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Gallery 2 of the Torrance Art Museum is holds the "Closer Now" gallery curated by Marcus Rodriguez and TAM staff. From left to right: "Phyllis and Aristotle", "Mother and Daughter" and "Salome" by Palmer Earl, "Starling" by Laura Krifka, "Untitled" by Heather Rassmussen. (Maureen Linzaga | Warrior Life) Marcus Rodriguez stands at the "Closer Now" exhibit entrance at the Torrance Art Museum on April 14. Marcus curated the show with the help of Torrance Art Museum staff which could be viewed for free from April 2 to May 14. (Greg Fontanilla | Warrior Life)
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“As an introvert, I didn't really like it. I really liked my own space. I think I much prefer this environment that I'm in now ... I have much more freedom and control,” Marcus says.
Occupying an even broader space in his art career at 21 years old, Marcus curated his first art show “Closer Now: Intimacy in a Rehabilitating Society” which was available to be viewed for free in Torrance Art Museum (TAM) from April 2 to May 14.
With zest as bright as the artwork mounted to the four walls surrounding Marcus, his irises of deep mahogany roam over the colorful textures of Phyllis and Aristotle’s story as told through acrylic paint. “Closer Now” featured artwork surrounding themes of intimacy, gender dynamics and domestic relationships, especially in regard to the COVID lockdowns that have altered many relationships whether public, private, or even with the self.
“I know at least from my experience, [COVID] drove me and my family a little crazy,” Marcus says, a smile apparent behind his face mask. “As we're living in close proximity, we have this very personal idea of what it means to relate to others, and how that kind of helps us learn about ourselves in the process.”
Marcus says the painting by Palmer Earl of Phyllis and Aristotle is his personal favorite artwork in the gallery, as it shows a unique relationship that challenges gender dynamics and the woman is seen as more dominant.
Ryan Schude, a 43-year-old photographer from Chicago whose work was also featured in the show, highlighted similar themes of vulnerability and gender dynamics in relationships. One of the photographs entitled “Kitchen” captures him and his wife portraying a couple arguing over the dinner table. “I think it’s an amazing opportunity for [Marcus] to have, to be able to get that well-established of an institution to curate a show at that age,” Ryan said. “Being the age the I am, I was pleased to have any sort of connection with a whole different generation that I generally don’t have chances to work with except for shoots.” "As we're living in close proximity, we In June 2021, Marcus received have this very personal idea of what it a Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship to work at TAM, the means to relate to others, and how that first grand opportunity that made kind of helps us learn about ourselves in his curation possible. the process." Selene Preciado, program associate at the Getty Foundation, says the internship is one of many - Marcus Rodriguez efforts made to make museum studio art and psychology student staff reflect the demographics of Los Angeles and address the lack of diversity in more prestigious institutions like Getty. In the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship, interns such as Marcus gain a stipend of $6,400 for a consecutive 10-week work period between June to August for around 120 interns annually. The foundation will celebrate 30 years this summer, as its genesis was marked by a historical period of Los Angeles riots following the beating of Rodney King. “The region was serving in upheaval. Many cultural institutions, including the Getty, had conversations about how to help our community in different ways,” Selene says. “One of the ways was to open the museum doors.”
As an artist with different backgrounds and identities, Marcus applied after being drawn by the program’s emphasis on diversity.
“Walking into a museum as a young man of color, as someone with a queer identity, it’s hard to either feel like I can relate or feel a sense of belonging in the space,” Marcus says.
Numerous alumni of the internship program now work at similar institutions such as Cameron Shaw, director of the California African American Museum.
“Obviously, an internship is not going to solve systematic issues, because field-wide, the arts are very much like an elite sort of field, but the internship is sort of like the catapult that helps them get started” Selene says.
Selene also resides in Torrance and has years of curatorial experience. Being of Hispanic heritage herself, Selene says she sees herself in Marcus and the young professionals starting their art careers.
“I read like over 100 resumes and I'm just blown away by the brilliance of everyone every year and it is very humbling,” Selene says. “As a professional of color, by offering my experiences and my struggles and my successes in the arts, I also hope to help younger generations.”
At the beginning of the internship process, Marcus recalls being in a Zoom meeting with around 120 other interns and being one of the only community college students.
“Most of them were like, ‘Oh, yeah, I just got my bachelor's from UCLA and went to Stanford.’” Marcus says, eyes wide in disbelief as he reminisces. “I was like ‘Oh my god, like what am I doing here?’”
