Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, December 15, 2018

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Mountain View News Saturday, December 15, 2018 

Hawaiian Ukulele Master to 
Play at the Coffee Gallery

New Visual Culture Program 
Coming to Caltech Campus

Pasadena Dance Theatre 
Presents Nutcracker

 
A new visual culture program 
is about to make Caltech a lot 
more colorful. From tours of 
neon art around Los Angeles 
to campus artists-in-residence, 
the program will have a little bit 
for anyone interested in art and 
its potential for intersecting 
with science. 

 The program, the first of 
its kind at Caltech, is being 
funded by a grant worth nearly 
$1 million from The Andrew 
W. Mellon Foundation, which 
is known for its support of the 
arts and humanities in higher 
education. The foundation has 
previously funded initiatives at 
Caltech like the Mellon Mays 
Undergraduate Fellowship 
and, since 1986, the Caltech-
Huntington Postdoctoral 
Instructorship program.

 The program, still in the 
planning stages, will be part of 
the Division of the Humanities 
and Social Sciences (HSS) 
and will include new course 
offerings, a postdoctoral 
instructor, artists-in-residence, 
guest lecturers, and the addition 
of a visual culture professor to 
the faculty.

 English professor Dehn 
Gilmore, who is overseeing 
the program’s launch, says 
this academic year is sort of 
a pilot for the program, but 
adds that there is already a 
full slate of activities planned 
for the next several months, 
including a student trip to 
the Los Angeles County 
Museum of Art (LACMA) 
to see a 3D-themed exhibit. 
Visitors to campus will include 
Malian textile artist Abdoulaye 
Konate; Katherine F. Chandler, 
a professor and artist at 
Georgetown University whose 
work has explored, among 
other things, drone aircraft 
and drone warfare; and Scott 
Chimileski, a microbiologist 
and photographer of microbial 
life.

 A centerpiece of the program 
will be an artist residency that 
brings artists for extended 
stays on campus to work with 
students and organize exhibits 
and other events, including 
public lectures. Caltech has 
previously hosted artists 
including Israeli programmer 
and poet Eran Hadas and 
LA-based visual artist Sarah 
Rara, but never as part of a 
long-term program. “There 
have been these examples of 
artists-in-residence from the 
past, but what’s coming up 
represents a much longer-term 
commitment to visual culture 
by the Institute,” says Hillary 
Mushkin, research professor of 
art and design in mechanical 
and civil engineering, who 
co-directs Caltech’s data 
visualization program and is 
involved in shaping the artist-
in-residence program. “This 
will be an opportunity to 
bring in numerous artists to 
develop deeper conversations 
and collaborations and cross-
pollinate ideas.”

 The first artist-in-residence 
will be Leslie Thornton, an 
experimental filmmaker best 
known for Peggy and Fred in 
Hell, a 17-episode series that 
follows two children acting 
out lives as adults in a chaotic 
world. 

 Other Caltech faculty 
members involved in the visual 
culture program are Professor 
of English Catherine Jurca, 
who studies classic Hollywood 
cinema and the American 
novel, and history professor 
Nicolás Wey-Gómez, whose 
lecture series Exploration: 
The Globe and Beyond will 
be expanded as part of the 
program. 

 The program will also 
involve collaborations with 
The Huntington Library, Art 
Collections, and Botanical 
Gardens (The Huntington) that 
connect the Caltech community 
with artists, exhibition culture, 
scholars of visual culture, and 
The Huntington’s extensive 
collections of visual materials.

 Gilmore says it is her hope that 
the visual culture program will 
allow HSS faculty, postdocs, 
and students to connect with 
Caltech’s other divisions in new 
and innovative ways, energizing 
further collaborations. 

 “It will be very exciting for 
undergrads to learn new ways 
of thinking and looking,” she 
says. “I think that will inspire 
new research avenues and 
hopefully inspire a new set 
of conversations among the 
faculty.”

 

 Grant from the Mellon 
Foundation supports new 
opportunities for campus 
community to explore 
visual arts

 
Brittni Paiva (pie –VAH) 
already a multi award-winning 
instrumentalist is known for 
her stunning articulation of 
what she can do on the ukulele 
going from slow and moving, 
to rapid-fire, classical-ballet, 
to ancient Japan, translating 
forms of jazz, world beat, 
pop, Flamenco and Latin, 
and filter these styles through 
her 4-string ukulele will play 
the Coffee Gallery Backstage 
January 22 at 8 p.m. 

 Brittni and her ukulele are 
a brilliant match: Both are 
humble in nature, small in 
size, and very powerful with 
proper delivery. Brittni and 
the `ukulele in general have 
gained notoriety, no longer 
confined by stereotypes about 
the instrument. There’s a global 
resurgence in the instrument’s 
popularity and she is part of the 
trend. Web Page: brittnipaiva.
com

 She performed on stage 
with Carlos Santana when 
he appeared in Hawaii; also 
joined famed guitarist Tommy 
Emmanuel on stage at the 
California Worldfest; and 
become a 3-time Na Hoku 
Hanohano Award winner with 
numerous other nominations 
throughout the years, including 
Most Promising Artist of the 
Year in 2005 for her debut 
release, Brittni x 3. 

