Collective Memories
Tree Swing
Amber Brockman:
We had an evergreen pear tree and every January it would bloom with the most beautiful white flowers. I installed a swing on the biggest branch and both of my kids got to swing from it.
ChildHood Home
AnneMarie Branch-Winic:
My childhood Home. My mother’s home of 71 years. Our piece of Heaven that included walks to “the Bench” and 3 beautiful Sycamore trees that provided blankets of shade. And we lost everything inside- my Mothers 50 years as an avid Miniaturist. Many treasures and special momentos. We especially thought it was meaningful that her American flag stood resilient through the fire, while the whole property burned. The flag is not in all the pictures, but could you include it in your production? That would be so wonderful- it stood in the front yard, to the left of the large front window, in front of the huge Sycamore. 🥰
Amazing Music
Ashly Leonard Stohl:
I went to Pali in the 80's and took guitar lessons from Patrick Hildebrand at Amazing Music. Years later, my own kids took guitar from him. The shop walls were covered in pictures of students from the past, and Patrick was always a warm and welcoming presence. He's still around, but the shop that was full of happy music memories is gone. I'm sure there are a lot of Pali folks who would love to see it again, especially Pat.
Girlfriends at Palisades Village Tree Lighting
Michelle Murphy:
Our beautiful community. Being able to walk outside and see familiar faces and get hugs every single day. The Palisades was a small town filled with daily smiles, waves and hugs.
Fox's restaurant and Aveson school campus
Tomo Ogino:
Fox's restaurant: We asked our son what restaurant he wanted to go for his birthday. Among all restaurants in LA, he picked Fox’s, a beloved neighborhood restaurant located just 2 minutes away from us. So three of us went there and he ate his favorite Fox’s burger. We ordered one chocolate cake and everyone in the restaurant sang for him in the dark. They didn’t charge us for the cake. It was our sweetest memory of the restaurant. I’m glad we went there. It was a month before the fire. https://www.instagram.com/foxsaltadena/ Aveson school of leaders: He attended their homeschool program and we loved the beautiful campus! It was designed by the same architect with the Altadena Library. Very mid-century and I remember gorgeous light coming through from the large windows. I am not sure if I can share the photos because it's school (though it's gone!), but I am happy to ask the director if you are interested in making the miniature for us. Our school kids would be beyond excited to see the campus coming back to life in miniature form. As I type, my eyes are tearing up. By the way, I saw the founder of this organization is Japanese on this website. I'm Japanese and my husband's mom is also Japanese. Our son feels more Japanese than American. We lost our home in Eaton Fire, but one of a few great things we got from this devastating event is to be able to go back to Japan longer and more often. In fact, I'm writing this in Japan now. Our son loves staying here and his Japanese got so much better. Thank you for doing this project. This is so meaningful for him and our family. We look forward to seeing your art at the exhibit!
Mount Holyoke Ave Home
Trish Alison:
We lost our precious house where I raised 2 daughters as a single mom, and also had to leave our cat, Penelope behind. We were able to get her back really close to the house 24 days after the fire. She's a miracle cat!