Selene agrees, and says that the Getty Internship program is not only competitive for the students, but also for the organizations because organizations go through extensive review processes.
As part of the internship that lasted from June to August of 2021, Marcus was asked to create a hypothetical exhibition.
Max Presneill, a Los Angeles-based artist from the United Kingdom and director of TAM for 13 years, was so impressed with Marcus’ gallery proposal that the museum pushed to bring the exhibit to life.
The experience was TAM’s first time ever offering the chance to curate to an intern. With the help of the museum curators and staff, Marcus was aided in the process of putting the pieces together.
“I think what he's done a good job here, he's looked into intimacy in an off-kilter way that makes us reassess what we might mean by ‘intimacy’ – such as what does it mean in a pandemic? And what does it mean to us individually,” Max says.
Max says that the key characteristics that they saw in Marcus when interviewing interns for the museum is that he was responsible, can get the job done and was a self-starter. What also impressed Max from the beginning is that Marcus asked very “intelligent, pertinent” questions.
“No offense to young people, but that isn’t that common,” Max says. “There's a lot of questions from people that’s like ‘Really? Is that all you’re gonna ask me when you have the opportunity?’”
In the internship, Marcus had roles of volunteer orientation training, directly examining art pieces to see if any were damaged along the shipping process or as they are exported back out, doing research on artists and galleries, writing articles and conditioning reports and even promotional aspects through updating the museum’s website and social media. Going up and down a five-story building in August 2021, Marcus
Marcus Rodriguez evaluates the perspective drawings created by students of a drawing class taught by art professor Joseph Hardesty. Student drawings line the walls of Room ARTB207 in the El Camino College Art Building on May 2. (Maureen Linzaga | Warrior Life) Marcus Rodriguez stands with art professor Joseph Hardesty in his office at the El Camino College Art Building on May 2. Marcus is the teaching assistant for Joseph's drawing classes. (Maureen Linzaga | Warrior Life)
also did these tasks in the pop-up show “Nomad”, which featured around 500 contemporary artists at Del Amo Crossing Medical Center Building.
A week after the “Closer Now” opening night, although his 2021 internship was over, Marcus took a group of disabled individuals from the city-based non-profit organization Diverse Journeys on a tour around the gallery.
Marcus, however, originally did not want to pursue art when he went to college. After graduating from high school, he went to El Camino with hopes of pursuing a psychology degree.
After taking his first-ever drawing class, he felt supported in the beginning of his art journey and decided to pursue a studio art major.
Marcus was set to transfer in fall 2021 after getting his art certificate, but COVID decreased studio art classes he could take. He instead took the chance to continue his psychology certificate at El Camino to be finished in June 2022.
“Art and psychology are definitely still related because at the end, my root purpose, desire or drive is to understand people,” Marcus says. “Art, music, dance, literature, anything like that can directly speak to how we interact with the world on an emotional basis.”
As Marcus pursues both art and psychology degrees, many encouraged him to go into art therapy as it is a helpful tool for dealing with mental health through creativity. But Marcus says he wants to pursue each area separately.
Ultimately, one of his main goals is to be an art educator. Now, Marcus is gaining mentorship experience as a teacher's assistant for El Camino art professor Joseph Hardesty in the very same intro to art class he was in.
And yet again, he occupies another space, this time the very classroom that deepened his love for art.
Joseph says he was teaching beginning drawing when Marcus voluntarily gave his time, suddenly started showing up early and staying after classes to help.
“I’ve always got way too much crap to do,” Joseph laughs. “I needed a TA and he was so helpful and so amazing … so he started working for me as a TA before the pandemic.”
Marcus eventually became part of MyPath, a program in El Camino College that Joseph says essentially attaches the course to a counselor and a student who's already taken the class. Marcus serves as a tutor and helped students in their art projects, navigating campus and much more. He then became the vice president of the Future Teachers Club comprised of El Camino students pursuing education fields.
Marcus says Joseph, through MyPath and his mentorship, was one of the reasons why Marcus felt supported in his journey as an art educator. He was even the first to let Marcus know about the Getty internship during winter 2021.
“Marcus is so hard working, so talented and smart and all that stuff, but none of that would mean anything if he wasn't willing to put himself out there. That would be my advice to students,” Joseph says. “Even if you don't get it, you learn something from the process and you're more prepared for the next opportunity.”
Marcus certainly took another opportunity. He had the honor of receiving the Getty Undergraduate Internship once again to work at the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) at Long Beach in summer 2022.
