ORANGE COUNTY
THE NEW NORMAL
Getting Cultured and Creative
BEGUILING
BERLIN
9.2019
This is Surreal
Art talk with Kelly Tunstall
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CUE THE LENS: TALES OF A PHOTOGRAPH
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ISSUE 9 // VOLUME 2 // 9.2019
FEATURES 16 Tales from the Cenozoic Life through the creative lens.
36
SP EC IAL R EP OR T
Higher Ed
A college degree in cannabis is a real thing. And it’s a big sign the industry is legitimate.
42 Off the Road Again
Tales of an accidental RVer.
24
TUNSTALL TIME Art + Inspiration
16 LOOK CLOSER Camera Life
every issue 9 Editor’s Note 11 The Buzz 20 LifeStyle
WHAT CAN MAKE ME FEEL THIS WAY?
24 HighProfile
THE SURREAL LIFE
30 TravelWell
CULTURED IN BERLIN
50 HereWeGo
THE NINETIES ARE BACK
ON THE COVER (SAN DIEGO EDITION) No. 16 artwork by Kelly Tunstall. Photo by Form & Fiction
sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 7
sensi magazine ISSUE 9 / VOLUME 2 / 9.2019
EXECUTIVE FOLLOW US
Ron Kolb ron@sensimag.com CEO, SENSI MEDIA GROUP
Tae Darnell tae@sensimag.com PRESIDENT, SENSI MEDIA GROUP
Alex Martinez alex@sensimag.com CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
EDITORIAL sensimediagroup
Stephanie Wilson stephanie@sensimag.com EDITOR IN CHIEF
Dawn Garcia dawn.garcia@sensimag.com
MANAGING EDITOR, SENSI SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Leland Rucker leland.rucker@sensimag.com SENIOR EDITOR
Robyn Griggs Lawrence CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Allie Goodrich, Rachel Svoboda sensimagazine
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
A RT & D E S I G N Jamie Ezra Mark jamie@emagency.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Rheya Tanner, Wendy Mak, Josh Clark em@sensimag.com DESIGN & LAYOUT
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BUSINESS & A D M I N I S T R AT I V E Kristan Toth kristan.toth@sensimag.com HEAD OF PEOPLE
Karen Petersen karen.petersen@sensimag.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, ORANGE COUNTY
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M E D I A PA RT N E R S Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy Sensi magazine is published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2019 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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editor’s
NOTE
SURREAL
The world once believed that the Louvre in
Paris was the first public art museum of global importance when it opened in 1793. However, it seems the Italians had started nearly 60 years earlier in 1734 with the opening of the Capitoline Museum in Rome. And as art historians delve deeper, it’s no surprise that new information about humans finding themselves drawn to places housing artwork by famed and novice artists is continually resurfacing. No matter when it began, the world’s fascination with sculp-
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tures, paintings, and drawings became a way of advancing our
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many are sounding louder than ever. We see it on public murals,
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allow. In the modern world of contemporary art, the voices of which can be likened to early man when cave drawings were created to tell the story of their people; we see it on public sculptures and architecture that line our streets and fuel our cities; and we experience it in an abundance of museums and art galleries that have something to say—and we are privileged to walk through them. Art is culture. The very notion that human beings are capable of creating works of extraordinary social, political, and creative importance is what exemplifies our very humanity. Art is a nonviolent way to express oneself. The truth of who we are as a people seems to find its most honest form of expression through artistic creation and innovation. This month we explore how cartoonists, painters, photographers, and visionaries open our eyes to a more colorful and textural world. We explore a city with a sordid past, local events, activism, and nature, and we dare ourselves to see the world through different lenses. Whatever you do, do it with eyes wide open and an inclination to see a bit of wonder in everything around you. Get lost in a bit of surrealism and take a few steps outside of your comfort zone. Be inspired,
Dawn Garcia
M ANAG I NG E D I TO R
SENSI SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
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Yang Yongliang
OCMAExpand Santa Ana welcomes Chinese art history. // Public Opening: September 21, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Six new projects by artists Carolina Caycedo, Daniel
history. Born in Shanghai, Yang is a globally exhibited art-
Duford, Ximena Garrido-Lecca, Mulyana, Robert Zhao
ist who bridges contemporary and traditional art that ex-
Renhui, and Yang Yongliang are coming to the OCMAEx-
ploits ancient Oriental aesthetics and literati beliefs with
pand museum in Santa Ana. Exploring the relationship
modern language and digital techniques.
