It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...
PEACE
Veterans For Peace volunteers install a peace symbol made from crosses at Arlington West Memorial, #SantaMonicaBeach on Sunday, December 1, 2019. Arlington West is a temporary memorial installed by Veterans For Peace every Sunday and intended to be a place to mourn, reflect, contemplate, grieve, and meditate, to honor and acknowledge those who have lost their lives, and to reflect upon the costs of war. Arlington West was first installed in Santa Monica, California on Sunday, Feburary 15, 2004.
WestSide VolksWagen Club & Monthly VW Coffee Meet
Live from the WestSide VolksWagen Club & monthly VW Coffee Meet at the Santa Monica Pier on Sunday, December 1, 2019. WestSide VW Club & Monthly VW Coffee Meet meets the first Sunday of every month. All vintage VW's are welcome. #VW #Vokswagen @westsidevwclub
Snow on the Pier
Children play in the snow at the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday, November 30, 2019. The man-made snow was only at the pier for the day as part of the Santa Monica Pier's holiday program.
Fabian Lewkowicz
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SMPD Holiday Substation
Santa Monica Police Department celebrates the opening of the 3rd Street Promenade Holiday Substation during the ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, November 26, 2019.
An impromptu ‘Coffee with a Cop’ Café will be on site for shoppers to stop by and grab a cup of coffee with an officer with no set agenda for visitors of the substation to meet officers, become familiar with the police department and have a friendly conversation. Additionally, the substation will have a display area open for the community and shoppers to view various technological resources and equipment used by officers.
On weekends, a gift-wrapping service operated by the Santa Monica Police Department Explorer Program will be available to holiday shoppers. Lastly, in the spirit of the Hide It, Lock It, Keep It campaign, a package valet will be available daily for shoppers to safely lock and secure any purchases while they enjoy their shopping and dining experiences.
The SMPD encourages all community members to visit the substation this Holiday Season. The Santa Monica Police Holiday Substation is located at 1431 3rd Street Promenade
Fabian Lewkowicz
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In the Image
A new sculpture of a homeless man entitled, "In the Image,” by artist Ed Massey, unvailed this week at the New Balance building on Wilshire and 26 Street!
The 7' tall male figure -- standing in gait -- confronts his viewer and presents a vision that simultaneously references contemporary social themes and historical religious imagery. The figure, unkempt with a blanket over shoulder and a super-size beverage cup in hand, may appear threatening or ominous from a distance or in dim light. From up close, however, his face and focus are benign and calm. He is a symbol of America's urban street -- a giant in physical stature, but invisible, ignored, misinterpreted, or disdained by many, and possessing the barest social standing.
Good people -- progressive to conservative, secular to religious -- are confronted by the issue everyday. Yet, few know the stories of the homeless with whom we come in contact.What don't we know of those we pass without a glance? What could be their potential contributions? What does the sculpture evoke or say about us?
For the vast majority of people going about their daily routines, the homeless are an invisible distraction -- humans that many depersonalize, walk by, or put out of mind. Such inattention – and at times contempt – has ensured the continuity of the expanding homeless issue.
The homeless person(s) is often the first and most accessible social issue a child growing up or a person new to a city is exposed to. Despite that, the issue persists decade to decade and encumbers some of the most fragile or broken members of America’s social fabric: unemployed, working poor, displaced and disabled veterans; young adults aged out of foster care with no support network or job; child and spousal abuse victims, the mentally ill, addicts, and the plain unfortunate whose lives have turned catastrophic.
For many Americans, the homeless problem only occupies a consequential space in their minds and souls when the homeless become a perceived safety or sanitary risk or “blight” in direct proximity to neighborhoods, commercial zones, or preferred public spaces. That is what may now finally present an opportunity.
Homelessness in cities throughout California and in America – should seem oxymoronic; but nearly 20 years after the sculpture was created -- actionable, proven, and successful remedies on a mass scale are unrealized.
The In the Image work was always intended for the public realm, so viewers and passersby could contemplate their views and elevate their discourse on the issue -- one that has now come to affect us all where we work and live.
In the Image is a portrait of a homeless man Massey encountered 20 years ago. Their chance meeting inspired him to create the work.
In the Image, 1998–2001; Created by Ed Massey, hydrocal, plaster, burlap, concrete, steel, and acrylic paint on steel base, 96 x 36 x 48 inches.
Fabian Lewkowicz
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The Beverly Belles
The Beverly Belles perform at the #SantaMonica Farmer's Market on Sunday, November 17, 2019.
Dance with Miss Alice
Children from Dance with Miss Alice at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market on Sunday, November 17, 2019.
The Shopping Cart Tree
The Shopping Cart Tree by Artist Anthony Schmitt, is being constructed this week at the Edgemar Center on Main Street Santa Monica. The holiday tree is constructed from 96 shopping carts. Schmitt uses shopping carts because they are a symbol both of abundance and a reminder of those less fortunate.