Being assigned to a museum focusing on Hispanic artistic works this time around, Marcus aims to learn more about his culture and Mexican descent, carving more of his identity into yet another space.
“I remember [MOLAA] has galleries with religious iconography because Catholicism is like a big part of [Hispanic] culture too,” Marcus says. “It's going to be interesting seeing how not only I relate to the works that we're going to be showing, but also what kind of works that I'm going to be specifically drawn to. I'm excited to explore that as well.”
Marcus hopes to continue employing spaces that value belonging and creative expression to motivate his future students into doing the same in the process.
“That idea of comfort really feeds into the greater sense of intimacy and an environment where you're able to just be yourself without worrying about how you're being perceived,” Marcus says. “Because you're like, ‘With these artworks in the background, and visual items I find beauty in? Oh yeah, this is my space.’”
- Marcus Rodriguez
studio art and psychology student
You Can’t Beet ‘Em!
Top 5 Vegan Restaurants Story and Photos by Brittany Parris
Whether you’re vegetarian, vegan, or just want to try something new, it’s nice to have options. Warrior Life has created a list featuring the top 5 vegan restaurants in the South Bay. From Pad Thai to the classic California roll, you can enjoy these and more with plant-based options. The possibilities are endless and these local spots will leave you satisfiedThe possibilities are endless and these local spots will leave you satisfied and wanting more.
1.Happy Veggie
Specializing in Vietnamese cuisine, Happy Veggie prides itself on using only the freshest ingredients while being high in protein and heart-healthy. Dishes are around $10 each and offer many colorful entrees. Try the heavenly salad and eggplant tofu.
709 N. Pacific Coast Hwy Redondo Beach, 310-379-5035
A walkable distance from Manhattan Beach’s shoreline, Rice is a vegan-friendly spot that offers its twist on the classic sushi roll. Their Green Wave Roll ($18) consists of sliced avocado and sweet soy sauce. Save some room for dessert to enjoy their layered green tea cake ($11) or double chocolate cake ($11) (vegan and glutenfree).
820 Manhattan Ave. Ste 105 Manhattan Beach, 310-798-7722, ricemb.com
3.Green Temple
Green Temple is a hidden gem. They have been a staple in the community for more than 20 years and get most of their produce from local farms. Try their super veggie burger with walnut bread ($14) or their veggie quesadilla ($11).
1700 S. Catalina Ave Redondo Beach 90277, 310-944-4525, greentemple.net
Vegan Nova’s popular menu items, feature vegetable tempura and Panang curry in Hawthorne, CA on May 22, 2022. The front sign of The Spot in Hermosa Beach, CA on May 22, 2022.
4.Vegan Nova
This tiny spot is a great take-out option that serves 100% vegan Thai dishes. A majority of their menu stays under $15 and offers significant portion sizes that you can enjoy for leftovers. You can’t go wrong with a classic pad thai ($12.50) or try their green curry ($14.50) and basil fried rice ($13.50).
3255 W. Rosecrans Ave. Hawthorne 90250, 424-374-8317
5.The Spot
Established in 1977, The Spot is one of the oldest vegan/vegetarian restaurants in Los Angeles. The Spot is one block away from the Hermosa Beach Pier and was awarded one of South Bay’s Best of 2013 in the Daily Breeze. The must-try item is their awardwinning Spot veggie burger and savory sauce ($8.95).
110 Second St. Hermosa Beach 90254, 310-376-2355, worldfamousspot.com
Maestra
Joanna Medawar Nachef is the first female conductor of the Middle East. The Palos Verdes resident has been the director of choral activities at El Camino College since 1996. A native of Lebanon, she and her family immigrated to the United States in 1975.
EC choral director unites the world, one concert performance at a time
Story and photos by Gary Kohatsu
She has a “performance” before noon and her preparation starts with a choice of shoes — understandable, since she has an admitted shoe fetish.
Her footwear today will be a pair of red Longchamps pumps, open-toed, with ankle straps and thick soles.
“Everything begins with the shoes. It’s how I match my wardrobe,” she says. “I’m vertically challenged, so I like heels. The soles are thick for comfort, because I’m on my feet so much.”
Joanna Medawar Nachef cuts no corners when it comes to purchasing gorgeous, quality shoes. As a child in Beirut, her feet were “crooked and flat.”
“From ages 5 to 13, I had to wear [Dr. Scholl’s] boots with arches,” Joanna says. “I wore pretty dresses with those ugly boots. I never saw pretty shoes on my feet and I think now, I have gone the other way.”
