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CAC 11 18 1999Titit 4 4 Q" CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION AGENDA La Quinta Civic Center Study Session Room 78-495 Calle Tampico - La Quinta, CA 92253 November 18, 1999 7:00 PM I. CALL TO ORDER A. Pledge of Allegiance B. Roll Call II. PUBLIC COMMENT The Chair reserves the right to limit discussion on any topic to five minutes or less. III. CONFIRMATION OF AGENDA Corrections, deletions or reorganization of the agenda IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of Minutes of October 14, 1999 B. Arts in Public Places Financial Report for October 1999 C. Monthly Department Report for October 1999 V. PUBLIC HEARING VI. BUSINESS ITEMS A. Americans for the Arts Conference in Los Angeles, CA, June 10-12, 2000 B. Civic Center Art Campus • Dedication for Colonel Paige • Louis De Martino StudioTour C. Discussion of Artist Bank Information VII. CORRESPONDENCE AND WRITTEN MATERIALS A. National Arts & Humanities Month Resolutions B. Artist Partnership Day Correspondence C. Steve & Ellie Berliner Letter Dated November 3, 1999 Vill. COMMISSIONER ITEMS IX. ADJOURNMENT NEXT MEETING INFORMATION December 9, 1999 7:00 PM La Quinta Civic Center Study Session Room G:\MyData\Cristal\CAC\AGN 11-18.wpd ^/ T U S c'rMOF1N�v CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION MEETING DATE: November 18, 1999 ITEM TITLE: Monthly Financial Report for Art in Public Places Funds BACKGROUND: The Community Services Department receives a monthly Financial Report from the Finance Department which consists of funds available through the Art In Public Places Fund. This report is transmitted to you for review. RECOMMENDATION: Receive and file. Attachment: Monthly Finance Report MEMO.FR September 1999 Ending Balance: $274,845.95 City of La Quinta Recap Arts in Public Places Available Funds 10/31/1999 Deposits collected through development $1,023,306.94 Interest earned 119,364.27 City Contribution 50,000.00 Total Sources 1,192,671.21 Less expenditures: Operating expenses (18,904.50) Art purchased (445,969.13) Total Uses (464,873.63) Equity Available before encumbrances and committments: 727,797.58 Add back Accounts Payable 0.00 Reduction for Interest Receivable 0.00 Cash Available before encumbrances and committments: 727,797.58 Less Encumbrances - 1999/2000 Operating Expenditure Authorization (5,000.00) Less Commitments: Balance of De Martino Sculpture for Civic Center (13,217.00) Balance of K.Emerson & A.Dematteis - Fritz Burns Park (1,260.37) Balance Hwy 111 TDC Shopping Center - Paid 0.00 Balance Hwy 111 TDC Shopping Center - Credits (9,418.07) Balance Hwy 111 TDC Shopping Center- Future (14,581.93) Balance Ministrelli TT25429 0.00 Deposits committed to Rancho La Quinta - Paid 0.00 Deposits committed to Rancho La Quinta - Credits 0.00 Balance of Art Fernandez - Fritz Burns Park 0.00 Balance Marcia Gibbons-L.Q. Car Wash 0.00 Balance Eagle Hardware -Credit 0.00 Balance Washington St. Bridge-Navarrete/Nolmes & Narver (1,284.00) Balance Washington St. Bridge- Nava rrete/Nolmes & Narver (30,122.00) Balance Washington St. Bridge -Artwork Construction (12,710.50) Obelisks Pilot Program -City Street Markers (1,684.50) Landscaping for Artpiece-Hwy111Mash. St 0.00 Civic Center Art Purchase (173.00) Construction of Base for New Art Piece (2,518.00) City Entrance Monuments (293,113.00) Obelisks Pilot Program -City Street Markers (13,192.50) City Entrance Monument Right -of -Way (#655) (15,000.00) Total Commitments (408,274.87) Total available funds through 10/31/1999 $314,522.71 File: APP.WK4 City of La Quinta Arts in Public Places Recap Expenditures Inception to 10/31/1999 Operating Expenses: Expended Conference - Phoenix 07/24/92 Bank of America 821.66 07/31/92 Meg Robertson 244.08 $1, 065.74 10/15/92 A.E.S. 23.70 01/12/93 Jerry Allan 2,275.00 03/10/93 Regents - University of Calif. 105.00 03/31/93 Martin & Chapman 242.05 03/31/94 City of La Quinta Admin Fee 6,000.00 05/10/95 Rositas Shamis - Reimburse for supplies 35.91 06/30/98 Charrie Chappie Travel 325.21 06/30/98 Elaine Reynolds Travel 360.61 06/30/98 Rosita Shamis Travel 2,141.01 06/30/98 Susan Benay Travel 1,125.32 06/30/98 Americans For The Arts Registration 150.00 09/30/98 Susan Benay Travel - Reverse (1,125.32) 01/25/99 Art in La Quinta Inserts (Arrow Printing) 1,150.00 05/07/99 Recreation Brochures 473.50 05/29/99 Summer Brochures (Arrow Printing) 1,239.13 06/30/99 Patrick Welch - Anderson Travel 428.00 06/30/99 Welch/Reynolds - Atlanta Hilton 1,313.28- 06/30/99 Susan Benay - Best Western 245.00 06/30/99 Ca Assembly of Local Arts 199.00 06/30/99 Welch/Reynolds - Americans for the Arts Reg. 600.00 06/30/99 Susan Benay - Travel 272.36 08/19/99 US Postmaster: 05/19/1999 Appropriation -Summer Brochure 160.00 Total Operating Expenses $18,804.50 Art Purchases: 06/09/92 Adams/Truman PTA 04/14/93 Louis De Martino 06/29/94 K. Emerson &A. Dematteis Total Balance of Commitments Expended Commitments 846.00 $846.00 0.00 73,500.00 60,283.00 13,217.00 51,000.00 49,739.63 1,260.37 07/31/92 Hwy 111 TDC - Paid 47,578.99 47,578.99 0.00 07/31/92 Hwy 111 TDC - Credits 10,810.63 1,392.56 9,418.07 07/31/92 Hwy 111 TDC - Future 36,610.38 22,028.45 14,581.93 12/15/1992 Ministrelli TT25429 15,000.00 15,000.00 0.00 06/06/1995 Bear Creek Path Art Work 5,000.00 5,000.00 0.00 01/16/1996 Fritz Burns Park 16,786.00 16,786.00 0.00 05/21/1996 Rancho La Quinta - Paid 35,000.00 35,000.00 0.00 05/21/1996 Rancho La Quinta - Credit 35,000.00 35,000.00 0.00 12/17/96 Fritz Burns Park - Art Fernandez 37,000.00 37,000.00 0.00 06/17/97 Marcia Gibbons-L.Q. Car Wash 10,000.00 10,000.00 0.00 06/17/97 Eagle Hardware -Credit 43,000.00 43,000.00 0.00 05/05/98 Washington St. Bridge-Navarrete/Holmes & Nar 3,000.00 1,716.00 1,284.00 09/15/98 Washington St. Bridge-Navarrete/Holmes & Nar 39,500.00 9,378.00 30,122.00 10/20/98 Washington St. Bridge -Artwork Construction 21,999.00 9,288.50 12,710.50 07/07/98 Obelisks Pilot Program -City Street Markers 14,000.00 12,315.50 1,684.50 07/07/98 Landscaping for Artpiece-Hwy111/Wash.St 19,000.00 19,000.00 0.00 03/16/99 Civic Center Art Purchase 7,500.00 7,327.00 173.00 04/06/99 Construction of Base for New Art Piece -City Hall 4,000.00 1,482.00 2,518.00 05/18/99 City Entrance Monuments 293,113.00 0.00 293,113.00 07/01/99 Obelisks Pilot Program -City Street Markers 20,000.00 6,807.50 13,192.50 09/07/99 City Entrance Monument Right -of -Way (#655) 15,000.00 0.00 15,000.00 Total Art Purchases $854,244.00 $445,969.13 $408,274.87_ File: APP.WK4 City of La Quinta Recap Arts in Public Places Interest Earned Annual Interest FY 1990/91 3,525.59 FY 1991 /92 11, 646.54 FY 1992/93 12,156.96 FY 1993/94 7,137.38 FY 1994/95 11,444.17 FY 1995/96 14,109.65 FY 1996/97 16,170.79 FY 1997/98 14,845.19 FY 1998/99 28,328.00 Total Accumulated Interest FY 1999/00 Interest YTD Interest Through 10/31 /1999 119, 364.27 File: APP.WK4 � T v S cF OF TNT O CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION MEETING DATE: November 18, 1999 ITEM TITLE: Monthly Department Report for October 1999 RECOMMENDATION: Receive and file. BACKGROUND: The Community Services Department completes a monthly Department Report consisting of attendance figures for all programs, upcoming events and meetings attended, as well as a revenue report for the month. The Department Report is transmitted to the City Council on the second Council meeting of every month. Dodie Horvitz, Coda ni y Services Director Attachment: Monthly Department Report MEMO.DR U S J F,y OF iN�v TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council FROM: Marni Kunsman, Recreation Supervisor 41 VIA: Dodie Horvitz, Community Services Direct06 DATE: November 16, 1999 SUBJECT: Transmittal of Community Services Department Report for the Month of October 1999 UPCOMING EVENTS OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 1999: Dec 2 Shopping Excursion to Orange County, "South Coast Plaza for the Holiday's" Dec 2 *Y2K Panel Discussion Dec 1 Start Your Own Internet Business, Evening Seminar, La Quinta Senior Center Dec 3 Annual Treelighting Ceremony at Mainstreet Marketplace Dec 4 Computer Seminar, "Intermediate/Advanced Microsoft Word," Boys & Girls Club Dec 6 *Getting Started Right Golf Clinic Dec 6 *Wills, Trusts, Probate and You, Seminar Dec 7 *Mature Driver's Course Dec 9 *Taping Into Your Retirement Plan Tax Free, Seminar Dec 11 Annual Breakfast with Santa, La Quinta Senior Center Multi -use Room Dec 13 *Free Putting Contest Dec 13 *Make Your Money Earn 12%, Seminar Dec 14 *Latest Treatment for Diabetes, Seminar Dec 16 *Holiday Luncheon Dec 17 Start Your Own Internet Business, Evening Seminar, La Quinta Senior Center Dec 21 Youth & Family Excursion, World Famous San Diego Zoo, San Diego Dec 28 Youth & Family Excursion, Disneyland, Anaheim * Senior Center Program, Class or Event T-itit 4 a Q" Community Services Department Attendance Report for the Month of October 1999 Summary Sheet Program 1999 1998 Variance Meetings Per Month 1999 1998 Leisure Classes 238 219 19 22 18 Special Events 270 228 42 4 4 Adult Sports 459 1080 -621 14 10 Senior Center 3465 3190 275 131 100 Program Totals 4432 4717 -285 171 132 Information/Referrals Senior Center 953 980 -27 15 15 Total 953 980 -27 15 15 Sports Complex Use AYSO 1100 600 500 15 7 Jr. All American Football 150 150 0 9 6 Total 1250 750 500 24 13 Total Programs 66351 64471 1881, 2101 160 Volunteer Hours Senior Center 960 1,027 -67 Meals on Wheels 42 60 -18 Commnty Service Hours 14.5 0 14.5 Punt, Pass & Kick 16 12 4 Tiny Tot Hallpween A 181 18 0 Total Volunteer Hours1 1050.51 1117 .66.5 Monthly Revenue Senior Center $ 6,093.00 $ 4,526.36 $ 1,566.64 Community Services $ 5,102.00 $ 5,119.00 $ (17.00) Rental Income $ 495.00 $ 605.00 $ (110.00) Total Revenue $11,690.00 $10,250.36 $ 1,439.64 Revenue Year to Date Senior Center $21,770.00 $10,680.16 $11,089.84 Community Services $23,064.00 $19,656.00 $ 3,408.00 Rental Income $2,640.00 $2,035.00 $ 605.00 Total Revenue to Date $47,474.00 $32,371.16 $15,102.84 Community Services Program Report for October 1999 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 1998 Participants Total Participation Participants Total Participation Variance Meetings Meetings Leisure Classes Low Impact Aerobics 15 60 17 51 9 4 3 Beg. Computers Mon. 10 40 6 24 16 4 4 Beg. Computers Tues. 10 40 9 36 4 4 4 Int. Computers Wed. 9 36 9 36 0 4 4 Gourmet Cooking 14 14 24 72 -58 1 3 Mastering Excell 10 10 0 0 10 1 0 Introduction to Horses 4 12 0 01 121 3 0 Beginning Ballroom 26 261 01 01 261 1 0 Totals 98 2381 651 219 191 22 18 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 1998 Participants Total Participation Participants Total Participation Variance Meetings Meetings Special Events Golf Tour Banquet 47 47 46 46 1 1 1 NFL Punt, Pass & Kick 40 40 27 27 13 1 1 Tiny Tot Halloween 63 63 55 55 8 1 1 Tiny Tot Spectators 120 1201 1001 1001 201 11 1 Totals 270 2701 2281 2281 421 4 4 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 1998 Participants Total Participation Participants Total Participation Variance Meetings Meetings Adult Sports Open Basketball M/T 139 139 0 0 139 8 0 Adult Soccer League 80 160 180 720 -540 2 4 Adult Co-ed Volleyball 1 40 160 60 360 -2001 41 6 Totals 1 2591 4591 240 1080 -6011 141 10 Senior Center Attendance 1 1999 1998iy98 Registered ota Regist ota Meetings artici ants artici ation Participants Participanon anance 19991 1998 Senior Activities Bridge, ACBL 180 180 172 172 8 4 4 Bridge, Duplicate/Social 348 348 353 353 -5 13 13 Creative/Reminisce Writing Clubs 26 26 30 30 -4 7 4 Dog Training Complimentary Class 7 7 0 0 7 1 0 Golden Tones 61 61 43 43 18 5 3 Ice Cream Social 25 25 52 52 -27 3 5 Health Fair Screenings 1709 1709 1631 1631 78 1 1 Health Fair Lunch 93 93 0 0 93 1 0 Monthly Birthday Party 22 22 30 30 -8 1 1 Monthly Luncheon 102 102 76 76 26 1 1 Movie Time 46 46 37 37 9 8 4 Putting Contest 11 11 0 0 11 1 0 Seminars 70 70 36 36 34 7 4 Television Viewing 30 30 35 35 -5 n/a n/a Senior Activity Total 2730 2730 2495 2495 235 53 40 Senior Leisure Courses Ballroom Dance 10 30 10 44 -14 3 4 Ceramics 12 31 11 53 -22 3 5 Computer 56 81 34 78 3 15 17 Computer Tutor 7 7 0 0 7 4 0 CPR Class 10 8 0 0 8 2 0 Dog Training Class 5 15 0 0 15 3 0 Exercise 57 344 56 367 -23 17 17 Healthy Cooking Class 14 15 13 13 2 1 1 Spanish Lessons 9 29 0 0 29 4 0 Senior Leisure Courses Total 180 560 124 555 5 52 44 Senior Leisure Classes Arts and Crafts 25 25 38 38 -13 4 4 Bridge Lessons 52 52 82 82 -30 6 8 Holiday T-Shirt Class 4 4 0 0 4 1 0 Painting 20 20 20 20 0 4 4 Quilting 30 30 0 0 30 3 0 Tai Chi 23 23 0 0 23 4 0 Tap Dance 21 21 0 0 21 4 0 Senior Leisure Classes Total 175 175 140 140 35 26 16 TOTAL SENIOR PROGRAMS 3085 3465 2759 3190 275 131 100 Senior Services A.A.R.P. "55 Alive" 44 44 40 40 4 2 2 Ambassadors 96 96 101 101 -5 n/a n/a Blood Pressure Check 28 28 44 44 -16 4 4 FIND Food Distribution 484 484 497 497 -13 5 5 Hearing Consultation 2 2 2 2 0 1 1 Info/Referral/Outreach/Desert Give Tree 275 275 279 279 -4 n/a n/a Legal Consultation 12 12 7 7 5 1 1 Medicare Consultation 2 2 2 2 0 n/a n/a Share Meetings/Sign-up 10 10 8 8 2 2 2 TOTAL SENIOR SERVICES 953 953 980 980 -27 15 15 SENIOR CENTER TOTAL 4038 44181 37391 4170 2481 146 115 Page 3 La�� •c a � ox v S OE Mti0 CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION MEETING DATE: November 18, 1999 ITEM TITLE: Americans for the Arts Conference in Los Angeles, CA June 10-12, 2000 RECOMMENDATION: As deemed appropriate by the Cultural Arts Commission. BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW: The Americans for the Arts Conference will be held in Los Angeles, CA June 10-12, 2000. This is a conference that Commissioners have attended in the past, as it is an opportunity to network with art professionals and other City representatives. Should the Commission wish to send a representative to this conference, a staff report will be forwarded to the City Council requesting overnight travel for the Commissioner(s). Staff has not received information regarding the conference other than the date of the conference. The Commission can elect to wait until conference information is available in order to better determine which Commissioner(s) may want to attend. Should the Commission elect to wait until further information is available, staff will place this item on the Commission agenda for consideration when the full information is delivered. ALTERNATIVES: The alternatives available to the Commission are: 1 . Choose one or two Commissioners to attend the Americans for the Arts Conference in Los Angeles, June 10-12, 2000; or 2. Do not choose any Commissioners to attend the Americans for the Arts Conference in Los Angeles, June 10-12, 2000; or S:\Community Services\CultureComm\CACRPT.210.wpd 3. Request this item be placed on a future agenda as the full conference material becomes available; or 4. Provide staff with alternate direction. Dodie Horvitz, Communi rvices Director S:\Community Services\CultureComm\CACRPT.210.wpd � T 2 s FCFM T4'!t 4 OF CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION MEETING DATE: November 18, 1999 ITEM TITLE: Civic Center Art Campus RECOMMENDATION: As deemed appropriate by the Cultural Arts Commission. BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW: The Cultural Arts Commission toured the studio of Loius De Martino on Friday, October 29, 1999. The Commission saw one half of the art piece that has been commissioned for the Civic Center Campus. The piece that was available for viewing was the 14' white post that will accompany the 6' round brass piece. The Commission was able to see the maquette of the piece. Staff has located pictures of the individual tiles that will be placed on the brass piece (Attachment A). The art piece was originally commissioned for the Civic Center Campus to be placed near City Hall. The approved design of the Civic Center Campus has the art piece placed on the island on the campus site. ALTERNATIVES: The alternatives available to the Commission are: 1. Make a recommendation to the City Council for consideration of placement of the art piece on the island of the Civic Center Campus; or 2. Make a recommendation to the City Council for consideration of placement of the art piece at another location on the Civic Center Campus; or S:\Community Services\CultureComm\CACRPT.213.wpd 3. Do not make a recommendation to the City Council regarding the placement of the art piece on the Civic Center Campus; or 4. Provide staff with alternate direction. a Dodie Horvitz, Commdnit Services Director Attachment A: Pictures of the individual tiles on the art piece commissioned for the Civic Center