and complexities of humans within nature, the exhibition
This exhibition will feature “Eternal Landscape,” Yang’s
gives an intricate look into Yongliang’s shansui (landscape
first virtual reality piece, and a variety of his works further-
paintings), brought to life through his love of Chinese art
ing the expression of time and modernism. –Dawn Garcia
Weed Museum Now In Hollywood A limited pop-up museum. // Now through September 29 // Days + Times Vary Why, yes, you read that right. Thanks to Weedmaps, the History of Weed is now in the heart of the city. The pop-up museum features the early history of cannabis and hemp with several exhibitions, including Age of Madness, Counterculture Revolution, Behind Closed Doors, Entrapment, Dose of Compassion, Legalization, The Plant Lab, and more. According to
NEWS.WEEDMAPS.COM ,
“The museum will immerse visitors in a series of interactive and informational exhibits that tell the story of the growers, stoners, and activists who expanded knowledge of the plant and kept the cannabis movement alive despite decades of government prohibition and propaganda.” While Barcelona has a Hemp Museum, this will be the first of its kind in the United States. All guests must be 18 years old or older and have a valid I.D. Drinks, café access, hors d’ouervres, and swag bags will be available for those who purchase $200 VIP tickets, but no cannabis or CBD products –DG will be sold onsite. TICKETS $35–$200 // Hours of the museum viewings vary. WEEDMAPS.COM // 720 N. Cahuenga Blvd. // Hollywood
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History Of Indian Art Lecture
Discovering the powerful work of artist Raja Ravi Varma. // September 28 // 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Art On 30th
Feel your way to inspiration. // October 19 to November 15 // ARTON30TH.COM Founded by Kate Ashton, Art on 30th is a collective art space where artists can rent studio space and show their work, novices can take art workshops, and there are open artist calls on the regular. In other words, this is an artists’ haven made to inspire and curate artistic collaboration. The space is made to mentor artists and create an environment where all are welcome. Art on 30th holds a monthly artist call inviting artists to create a piece centered around a chosen theme. This month’s theme is In Gold We Trust. Artists can submit original pieces that incorporate gold in the artwork, including metallic colors that fall into the gold spectrum of color. There is $1,000 available in prizes, and all entries chosen will be exhibited as work for sale. It is a wonderful opportunity to share your creations with the local community. 12 SEPTEMBER 2019 Southern California
–DG
The San Diego Museum of Art introduces an exhibition sponsored by the South Asian Arts Council of one of India’s greatest painters who pioneered Indian art, Raja Ravi Varma. Varma’s work will be made available to the public and shown in a discussion led by San Diego University adjunct faculty member Sushumna Kanna. Fusing European techniques and paintings that revolved around the ancient mythological stories of the Puranas, Varma is considered one of the most prominent Indian painters of his time. He fused European and Indian art techniques, showing how Hindu gods and goddess became the worship material for lower castes that didn’t have access to temples. His work was instrumental in improving the way much of the world saw art, including making it affordable to those who wanted it by creating lithographs, some of which will be on display during the lecture. –DG Free SAAC members // $10 Museum members // $15 nonmembers // $5 students // Held in the Museum Board Room // SDMART.ORG
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Lighting the way. // September 28 // 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Lantern festivals are known for bringing people together to celebrate, mourn, appreciate, and liberate. Taking place all around the world, the Water Lantern Festival—which USA Today named Best Cultural Festival—is coming to San Diego. The festival is centered around peaceful, hopeful, shared experiences with friends, family, and new people you have yet to meet. Once the sun sets, everyone lights their lanterns with special messages of love and hope written on them and then rests them onto the water to be freed and released. It is a visually stunning event that will create deeper connections with yourself and with others. Attendees can also rest easy knowing the materials are sustainable and biodegradable, and there will be devoted cleanups to ensure no harm is done to Mother Earth. –DG WATERLANTERNFESTIVAL.COM // Tickets are $25–$40
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Pacific Beachfest October 6 // 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. // PACIFICBEACHFEST.ORG
A 5K run, live music, fish taco contest, beer garden, and family fun. This is a free, all-day event taking place on the Pacific Beach Boardwalk from Felpar to Thomas Street.