In recent years, shoes with thick soles for comfort and sturdiness have become as important to her as style.
For Joanna, 63, her shoes, wardrobe and makeup are synonymous with a beautiful presentation.
“I never leave the house without (black) eyeliner,” Joanna says. “The Lebanese have significant, expressive eyes. They are the windows to my soul.”
She also never goes anywhere without cherry-red lipstick by Chanel (Long Wearing) — her preferred shade and brand.
Bright colors, like music, can lift the human spirit, she says.
Joanna is preparing for her Thursday choral class at El Camino College, where she teaches full-time, four days a week.
“When I step into the classroom, I give a performance,” Joanna says. “My motto is ‘life is a performance, not a rehearsal.’ Today I’m going to give my best effort. I believe in presenting and expecting excellence, (although) not perfection.”
For Joanna, ECC’s director of choral activities, it’s a typical morning. A native of Lebanon, she immigrated to this country at 17 and now at 63, is a professional musician and conductor who has performed with chorus groups and orchestras in seven countries.
As a self-appointed “ambassador of harmony,” she believes God has blessed her with the gift of music to help unite people and cultures.
“My responsibility is huge because I want to dissolve these misconceptions that people from the Middle East are terrorists. We are not,” Joanna says. “It may be extremists, governments (that are to blame). People are not like that. Music is the universal language and the best tool to unite us all.”
A devout Christian, Joanna is a member of the Peninsula Community Church in Palos Verdes, where she served as minister of music from 1980 to 1997 and then as choir director from ‘97 to the “ present. My responsibility is huge Her journey is inspired by the Bible, but fueled by a passion because I want to dissolve these misconceptions that for fashion. people from the Middle East
“I come (to concerts) are terrorists. We are not... in beautiful outfits,” music is the universal lanJoanna says. “Because vibrant colors give the audience something guage and the best tool to unite us all. to visualize and enjoy. And why not? It’s — Joanna Nachef extravagant, yes. But I want my audiences to experience it all.” ”
At 5 feet, 2 inches high, Joanna says she might appear taller because she stands straight.
“Erect posture is crucial,” Joanna says. “I teach that and I live that. (Good posture) gives our breathing mechanism a chance to work naturally.”
Correct posture was instilled in her as a youth.
“My grandmother, who had excellent posture, had a good friend with osteoporosis,” Joanna says. “She would say to me, ‘(Yuwanna), don’t sit like her. Sit like me.’ And I have never forgotten that. (Good posture) is the key to singing and playing (instruments) accurately.”
Having developed an eye for spectacular wardrobes has brought out both her personality and confidence as a performer.
In 1989, she became the first female conductor of the Middle East when she conducted the Pacific Symphony Orchestra at the
Joanna Nachef has recently assumed the teaching duties of the El Camino orchestra, which meets in Marsee Auditorium. With a return to in-person activities, the orchestra performed a holiday-themed musical at ECC in 2021.
Above, a student makes changes to her music sheet in preparation for a holiday concert at Marsee Auditorium.
At left, Joanna Nachef conducts her Tuesday night orchestra class with focus and energy. The orchestra class was preparing for a holiday concert in December 2021, after a year of no live performances due to the coronavirus.
Orange County Performing Arts Center (Segerstrom Performing Arts). The occasion was a performance for the 500 Club LebaneseAmerican Organization.
Since that historical concert, several other Middle Eastern women have joined her as professional conductors, she says.
New opportunities
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Joanna is the second oldest of four children to parents Michel and Yolla Medawar. She and her family fled Lebanon in 1976, during the early stages of Lebanon’s civil war. They traveled to America and settled with relatives in Los Angeles’ South Bay.
Joanna enrolled at El Camino College in Torrance to study music with instructor Jane Hardester. But in 1977, Michel and his family returned to their beloved home country in hopes that the war was subsiding.
Jane, who was the college’s choral director, thought about the young Lebanese girl with big dreams of conducting an orchestra. She dashed a letter to Joanna in Beirut.
“So what are you doing about your conducting?” Jane wrote.
The war in Lebanon was escalating and Michel Medawar, a third-generation jeweler-clockmaker, chose to remain politically neutral which was not viewed favorably by Lebanese authorities. For their security, the Medawars left their homeland for good in 1977 and settled in Palos Verdes, California.
Joanna was happy to return to ECC and complete her lessons.