Campus SACommunity Services\CultureComm\CACRPT.213.wpd a, a 0� ��Z • ��a�lNw V S CF'yOFTN�O CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION MEETING DATE: November 18, 1999 ITEM TITLE: Discussion of Artist Bank Information RECOMMENDATION: As deemed appropriate by the Cultural Arts Commission. BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW: Commissioner Blakley has been updating the Artist Bank information. It was requested that the Commission consider sharing artist bank information with the La Quinta Arts Foundation, thereby expanding both agency's information. ALTERNATIVES: The alternatives available to the Commission are: 1. Approve sharing the Artist Bank information with the La Quinta Arts Foundation; or 2. Do not approve sharing the Artist Bank information with the La Quinta Arts Foundation; or 3. Provide staff with alternate direction. Dodie Horvitz, ConirrfuPAV Services Director S:\Community Services\CultureComm\CACRPT.214.wpd RESOLUTION WHEREAS The- Arts, involving the various disciplines of Music, Dance, Theater, Literary and Visual Arts, are a vital part of our multi -cultural heritage and are universally recognized as improving the quality of individual and community life, and WHEREAS The Arts are basic, sequential, and participatory and must be maintained at all levels of the educational and social structure, offering a lifetime of rewarding community experience, and WHEREAS Recent scientific research has indicated that the Arts affect the growth of the total human being, vitally important at the childhood level and continuing through a person's entire life, and develops skills which has positive influence on other academic areas, and WHEREAS A long history of inadequate funding has adversely affected the quantity and quality of the Performing and Visual Arts education and performance in California, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT: We strongly affirm our personal and organizational support and will work actively to enlist support for all of the Arts in every area and at every level for a vital education base and a lifetime involvement opportunity for all our citizens. FURTHER We commit ourselves to energizing and mobilizing our broad and vocal constituency which can exert a united and responsible influence on elected and appointed officials. FURTHER We commit ourselves and our organization to working together to inform our constituencies of ways to support and enlarge activities in the Arts and to ensure that Arts programs at all levels are appropriately recognized and included in the funding process. Signed Organization CS50 Date �" / RESOLUTION WHEREAS The Arts, involving the various disciplines of Music, Dance, Theater, Literary and Visual Arts, are a vital part of our multi -cultural heritage and are universally recognized as improving the quality of individual and community life, and WHEREAS The Arts are basic, sequential, and participatory and must be maintained at all levels of the educational and social structure, offering a lifetime of rewarding community experience, and WHEREAS Recent scientific research has indicated that the Arts affect the growth of the total human being, vitally important at the childhood level and continuing through a person's entire life, and develops skills which has positive influence on other academic areas, and WHEREAS A long history of inadequate funding has adversely affected the quantity and quality of the Performing and Visual Arts education and performance in California, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT: We strongly affirm our personal and organizational support and will work actively to enlist support for all of the Arts in every area and at every level for a vital education base and a lifetime involvement opportunity for all our citizens. FURTHER We commit ourselves to energizing and mobilizing our broad and vocal constituency which can exert a united and responsible influence on elected and appointed officials. FURTHER We commit ourselves and our organization to working together to inform our constituencies of ways to support and enlarge activities in the Arts and to ensure that Arts programs at all levels are appropriately recognized and included in the funding process. Signed Organization 5 �it/Gy✓ �>�i2 Date 7 - 99 P.O. Box 1504 78-495 CALLE TAMPICO LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA 92253 November 2, 1999 Ms. Leslie McMillan PO Box 776 Palm Desert CA 92261 Dear Leslie: (760) 7 7 7 - 7 0 0 0 (TDD) (760) 777-1227 On behalf of the City of La Quinta Cultural Arts Commission, I would like to thank you for participating in the 3rd Annual Artist Partnership Day that was held at La Quinta Middle School on Wednesday, October 27, 1999. The students received invaluable information regarding the arts and your time and effort to volunteer to this program is to be admired. Sincere , K �4& Kathryn B. Hull Chairperson Cultural Arts Commission P.O. Box 1504 78-495 CALLE TAMPICO LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA 92253 November 2, 1999 Ms. Barbara Seranella 55173 Riviera La Quinta CA 92253 Dear Barbara: (760) 7 7 7 - 7 0 0 0 (TDD) (760).777-1227 On behalf of the City of La Quinta Cultural Arts Commission, I would like to thank you for participating in the 3`d Annual Artist Partnership Day that was held at La Quinta High School on Thursday, October 28, 1999. The students received invaluable information regarding the arts and your time and effort to volunteer to this program is to be admired. Sincerely, C. Kathryn Chairperson Cultural Arts Commission 9'm Barbara Seranella � L) L- S J \ �. -\0 akwU - M� Cfe w� t jqN for votLr IrN�erechn�j �� - � Io 1 b�� VOL IL f � Lp J O ��a lit a _ v j L_ r�6 ,.� QUA rctC.��Cj �v ✓ L FDO ' f 1 �c�'r �s c�o�y �c��;c '�1�.`1�i.�.n22 Yc�v� o ��NiF�►Q��1 LloL)fJ— ''JOil,\a— -AD U 'c7peaC y o� _ I 7M Aaor Poi A W _C� �� b jradE '4 {Lrrl Ec� OLCf �U� wa r ere red t� n v+v-e �c�►-�r;sej v� Ott , y�� 4t JU F Ito,) Sp �-rrlo�► Aamz, q&dwstm & 6nteVaGnmefZti 48-115 Via Hermosa. La Quinta, CA 92253 760/564-2362 . FAX on demand . e-mail: Shontuz@aol.com 3 November 1999 City of La Quinta Cultural Arts Commission P O Box 1504 La Quinta, CA 92253 Attention: Dodie Dear Dodie: Thank you for answering my letter of 30 March and for letting us know that the City of La Quinta does not pay the performers who provide programs for the Culture In the Courtyard series. Unfortunately we are unable to work without compensation at this time, and should your Commission reconsider we would be happy to perform our 0)VBX0AD-W, 4Yor 6EX57'W)V program sometime next year. We are booking now for the year 2000. As I had written you, we are doing two Chanukah programs in December - one December 2nd at Rancho Mirage Library and the 4th at PGA West, where we performed last year. Then we are booked in concert, Palm Spring April 10th. Of course, our orchestra/band/trio has a lot of work from now until June. We have just returned from a fantastic 30 day holiday in Australia & New Zealand which was very meaningful for us. It is where our son, Geoff, had planned to visit some 10 years ago, but when he was killed (the victim of a traffic accident in PS) our surviving children, Hallie & Leland encouraged us to take this trip in Geoff's memory which are so glad we did. It was fabulous, we are just home a week. I kept a journal and will start writing a travelogue this weekend; we took 5 rolls of film and hope to have a slide show ready in a few months too. Our fee would be $150 for both Steve & myself, we would love to do this as La Quinta is our City too, we could perform our Gershwin or Broadway program. For the La Quinta Historical Society's dinner dance, (our 3rd dinner dance for this group) once again, Judy Vossler asked me to sing I HEAR LA QUINTA CALLING and it received a long standing ovation. My heart is really in La Quinta. We would be happy to hear from you and wish you the very best. Sincerely, Ellie Berliner enc. THURSDAY, AUGUST 12,1999 Page — 7 ors axc;i�:'� � �.<»<...�i A`�i.�,.oa4�,vA. d; �acA'.