–DG
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PACIFIC BEACHFEST
Water Lantern Festival
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NOTES FROM THE CENOZOIC Life through the creative lens. by A L L I E G O O D R I C H
16 SEPTEMBER 2019 Southern California
THE LAST TIME I SAW MY GRANDMOTHER, SHE DIDN’T KNOW MY NAME. SHE WAS SITTING IN A WHEELCHAIR AT THE FOOT OF HER BED WITH A SOFT PINK BLANKET WRAPPED AROUND HER LEGS. I MUST HAVE BEEN 15; SHE WAS 85.
in the doorframe, she looked up and smiled, as if she could sense me there, just on the other side of a veil. Sometimes I think that somewhere, on a level deeper than she could communicate, she still knew me, even if this hint of recognition stemmed from a place too far away to break the surface. She could feel it; she just couldn’t speak to it. When I take a photograph, it is always informed by this sense of absence or loss. Like a memory, a photograph is defined as much by what appears inside the frame as
I hung back in the doorway as my aunt and uncles gath-
what exists out of sight. It is selective—a snapshot invit-
ered around her. A family photo album was spread across
ing more questions than answers. When I look at photo-
her lap, and although my aunt turned the yellowing pages
graphs of my grandparents now, I am reminded of all the
for my grandmother, there was no indication, other than a
gaps that exist between them. Everything I know about
vague, benign smile, that she knew who we were.
their lives is based on what others have told me, and
My grandfather once said, “When time passes into mem-
from what I’ve discovered through their collections of
ory, its rhythm goes to pieces. Memory is good at playing
letters and photos. The story I string together from what
tricks and reshuffling itself, like a deck of cards.” Watch-
they left behind will always feel incomplete.
ing as my grandmother looked through the photographs, I
Time, absence, and memory are all themes that influ-
imagined her memory as an island in a bank of fog, contin-
ence my approach to photography and film. I see them as
ually shifting in and out of sight. She was no longer certain
media through which I can work to establish a sense of
if the land was solid or if she was seeing shadows.
the rhythm my grandfather described as so easily broken. When I look through the lens of a camera, I am often
a painting on the wall without really seeing it. At some
trying to capture an idea or feeling. Sometimes, the si-
point, my father came out to bring me back; he said my
lence of communicating through aperture, shutter speed,
grandmother had noticed I was missing. When I appeared
focus, and composition can be a relief from words.
ALL PHOTOS BY ALLIE GOODRICH, ALLIEGOODRICH.COM
Eventually, I escaped into the hallway and stared at
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I tend to focus on small things: details in nature or
parently, he had been fascinated by water and used to try
everyday life that strike me in some way, even if I can’t
to find the hidden patterns in deep water surfaces. He felt
explain it at the time. Between January and April of this
there had to be some kind of rhythm or pattern, and he
year, I walked to a stream along the side of a field in my
conducted little studies of his own in search of either.
hometown with the intention of photographing the mo-
For me, photography and film are studies in rhythm.
tion of the thawing water. Then something changed. I no-
One stops time; the other puts it on a loop. When I’m
ticed the patches of sunlight on the surface left strange
watching a film, the director’s sense of pacing is the un-
markings on the images, as if someone had scratched or
dercurrent that drives my emotional response. Some-
etched them there. My focus shifted. I kept returning to
times there is no dialogue in the scene. What makes it
the stream and observed that, depending on the time of
powerful is how the images have been welded into se-
day, temperature, and the nature of the current, the color
quence, and how, even when there are no words, there is
and patterns of movement and light would change.
still something—a thought, idea, or feeling—being com-
The camera was capturing something I otherwise
municated.
wouldn’t have known. The images that appeared in the
Like geology, photography and film are studies of
photographs seemed to echo many things all at once—
change across a span of time. They are tools we can use
weather systems, the cosmos, sparks, figures, and a spine.
to take a closer look at our world: the materials and struc-
In real time, what I saw was sunlight flickering on the
tures that compose it, the forces acting upon it, the people
surface of the stream. I felt like a biologist with a micro-
who inhabit it, the influence of the past on the future. A
scope. When encountered through the camera, the water
photograph can be a doorway into memory, but it’s never
and light transformed in unison. The world became more
certain how far back the passage will lead. Sometimes,
layered and fluid, even rhythmic, and I felt closer to it.
it is just a window, and I wonder if, when I look back at
When I sent these photos to one of my uncles, he wrote back wishing my grandfather could have seen them. Ap-
them, I’ll remember them as they were and what will be lost in my version of remembering. sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 19
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by DAW N G A R C I A
THE SURREAL LIFE Kelley Tunstall creates a world of surrealism.
