Roundup: November 13, 2013
Almasor Court – 700 S. Alamansor, Alhambra, CA.
Social Hour: 5:00PM
Dinner: 6:00PM
This is “Hat Night”- Western, foreign, unusual, or ordinary!
Speaker: Ann Stalcup
Subject: “Leo Politi, Artist of the Angels”
Click here to view photos from the event.
Leo Politi grew up in Fresno, California and Italy. At age 21, he settled in downtown Los Angeles where, quite by chance, he began a highly successful career as a children’s writer and illustrator. Later, as Los Angeles began losing its character with the demolition of areas such as the Victorian homes on Bunker Hill, Politi began “preserving” the homes, parks, and festivals of the city he loved through his art and writing. Leo was a unique, somewhat eccentric personality. He loved children, the “angels” of Los Angeles. His importance as a writer, artist, and initiator developed because he was the first person to feature minority children and their culture in his stories, mainly those in the Mexican, Chinese, and Japanese communities. He gave them a sense of importance they had never experienced, a feeling that lasted throughout their lives. He was a true innovator. He is a Los Angeles treasure and icon. His talent should neither be underestimated nor forgotten. His painting, “Blessing of the Animals” in the Plaza/Olvera Street area, is a famous icon of the annual Easter event of the same name.
On exhibit this evening, thanks to the efforts of our own Dr. Richard Doyle, will be over fifteen of Leo Politi’s paintings and posters for your enjoyment before and after the meeting.
Ann Stalcup is a prolific author with eclectic interests. Her books range from “Three Who Survived”, based on compelling stories of three child survivors of World War ll, to six books on world crafts in Mexico, Guatemala, and Brazil. Her talk this evening is based upon her book, “Leo Politi: Artist of the Angels”. Ann grew up in England. She moved to the United States as an adult when she married a teacher she had met in Greece. She taught in England, Canada, and California and today works as both a volunteer and employee at Leo Politi School. She began writing many years ago, but it was not until 1998 that her first work was published – in one year, seven children’s books and a number of magazine articles. She discovered that her strength was nonfiction writing. She now has sixteen published children’s books in addition to magazine and educational work for both adults and children.
Click here to view photos from the event.
Larry L. Boerio
Deputy Sheriff
http://www.lawesterners.org/2013/12/02/november-13-2013-hat-night/