 Releasing her 5th CD with 
the legendary Grammy winner 
Tom Scott — who personally 
requested to play with her at 
a concert — thinks Paiva is 
the real deal, because of her 
ability to play all kinds of music 
without losing her identity. “She 
plays it like a guitar, giving her a 
wide range of possibilities. She 
adopts tunes to this instrument, 
and makes them sound full and 
rich. She’s doing a great job and 
has a great future…She’s got a 
really unique voice in music,” 
he raved. 

 Brittni received two 
nominations for this 5th CD 
and won both categories: 
Ukulele Album of the Year and 
Best Instrumental Composition 
of the Year from the Hawaii 
Academy of Recording Arts 
(Na Hoku Hanohano Awards). 
“Brittni brings a whole new 
spirit to the music and to the 
instrument: pop sensibilities in 
a smooth jazz format,” says John 
Schroeter, music producer and 
author of Between the Strings: 
The Secret Lives of Guitars. “It’s 
got a new kind of energy—it’s 
infectious.”

 Brittni is well-known in world 
music circles with millions of 
hits on YouTube. She began her 
music career at age four trained 
in classical piano through the 
Suzuki method. Seven years 
later, her grandfather gave 
her an `ukulele, a traditional 
4-string Hawaiian folk 
instrument. It was “love at first 
touch”. 

 The Coffee Gallery Backstage is 
located 2029 N. Lake, Altadena, 
CA. For reservations call (626) 
798-6236.

 Each year Pasadena 
Dance Theatre presents The 
Nutcracker at the Historic 
San Gabriel Mission 
Playhouse. More than 80 
dancers magically bring 
to life Clara’s Christmas 
Eve dream of a dashing 
Nutcracker Prince, a devious 
Mouse King and an ethereal 
Sugar Plum Fairy.

 For the 22nd consecutive 
year, Pasadena Dance 
Theatre’s Cynthia Young pairs 
her original choreography 
with Tchaikovsky’s timeless 
score to dazzle audiences of 
all ages. Come celebrate the 
season with Pasadena Dance 
Theatre’s The Nutcracker, 
a beloved family tradition 
staged in the beautiful San 
Gabriel Mission Playhouse.

 “In honor of Jose Deetjen 
and the Hench Foundation, 
join us for a cocktail 
reception and backstage 
tour on December 21st 
immediately after the 
Nutcracker performance. 
Enjoy festive appetizers, 
cocktails, and desserts, 
as well as an upclose and 
personal look behind the 
scenes of the most magical 
show of the season. Mr. 
Deetjen was a staple in our 
Nutcracker family and we 
hope you will join us in 
celebrating his life and his 
love for Pasadena Dance 
Theatre.”

 A separate ticket is needed 
for the cocktail reception go 
to pasadenadance.org for 
more information and buy 
tickets.

 Performances are at 2 p.m. 
today and Sunday ,and Dec. 
21 and 22, and at 1 p.m. on 
Dec. 23. Children can also 
enjoy Clara’s Holiday Party 
before the show on Dec. 
16 and 23. Tickets range in 
price from $22 to $68 for 
the performance and $25 to 
$30 for the Holiday Party. 
Please visit pasadenadance.
org,check out Ticketmaster’s 
website or call (626) 683-
3459 for information and 
reservations. 

Free Monthly Events at 
Pasadena Senior Center

 

 There is something for 
everyone in December at the 
Pasadena Senior Center, 85 
E. Holly St.

 You do not have to be a 
member to attend. Some 
events require advance 
reservations as 

noted. 

 Stay Connected with 
Social Media – Tuesdays 
and Thursdays to Dec. 27, 
from 9 to 11 a.m. Learn 
how to keep in touch with 
family and friends via 
email, Skype, Facebook and 
other forms of social media 
during a 30-minute, one-on-
one session with instructor 
Edison Samuel. You’ll choose 
which applications you want 
to learn. Bring a laptop or use 
one of the onsite computers. 
If you have an email address, 
bring it and your password. 
Sign up at the Welcome Desk 
or by calling 626-795-4331.

 Screening Mimis Film 
Discussion Club – Tuesday, 
Dec. 18, at 1:30 p.m. 
Diehard film fans are invited 
to watch a movie the first 
and third Tuesday of every 
month, preceded by a 
presentation about the film’s 
hidden history and followed 
by lively discussion. Dec. 
18: The Red Violin (1998, 
R) starring Carlo Cecchi 
and Samuel L. Jackson. A 
perfect red-colored violin 
inspires passion, making its 
way through three centuries, 
several owners and many 
countries, and eventually 
ending up at an auction 
where it may find a new 
owner.