24 SEPTEMBER 2019 Southern California
PHOTO BY ALISON MURRAY
{highprofile }
PHOTOS BY SHAUN ROBERTS, FORM & FICTION AND LANEE BIRD / ARTWORK BY KELLY TUNSTALL
The saying “art is subjective” comes from a long list of
tistic perspectives. Tunstall’s utopian joy and inquisitive
creatives who realized the moment their work made its
nature oozes onto whatever medium she’s painting on—
way out of their imagination and into something tangible,
usually canvas or wood—enchanting those who view it.
it was subject to a translation outside of their own. Leo
Her imagination was fueled at the age of three by read-
Tolstoy said, “Art is the uniting of the subjective with the
ing books and watching films. Her childhood book rep-
objective, of nature with reason, of the unconscious with
ertoire included Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Ander-
the conscious, and therefore, art is the highest means of
son, the Pippi Longstocking series, and Greek mythology.
knowledge.” That can be exhibited in a variety of mediums,
“I liked folk stories from all over the world,” Tunstall says.
but it resonates when we talk about surrealism.
“I watched a lot of Disney, and loved Gorey’s opening se-
Surrealist Kelly Tunstall is an internationally known art-
quence for Mystery! I also loved Muppet Show as a kid, and
ist who often collaborates and shows with her husband,
then a lot of music videos and Monty Python in my teens.”
fellow artist Ferris Plock. Together they share unique ar-
While she can’t pinpoint the moment she first picked up sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 25
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a paintbrush, she does remember drawing at a young age. “I do remember having sketchbooks as long as I can remember. Some had a lot of folding pages.” Museums fed a love of art, but it is life in its natural form that has also been a plentiful source of inspiration for Tunstall. “I grew up going to the great flea markets of Europe and antiquing with my parents. It’s the museum of the world, and you learn so much about any society by seeing what it discards or holds sacred. It’s a study in anthropology, and I still find this one my most inspirational ways to think when I get stuck,” she says. “I also encountered a lot of visual information and graphic design, industrial design, vernacular design, the folk arts, fashion, and textiles this way. It’s a way of reading.” For this old soul with a clear vision, art quickly became her chosen form of expression by age 11. “I dressed in white and walked through a little bamboo forest in the yard as a transition,” she says. “I think it was something about realizing that I could really make the things that sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 27
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existed in my head and that I didn’t need to draw from nature or things around me. That was the big power play.” Her art pieces thrusts their entrancing visual stories into view, creating a world where magic, emotion, and the fantastical come together to frolic. “I start big with layers and
Final Words Q + A Q: What artist would you most want to create alongside? Where in the world would you want to meet them?
color and refine smaller and more detailed until it’s done,”
A: Joseph Beuys. In Switzerland.
says Tunstall. “Process and story are two different things
Q: Is there a color you are currently drawn to?
for me. The concept is the framework. I catch a lot of the story as it comes to me, as the piece develops or unfolds.” If the finished piece isn’t to her liking, she reworks or covers things with gold leaf until it feels right. Having grown up in Portland, Oregon; Tacoma, Washington; and Kaiserslautern, Germany, she was exposed to culture, nature, and colorful landscapes that influence her inner world. “I’m very open-minded, but I’m always watch-
A: I’m using purple, probably for the first time. It’s a color that never spoke to me, but has just started to.
Q: What makes you happiest when not making art? A: A great bath.
Q: What shows do you watch to escape? A: Well-shot historical dramas with a lot of costumes. I also love Fellini films. I have the new Criterion Collection app, so I can watch all the cool old stuff.
