Historical Work

Supporting Legacies, creating Milestone moments

California State Juneteenth National Freedom Day Observance (2002) & Monument (2006)

When I was a high school student, I joined an organization called Juneteenth America, Inc. in their mission of Perfecting Unity by creating interfaith and inclusive collaborations to improve racial equity in homeownership, economics, and quality of life as a reflection of Juneteenth's significance as an American tradition. Juneteenth or June 19th, 1865 was the founding day of celebration for freedom from slavery in the United States that is now a state holiday in more than 45 states. As a part of a grassroots movement across the nation, Juneteenth America organized efforts to achieve state recognition in California, and former Governor Gray Davis signed legislation (AB1749 amended to SB812) recognizing every Third Saturday in June as Juneteenth National Freedom Day in July 2002. Four years later, Juneteenth America, Inc. and the City of Pomona unveiled the monument for the holiday marking the historic origin of the movement at Juneteenth America's annual community festival in Ganesha Park, Pomona, California. I am listed as a member of the Board of Directors on the historical monument. 

• View archived news article on the Monument unveiling

• View SB812 Legislation

Historic Pomona Fox Theater Grand Opening (2009)

At the age of 18, I was appointed by the City of Pomona to join the municipal board for the Pomona Fox Theater where I served as a Secretary to the organization in charge of overseeing the restoration of the historic landmark. Ten years later, I was a co-lead on its opening night, creating the name "Fox First Night!" and the event marketing materials for it's grand re-introduction to the public. The Pomona Fox Theater has a history with Old Hollywood as a sneak preview theater where celebrities like Cary Grant and Lucille Ball would travel from Tinsel Town to view early showings of blockbuster films such as King Kong. The venue's history of music drew fans from all over Southern California to this east Los Angeles County darling, but after one too many entertainment events, the venue was closed down and remained dormant for years before the City of Pomona purchased the venue to revive it's use to serve the residents of Pomona. 

An archive of the historic grand opening is hosted at Cal Poly Pomona's Library including artwork I recreated for the Fox First Night! souvenir booklet cover and additional artwork I originally created for the event is hosted. See archive listing.

Pictured left: Original proposed concept design; Pictured right: Final design created and adopted by City of Santa Monica

WOODLAWN CEMETERY LOGO CONCEPT, SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA (2009)

In 2009, a design class at Art Institute of California – Los Angeles was asked to design logos for the infamous Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica, California. This would be the first logo identity created for the city’s most historical resource since it was founded over a century ago. The creative brief required that the logo must use the City of Santa Monica’s logo elements. Studying the cemetery and its relationship with the public, three significant factors of the cemetery stood out to me and were reflected in the logo design concepts submitted: signature stained glass windows, collection of trees, and view of the ocean from the site.

The black and white arc logo is one of two of the final logo concepts submitted by myself for consideration along with the egg-shaped logo to present a "rebirth" concept. The black and white arc logo concept was selected and adopted into the one currently used today for the City of Santa Monica's Woodlawn Cemetery. The final design (pictured right) was adopted and created by a third party.