SIERRA MADRE EDITION

 SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2019 

VOLUME 13 NO.14

SIERRA MADRE COMMUNITY 

ORGANIZATION PROFILE:

Kiwanis Club of Sierra Madre - Established 1927

Have you ever wondered what community organizations do with their 
time and their town? One such club in town is Kiwanis. Did you know 
that the primary purpose of a Kiwanis Club is children? This ideology 
is the very heart of Kiwanis of Sierra Madre. The Annual Boot n Scootin 
Chili Cook Off is one of our biggest fund raisers. One of the activities 
this event supports is the ImaginArt program at The Creative Arts 
Group right here in Sierra Madre. If your child attends Sierra Madre 
Elementary School, then they partake in this outstanding program.

I spent some time with Kristin Naran, Executive Director of the Creative 
Arts Group to find out how this program works. The program 
really acts like a field trip with each class walking to Creative Arts. 
Grades 1-5 are given a project to complete. I was able to observe a Fourth Grade class which was 
putting the final touches on their project: Effigy pots. Each student was focused and engaged in their 
task.

Certain skills are taught at each grade level in order to develop the skills for future projects. These 
projects are tied to things they study in school. Cathy, one of the teacher’s working with Fourth Graders 
effigy pots, gave them information on American History as well as the History of the America’s 
regarding the meaning of their project. The children learned the importance of animal spirits among 
Native American’s as well as cultures in Latin America. The term “whimsy” was given as the focal 
point of their project. Each child is given a slab of clay to be worked and rolled into a vessel. They 
then choose a “whimsical” animal to attach to their vessel. The skill of waxing the bottom is taught 
which keeps the bottom of the vessel from absorbing the paint. The object is then fired. While I 
observed this class they were being taught to make colors with which to glaze their effigy. All of the 
objects made by the various classes are on display at their Children’s Art Show in May.

The teacher’s of the class I observed were remarkable. Cathy, is a teacher in public school and Susie 
is a local artist who works with ceramics. Some of the completed projects on display were the First 
Grade project was a clay cut out of their hand, attached to a slab, textured in the background, and 
painted. The Third Grade makes witches. They, too, started with a slab of clay that they learned to 
roll and shape the body, add pieces to make each witch unique, glaze and fire. I was amazed at how 
original and well done these witches were. Truly amazing.

Kiwanis helps sponsor this program by holding the annual Chili Cook Off event. Peter Dills, a local 
food critic, judges the chili offered by the contestants. Every person who attends, also gets to vote 
for their favorite. Awards are given out later in the evening. Henry Duenas will be the D.J. He plays 
wonderful music as well as his fine dance troop who teaches everyone to line dance. You know you’ve 
always wanted to learn, right? There is a no host bar serving soft drinks, beer and wine. We can’t forget 
the Silent Auction! We are putting together some wonderful items for you to bid on.

Tickets can be purchased at Savor the Flavor as well as by calling 626-355-3222. Each ticket is $30.00. 
The event is held at the Sierra Madre Recreational Center, May 11, 2019 from 6:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. 
Applications to enter the chili cook off are available by calling 626-355-3222.

Kiwanis is active at almost every event held in Sierra Madre. Stop by their booth during these events. 
There could be a raffle or a great emergency radio to buy not to mention information about Kiwanis. 
We succeed because of your donations. Any donation is welcome. Remember, pennies make dollars.

CITY COUNCIL SET TO REORGANIZE APRIL 9TH

New Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem to be Selected

In accordance to the action taken by the Sierra Madre City 
Council on February 26, 2019 the annual reorganization and 
rotation of the Mayor will take 
place on Tuesday, April 9. 2019. 

The selection of Mayor and Mayor 
Pro Tem was originally scheduled 
to take place on the second 
meeting in April each year. 

At that time, the council also approved 
the consolidation of the 
local municipal election with the 
County to coincide with Statewide 
elections, which will extend 
the terms of the current Council 
Members by approximately 6 
months. 

Currently, all five members of the City Council have already served as 
both Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem. If the council follows the traditional 
method of selecting the city's next Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem will be elected 
Mayor for the second time.