ing, always seeing, always looking. That never turns off, which is a blessing and a curse,” she says, “I’m good at finding beauty or it finding me, but that doesn’t happen unless I’m open to it. Art feels like some sacred translation of the world transformed into these smaller things that reflect a facet of truth. It’s always been around and always will be.” Tunstall submits herself to this experience throughout her process, including when deciding which galleries and spaces will exhibit her work. “I always look for the story. I let spaces speak to me,” she says. “I look for a big picture when working on a show, take the temperature of the area, of its history, and try to work within that context. Our shows are very temporal and usually have some social commentary in them, if you’re looking, but it’s not always on the surface.” Tunstall is also mother and a wife, and though she has to search for pockets of time to create between family time, she values the opportunity to do it all. “The greatest luxury has been spending so much time with our kids while they
PHOTO OF KELLY TUNSTALL BY ALISON MURRAY
are young, even when getting the time I need feels like a fight,” she says. A superwoman in her own right, she is the kind of artist and woman you want to sit down with to talk about kids and life and art while enjoying a glass of wine. With permanent collections at restaurants a16 and Bar Crudo, both in San Francisco, and at Alcazar and Cheeky’s in Palm Springs, the surrealist world Tunstall creates leaves a lasting impression. With clients and fans who include fashionistas, rock stars, foodies, and technologists, it’s clear that the artistic breadth of her work is absent of confinement. KELLYTUNSTALL.COM // @KELLYTUNSTALL.
sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 29
{travelwell } by DAW N G A R C I A
CULTURED IN
BERLINERS EMBODY WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ALIVE. Berlin is a city that most of the world has heard of in
the seventh most populous urban region. With a growing
one way or another. It is a city that brings to mind the
population, a growing number of start-ups, and a contin-
communist-fueled Berlin Wall that thankfully met its
ual increase in birth rate, Berlin is abundant. There are 3.5
end in 1989. Berlin also brings to mind films like Caba-
million residents in Berlin, many under the age of 44.
ret, Octopussy, and Run, Lola, Run. All three films feature
Germany is often referred to as the green country. Its
the magnificent city at various times in history from the
acres of lush landscapes and bright yellow flowers burst-
1970s to the late 1990s, and each one—much like the
ing from the ground like sunshine are an airy welcome
city itself—discusses everything from espionage to hu-
from Mother Nature. It is the most apropos introduction
man rights.
to a region unafraid of shedding its troubled past and
Berlin has come a long way from the days of the op-
giving birth to a sea of creativity. But perhaps the most
pressive rule and is now a hotbed for young creatives,
prominent aspects of this great city exist in the people,
entrepreneurs, and families. It also happens to be one of
the art, the culinary scene, and the culture that is continu-
the more diverse cities in the European Union, ranking
ally reinventing itself.
30 SEPTEMBER 2019 Southern California
THE CULTURE At any time of day, if you step out onto the streets of Berlin you’ll find people gathered at a local pubs or cafés, talking, laughing, drinking Riesling or a lager, or enjoying schnitzel or a pretzel or the simply decadent Berliner (which translates
PHOTO BY DAWN GARCIA
to donut). There is a clear sense of community here.
look down as you stroll the stone-lined streets that round
As for culinary exploration, Berlin is home to more than
and curve, you’ll notice gold-like squares. These 10-by-10
20 Michelin-starred restaurants including the most recent
brass-plated concrete stone squares called Stolpersteine
additions: Ernst, Savu and Finnish, CODA Dessert Dining,
honor the lives of those who were persecuted under Hit-
and Kin Dee. The cuisine in Berlin is a cultural adventure in
ler. No matter where in Berlin you go, you’ll see visual cues
and of itself.
making it clear: they will never allow themselves to forget. In
Berlin has a rather brutal past, but rather than mask
the words of local tour guide extraordinaire Henrik Tidefjärd,
its history, Berliners have chosen to honor the fallen and
“Berliners never want to forget our past. It’s the only way to
make reparation for those who came before them. If you
make sure nothing like that ever happens again.” sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 31
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Few people can give you the cultural experience of a lifetime like Henrik Tidefjärd, owner of Berlinagarten, a tour agency specializing in unique cultural, culinary, art, and entertainment experiences. “We are not sauerkraut. We’re not a bland tour guide company providing you with stodgy German meals or generic low-budget programs,” says Tidefjärd. “Authentic Berlin lives in dark alleyways, hidden courtyards, along canals, in graffiti-covered buildings, weekend clubs, hidden bars and dining rooms, in artist and designer studios, spread all over culturally diverse neighborhoods…you’ve just got to know where to find them! That’s where we come in.”
ART EXEMPLIFIES BERLIN With over 170 art galleries and museums, each embodying visual storytelling from unique perspectives, art runs through Berlin like oxygen through its veins. Throughout Berlin you’ll find post-war revivals like Pleasure Gardens, intended for the dreamers and poets who see the world through a more romantic lens. The garden is located in the center of Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where old buildings with outer façades still have embedded bullet holes from bygone wars. There are five museums on Museum Island, with works from the Byzantium and Ancient Egypt, the famed Nefertiti, and the Pergamon Altar.
