> > > MEDIA ADVISORY > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > Contact: Jerry Rubin > 310-399-1000 jerrypeaceactivistru...@earthlink.net > > > > ICONIC "CHAIN REACTION" LANDMARKED PUBLIC ART PEACE SCULPTURE GETS > RESTORATION AND FUNDRAISING SUPPORT FROM SANTA MONICA CITY COUNCIL > > > Santa Monica, CA- Supporters of repairing and restoring the late Paul > Conrad's monumental 26-foot-tall nuclear mushroom cloud peace sculpture were > pleased that the Santa Monica City Council, at their January 22 meeting at > City Hall, voted to give another year for the community and the Conrad family > to raise the substantial funds needed to save the iconic landmarked public > art sculpture, which Mr. Conrad had gifted to the City through a > philanthropist's $250,000 peace donation, and which has been standing in the > Santa Monica Civic Center since 1991. Paul Conrad was a 3-time Pulitzer Prize > winning political cartoonist who died of natural causes on September 4, 2010 > at the age of 86. > > The City Council, by a vote of 6-1, gave until February 1, 2014 for > professional fundraiser Abby Arnold to help the Conrad family and community > to secure the needed private foundation and individual large "Support Chain > Reaction" donations, as well as any funding donations through smaller > supportive contributions and grassroots fundraising events. The Council also > voted to supply a positive fundraising letter of support and commitment. The > Council authorized a commitment of up to $50,000 from the City general fund > or Council contingency fund to be used on a dollar to dollar basis to assist > with community fundraising. They also authorized the expenditure of $20,000 > to temporally patch and secure the sculpture. > > More than 25 "Chain Reaction" supporters addressed the Council, including > students and artists, as well as peace and anti-nuclear activists. > > Former Santa Monica Mayor Judy Abdo, who, in 1990, was on the Council when > "Chain Reaction" was first approved, spoke again now to the current Council > urging them to support saving the important sculpture. > > Paul Conrad's son David Conrad, who spoke at the meeting, said after the > meeting that the City has taken a positive step forward to help restore his > father's most monumental sculpture. > > Longtime art expert and art gallery owner, Robert Berman of the Robert Berman > Gallery at the Bergamot Station Arts Center spoke supportively to the Council > and said he would also assist with fundraising efforts. Carol Wells, the > Founder and Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Political > Graphics also appealed to the Council to save and restore "Chain Reaction". > > Santa Monica peace activist Jerry Rubin, who also spoke at the meeting, said, > following the Council vote, that Santa Monica rightfully has shown support > for public art, landmarks and peace by voting to give the Conrad family and > community another year to save a sculpture that has such a strong warning > message against the dangers of continued worldwide nuclear weapons > escalation. > > Rubin also showed the Council a pile of more than 300 petition signatures > supporting the restoration of "Chain Reaction". > > Santa Monica attorney Ken Kutcher, who is representing David Conrad pro bono, > spoke to the Council in support of the extension. > > The Santa Monica Landmarks Commission unanimously designated "Chain Reaction" > a City Landmark at their July 9, 2012 meeting, and again unanimously in > September, 2012 voted that the parcel of Civic Center land the sculpture > stands on would also be part of the landmark designation. Landmarks > Commissioner Barbara Kaplan also spoke at the meeting in support of > refurbishing the public art landmarked sculpture. > > The Conrad family and community are inviting everyone to support the "Chain > Reaction" restoration fundraising efforts, and are grateful to Santa Monica > for the one- year fundraising time extension to save the creative sculpture > that is made from giant chain links, and which was inscribed by Paul Conrad > with the still- timely message: "This is a statement of peace. May it never > become an epitaph." > > ####
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: laamn-dig...@yahoogroups.com laamn-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: laamn-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
