***MEDIA ADVISORY***
THE WOOLSEY CHRONICLES: Santa Monica Mountains Community Hosts Art Show, Fundraiser, and Commemorative Art Book/Magazine Launch
Agoura Hills, CA — On Thursday, April 4th, from 6 to 9pm, friends and neighbors from across the Santa Monica Mountains will come together for an art show and fundraiser showcasing a commemorative magazine/art book that tells the story of how people in the mountains and canyons survived the 2018 Woolsey Fire. The event is at the Cornell Winery & Tasting Room, 29975 Mulholland Hwy, Agoura Hills, California.
WHAT: THE WOOLSEY CHRONICLES launch event features the debut of the 186-page magazine/art book weaving together seven stories of surviving the fire into a tapestry that shows how a community comes together and finds beauty and resiliency in a disaster, an art show, and a fundraiser for organizations that support education, emergency preparedness, and habitat restoration after the Woolsey Fire.
In the magazine, Topanga artist and creative director Urs Baur brings stories of Santa Monica Mountains residents into a beautiful and emotional collection, including:
- Infamous Malibu resident Randy Nauert, member of the original surf band The Challengers, who passed away in early February after surviving the fire and participating in this project.
- Morgan Runyon saved his family restaurant, The Old Place, on Mulholland Hwy.
- Photographer Jeanne Thompson, whose house up in Yerba Buena was spared and was one of the first back into the hills, taking and sharing photos of the destruction from the top.
- World renowned artist Lita Albuquerque lost her home, studio, and her personal collection to the fires.
- Mother and Daughter team Liz Gardner and Rebecca Hackett drove through the fires on Kanan Rd to save their horses.
- Marsha Maus, Seminole Springs Mobile Home Park resident, shares reflections on maintaining a positive attitude and her experience after losing everything.
- Topanga resident Liam Anderson shares a video of getting doused in fire retardant dropped from a plane.
The event is sponsored by Cornell Winery & Tasting Room, Old Place Restaurant, CTLST* Media, Topanga Film Institute, Messenger Mountain News, Santa Monica Mountains Fund, Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness, Regional Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, Topanga Chamber of Commerce, and Topanga Journal. The beneficiaries of the event and project include:
- Santa Monica Mountains Fund
- Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness
- Regional Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains
- Topanga Film Institute
WHO: 100+ local community activists, leaders, artists, those featured in the magazine, and local organizations who are supporting the event. Friends and neighbors who supported one another during the fires and are still involved day to day in clean-up efforts will come together to share stories, have fun, and discuss rebuilding and restoring their homes and community as a whole.
WHEN: 6 – 9pm, Thursday, April 4th
WHERE: Cornell Winery and Tasting Room, 29975 Mulholland Hwy, Agoura Hills, California (please note that the Mulholland Troutdale bridge is closed, so see http://www.cornellwinery.com/ for directions)
VISUALS: The event is hosted at the Cornell Winery, in the heart of former downtown Cornell, California. In order to drive to the event you must pass through the burn area, which is now covered in grass, trees with new buds, and vibrant wildflowers. At the event there will be Fire Art made by locals from remnants of their homes that were burned in the fire, large format photos taken by local photographers from the air and land during and after the fire, and a large projection of stills and short films of the subjects/contributors sharing their reflections and stories of what happened to them during the fire.
MORE INFO:
For visuals to be shared with any event listings, please contact urs@ctlst.co
Anyone who can not attend this launch event can donate to the project online here: https://www.mightycause.com/story/Thewoolseychronicles
For more information on the project please visit: https://topangafilminstitute.org/