UrbanNation
FIVE MUST-SEE CULTURAL SITES No. 1: The Bunker This underground art gallery holds a private collection curated by owner Christian Boros. The Bunker was a refuge from air raids in the 1940s, but over time became a warehouse for Cuban produce in the late 1950s, and then a fetish club in the 1990s. The Bunker now houses art from 1990 by artists who were friends of Boros. Due to the na-
Tidefjärd Recommends:
ture of the confined, old space, the tours are scheduled at
Berlin Art Week // September 11–15 (BERLINARTWEEK.DE )
specific times and limited to groups of around 10 people.
Berlin Story (BERLINSTORY.DE )
SAMMLUNG-BOROS.DE
Nineties (NINETIES.BERLIN.DE ) 100 Years Bauhaus (BAUHAUS.DE ) Urban Nation (URBAN-NATION.COM ) Gruen Berlin Creative Public Space (GRUEN-BERLIN.DE ) Gedenkstätte (STIFTUNG-HSH.DE/EN ) Julie Stoschek Collection (JSC.BERLIN ) Kicken Gallery (KICKEN-GALLERY.COM ) Urban Spree // A Shared Createive Space (URBANSPREE.COM) Rooftop Bar Berlin: Klunkerkranich (KLUNKERKRANICH.ORG )
No. 2: The East Side Gallery The history of the Berlin Wall—built during the time of the Iron Curtain emerging in February 1990—is a prominent site attraction for tourists and locals alike, located in Mühlenstraße in Berlin Friedrichshain. This street art installation represents a peaceful end to a long struggle between East and West Berlin, and is made of remaining pieces of the Wall UrbanSpree
Book a tour with Henrik, and you’ll always remember the beautiful and often undiscovered underbelly of Berlin. // BERLINAGENTEN.COM
that were graffitied during times of oppression. Stretching over 1,300 meters, it’s the largest open air art gallery in the world. Each block of the wall has its own story. It’s one of the most intricate expressions of art showing both the hope and chaos of the time. EASTSIDEGALLERY-BERLIN.COM sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 33
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No. 3: Graffiti Alley
to immortalize the homosexuals persecuted by the Nazis.
Street art is a constructive way to express fear, won-
Its design is intentionally skewed, with one small window
derment, angst, and unspoken ideals for young artists
giving a glimpse of couples kissing. The looping video reel
overlooked by the mainstream, higher-echelon art world.
will show two men or two women in beautiful moments
Located in the Hackescher Markt in Berlin off of Rosen-
of passion. This video alternates out every two years.
thaler Straße, Graffiti Alley is part of Hackeschen Höfe, a series of art nouveau courtyards interconnected with din-
No. 5: Me Collectors Room
ing, shopping, and entertainment. The walls are covered
This art gallery in Berlin Mitte doesn’t merely showcase
top-to-bottom with graffiti art by artists such as El Bo-
art that is globally impactful, but also runs local and inter-
cho, Miss Van, and Stinkfish, including Jimmy C’s famous
national art programs for children in remote parts of the
painting of Anne Frank. Each artist has a statement to
world who would otherwise never have access to art. The
make, whether social or political, heartbroken or riddled
exterior is a modern design that appears to be an encased
with optimism. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the psyches
stacking of containers, but its open feel with sprawling
of extraordinarily talented street artists given a space to
glass windows is inviting. From the moment you enter
freely express themselves.
through the me café, the artwork displayed, from its exhi-
You can meander through galleries housed within the
bitions to its permanent collection, will captivate you.
once-residential living space that climbs three to four
The Me Collectors Room features a range of rarely-seen
stories. There is also a monster basement, MonsterK-
private collections on loan, Renaissance art from the Ba-
abinett (MONSTERKABINETT.DE), filled with monsters craft-
roque period, and a youth program with art created by
ed out of old machinery. Part of the Hackeschen Höfe is
children from kindergarten age to teenagers. The gallery
a cinema house Kino Central (KINO-CENTRAL.DE) that has
also holds public lectures by collectors, experts, and art-
weekly showings of primarily international art-house and
ists, as well as concerts, culinary events, and more as part
art-centric films. The story behind the Hackeschen Höfe
of its Olbricht Foundation, which is invested in bringing art
is worth taking the time to learn about (VISITBERLIN.DE/EN/
into the lives of everyone. ME-BERLIN.COM
HACKESCHE-HOFE).
