive Brissa Palacios, SFP-Office Technician Lidya Ermias, SFP-Office Technician EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE Shahriar Sharifi, SFP-Office Technician Wednesday, December 3, 2O14 FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Maria Calpito, SFP-Specialist Raymond K. Cheng, Chairman of the Board* Patrick Hawthorne, Student Worker 6:00pm – 8:00pm Associate Director, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Luis Nava, Student Worker Sandy Ho, Treasurer* E.V.P. & Regional Manager, Preferred Bank. President, S2-RECITAL HALL LA Chinese-American Sheriff Advisory Committee Photo by Gary Leonard

About STEAM › The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) family at ELAC is excited to welcome you to the adventure and excitement of “Mixing Arts and Science.” This three-year effort, which started last semester, explores the integration of science and arts and how these two fuse seamlessly to provoke GANAS › the human senses. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) is an initiative that we have developed with the goal of engaging students and members of the general community in GOALS AND NEEDS FOR ACCELERATED STEM the appreciation of art through a scientific viewpoint, and the appreciation of science from an artistic perspective. Through this initiative students and the community will join us on a journey where we will On September 22, 2011, the U.S. Department of Education awarded East Los Angeles College a grant explore the science of art conservation and what the impact of that has been to the artistic community (Award # P031C110092) for a project entitled, Goals And Needs for Accelerated STEM (GANAS). in Los Angeles. This initiative is possible through funding from the US Department of Education, to This cooperative grant, with the University of Southern California (USC), aims to increase the number help increase awareness on the importance of science in different facets of our life, while aiming to of community college students, particularly traditionally underrepresented students, who transfer to a increase the number of students pursuing a degree in STEM. baccalaureate program and finish in a STEM discipline. This semester’s installation on Mixing Arts and Science will focus on the conservation of murals, with GANAS has been able to allow ELAC to develop different activities to target each specific goal under the the focus on a particular historic and controversial mural in Los Angeles, América Tropical. It is through grant. Activities ranging from outreach, to engagement, to preparation for success, to intervention and the collaboration of experts with the passion to share the history of this mural that we are able to bring remediation strategies have been and are continually developed. this event to you this evening. We are thankful to Chris Espinosa, General Manager of El Pueblo de The success of our STEM program builds on a thorough review and continuous evaluation process, which Los Angeles Historical Monument, who enthusiastically agreed to participate in this STEAM event. allow us to evolve with the constant and dynamic “metamorphosis” of the process. We also extend our appreciation to Leslie Rainer, Senior Project Specialist of the Getty Conservation Institute for her commitment to the City’s birthplace and its history, and Mahmood Karimzadeh, AIA, Principal Architect for the City of Los Angeles for his time and dedication to this project. Also our For More Information on For More Information About gratitude goes out Karen Rapp, VPAM Director for participating in tonight’s event. Finally we would › › like to thank our special guest, George Yepes, for sharing his passion and expertise in bridging STEM ELAC STEAM Contact STEM Programs at ELAC Contact and the Arts through Murals. Martha C. Pelayo Dr. Armando M. Rivera-Figueroa We hope that you enjoy the evening. STEAM Project Director, Community Relations Associate Professor of Chemistry, Program Director [email protected] [email protected] (323) 780-6783 (323) 780-6730 Armando M. Rivera-Figueroa, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Chemistry MESA and STEM Programs Director Sponsored by the US Department of Education HSI initiative – P031C110092 East Los Angeles College A special acknowledgement to Red Bull for their contribution to tonight’s event Special Guest › Panelists › GEORGE YEPES Christopher P. Espinosa, Panel Moderator Artist and Muralist General Manager, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument In 1992, George Yepes was named “El Fuego de Los Angeles” (The Fire of Los Chris Espinosa currently serves as the General Manager for El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Angeles) by Councilman Richard Alatorre and the . Monument. El Pueblo is near the site of the early pueblo or town where forty-four settlers of mixed In 1993, for the Los Angeles Subway project, George