After studying music conducting with Jane, Joanna earned her bachelor’s degree in piano performance at California State University, Dominguez Hills. She credits both Jane and Frances Steiner at CSUDH for being major influences on her career.
At 22, Joanna continued her education at the University of Southern California. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts and Master in Music degrees in choral music
She started as a part-time music instructor at ECC in 1989 and was hired as a full-time director of choral activities in 1996.
Her honors have been abundant over the decades. She was selected as one of the Outstanding Young Women of America in 1986, one of 1996’s Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, 2008 Who’s Who Among America’s Women and 2010 Who’s Who in the World.
In 2014, she received ECC’s Distinguished Faculty Award.
She retired as artistic director of Los Cancioneros Master Chorale in 2015, after 24 years. In 2017 she started the Joanna Medawar Nachef Singers (comprised of many former ECC singers) and in 2018, was chosen to revive the defunct Torrance Pops Orchestra.
Joanna has maintained a consistent physical appearance, blending fashion and comfort with professionalism for much of the last 30 years.
She has worn her natural “blue-black hair” in a style she describes as a “half-do, off the shoulders.” Her hairstylist since 1999 is Zouhair Itani, a friend she met in America more than 40 years ago.
Zouhair also fled with his family from war-ravaged Lebanon in the mid-1970s. By chance, he studied cosmetology at EC before turning professional.
Toni & Zouhair Salon in Redondo Beach has been owned by the Itani brothers since 1979. Their shop is a quick jaunt from the Nachef home, Joanna says with a smile.
When conducting music on a stage, Joanna says she wants to be seen, admired and respected for her femininity, as much as her conducting prowess.
“I’m not trying to replace a man, I’m trying to complete the circle,” Joanna says. “I wear elegant dresses and look attractive because I want the audience to see beauty on the stage. That’s why I insist my singers are also dressed (impeccably).”
Rodney Rose, an ECC music student of Joanna’s in 1997 and now a member of her JMNS chorus, marvels at her sense of style.
“She is a force of nature,” Rodney says. “Joanna has a great
Joanna applauds the bass section of her choral class.. Joanna frequently divides the class so she can listen to the various vocal sections. She is a believer in positive feedback and support. Her students are told that she expects “excellence” of then, not perfection.
Joanna and her students rehearse Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” which was planned for a December 2021 concert at ECC. The tenor students from left are Christian Jones, Denise Fessenbecker and Nolberto Mesa. When I step into the classroom, I give a performance. My motto is ‘life is a performance, not a rehearsal.’ Today I’m going to give my best effort. I believe in presenting and expecting excellence.
— Joanna Nachef
”
sense of fashion and is always dressed immaculately, with a little bit of sass.”
Female conductors have to work harder to earn respect and acceptability, Mary Lou “Marya” Basaraba, resident chorus maestra of the Golden State Pops Orchestra, says. The GSPO is a symphony pops orchestra formed in 2002 and is the resident orchestra in San Pedro.
“I believe women are judged much more harshly on their podium presentation than their male counterparts,” Marya says. “The onus is on the women to look great, especially nowadays with so many televised events.”
With her wardrobe set, Joanna adds sparkly teardrop earrings to complete the look.
Her appreciation for jewelry is understandable since her parent’s own Medawar Fine Jewelers in the Rolling Hills Estates.
“(Colleagues and students) call me Dr. Bling,” Joanna says with a laugh. “Here comes the diva, the maestra. I love glitter. I love sequins. You can tell by my (glittery COVID health) mask. And why not? It’s part of my persona. It brings more brightness to the day.”
Besides her conducting and singing talents, Joanna is also an accomplished pianist. Her choral class and orchestra performed a holiday concert at ECC Auditorium in December 2021. She is the first female conductor in the Middle East and has always included fashion and decorum into her concerts
Joanna says it was challenging teaching music virtually during the pandemic closures and that her music students can get the full benefits of learning in a classroom setting.
Noteworthy Dates
1977 - Immigrates from Lebanon to the U.S. Family settles in Palos Verdes. Attends ECC.
1988 - Earns doctorage in music arts from USC.
1996 - Named director of choral activites, ECC.
2004 - Helped initiate the program “Global Educaion Through Technology.
2006-2018 Six times conductor at Carnegie Hall.
2014 - Conducted Lebonese Philharmoc Orch.
2014-2015 - ECC Distinguished Faculty Award.
2017 - Creates her choir, the Joanna Medawar Nachef Singers.
2018-2019 - Director for the Torrance Pops Orchestra — Joanna & Friends
