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Getty Foundation Awards CSUDH $180,000 for Brackish Water Los Angeles

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Map showing geography of Southern California
1901 map (reprinted 1912), showing geography of southland from San Bernardino area to western edge of Los Angeles County, 1918.

(Carson, CA) The California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) University Art Gallery has been awarded $180,000 by the Getty Foundation for support of Brackish Water Los Angeles, co-directed by gallery director and co-curator Aandrea Stang and co-curator Debra Scacco.This art and research project is part of the Getty Foundation’s PST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative and will culminate in a public-facing exhibition at the gallery next year, alongside a robust slate of programming, off-site activations, and a catalog. 

“We are very excited that CSUDH is participating in the PST ART initiative for the first time,” Stang said. “It is meaningful to be involved in such a wide-ranging multidisciplinary program.”

Brackish Water Los Angeles looks at the ecosystems, infrastructures, and politics surrounding brackish water, which refers to the space where salt and fresh waters meet. The project also considers the larger implications of “in-betweenness” which includes issues of access, inclusion, ecological racism, and cultural/class system interchanges along Los Angeles’ waterways. In the culminating exhibition, slated to open August 2024, visitors will be introduced to scientific content through an exploration of art and objects, offering an engaging experience that raises questions about inequality and ecological justice, prompting new and important conversations. Confirmed artworks to be displayed include selections from Catherine Opie’s Freeway Series, Alfredo Jaar’s Untitled Water (E), and Nancy Baker Cahill’s groundbreaking augmented reality work Mushroom Cloud LA / Proximities, with additional objects from the collections of the Autry Museum of the American West and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. 

The adjoining publication will capture several years of multi-layered research and expand the footprint of the Brackish Water Los Angeles exhibition. The book will help audiences better understand the relationship between brackish water and the city, and will weave research, writing, and art from scientists, artistic practitioners, and cultural workers, among other contributors.

Brackish Water will be on view at the University Art Gallery from August 12 to December 14, 2024 concurrent with the approximately 50 other exhibitions that will be presented around greater Southern California as part of The Getty Foundation’s PST ART. Launched in 2007, PST ART (formerly Pacific Standard Time) is Southern California’s landmark arts event. Dozens of cultural, scientific, and community organizations will join the latest edition, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, with exhibitions on subjects ranging from ancient cosmologies to Indigenous sci-fi, and from environmental justice to artificial intelligence. Art & Science Collide will share groundbreaking research, create indelible experiences for the public, and generate new ways of understanding our complex world. Art & Science Collide follows Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA (September 2017-January 2018), which presented a paradigm-shifting examination of Latin American and Latinx art, and Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980 (October 2011-March 2012), which rewrote the history of the birth and impact of the L.A. art scene. 

This exhibition is made possible with support from Getty through its PST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative. 

Logo text: PST ART

LA Opera Presents Free Live Simulcast of Verdi’s Otello on May 13

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Free live outdoor broadcasts: Verdi's Otello, conducted by James Conlon

Source: LA Opera

High-definition broadcast will be transmitted free of charge, live from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, to audiences at California State University, Dominguez Hills and at the Santa Monica Pier

(Los Angeles) April 11, 2023 – LA Opera will present a live simulcast of its opening night of Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello for audiences at two outdoor locations. At 7:30pm on Saturday, May 13, 2023, LA Opera’s production of the towering operatic masterpiece will be transmitted live in high-definition video from nine cameras at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to large LED screens at California State University, Dominguez Hills and the Santa Monica Pier.

The performance will star tenor Russell Thomas, the company’s Artist in Residence, in the title role and will be conducted by Music Director James Conlon.

Through the generous support of Los Angeles County, LA Opera is able to present these simulcasts free of charge as a special gift to the community.

Otello will mark the ninth “Opera at the Beach” simulcast to the Santa Monica Pier. This will be the first time that LA Opera’s annual live simulcast will be experienced by audiences in the city of Carson, where “Opera on the Lawn” will take place on the North Lawn on the campus of CSUDH.

Since Otello is performed in Italian, the simulcasts will feature subtitles in both English and Spanish.