 Friday Movie Matinees 
– Fridays, Dec. 21 and 28, 
at 1 p.m. Everyone enjoys 
watching movies and the 
pleasures they bring. Dec. 
21: The Night They Saved 
Christmas (1984, NR) 
starring Jaclyn Smith and 
Art Carney. A woman and 
her three children help 
Santa save his toy factory at 
the North Pole from being 
destroyed due to nearby oil 
drilling. Dec. 28: Crazy Rich 
Asians (2018, PG-13) starring 
Constance Wu and Henry 
Golding. An Asian American 
New Yorker is apprehensive 
about meeting her longtime 
boyfriend’s family when 
she accompanies him to 
his best friend’s wedding in 
Singapore.

 Holiday Concert – 
Tuesday, Dec. 18, from 3:30 
to 4:30 p.m. When “cello” 
is combined with “celestial,” 
the result is Cellestial, an 
ensemble comprised of cello 
students and music teachers 
that will perform classical, 
popular and Christmas 
music guaranteed to get you 
into the holiday spirit.

 Spirituality and Aging 
– Thursday, Dec. 20, at 
10 a.m. Spirituality is the 
measure of how willing 
we are to allow grace, 
some power greater than 
ourselves, to enter our lives 
and guide us along the way. 
Each person has a different 
interpretation of spirituality. 
Local spiritual leader Doug 
Edwards, who brings faith 
into aging and is director of 
outreach for be.group, will 
lead a discussion about this 
important topic. 

 Improvisation for Lifeskills 
PLAYshop – Jan. 11, from 10 
a.m. to noon. Tap into your 
natural, creative talents while 
enhancing your health and 
well-being. This series will 
focus on improv techniques, 
theater games and creative 
drama to increase your 
spontaneity, memory, focus 
and interactive social and 
communication skills in 
a fun, playful and creative 
environment. Sign up at the 
Welcome Desk or by calling 
626-795-4331. Presented 
by Trisha Jauchler, founder 
and director of On Bright 
Wings and Theatre on the 
Threshold. 

For more information visit: 
pasadenaseniorcenter.org or 
call 626-795-4331.

 Founded in 1960, the 
Pasadena Senior Center 
is an independent, donor-
supported nonprofit 
organization that offers 
recreational, educational, 
wellness and social services 
to people ages 50 and older in 
a welcoming environment. 
Services are also provided 
for frail, low-income and 
homebound seniors.

Pet of the 
Week

 
Goober (A462838) is a 
4-year-old Chinese Shar-Pei 
looking for a home for the 
holidays. Goober has been 
at the Pasadena Humane 
Society & SPCA since July! 
We think he’s been getting 
overlooked in the kennels. 
This past weekend he went 
home with a foster family to 
get some comfy couch time. 
He was a very well-behaved 
boy who liked to follow his 
Foster around the house 
and sit right by her side. He 
gave tons of kisses and slept 
peacefully at the foot of the 
bed at night. Goober is now 
back at PHS looking for a 
new friend who would like 
to give him a furrever home. 

 The adoption fee for dogs 
is $130. All dogs are spayed 
or neutered, microchipped, 
and vaccinated before going 
to their new home. 

 New adopters will receive a 
complimentary health-and-
wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals, as well 
as a goody bag filled with 
information about how to 
care for your pet.

 View photos of adoptable 
pets at pasadenahumane.
org. Adoption hours are 11 
a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; 9 a.m. 
to 5 p.m. Tuesday through 
Friday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Saturday.

 Pets may not be available 
for adoption and cannot be 
held for potential adopters 
by phone calls or email.


Mars Insight Lander Seen in 
First Images from Space

 


 On Nov. 26, NASA’s 
InSight mission knew 
the spacecraft touched 
down within an 81-mile-
long (130-kilometer-long) 
landing ellipse on Mars. Now, 
the team has pinpointed 
InSight’s exact location 
using images from HiRISE, 
a powerful camera onboard 
another NASA spacecraft, 
Mars Reconnaissance 
Orbiter (MRO).

 The InSight lander, its 
heat shield and parachute 
were spotted by HiRISE 
(which stands for High 
Resolution Imaging Science 
Experiment) in one set of 
images last week on Dec. 6, 
and again on Tuesday, Dec. 
11. The lander, heat shield 
and parachute are within 
1,000 feet (several hundred 
meters) of one another on 
Elysium Planitia, the flat lava 
plain selected as InSight’s 
landing location.

 In images released today, 
the three new features on the 
Martian landscape appear 
teal. That’s not their actual 
color: Light reflected off their 
surfaces causes the color to 
be saturated. The ground 
around the lander appears 
dark, having been blasted 
by its retrorockets during 
descent. Look carefully for a 
butterfly shape, and you can 
make out the lander’s solar 
panels on either side.

 This isn’t the first time 
HiRISE has photographed a 
Mars lander. InSight is based 
largely on 2008’s Phoenix 
spacecraft, which the camera 
aboard MRO captured on 
the surface of Mars as well as 
descending on its parachute. 
While the HiRISE team at 
the University of Arizona 
also tried to take an image 
of InSight during landing, 
MRO was at a much less 
opportune angle and wasn’t 
able to take a good picture.


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