Yepes was partnered heritage journeyed more than one-thousand miles across the desert from present-day Mexico and with Ricardo Legorreta, the AIA Gold Medal architect from Mexico City, established Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles del Rio de Porciuncula. El Pueblo is a major tourist as the duo “Lead Urban Design Team” in charge of designing seven subway destination attracting over two million visitors annually. stations beneath East Los Angeles. In 1997, Mayor Richard Riordan and the Los Angeles City Council Chris previously served as the Director of Capital Projects for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa. In that named George Yepes a “Treasure of Los Angeles”. Also, in 1997, the State Superintendent of Public role, he was the Mayor’s appointee to several Administrative Oversight Committees for the City’s bond-funded Instruction named George Yepes to the State Task Force on the Visual and Performing Arts for the construction programs, including Proposition Q (Police and Fire Stations); Proposition F (Fire Stations and Animal California Department of Education. In 1998, the Governor and Secretary of State of California, hand Shelters); Los Angeles Zoo Capital Improvement Program; and, the Municipal Facilities Committee, which oversees picked George Yepes to paint a seventy-foot vaulted ceiling mural, titled “The Promise”, at the State the construction and renovation of public facilities, land acquisition, and lease agreements. Capital in Sacramento. In 1999, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously adopted a resolution Prior to his position with the Mayor’s Office, Chris worked for the City Council in the Office of the Chief Legislative commending George Yepes for establishing a training program that assisted teachers to effectively Analyst. His work included citywide budget formulation, ethics and campaign finance issues, and public safety related initia- implement State Learning Standards for the Visual Arts. tives. He has also worked for the Mayor’s Office in New York City and for a congressional member in Washington, D.C. In 1992, George Yepes founded the Academia de Arte Yepes, a free mural painting academy through which Yepes (the sole teacher and with no funding) has taught over 2,000 students, for free, from Mahmood Karimzadeh, AIA the low-income neighborhoods of Los Angeles and Chicago. In 1993, to generate renewed interest in Principal Architect, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and to cultivate and inspire the next generation of Mahmood Karimzadeh, AIA, has earned Bachelors of Science and Master Degrees in Architecture explorers; George Yepes and the Academia de Arte Yepes, in partnership with NASA, the European and Urban Planning. After graduation he worked in private sector for 10 years where he designed Space Agency, and the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana: established and implemented a fourteen-year and managed large commercial and residential projects in Middle East, California and Canada. National Educational Model titled: “The Marriage of Art, Science, and Technology”. He has participated in several national and international design competitions and has won several George Yepes’ paintings are in forty overseas and California commissions before joining the City of Los Angeles in 1991. museum collections, and have been Mahmood is the City’s Principal Architect with the LA Bureau of Engineering, managing the $400M Municipal collected by a widely diverse audience Facilities Program. This Program is responsible for design and construction delivery of public projects in City of Los including Sean Penn and Madonna, Angeles. He is also the Program Manager for the Los Angeles Citywide Sustainable Design Program and chair of the Patricia Arquette, Nicolas Cage, Citywide Sustainable Design Task Force. Cheech Marin, Anthony Keidis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, , and . In Leslie Rainer 1999, Yepes’ Warner Bros. album cover Getty Conservation Institute, Senior Project Specialist for Los Lobos titled “La Pistola y El Leslie’s early interests were in literature and language, along with an appreciation of the outdoors. Corazon” was selected as one of the One Hundred Best Album Covers of All Time by the editors of She was born and raised in Denver, where her summers included hiking, rafting, rock climbing, and Rolling Stone Magazine. Yepes’ artwork is also on the cover of Untie the Strong Woman by bestselling survival camp. author, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Her book, Women Who RunWith the Wolves was on the New York She spent 1990 in Rome at ICCROM, earning a certificate in mural paintings conservation, and Times Best Seller list for 145 weeks. at CRATerre-EAG, training in earthen architecture preservation—a course of study ultimately incorporated into the Hollywood