@.e✓. «..uk'� Concert in Indio draws capacity crowd Did you know that George Gershwin wrote "A Foggy Day" in an hour? That's just a portion of the information disseminated to a filled to capacity crowd at a recent concert given at the Indio City Council Chambers. Over the past year, Bob Silva, a mem- ber of the Indio Arts Commis- sion which created the concert series, has kept us abreast of the monthly Sunday afternoon con- cert series in the chambers. All you have to do to get our on -site attention, however, is to do a Gershwin concert. So this past Sunday, we rushed to the council chambers to hear Steve and Ellie Berliner do an excel- lent presentation of Gershwin's works. What made the show es- pecially appealing were the anecdotal stories they inter- spersed between the music. Ira Gershwin, George's brother, and more importantly, his writing partner, became quite perturbed when singers would insist on grammatically correcting their song, "'S Wonderful,'S Mar- velous." Steve and Ellie also ex- plained that many of Ira's lyrics were drawn from real life expe- riences. "Let's call the Whole Thing Off actually came from a discussion Ira had with his brother-in-law about the correct pronunciation of tomato as they were returning from a grocery store. And in between the stories, Ellie sang the songs of the com- poser, who, she said, most im- pacted her life as a performer. "I fell in love with `Porgy and Bess' when I was just beginning my Valley High -Life Collette Wood career and I have remained a Gershwin fan." There were "But Not For Me," "Embraceable You" and "I've Got Rhythm," all hit songs from the Broadway show "Girl Crazy," starring Ethel Merman in her debut perfor- mance. During the hour-long concert, the Berliners took the audience through the early Gershwin years with such shows as "Funny Face" and clas- sics such as "Lady Be Good" and "Who Cares." And they treated the audience to the movie musi- cals years with "Shall We Dance," "They All Laughed" and George Gershwin's last composi- tion, "Our Love Is Here to Stay." Helping the Berliners pack a lot of good music into an hour was Woody Woodward on drums and Joe Perry on bass. We were particularly delight- ed to see a number of young peo- ple in the audience. We sat be- hind 17-year-old David Isbell and watched him respond en- thusiastically to the music. "It's great music," he said. "It would be wonderful to have more of these kinds of concerts." His 18- year-old buddy, Chase Gurain, was spending the weekend with Isbell and was also very pleased with the music. The most pas- sionate response came from Is- T__ -3 2 — Tl — -- A - bell's younger brother. Travis, a 12-year-old boy, said, "I love this kind of music." Travis has real insight. Travis is a drummer and he was quite captivated with what he heard. Now that the Berliners have the Gershwin show together, they will be taking it on the road. They have been in discus- sion with the City of Hope in Whittier about doing a show for them. They have been asked to perform at the Indio mayor's breakfast by the president of the Indio Chamber of Commerce. Ellie works part-time at the chamber. They will perform at the Thunderbird Country Club and the Greek Orthodox Church Gala Ball in November and the Chanukah concert at the Ran- cho Mirage Library and PGA West in December. In the meantime, the Indio Arts Commission is doing a ter- rific job in presenting this con- cert series, all of which are free to the general public, and we en- courage everyone to attend. Next up in September, Wayne McIlvey who will be performing a Mozart concert. Til we meet again. We're on the road. Collette Wood is a freelance writer living in the Coachella Valley. Lums Where is money going? Indio has 30 landscaping and lighting districts. Homeowners Ellie & Steve Berliner ■ Ellie & Steve Berliner will be in concert on August 8th at 2 p.m. at Indio City Hall, Council Chambers as part of Indio Cultural Arts Com- mission's concert series. Staff, members and guests of the Indio Cham- ber of Commerce have come to know and recog- nize the voice of Ellie Berliner, who has been assisting in the office part time, for close to a year. Ellie & Steve have been at many of our Chamber's mixers, and participate whenever they can. Ellie likes to keep busy inbetween "gigs" and is enjoying the busy pace of the Chamber office. Ellie & Steve Berliner have been desert residents for more than 13 years and have actively been providing music for philanthropic organizations, private parties, conven- tions, and country clubs. They are both from New York. She has been singing since the age of 7. And Gershwin's music has been her inspiration. Operatic vocal studies at The Metropolitan Opera Company's workshop eventually led to recordings for SESAC Music and Big Three Music Publishing Corporations, USO shows, radio and television appearances, summer stock and civic light opera engagements. In September 1959, she married Steve Berliner, and relocated to Southern California, residing in the San Fernando Valley and Orange County where she has done much com- munity theatre, cantorial and concert programs, while having an active public relations career. She and Steve are both known for their words & music. Steve studied both piano and trumpet through his school years, and he began playing professionally with bands in the Big Apple and mountain resorts at age 14. Following four years with an Air Force band, mostly in England, Steve came to the West Coast, where throughout a business career as director of sales promotion for a large life insur- ance company, he maintained his musical activities as a club -date player. Steve has been named La uinta's First Musical A ist_of the Month and was just honored as a Booster to the Music Department of Wilson Middle School in Indio. When Ellie & Steve located to the desert in 1986, they began their local music credits. Their success in this effort is attested to by the extensive work they do, appearing at the major hotels, country clubs, for many prestigious organizations' and charity events. For further information please contact Mr. Bob Silva at 760-346-8139. A Little Humor.... From Broadway To the Bima Songs by Effie David -Berliner Dear Program Chairperson: Will your group or country club soon be having a function that warrants musical entertainment, either for a luncheon or dinner dance? Will you be looking for someone who has local recognition, a fine reputation, talent, experience and performance without the, high fee schedule of more noted performers or their agents? Someone who has been in showbusiness most of her life [since the age of 7], but went casual when she became a wife and mother? Someone who reaches out, has material and rapport that provides a refreshing change of pace for any occasion? Someone who continues to perform and is called back frequently for encore performances? Someone who has selections and recollections from the Broadway stage, the world of opera and cabarets, to please the most discriminating audience? The performer you could be looking for might well have studied at the Metropolitan Opera's Workshop, U.C.L.A's Professional Musical Comedy Theatre, at College of the Desert, and with Maurice Allard of Or- ange County .... she has appeared in summer stock, on radio, television, on recordings and has shared the stage with many well-known artists, such as Johnny Desmond, Lily Pons, Richard Tucker, Georgie Jessel, Red Buttons, Buddy Ebsen, Pilar Wayne, Buddy Hackett, Julie Andrews, Eddie Fisher and dozens more. Ellie has performed at La Strada Cabaret in Los Feliz [Los Angeles], D'Amico's in Orange, Mario's [Rancho Mirage and Palm Springs, before La Quinta Garden Cafe], and as of May 6, '97, is in her fourth year as .x Cantorial Soloist chanting services most Friday nights at Beth Shalom's Conservative Congregation in Palm Desert. She sings at community events, primarily with her husband's orchestra, occasionally with the Ted Herman 10-Piece Orchestra, at most country clubs in the desert, performs for philanthropic organizations' throughout Southern California, for Variety Club, Hadassah, La Quinta Historical Society, Orange County Philharmonic Society, O.R.T. groups, Childfest, Legends of Golf Affairs, Don Drysdale Memorial Dinner Dances, ARMDI, for dozens of convention groups, Jewish and cultural organizations, Holocaust Survivors of the Desert, The City of Hope, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, various Chamber of Commerce events, Sounds of Music Foundation for the Blind, Big Brothers/Big Sisters Galas, John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital's Volunteer Luncheons, and much, much more.... She entertains at weddings, anniversary parties, Bat/Bar Mitzvahs, and company dinner dances. Ellie is well-known in Orange County and the desert for her musical performances, PR and philanthropic activi- ties, she has high energy, loves to perform and audiences love her! Her calendar is quickly filling up with bookings, so please call 76o/564-2362 and get the facts for yourself. You'll be glad you did! 48-115 'Via-Ifermosa . La Quinta, CA 92253-2242 Phone: 760/564-2362 "' Ijo"P.