The Council meeting will be held at City Hall at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2019


Mayor Denise Delmar

John Harabedian,

Mayor Pro Tem 

“MISSION: RENAISSANCE- 
DEDICATED TO HELPING CREATE 
A BETTER, MORE AESTHETIC 
WORLD..." -Larry Gluck

Story by Rebecca Wright/MVNews

You may not have noticed this studio in 
Sierra Madre, right next to Starbucks in 
Kersting Court, but you should. You'll be 
surprised at what happens there. Lives 
are literally being transformed through 
art! Larry Gluck, the founder of Mission 
Renaissance, believed that anyone could 
create beautiful works of art, if only they 
were given the correct tools. Gluck was 
a classically trained artist; the Master he 
studied under, Giuseppe Trotta, had been 
a classmate of Picasso’s, and when Gluck’s business 
venture in the Virgin Islands fell through, he turned 
to painting to support himself and Sheila, his wife. 
He became quite famous in the Virgin Islands. His 
paintings hung in hotels, restaurants, and some were 
even used in the menus on the cruise liners that passed 
through. When he and Sheila returned to the United 
States with their children, they opened an art school, 
Mission: Renaissance. 

 Gluck’s own experience in art school had nearly 
dissuaded him from becoming an artist, and so he 
wanted to make sure that his own operated differently. 
His first students came to his home, 100 a week, 
to learn. By teaching them and seeing where those 
without “innate talent” struggled, Gluck was able to 
develop the Gluck Method. This method was a step 
by step examination of the underlying skills, or tools, 
that go into creating a work of art. Students armed 
with this knowledge did not need to have “talent” to 
be able to create beautiful art. On the contrary, even 
those who felt that they were hopeless could learn how 
to translate the images in their head onto the paper 
or the canvas. Gluck believed this so strongly that 
he authored a book, The Talent Myth, detailing his 
thoughts and experiences around the matter. 

 Gluck was highly involved in Mission: Renaissance 
until the end of his life. From 1975 to 2016 he worked 
with students and other instructors, helping them 
to refine particular skills. One popular part of the 
program involves duplicating famous works. Gluck 
wanted his students to do this so they could study 
the practical application of different techniques. If a 
student could duplicate a Monet painting, for example, 
that student could then use some of Monet’s famous 
techniques in their own works. 

 Today, Gluck’s work continues. Classes are taught 
in a group setting, but each student gets individual 
attention. Students are able to see what others are 
doing, so that they can see the different focuses in the 
Gluck Method and so that they can see what they will 
be doing further down the road. In an average week, 
4000 hours’ worth of classes are taught, and the studios 
see between 2500 and 3200 students, both children 
and adults. 

 Classes are also designed to be accessible to everyone. 
There are 16 different locations, four in Orange county 
and 12 more spread from the San Fernando Valley 
to the San Gabriel Valley, to the West Side. There are 
even online options for those who cannot make it to a 
studio. Students opting for the online option can either 
stream classes or purchase DVDs and workbooks. The 
sister studio, Art Time, in Monrovia offers a hybrid 
approach, using iPads instead of reference books. 
All that a prospective student needs is a creative 
imagination. The Gluck Method will provide the rest. 

 For those going into studios, classes are normally an 
hour and a half per week, but Mission: Renaissance 
keeps school schedules in mind and offers different 
camps during breaks. These camps feature classes 
anywhere from two and a half hours to four and a 
half hours long. Mission: Renaissance even offered an 
impromptu camp during the LA Teacher’s Strike. 

 In addition to art, Mission: Renaissance also helps 
students gain confidence. Each class closes out with an 
optional art show. Students who want to are able to 
come up and show their classmates a newly completed 
piece and discuss some of their favorite parts about 
creating it. Many parents have seen their own, 
normally shy, children excitedly stand up and share. 

 For more information about Larry Gluck, Mission: 
Renaissance, or the Gluck Method, go to www.
fineartclasses.com. This website will also like to Larry 
Gluck’s website, www.larrygluck.com, and the Gluck 
Method website, www.thegluckmethod.com. 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com