1 Xavier Mota
From: Joel Garcia <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2023 1:05 PM
To: Council Mailbox; councilmtgitems
Subject: Support Letter for Bob Ramirez (Arts Commission) Attachments: Bob Ramirez Support Letter 2024.pdf
EXTERNAL
Dear Councilmembers,
I submit this letter in support of Bob Ramirez's application for arts commissioner. As president of the Gabrielino Tongva Springs Foundation, Bob has helped revitalize Kuruvungna which in turn has created space for the reawakening of cultural art forms. For example, Kuruvungna hosted the first Tongva Basketry Workshop; for the first time in 150 years, the Tongva community has revived the art of harvesting plant material and weaving baskets.
Bob has also helped expand and deepen partnerships with important partners such as UCLA, Descanso Gardens and the Theodore Payne Foundation among others. These partnerships continue to increase the cultural importance and visibility of not only Kuruvungna but also the arts and cultural practices connected to the site and Santa Monica.
In April, students and professors from UCLA performed a survey of artifacts uncovered during construction operations on the grounds of Uni High. Over several months, the team created a database of over 1,200 items, which will help us understand the history of Kuruvungna.
With Bob's leadership, the collaboration with the UCLA Botanical Garden resulted in new plant identification tags; that include the common name, the scientific name, the family, and the Tongva name when possible. Over a hundred native species were identified, including 24 non‐native heritage trees from around the world.
As part of the Meztli projects team working on the City Hall Mural Reframe project I have seen the lack of representation of First Peoples in bodies such as the Arts Commission and this is an area where their inclusion can do many things to spark both healing opportunities, build bridges between the City of Santa Monica and the First Peoples community and secondly uplift the arts and culture of Indigenous folks on par with all other communities.
The City of Santa Monica is in a unique position to do something many cities have not done yet. The inclusion of First Peoples in decision‐making bodies like the Arts Commission is an important step towards healing past, present and ongoing harms.
Sincerely,
Joel Garcia
Director
323.637.4375
[email protected]
ITEM 1.
December 19, 2023
ITEM 1.
December 19, 2023
December 14, 2023
Santa Monica City Council
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Re: Arts Commission
Dear Councilmembers,
I submit this letter in support of Bob Ramirez's application for arts commissioner. As president of the Gabrielino Tongva Springs Foundation, Bob has helped revitalize Kuruvungna which in turn has created space for the reawakening of cultural art forms. For example, Kuruvungna hosted the first Tongva Basketry Workshop; for the first time in 150 years, the Tongva community has revived the art of harvesting plant material and weaving baskets.
Bob has also helped expand and deepen partnerships with important partners such as UCLA, Descanso Gardens and the Theodore Payne Foundation among others. These partnerships continue to increase the cultural importance and visibility of not only Kuruvungna but also the arts and cultural practices connected to the site and Santa Monica.
In April, students and professors from UCLA performed a survey of artifacts uncovered during construction operations on the grounds of Uni High. Over several months, the team created a database of over 1,200 items, which will help us understand the history of Kuruvungna.
With Bob's leadership, the collaboration with the UCLA Botanical Garden resulted in new plant identification tags; that include the common name, the scientific name, the family, and the Tongva name when possible. Over a hundred native species were identified, including 24 non-native heritage trees from around the world.
As part of the Meztli projects team working on the City Hall Mural Reframe project I have seen the lack of representation of First Peoples in bodies such as the Arts Commission and this is an area where their inclusion can do many things to spark both healing opportunities, build bridges between the City of Santa Monica and the First Peoples community and secondly uplift the arts and culture of Indigenous folks on par with all other communities.
The City of Santa Monica is in a unique position to do something many cities have not done yet. The inclusion of First Peoples in decision-making bodies like the Arts Commission is an important step towards healing past, present and ongoing harms.
Sincerely,
Joel Garcia
Director
323.637.4375
[email protected]
Meztli Projects: 6615 Easton Street, Los Angeles, CA 90022 | 323-637-4375 | meztliprojects.org meztli projects
ITEM 1.
December 19, 2023
ITEM 1.
December 19, 2023