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In This Issue
- Little Saigon's New Cultural Center
- Collaborative Art Installation in Santa Ana Unveiled
- OCC Speech, Debate and Theatre Team Wins at State
- High School Artist of the Year Nominees Announced
- Sherman Library & Gardens Half Way to Fundraising Goal
- In Memoriam
| New Cultural Center Opens in Little Saigon | |
In a historic milestone, the Vietnam Cultural & Media Center recently opened, uniting six Vietnamese American nonprofit organizations under one roof. Its organizers say the large venue in Orange County’s Little Saigon will serve as a hub for Vietnamese culture, creativity and community pride.
Read more here.
| New Mural Unveiled in Santa Ana | |
The City of Santa Ana and Santa Ana’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Agency has joined forces to bring a unique collaborative art installation to life at the Jerome Recreation Center. The America Connects Heart & Home National Mural Mosaic celebrates the creativity of over 2,000 artists from across the United States and beyond. Over 170 Santa Ana residents, including seniors, students, athletes, neighborhood associations and recreation participants crafted individual tiles that became part of this impactful mural. The installation was brought to life by artist Lewis Lavoie. Santa Ana is the only city in California chosen to collaborate with Global Roots Project for their Winter 2025 tour.
Read more about the Global Roots Project here.
| Orange Coast College Speech, Debate and Theatre Team Win State Championship | |
In a dominant performance, the Orange Coast College Speech, Debate and Theatre team won their 18th title at the California Community College Forensics Association State Championship with an impressive 290 points. This total was over one hundred points more than the second place team. Points are earned through individual performances that contribute to the overall team total.
Read more here.
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2025 High School Artist of the Year
Nominees Announced
| Nominees for Artist of the Year 2025 include (top row, from left) Vivi Perez, Orange County School of the Arts (fine arts); Piper McClave, Mater Dei High School (theatre); Emily Mikulich Rodarte, Brea Olinda High School (dance); David Pineda, Orange County School of the Arts (film & TV); (bottom row, from left) Isaiah Medina, Tesoro High School (vocal music); Joyce Wen, Beckman High School (instrumental music) and William Villasaldo, Orange High School (media arts). | |
The Orange County Register has announced the 2025 nominees for the Artist of the Year program. Originally created as a companion to the Register’s long-standing annual high school Athlete of the Year honors, this program honors top junior and senior artists in Orange County as nominated by their arts teachers. In this, the program's twelfth year, 923 students were nominated. Students are nominated by arts teachers and private instructors in seven different disciplines: theatre, dance, film and TV, vocal music, instrumental music, media arts and fine arts.
Read more here.
| | Sherman Library & Gardens Halfway to $17 Million Goal for Major Renovation | | Executive Director Scott LaFleur holds a rendering of plans for what new entrance would look like at Sherman Library & Gardens upon completion of renovation project. | |
The Sherman Library & Gardens announced that their $17-million fundraising plans for modernization and expansion are more than halfway to fruition. The plan would add a second story to the building currently containing the visitor center. The library and gardens’ restaurant would be moved to there, and the structure it previously inhabited would be dedicated to community programming.
Read more here.
| Fred Eversley, a sculptor who spun his scientific training into art, died in New York on March 14 at 83. He was a key figure in the development of contemporary art from Los Angeles during the postwar period. Eversley synthesized elements from several art historical movements associated with Southern California, including Light and Space, though his work is the product of a pioneering vision all his own, informed by lifelong studies on the timeless principles of light, space, time and gravity. His work was seen in solo exhibitions at the Orange County Museum of Art in 1976 and 2022. | Noted arts patron James R. Mellor died peacefully on February 10 at the age of 94. He served on over 20 corporate boards and multiple non-profit boards, both nationally and locally. He served as a Trustee for the National Endowment of the Humanities, the National Museum of American History, the National Gallery of Art, the Kennedy Center, the Ford Theater, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and many others. After moving full-time to Laguna Beach, Jim focused his energy on several local boards, most notably as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for both the Laguna Playhouse and the Laguna College of Art and Design. | | We acknowledge with respect our presence on the ancestral lands of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians - Acjachemen Nation and the Tongva People. | | | | |