“Bring your friends, a blanket and picnic out to the Santa Monica Pier for a special night under the stars with the LA Opera for Verdi’s Otello,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, who represents the Third District where the Santa Monica Pier is located. “The simulcast brings the magic of opening night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to the beach, connecting more LA County communities to the power of opera. Our office is thrilled to be part of this beloved Third District tradition and unique LA experience.”

“Access to arts and culture programming has the power to transform lives,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, who represents Los Angeles County’s Second District where CSUDH is located. “My office is proud to bring one of Verdi’s greatest operas, Otello, for all to enjoy freely and in our community. I applaud LA Opera for creatively working to make the arts more accessible throughout LA County.”

“I am honored and delighted that LA Opera has chosen to partner with our university on this unique event,” said CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham. “This simulcast is another opportunity for CSUDH to demonstrate that we are not only in the community, but of the community. Showcasing great instrumental and vocal performances is a fantastic occasion that brings people together in a positive way, using music as the catalyst. We look forward to future collaborations with LA Opera.”

Although no tickets are required for entrance, guests are encouraged to sign up in advance at LAOpera.org/OperaAtTheBeach or LAOpera.org/OperaOnTheLawn to get important information about parking and the latest updates, and to receive a free gift at the event plus a chance to win a three-opera ticket package.

Seating at both locations is general admission, and gates will open at 5:30pm. Attendees are advised to bring their own seating and to arrive early both for pre-performance picnicking and to secure the best viewing areas. There will be arts and crafts activities for families to enjoy before the simulcast begins. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed. Pets are not allowed.

Opera on the Lawn–California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson
For detailed information about the Carson simulcast, please visit LAOpera.org/OperaOnTheLawn. The North Lawn of CSUDH is located at 1000 E. Victoria Street, Carson, CA 90747. Free parking is available.

Opera at the Beach–Santa Monica Pier
For detailed information about the Santa Monica Pier simulcast, please visit LAOpera.org/OperaAtTheBeach. The Santa Monica Pier is located at the western terminus of Colorado Avenue. Parking information can be found at SantaMonica.com/transportation/parking. Attendees can arrive by public transit, exiting the Metro Expo Line at the downtown Santa Monica station.

For more information about the Santa Monica Pier, please visit SantaMonicaPier.org.

About the Opera
Hailed as the pinnacle of the Italian operatic repertoire, Verdi’s 1887 operatic transformation of the original Shakespeare tragedy is a powerful drama of uncontrolled human emotion at its most extreme. (Otello is the Italian spelling for Othello.) Verdi’s musical portrait of a hero’s descent into a tortured heart of darkness is made explicit in every chilling detail as Otello is steadily manipulated into destroying all in life that he holds dear.

Conductor James Conlon takes command of the truly epic musical forces, featuring a gigantic orchestra and chorus, in a production created by acclaimed stage director John Cox. The powerhouse cast is led by Artist in Residence Russell Thomas in the title role (considered the “Mount Everest” of the dramatic tenor repertoire because of its incredibly daunting vocal and dramatic challenges). Soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen makes a highly anticipated company debut as the doomed Desdemona and baritone Igor Golovatenko is the sadistic Iago, who takes delight in slyly exploiting Otello’s one fatal flaw: jealousy.

For additional information about the production, please visit LAOpera.org/Otello.

To download artist headshots and production photographs, click here.

About LA Opera
Los Angeles is a city of enormous diversity and creativity, and LA Opera is dedicated to reflecting that vibrancy by redefining what opera can be. Through imaginative new productions, world premiere commissions, and inventive performances that preserve foundational works while making them feel fresh and compelling, LA Opera has become one of America’s most exciting and ambitious opera companies.

In addition to its mainstage performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the company explores unusual repertoire each season through the LA Opera Off Grand initiative, featuring performances in a variety of venues throughout Los Angeles. The LA Opera Connects initiative offers a robust variety of educational programming and community engagement offerings that reaches people throughout every corner of Los Angeles County. The company also offers a multitude of online content via its LA Opera On Now digital offerings, which launched in 2020. Learn more at LAOpera.org.