-t'- uo 1 `F 4% (!� eat' vx Palm Desert September 19, 1996 PERSONALITIES, NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY FREE Temple founder singing her way into a new year ELLIE BERLSY9I: Dream of forming east valley synagogue comes true for cantorial soloist working to build Temple Beth Shalom's membership and activity in 5757. By JOAN L BOIKO Palm Desert Post Age- 63 t s a :?ew year for the Jew- Residence: La Quinta ish community. And the Native of: Brooklyn, New York i" Jewish new year 5757 brings with it a lot of FamNy: Husband of 37 years, Steve; one son, one daughter` — promise, pride and excite- ment for members of Temple (a second son killed in local Beth Shalom, the east valley's car accident in 1990); twa grandchildren new conservative synagogue. Especially brimming with starter." enthusiasm is Ellie Berliner, Berliner put her public rela- the temple's cantorial soloist tions background to work, and and one of the two founders of Tessel started making appear - the establishment which cele- antes on local radio shows, to brated its second anniversary assess the interest level. In ' this past 3fay. Membership has March of 1994, Tessel hosted an reached the 500 mark in the ormeeting at his short period of time, and the home, and 60 people attended. synagogue, also in May, had its From there, a steering commit - first service in its own building tee of 12 was formed, and six in Palm Desert. Not bad for an idea that first weeks later on May 6, 1994," Temple Beta Shalom held its "h only involved Berliner. who had first Friday evening ser.rice at movedr to La Quinta in 1993 as a the Indian Wells Hotel. member who still remains affili- Starting from scratch, the ated with Temple Isaiah in Irving Tes- temple has not yet had a rabbi Instead, they Palm Springs, and sel, who had also made a move or cantor on staff. have been taking advantage of to La Quinta from Palm Springs and was commuting to Temple lap rabbis" and guest rabbis and "cantorial soloists." Berlin - Isaiah. Berliner said she had er, along with Kathy Strehle- had a conversation with Rabbi Kra, eler, have been handling Joseph Hurwitz, of Temple Isa- the singing duties. Strehle- iah, asking him if he would be interested in a "branch" of the Kranseler will not be able to continue in that capacity, BRIAN MAURER PHOTOGRAPHY From The Heart: Ellie Berliner take her place at the pulpit at Temple Beth Shalom to prepare for can - temple in the east valley. She Berliner said, so she will be the said he encouraged her to start solo cantorial soloist for a while. torial solos for High Holiday Services. a new temple, and then she met Tessel, who had been talking to The system has worked well. There are four lay rabbis called Rabbi Irwin Cutler and his wife, evening and Monday. Berliner plan is to employ at least apart - Hurwitz about similar ideas. upon to lead Friday night and cantor Shirleparm Cutler, for will be soloing portions of the time rabbi by the beginning of both "I didn't think I had the inten- tion of forming a temple," she Saturday services with occa. sional ordained rabbis and can- the High Holiday Services, services as we . 199q Rosh Hashanah, last week, and Now as the membership con- See BERLINER/2 said. "But I've always been a tors guesting including local Yom Kippur this Sunday tinues to grow, Berliner said the I COMMUNITY ROUNDUP/3-7 SOCAL SCENE/10 HEALTH/FITNESS/12 ROUNDTABLE/8 SPORTS/11 DESERT ENTERTAINMENT/14 16 _•1 htf'► L— C)vv! . PAGE 2 PALM DESERT POSTICOVai STORY September 19, 1996 BERLINER Continued from Page 1 Though she has is not an or- dained cantor. Berliner is certain- }y up to the task of serving as cantorial soloist. From the time she was a teenager, she's been singing in the temple. "When I was growing up, no one thought about women being rabbis or cantors." she said adding that she didn't even attend hebrew school because her parents couldn't afford it. But at the Flatbush Jewish Cen- ter, in Brooklyn, she sang in the choir and became a cantorial solo- ist. And in grammar and high school she studied at music at con- servatories. She even won a com- petition that led her to study at the Metropolitan Opera workshop for two years. She's did summer stock and professional musical comedy theater as well as several televi- sion commercials. Then she met her husband, Steve, a pianist and musician, on a blind date when he was visiting in New York. "He actually had the nerve to kiss me on the first date," Berliner recalled. The two wrote to each other ca- sually for a while, but when Berlin- er was sent to the west coast to promote a new television produc- tion company they got together and within two weeks they were engaged. Originally from the Bronx, New York, Steve was al- ready working in Los Angeles, but the couple married in New York and Ellie moved with her new hus- band to California. She eventually became the vocalist for the Steve Berliner Orchestra, and remains so today. The group performs at various conventions, country clubs Choose from any of these great SECOND -LINE SPECIALS' Subscribe to second line and get: $46 OFF the regular second -line connection charges. 20% OFF the regular prices of all our second -line phones. 10% OFF the regular price of selected fax machines. Get 20%OFF Get our alread to w regular prices $25 OFF on �eature all pagers and Decorator 13 PLIES FREE phones.personal greeting for 3 months." Get 6months' FREE CALLER ID service when you sign up for GTE LONG DISTANCE. Now you can turn to GTE Phone Marta for all of your telecommunications needs. Our stores feature the latest technology in cordless phones and answering machines, plus you can also sign up for services such as Caller ID and GTE Long Distance. We offer expert advice to help you make the right choices on both services and products. And if you're a qualified GTE customer, you can put your purchases on your phone bill with our easy payment plan. So stop by GTE Phone Mart today. and count on GTE for help, ® maar IT'S AMAZING WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER. Palm Springs Palm Desert Redlands Morddeir Smoke Tree Village Palm Desert Town Center Wal-Mart Shopping Center 2098 Montclair Plaza 1775 E. Palm Canyon Dr. 72840 Highway 111, Suite T 395 2054 W Redlands Blvd., Suite E (909) 621-5534 (619)320-9765 (619)341-3302 (909)798.1662 speG,i.ff..end9130196,We s,drdroRv.e ono.nd.GTE Ph— titansarpperadeerv:-emot wGTE omrpomton.,aoowtradmrw mirwpmpagoflhwmpic .ch,,psw GTE pmm�e ba,-,upearocmddapPmW.andtom mw be,quWied GTE wMmmerfor,m1rmvm ofmme mmft.$aa dWorden+..'