actors Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Antonio Banderas, Eva Longoria, Carla Gugino, master’s degree in conservation of architectural finishes that she earned from Antioch University in Ohio. Marley Shelton and Patricia Arquette have modeled for several Yepes paintings. Since the year In 1993 she consulted on the GCI’s project to conserve historic bas-reliefs at the Royal Palaces of Abomey. From 2000, Yepes has collaborated with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino on numerous 1995 to 1997 she was a GCI senior research fellow while working on the project. She then returned to private practice, projects including Once Upon a Time in Mexico 2003; the double feature Grind House 2007; continuing to consult on GCI projects. In 1998–99, she was a fellow at the American Academy in Rome. Machete 2010; and the new 2014 Robert Rodriguez/ movie, Sin City 2 “A Dame to In 2002 Leslie returned to the GCI to work on projects in China, Africa, and Los Angeles. Currently she is conducting Kill For”. research on grouts and helping to organize a conference in Mali on earthen architecture. She still enjoys fieldwork and For 40 years, from East Los Angeles, to Princeton, NASA, Dubai, and Hollywood’s Silver Screens, her collaboration with colleagues in science and conservation. That particularly includes Arlen Heginbotham, a decora- George Yepes has been an ambassador of Art and Culture for the City of Los Angeles. tive arts conservator at the Getty Museum, whom Leslie met at the Getty. He is now her husband. Program América Tropical › DAVID ALFARO SIQUEIROS

David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974) was a revolutionary and one 6:00pm › Welcome and Introductions of the great Mexican artists of the 20th century. As a founding Dr. Armando M. Rivera, STEM Programs Director member of the Mexican Muralist Movement he believed art should Dr. Richard Moyer, ELAC Vice President Academic Affairs be created in public spaces. He wanted his work to be reflective of the environment where it was created. 6:10pm › Guest Speaker Introductions When Siqueiros arrived in Los Angeles, the Plaza at El Pueblo de Martha C. Pelayo, STEAM Project Director Los Angeles Historical Monument was already a place of political › free-speech. He began teaching fresco techniques to young artists at 6:15pm Latino Art at ELAC Chouinard Art Institute. Siqueiros soon forged long term relationships with influential people which Karen Rapp, VPAM Director led to his being commissioned to create the mural at El Pueblo de Los Angeles. 6:20pm › The Role of STEM in Murals The creation of the mural began in late 1932 and it was to be painted on Italian Hall overlooking Olvera George Yepes, Artist and Muralist Street. Everyone anticipated it would depict a tranquil scene that would correspond with the overall nostalgic themes of the marketplace. Instead Siqueiros’ América Tropical challenged that imagery and 6:35pm › Panel Presentation his mural became a catalyst for controversy. 7:35pm › Q&A The unveiling ofAmérica Tropical was met with both animosity and acclaim. Some praised Siqueiros for visually depicting his views on imperialism in the Americas. Others criticized him for abandoning 7:50pm › Closing Remarks classic techniques and for combining haunting imagery with politics. In the end, it was decided that the Dr. Armando M. Rivera mural was out of place and by 1938 it was completely whitewashed. The mural has survived years of weathering and natural disasters and is now conserved and on display to the public. What exists now is but a ghost of what Siqueiros revealed in 1932. Introducing the mural once again, the América Tropical Interpretive Center hopes to invite a new generation of people to analyze and discuss its universal themes of censorship, tolerance, and social justice.

Guest Speaker › KAREN RAPP Vincent Price Art Museum, Director

Karen Rapp has served as Museum Director of the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College since 2007. She oversaw VPAM’s recent expansion into a stand-alone, 40,000 sq. ft. facility on the college campus in Monterey Park, CA. At VPAM, she oversees the presentation of permanent collection shows as well as temporary exhibitions. Recent projects include solo shows of artists Barbara Carrasco, Pearl C. Hsiung, Ken Gonzales-Day, Carlos Almaraz, and Shizu Saldamando. Rapp also curates a project series called HOY SPACE that has received critical attention for its focus on underrepresented artists in the community. She earned her B.A. degree in history and art history from the University of California, Los Angeles and an M.A. in cultural history from the University of California, Riverside. She is recognized for her interdisciplinary work within the arts as well as for building connections with communities through El Pueblo Historical Monument Collection Above Photos by Gary Leonard exhibitions and public programming.