LA Opera’s production of Otello made possible by generous support from
GRoW”¯@ Annenberg
Barbara Augusta Teichert

With special additional support from
National Endowment for the Arts
The Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation

With special appreciation to
Gregory and Régina Annenberg Weingarten

LA Opera’s”¯Opera at the Beach”¯made possible with generous support from
Los Angeles County and Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath

LA Opera’s”¯Opera on the Lawn”¯made possible with generous support from
Los Angeles County and Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell

LA Opera Orchestra generously underwritten by
Terri and Jerry Kohl

LA Opera’s 2022/23 season generously underwritten by
GRoW @ Annenberg

LA Opera is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the greater Los Angeles community.

NBC4: CSUDH Can Boast about Graduating 5 Current Mayors

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Source: NBCLA (Video)

In LA County there are several big name and world-class universities but there’s only one university that can boast about graduating five sitting LA County mayors.

“This school produces a lot of, you know, greatness,” said Johnathan Kaufman, a Cal State University of Dominguez Hills student.

From Dominguez Hills to city hall only Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson can brag about graduating five siting LA County mayors.

They are Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, Compton Mayor Emma Sharif, Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes, Hawthorne Mayor Alex Vargas, and LA’s newest Mayor Karen Bass.

“She grew up in our community, she grew up like we did, she went to school where we did and she understands how life here is,” said Natalie Ruiz, a CSUDH student.

Ruiz is studying political science at Dominguez Hills.

Following the 1965 Watts Rebellion, this campus was strategically placed in Carson to bring more educational opportunities to underserved communities in South LA.

Nearly 60 years later, five graduates are now leading nearby cities.

“I think it just speaks to the testament of who she is and how she can only break doors open for more of us,” Ruiz said.

Dr. Thomas Parham is the 11th President of Cal State Dominguez Hills, he says the school has a legacy of teaching students how to serve their communities.

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson was once student body president.

“Some might argue it happens by, you know, happenstance, but really it doesn’t,” Parham said. “I think you can’t love the people unless you’re willing to serve the people and what we have are people who come with the mentality of being servant leaders.”

Student Christopher Hendrix says it also makes him proud to know you don’t need to the big name school to make big time moves.

“It makes me feel empowered. You know, it goes back to the idea that I don’t need to go to Harvard or an Ivy League,” Hendrix said. “I can get the same education, the same understanding of what needs to be done in my communities, in my community. I don’t have to go and then come back. I can stay here and help it grow.”

Daily Breeze: Carson Celebrates 1st Graduates of Small Business Growth Academy

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Recent graduates holding certificates from the Small Business Growth Academy
Recent graduates from the first class of Carson’s Small Business Growth Academy.

Source: Daily Breeze

There is a powerful business incubator in the heart of Carson.

Its mission is not to create the latest buzzy tech startup – but to elevate and empower locally owned businesses.

So far, it seems, that mission is working.

The first class of the Small Business Growth Academy recently graduated and are already encouraging the next cohort of participants to apply.

The academy stems from a partnership between Carson and the Innovation Incubator at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The program is open to small businesses in Carson – those with 100 or fewer employees and/or revenue $20 million per year or less – and provides 10 weeks of workshops to help local companies expand and improve their operations.

The program is free.

“I wanted a small business academy for our small businesses here in the city of Carson,” Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes, who came up with the idea for the program, said during a recent City Council meeting, “because our small businesses are the lifeline of the city of Carson.

“I’m so excited about what the class offered and I’m excited about the next class,” she added, “because these graduates are going to be their cheerleaders.”

The academy workshops are run by serial entrepreneur David Ochi, who is also the executive director of the CSUDH Innovation Incubator. The incubator also runs programs for students and staff, and is specifically designed to meet the needs of the community.

“Most (incubators) focus on scalable startups that follow the classic trajectory of, you come up with an idea, you refine it using all sorts of neat tools from Silicon Valley, get angel funding, get VC (venture capital) backing and work your way to going public or acquired,” Ochi said. “Those are great and we don’t dislike those, but they’re just not in tune with the reality of our community.”

More than 80% of the Cal State Dominguez Hills student body are people of color, with around 66% eligible for pell grants and about half being first-generation college students. Many students are also juggling multiple jobs and some are parenting, Ochi said.

