UNITY THROUGH ART

by Nadia Nizetich

True to its name, Collage: A Place for Art and Culture is one of those unique entertainment venues that can’t be defined by a single art form.

“The reason for the name was that we wanted to host a lot of different kinds of performances,” says George Woytovich, creative director. “The objective here is arts and culture, so it’s a mix of things that we’re doing.”

Collage, a nonprofit founded in 2020 by George, Strategic Planner Patti Kraakevik, and Executive Director Richard Foss, takes that mission seriously.

The trio’s unwillingness to be pigeonholed into any single type of artistic expression means that almost every performance is welcome on their stage. From singer-songwriters like Glee’s Damian McGinty to events like the singalong “Singing for Fun — English Renaissance Songs in San Pedro,” Collage goes bold. “We have a very expansive sense of what culture means,” says Richard. “There are many different ways that the word may be interpreted.”

To that end, Richard, Patti, and

George host unique events that explore the richness of the human experience. Even food comes into play — Richard’s background as a culinary historian led them to partner with restaurant arts, the culinary arts, all of these things are arts,” explains Richard. “It’s not about being any one thing — it’s about serving the whole community.”

Collage’s efforts to build this commu- gram that provides them to local graduates. They source the instruments from anyone willing to donate, and they’ve even begun expanding their program to exchange students.

For Richard, it’s a very personal endeavor. “I credit the fact that one of my children is still alive to them getting involved in high school band,” he says. “They found a group of people who were collaborative and creating together, and it changed their outlook on life.”

Addi’s Darbar in Redondo Beach for a meal and lecture on Goan food, presented through the lens of chef Addi DeCosta’s Goan heritage. “The performing nity also go beyond its stage. Recognizing that many students lose access to instruments after graduating from high school, they spearhead a donation pro-

Back at the venue, Collage’s stage is alive with regular jazz and ukulele jam sessions that attract people of all ages, from teenagers to octogenarians. Guests — especially students — are invited to cut their teeth in live performance, music recording, and videography, with Collage offering lessons in the latter two subjects. “When you hear a new band, the first thing you do is go to YouTube,” says Richard, describing the rationale behind the lessons. “We’re advancing careers by giving students a place to play and record. We’re doing much more than selling a ticket here.”

According to Patti, they’re also working to curate more events that pay homage to San Pedro’s ethnic groups.

“I’ve booked Michela Musolino, whose specialty is Sicilian songs,” she says.

“These are bouncy, lively, traditional songs for somebody who loves Italian culture.”

And Richard is trying his hardest to

Sun & Mon 8am-3pm Tue to Sat 8am-8pm

• Live Music Wednesday & Saturday Nights 5-7

• Beer, wine & handcrafted Soju cocktails recruit local storytellers familiar with San Pedro’s history to bring another kind of local culture to the stage.

“There’s an old San Pedro guy who is a fantastic raconteur who I’m trying to get to do his old local stories and songs,” he says. “For some, it would be awakening memories; for others, they’re going to get that history they’ve never had.”

Keeping true to its mission, Collage also collaborates with other San Pedro venues. Instead of seeing one another as competitors, the theatres will refer performers to each other that don’t quite fit their unique visions.

“They have their programming, and we have ours, and that’s just fine,” says Richard. “We’re all islands, but we have bridges between us, and to serve such a diverse population, we need to build more bridges.”

Patti agrees, and she believes that the future of Collage lies in uniting San Pedro through the arts. “I hope Collage becomes a community get-together place,” she says. “I hope people say hello to the neighbors they haven’t really talked to.” spt

Collage: A Place for Art and Culture is located at 731 S. Pacific Ave. For more info, call (310) 428-3497. For calendar and tickets, visit collageartculture.org.

If everything had gone according to plan, Birdcage Beauty Parlour might not be here today.

“My husband is very much a go-getter, and he bought me a birdcage chandelier,” says Monique Ursich, owner and lead stylist of the salon. She’d gone back and forth for years on opening her own business, preferring to take her time before making major decisions. “It was five years earlier than I planned, but my husband pushed me,” she says, gesturing to the golden birdcage now hanging at center stage of her shop. The rest was history. “We found a space, and we built the salon in 30 days.”

When she says built, she means it. From floor to ceiling, the space was completely remodeled by Monique and her family in the span of one month during the spring of 2018. “My daughter laid the floors — I think she was 10 [years old] at the time,” Monique recalls. And the furniture? “We found it all in a week. We went all over the city, even as far as Laguna Niguel,” she says. The salon’s carefully mismatched vanities and stylist workstations prove her story, and the result is a rustic yet bright atmosphere that warmly captures both the past and the present. It’s just like Monique intended. “Have you seen Steel Magnolias?” she asks. “That’s what I was going for. I wanted a place that was very much a hangout, where people relaxed and talked and supported each other.”

Despite the speedy opening, it took her a long time to get here. It wasn’t always obvious to Monique that hair was her passion. The first hint came in the ‘90s, when she was a teenager bleaching her friends’ bangs. “We all wanted that bright front streak, so we used somebody's facial hair bleach kit,” she laughs. “I think that was the first time I got into color.” Still, after graduating from San Pedro High School, she decided to study English at Long Beach State in hopes of becoming a teacher. But it slowly became clear that she liked her side job, doing makeup, more than the prospect of teaching. She pivoted, and she graduated from Aveda Beauty School not long after college.

Like many San Pedro natives, after