$a d.hmoffergood o for ieai ..lwebmen one:"$20nonrelmnMdaacW,Wnlee andE25 aivanre reN.o'k sev�e payre��s a-e roRarad. Reacts, Aire ofpenontlgi ngis$2 perms, and at philanthropic functions. She recalls that even after her marriage when the couple lived in North Hollywood, women were still prohibited in the clergy. "But the rabbi had me sit up front and pointed to me to lead (in song)," she said. "Women were not allowed on the dais. "AII the time I was singing with Steve's band. When they moved to Orange County. Ellie was asked to substi- tute each summer for her temple's cantor and did that for 15 vears. She attended Cantorial School. which she did for six months, at Temple Leo Beck. In 1986. the Berliners moved to Palm Springs. Ellie had a job at KCMJ radio, both on the air and in sales, and Steve sold real estate. Life was good for the family until tragedy struck in January of 1990. The Berliners' son. Geoffrey, was killed in a car accident on Palm Carryon Drive. An elderly woman lost control of her car, and it landed atop the car containing both of her sons. Geoff was crushed to death. Though his brother Le- land suffered some injuries. there was no permanent damage. "She (the driver of the car) was 78 then. She's almost 85 now." said Berliner adding that the woman had begged for the couple's for- giveness for several years. It wasn't until three years ago that Berliner said she was finally able to do it. "She kept calling and asking if we could forgive her." she said. "As we were having services one year and realizing it was about asking G-d for forgiveness, Steve said we ought to forgive her. So we did. We were acting out sincerely what we're suppposed to do, which is to forgive." After the accident, the couple moved to Palm Desert and then La Quinta because Ellie said she couldn't deal with driving through the accident scene on a regular basis. She also gave up singing for awhile. In fact she had given away all of her cantorial music and thought she'd never sing again. "When my son died I said I couldn't sing again. Steve was very encouraging. He said, 'you always said if you didn't sing you would die, and we don't want you to die."' She later asked the temple she had donated her music to for it to be returned to her. She doesn't read music or he - brew, but Berliner said she plans to learn to read hebrew when she returns from vacation next month. Steve, who reads both, helps her when there's a new piece bf music to learn. "I'm really a phony," she said adding that her cantor; teacher in Orange County told her she needed three things to be a cantor - 'voice, voice and voice' and the heart." Temple Beth Shalom, located at 75-153 Merle Drive off of Cook Street in Palm Desert, continues to grow in membership almost daily. The cost is $150 per person, and children are free, and the board of directors looks forward to expand- ing as the membership grows with an eventual full-time rabbi and its own building. Berliner said she hopes for more young families to get involved. "About 60 percent (of member - Iowa* on 111"neir goals: My goal for the temple is to see it grow not only with more members but participa- tion on committees. We have a wonderful product to show. I love the comraderie. We want to have a part-time rabbi and ultimately a part-time adminis- trator. Later, a building, class- es, including B'nai Mitzvah, hebrew, school, lectures, con- certs- We plan to utilize our current building to its fullest potential. Personally, I want to see my grandchildren more and see Leland (son) get mar- ded to a nice Jewish girl. I hope it's a good year for all of us, Also, I want to finish my three books. One is about me and how I grew up called "it Never Rains on Wednesday." One is called "Geoff...On the Other Hand," so my grandchildren can know who their uncle was. The third book will be dedicat- ed to 'Compassionate Friends,' a group for people who have lost children. it will explain what we went through. A Great Evening For Me is: like to sing, so unlike most people, I like to go out and work. I love being around fam- ily and friends. People are im- portant to me. People In Nigh School Thought i Was: 'Miss Cutie.' Also, i was very involved in singing. I was in a lot of shows, in the girls glee dub and on the newspaper staff. Favorite Childhood Meal ry: When I got a doll. And since my mother lost her sister when i was one, she took in my two cousins and uncle. So growing up I had two sisters and two fathers. I call them my sister -cousins. That contribut- ed to a happy childhood for me. Most Humbling Experience: Steve and I were always giv- ers. I always contacted people with trouble, and I was never on the receiving end. When Geoff was kilted, my Hadassah girls took care of us for three weeks. I was very humbled by everyone, all the attention. There were so many people who went out of their way to help us. If There's One Thing in LRe I've Learned It's: To cherish life: Make sure that you appre- ciate what you have at the time. Friendships and family are so important. Life is to be cherished: , ship) is over 60 (many from Sun City and Indian Ridge Country Club. About 30 percent are 45 to 60 and about 10 percent are under 30." Berliner said. "We hope to start attracting, in 5757, younger people. As the older people die, you need young blood in the temple." She said she is thrilled with the support the young congregation has received especially from Rab- bi Hurwitz and Cantor Giora Shar- on, from Temple Isaiah. "The climate was right (for a new temple in the east valley)," said Berliner. "He (Sharon) gave a concert for us to raise some mon- ey. He's a dear friend of ours now, and Rabbi Hurwitz and I are very close. He actively charged me to go out and start this temple." For membership information. call Ginger Brooks at 340-1453. PAGE 2 PALM DESERT POST/COVER STORY September 19. 1996 BERLINER Continued from Page 1 Though she has is not an or- dained cantor. Berliner is certain- !v up to the task of serving as canl.orlal soloist From the time she was a teenager, she's been singing to the temple \l her, I as growing up, no one ,h,nieh: about women being rabbis or cantors' she said adding that ,he didnt even attend hebrew school because her parents ow!ddt afford it But at the Flatbush Jewish Cen- ter. in Brooklyn, she sang in the choir and became a cantorial solo- ist. And in grammar and high school she studied at music at con- servatories. She even won a com- petition that led her to study at the Metropolitan Opera workshop for tw'o }'ears. She's did summer stock and professional musical comedy theater as well as several televi- sion commercials. Then she met her husband. Steve, a pianist and musician, on a blind date when he was visiting in New York. He actually had the nerve to kiss me on the first date." Berliner recalled. The two wrote to each other ca- sually for a while, but when Berlin- er was sent to the west coast to promote a new television produc- tion company they got together and within two weeks they were engaged. Originally from the Bronx, New York, Steve was al- ready working in Los Angeles, but the couple married in New York and Ellie moved with her new hus- band to California. She eventually became the vocalist for the Steve Berliner Orchestra, and remains so today. The group performs at various conventions. country clubs Choose from any of these great SECOND -LINE SPECIALS' Subscribe to second line and get: 146 OFF the regular second -line connection charges. 20% OFF the regular prices of all our second -line phones. 10% OFF the regular price of selected tax machines. Get 20%OFF Get $ our alread low regular prices 25 OFF on low all pagers and Decoratorgo PLUS FREE 0phones. personal greeting for 3 months." Get 6months' FREE CALLER ID service when you sign up for GTE LONG DISTANCE. Non you ca^ to r to GTE Phone Marts for all of your telecommunications needs. Our stores feature the sliest technc'ogi in cordless phones and answering machines, plus you can also sign up for services such as Caller IC and GTE Long Distance We offer expert advice to help you make the right choices on both se,, ces a^e products And i you re a qualified GTE customer, you can put your purchases on your phone t l' . !�- or easy payme,t plan So stop by GTE Phone Mart today and count on GTE for help. maar IT'S AMAZING WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER. Palm Springs Palm Desert Redlands Montclair Smoke Tree Village Palm Desert Town Center Wal-Mart Shopping Center 2098 Moril Plaza 1775 E. Palm Canyon or 72840 Highway 111, Suite T 395 2054 W Redlands Blvd., Suite E (909) 621.5534 (619) 320 9765 (619) 341.3302 (909) 798 1662 SO,u,i oH<a e�0 9�Ja96 ,Mart Im«U ro pu,nu<. m MrW- Gft Plwr. AYn s, npeNreU w„ce m,M1 d GTE Capauur, AX aMr b,J-nN, an O- pr0e-ly d Uw mo,dw ez c�.q« ro cn: vMr+ EII «. � a cnOn,pprov,I. W rw „wn a. w.u.a c1t wpome• ra., m»,�m d M« ror.r». s« a-. ar ew,r. •s«ab-� oe., y.oa o.� 10,7,o.m,��vom.nlmq^uonmRr�M.d..v.,eon,«,Msu:h,r.tt�,•w:v.--,..:.;-..,,.,...n:..:.a,p.l.•o-��eawnwd 9n.n�a. sa �., .,c�v and at philanthropic luncuons. She recalls that even after her marriage when the couple lived in North Hollywood. women were still prohibited in the clergy. "But the rabbi had me sit up front and pointed to me to lead (in song)." she said. 