“We intentionally have crafted our programming around focusing on attainable business goals, knowing that the skills they learn by running a small or micro enterprise are highly valuable in the workforce,” Ochi said, “and also set them up for success when they do decide they’re ready to do a big scalable venture.”

The Small Business Growth Academy focuses on practical knowledge and skills that will help local businesses succeed. These include marketing growth strategy, consumer relationship management, business financing, tech tools for business, branding strategy, and permitting and legal processes.

Jannette Gonzalez, the owner of GBros Promotional Products & Services, said that her custom trophy and banner business was struggling to get back on track post-pandemic and that the class was an invaluable resource.

In particular, Gonzalez said, she benefited from learning social media, business software skills and how to obtain loans geared toward small businesses.

Alixandra Cignoli, owner of the Carson franchise European Wax Center, said she benefited from the opportunity to refocus on core business fundamentals.

“It (the program) was so wonderful,” Cignoli said. “It exceeded all expectations.”

Both Cingnoli and Gonzalez said one of the program’s highlights was the tight-knit community formed among participants and the love of Carson they share.

“From the very first class, one of the things that came across clearly was that every single one of the companies talked about how great it was to be in Carson,” Ochi said. “One of the best learning outcomes for me was to realize how important the community is here for the small businesses and how much they want to see the community succeed.”

The first cohort plans on continuing to meet up with each other regularly and will serve as mentors for the new class.

Ochi said he also wants to create a closer relationship between CSUDH students and small businesses in the incubator by having communications and accounting students apply the skills they learn in the classroom to the participating businesses.

The application for the second cohort is currently available on CSUDH’s website and the program will kick off in late January or early February, Ochi said.

“I would say that it is worth making the time and I know and I’m one of those people that I’m always busy and at first I even hesitated to apply,” Gonzalez said. “But I learned a lot and was exposed to other businesses. The resources you get – I don’t know if you can even put a price on it.”

CSUDH Receives $5.3 Million to Address Digital Divide in the South Bay

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CSUDH student at computer

The CSUDH Workforce Integration Network (WIN) has been awarded $5.3 million through the National Telecommunication and Information Administration’s Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CMC). The funds will support “Closing the Digital Divide with CSUDH-WIN,” an innovative outreach effort which connects CSUDH students with partnering organizations to provide training, equipment, and technology resources to members of the community. CSUDH is one of only 19 institutions awarded CMC grants to date, and one of only three in Southern California. 

CSUDH-WIN is designed to address digital inequities, such as access to laptops, Internet, skills training, and technical support. The program will supply laptops, MiFi devices, and career-focused training materials to 10 partner organizations for distribution among community members:

  • Aptus Group
  • Behavioral Health Sciences, Inc.
  • Boys and Girls Club of the Los Angeles Harbor
  • Century Villages at Cabrillo
  • Destination Crenshaw
  • EntreNous Youth Empowerment Services, Inc.
  • Goodwill Southern California
  • Grand Vision Foundation
  • South Bay Cities Council of Governments
  • Watts Labor Community Action Committee

Grant funds will also support paid internships for CSUDH students at the partner organizations, all of which are within a 15-mile radius of campus. Students who are first-generation, under-resourced, and underrepresented report that they cannot afford to participate in unpaid internships and have experienced a significant gap in preparation, compared to their better-resourced peers. 

“Access to technology and digital literacy are increasingly vital components of success in the workplace and in everyday life endeavors,” said CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham. “The CSUDH-WIN program will help address the digital divide in certain communities and seek to dissipate the equity gap by providing the community with essential equipment and training that would otherwise be unavailable to them. It will also give Toro students invaluable experience working with our partnering organizations, making this initiative a win-win for the campus and the local community.” 

The aim of CSUDH’s Workforce Integration Network is to highlight the career opportunities that abound for CSUDH students and the wider community. WIN uses advanced technological resources, combined with university and industry-generated business data, to demonstrate the benefits of the CSUDH educational experience to all stakeholders: students, staff, faculty, employers, and the surrounding community. 

The CMC program is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All initiative that will connect everyone in America with affordable, reliable high-speed Internet. This program specifically directs $268 million from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 for expanding high-speed Internet access and connectivity to eligible colleges and universities.