'Women were not allowed on the dais. "All the time 1 was singing with Steve's band. When they moved to Orange County. Ellie was asked to substi. tute each summer for her temple's cantor and did that for 15 years She attended Cantonal School, which she did for six months. at Temple Leo Beck In 1986. the Berliners moved to Palm Springs. Ellie had a job M KCMJ radio. both on the air and in sales. and Steve sold real estate Life was good for the family until tragedy struck in January of 1990. The Berlinersson. Geoffrey. was killed in a car accident on Palm Canvon Drive An elderiv woman lost control of her car. and it landed atop the car containing both of her sons. Geoff was crushed to death. Though his brother Le- land suffered some injuries. there was no permanent damage. "She (the driver of the earl was 78 then. She's almost 85 now.' said Berliner adding that the woman had begged for the couple's for- giveness for several years It wasn't until three years ago that Berliner said she was finally able to do it. "She kept calling and asking if we could forgive her." she said. "As we were having services one year and realizing it was about asking G-d for forgiveness. Steve said we ought to forgive her. So we did. We were acting out sincerely what we're suppposed to do. which is to forgive." After the accident. the couple moved to Palm Desert and then La Quinta because Ellie said she couldn't deal with driving through the accident scene on a regular basis. She also gave up singing for awhile. In fact she had given away all of her cantonal music and thought she'd never sing again. "When my son died I said I couldn't sing again. Steve was very encouraging. He said, you always said if you didn't sing you would die, and we don't want you to die."' She later asked the temple she had donated her music to for it to be returned to her. She doesn't read music or he - brew, but Berliner said she plans to learn to read hebrew when she returns from vacation next month. Steve, who reads both. helps her when there's a new piece bf music to (earn. "I'm really a phony." she said adding that her cantor, teacher in Orange County told her she needed three things to be a cantor - 'voice. voice and voice' and the heart." Temple Beth Shalom, located at 75-153 Merle Drive off of Cook Street in Palm Desert, continues to grow in membership almost daily. The cost is $150 per person, and children are free, and the board of directors looks forward to expand- ing as the membership grows with an eventual full-time rabbi and its own building. Berliner said she hopes for more young families to get involved. ".About 60 percent (of member - Profile On B"ner Goals: My goal for the temple is to see it grow not only with more members but partmiPa- tion on committees. We have a wonderful product to show. I 1. love the comradene. We want to have a part-time rabbi and ultimately a part-time adminis- trator. Later, a building, class- es. including B'nai Mitzvah, hebrew school, lectures, con- certs. We plan to utilize our current building to Its fullest potential. Personally, I want to , see my grandchildren more and see Leland (son) get mar ried to a nice Jewish girl. I hope it's a good year for all of us Also, I want to finish my three books. One is about me and how I grew up called "it Never Rains on Wednesday." One is called "Geoff ...On the Other Hand," so my grandchildren Can know who their uncle was. The third book will be dedicat- ed to Compias-siona'e Friends,' a group for people who have lost children. It wlB explain what we went througn. A Great Evening For Me Is: I like to sing, so unlike most people, I like to go out and work. I love being around fam ily and friends. People are rn- portant to me. People In High School Thoughts Was: 'Miss Cut,e Also, I was very involved in singing. I was in a lot of shows, in the girls glee club and on the newspaper staff. Favorite Childhood Memo- ry: When I got a doll. And since my mother lost her sister when I was one. she took In my two cousins and uncle. So growing up I had two sisters and two fathers. 1 call them my sister -cousins. That contnWt ed to a happy Childhood for me. Most Humbling Experience: Steve and I were always giv- ers.lalways contacted people with trouble, and I was never on the receiving end. When Geoff was killed, my Hadassah it took care of us for three weeks. I was very humbled by everyone, all the attention. There were so many people who went out of their way to help us. If There's One Thing In Life I've Learned It's: To chensh life. Make sure that you appre elate what you have at the time. Friendships and family iare so Important. Life is to be cherished. ship) is over 60 (mam from Sun City and Indian Ridge Countr} Club, About 30 percent are 45 to 60 and about 10 percent are under 30.' Berliner said "We hope to start attracting. in 5757. courger people. As the older people die. %ou need young blood in the temple' She said she is thrilled with the support the young congregation has received especially from Rab bi Hurwitz and Cantor Cora Shar- on, from Temple Isaiah. "The climate was right (for a new temple in the east valley)." said Berliner. "He (Sharon) gave a concert for us to raise some mon- ey. He's a dear friend of ours now. and Rabbi Hurwitz and I are vet close. He actively charged me to go out and start this temple." For membership information call Ginger Brooks at 340.1,53. "r AMERICA: ; SARTS MEMORANDUM TO: Americans for the Arts Members FROM: Mara Walker, Vice President of Programs and Services RE: 2000 Annual Convention — Call for Topic and Speaker Suggestions DATE: September 8, 1999 We are in the process -of pin ni g for the 0 Annual Convention that will take place in Los Angeles, Califorrifa, June 10-12, 2000. The c nvention Arts on the Edge, Risking It All will feature preconferrences June 8-9 on publi , united arts funds and innovative technical assistance deliveryrnechanisnw,-suc as arts incubators. We also plan to hold our 2"d annual Patron's Day and encourage you to promote this opportunity for your volunteers to participate and meet with their peers from across the country. As we begin planning for sessions and speakers I want to take this opportunity to request your input. Please use the space provided to fax me your comments at 202.371.0424 or send me an email at mwalker(@-artsusa.org by Friday, September 24th. Thank you for your suggestions and please mark your calendars for Los Angeles 2000 today! Subthemes Each day of the convention is programmed with a specific focus in mind. Within each day are several sessions on that topic that are geared toward all levels of professional development. In 2000 we'll focus on the following areas: The Changing Definition of Arts and Culture (Saturday) Comments: Session Suggestions: Speaker Suggestions: please turn over Americans for the Arts 1000 Vermont Avenue, NW, 12th Floor* Washington, DC 20005 Phone: 202.371.2830 * Fax: 202.371.0424 * E-mail: mwalker@artsusa.org The Impact of Information TL .inologies (Sunday) \ a\ Comments: Session Suggestions: Speaker Suggestions: The Innovation in Partnership Building (Monday). includes a Forum on Partnerships Between the Nonprofit and Profit Art Sectors Comments: Session Suggestions: Speaker Suggestions: Media Arts. As this year's arts discipline focus area we plan to incorporate session topics and performances into each day of the convention. Comments: Session Suggestions: please turn to next page Speaker Suggestions: Preconferences Public Art. The focus of this year's public art preconference will stem from the work being done in the field as demonstrated through meetings of this interest area. Comments: Session/Speaker Suggestions: Effective Technical Assistance at Work: Arts Incubators and More. This preconference will explore proven and innovative ways to provide quality and effective technical assistance. Comments: Session/Speaker Suggestions: United Arts Funds. This preconference offers both seasoned and emerging united arts fund leaders, or those considering starting such an organization, the opportunity to focus on issues unique to the administration of a UAF. Comments: Session/Speaker Suggestions: Thank you again for your input and suggestions. Remember to fax this completed form to Mara Walker at 202.371.0424 or by email at mwalker _artsusa.org no later than Friday, September 24th. NO VEMBER 20-10 1999 10: 00 am to 4: 00 pm Meet us Under the Umbrellas @ the Gallery '&4 4 e(P Q" MEMORANDUM TO: CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSIONERS FROM: DODIE HORVITZ, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTO DATE: NOVEMBER 19, 1999 SUBJECT: CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION ORDINANCE In the City of La Quinta Handbook for Commissions, Boards and Committees, Appendix 2 has the Municipal Code for the Cultural Arts Commission (Chapter 2.75) and the Art in Public Places Ordinance (Chapter 2.65). The issue regarding the obelisks and section 2.65.080 (b)l, the obelisks are not mass produced, but are produced to reflect a uniformity. Therefore, the obelisks do qualify under the ordinance as art work. Regarding the issue of the Chamber of Commerce Map, the Chamber will not be producing a new map in the near future. A date for the next publication has not been set. C:\My Documents\CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION ORDINANCE.wpd Ell PROPOSAL: adous comet ^.ities in the Coachella Valley share a anion need to have an artists' data bank and have expressed interest in making a cooperative effort to acquire information in a cost effective manner. Commissioner BWey and ex Commissioner, Charrie Chappie suggest there be a Valley -wide centralized data bank. Possibly, the newly formed Coachella Valley Arts Alliance might initiate this Valley wide data bank. All cities would share in the payment of a part time computer literate employee who would provide a valley -wide information service. Said person would compile, enter data and continually maintain this project. At the moment, several cities within the Coachella Valley have formed their own rudimentary data bank of artists. In addition, one could look to Seattle and Escondido for guidance, as they are cities that excel in gathering and housing pertinent information regarding Art in Public Places. RECOMMENDATION- Discuss the need for a Valley Wide Data Bank with the newly formed Coachella Valley Arts Alliance. If concurrence is obtained, then suggest CVAA might select an appropriate person to gather existing information held by these various cities and add to that information current artists who emphasize Art in Public Places. DIRECTION: Should Commissioner Blakley continue to work on this project? La Quinta Cultural Arts Commission -Disk Inventory reviewed by Jack and Jan Blakley 10/25/99,11/18/99 Disk 1 -"Art in Public Places"; Software used —(Microsoft Word) 7.00; Located 43 names entered June, 1999-(code located under "my computer"; authored by David Chappie) Jan Blakley updated disk and transferred it to her "C" drive 11/99 (Commission sent out interest letters around 1997-1998 and received less than 1% return with current addresses and a response) Disk 2 -"Artists"; Software used (Microsoft Word); Dated June 1997; 390 artists listed but not classified as to area of expertise, appeared to be gathered from 75 mile radius from La Quinta and no indication of art in public places; Disk previously tagged "Not Good" supposedly by Charrie Chappie Disk 3 -"Art in Public Places Artist Data Bank-2% Software —(Microsoft Access — Quick View); Two letters found from Betty Sawyer dated April 3, 1998 discussing the artists data bank. No attachment exists. Second letter was a repeat of #1. Located the tag for another letter dated February, 1998 which said it was modified March 23,1998. Letter held limited bytes. BLAKLEY COULD NOT ACCESS ACTUAL INFORMATION. TRIED AND NOT FOUND UNDER MICROSOFT ACCESS NOR MICROSOFT WORD. 4, Disk 4 -San Diego Disk entitled: "Artists" and 6 public projects"; (Microsoft Access) used. 691 artists were listed. List is comprised of incomplete information regarding address, type of artists, etc. Appears to have a registration number assigned to artists. 40% of the artists have phone numbers. No date given. Part B of same disk lists 1490 organizations by last names of persons located in the USA. California contacts appear to dominate the list. Again no date exists, nor artists category of expertise. Part C of same disk includes five public projects that do not apply to our commissions needs. "Public Art Database -San Diego;" title of these projects. Dated 5/24/99. Located under Microsoft Access, Properties; 441 KB Disk 5 -City of San Diego made this disk. It's label says it contains commissioned Public Art Artists. Cannot read disk, nor import it into Microsoft Access. Part A of same disk — located under (Quick View) a list of names entitled "Commarts Public Art Artists" Cannot import information into Access Part B — Computer recognizes the following as Access but one cannot import any information into Access. Information is listed under (dbl and db2) Can't decipher. Disk 6 "APPNVIN MUD; Software: Microsoft Access. Apparent list of people — no identity as to who they are or what they do. Part A of same disk Old data dated 10/2/97 — unknown creator. Houses a list in columns of about 20 different APPWin with different suffixes. One just receives machine language under Quick View. Suggest we discard this due to old age Part B of same disk. Cannot open rest of disk into Access or Word. Disk 7 "APPWIN MUD" Dated 12/11/97 with 1.05 MB listed. When Blakley used Microsoft Access says "Problem loading this". One cannot open this disk — it is an unknown file" �40 4.i. le. Al a 71 tJI P ii 1 . x.. - � H. a y v> Aga r � .. � .. �.. � S �a A s � 3 Y'{ $ 4� M1 - � � ! �.'Y'��'1F� t �. yam• is a+`_; A. r e y� �'s yR�E •� �.. -s _ _ a � �.� a ..�'�"�. .»- .. ,.. �.. , .,,.� - 4 c � t � ,�,. , � •• � �.c "� a e a .. .5� _ ., nr „��+.♦ 44 it's � r r �. �� ♦sti'� .� ��rt.�i'lY�.°�!1 •-.4'�w - 9i �"� ♦�x. �4�. �i ��7: �•� t� ��^max, i 3 � •# � ! T ''cR t .1. � ` Y a c - ;,,� xdIV • December 27, 1992 City of La Quinta P.O. Box 1504 78-105 Calle Estado La Quinta, CA 92253 PROPOSAL FOR A COMMISSIONED SCULPTURE In choosing my theme, I wanted this major piece of art for the City of La Quinta to reflect the city's unique character, its sense of identity and its vision of itself in the future. After interviewing many local citizens, I realized that the city has an unusual, almost paradoxical personality. Its citizens are rational and purposeful, with a strong sense of community; and as such, they are successful in their chosen pursuits. And yet these same people show strong elements of spontaneity and a kind of self -endowed artistic license, uninhibited by the practical responsibilities of life. These human polarities have a counterpart in the physical geography of. the city --unique physical elements that serve as cultural magnets. During the day, there are the dark looming mountains, the white desert floor, and the brilliant sunlight; and during the evenings, the alluring balmy air, and the ethereal, theatrical moonlight that reflects from the desert sand. To express the abstraction of this dramatic sense of place --a community with a clear vision of both the bright practicality of day and the creative inventiveness of night --I am using the classical Apollonian -Dionysian polarities of Greek mythology: Apollo associated with sunlight, rationality and law; and Dionysus, with moonlight, creativity and freedom. I want to create a sculpture that captures the harmonious integration of these polarities in the culture of La Quinta: Apollo depicted by a bronze sun and Dionysus by a white shaft of moonlight. These visual elements would thematically embrace the spirit of the city while also contributing to the architectural and site elements, such as the need for bold images juxtaposed with an area of parked automobiles. In order to extend the images into the past, present and future of La Quinta, I would like to enhance the face of the bronze sun with small, bronze bas-reliefs that would be sculpted by groups and individuals in the community and then integrated by me into a thematic collages. To obtain these bas-reliefs, I would hold a series of workshops with all interested community organizations and institutions. In these workshops, I would make suggestions and explain the theme and subject of the artwork, and I would also give detailed instructions on how to create a small bas-relief in wax that could be integrated into the final bronze sculpture. This collaboration with the citizens of La Quinta would, I believe, invest the completed sculpture with the personal character and historical perspective needed to capture the city's uniqueness and to express its civic pride. Respectfully, Louis DeMartino (909)763-1315