Exploring these cultural sites adds layers upon layers of No. 4: The LGBT Memorial
depth to the troubled and stoic history of Berlin. Art has
Once upon a time in Berlin, the LGBT community had
become a voice of the people, a link to the past, a rectify-
to hide in the shadows. Now Berlin is among the most
ing of bad times, and hope for what is possible. To learn
modern, LGBT-friendly cities in Europe. That is profound-
more about the memorials and cultural highlights ex-
ly evident in the LGBT Memorial, built in the city center
posed through art and architectural sculptures in Berlin,
designed by artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset
visit STIFTUNG-DENKMAL.DE. sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 35
SPEC IAL REPORT
Higher Education A college degree in cannabis is a real thing. And it’s a big sign the industry is legitimate. by S T E P H A N I E W I L S O N
36 SEPTEMBER 2019 Southern California
Full disclosure: WHEN I WAS GETTING MY DEGREE IN JOURNALISM FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, AMHERST, I NEVER ONCE IMAGINED THAT I’D PUT IT TO USE ONE DAY IN THE LEGAL CANNABIS INDUSTRY. ALTHOUGH, TECHNICALLY, I’M NOT IN THAT INDUSTRY TODAY. As the editor in chief of this magazine, I oversee a team
job market for the cannabis industry. The research found
of editors making a series of city lifestyle magazines
that between December 2017 and December 2018, the
covering markets across the country. Those magazines,
number of job listings increased by 76 percent, covering
like the one you’re reading now, appeal to advertisers in
highly diverse roles, from marketing to retail to research
the cannabis industry—companies eager to reach you,
to agriculture to technology, logistics, and law. It con-
dear reader, and introduce you to their newly legal and
cludes that “workers with higher education and skills in
therefore probably newly launched brand.
fields as varied as marketing, horticulture, and logistics
But technically, I don’t work in cannabis. My job is
will only be more desirable as the industry grows.”
indirectly related, my company ancillary. But it’s still
Even now, those skills are in high demand. Cannabis
part of a growing stat, a field that just a few years ago
industry employers struggle to find qualified applicants
didn’t exist but now is the fastest growing industry in
to fill specific roles that require specialized knowledge—
the US. There are more than 211,000 Americans working
broad-based understanding and highly specific skills.
There are now more legal cannabis industry workers than dental hygienists in the United States. full-time in the booming industry, directly employed in
Reacting to that employer demand, schools in the US
cannabis. When ancillary jobs such as mine are taken
are stepping up, introducing cannabis curriculum to
into account, that becomes 296,000.
help prepare students to enter the $14-billion-and-rising
That means in the US there are now more legal can-
global industry as trained professionals. From certifi-
nabis industry workers than dental hygienists. Than
cate programs to master’s degrees, with everything in
brewery workers (69,000) and coal miners (52,000) and
between, higher learning is here.
textile manufacturers (112,000). These figures come from
The first four-year undergraduate degree dedicated to
a March 2019 special report by cannabis website Leafly
teaching students about the cannabis industry was intro-
with consultancy Whitney Economics, which looked at
duced fall 2017 at Northern Michigan University, under
the stats the US Bureau of Labor Statistics won’t touch,
the innocuously titled Medicinal Plant Chemistry. Derek
given that cannabis is still illegal on a federal level. But
Hall, a spokesperson for NMU, says Professor Brandon
that isn’t stopping it from booming growth, decreased
Canfield suggested the idea for a medicinal plant chem-
stigma, and skyrocketing interest from all sides.
istry degree program after attending a conference. “He
As of September 2019, 11 states and Washington, DC have
came back thinking it was a place for us to step in. On
legalized cannabis for adult-use, and 34 more have legalized
the one side, you have the growers, and on the other side
medical use in some capacity. Legal cannabis sales in 2018
you have the users. In between, you have a chemistry lab
topped $10.8 billion. The job market is heating up, and the
measuring compounds—how much and what is being
demand for educated employees grows higher every day.
used. Those are the people we are interested in.”
It’s a wide-ranging industry, and there are a lot of career
The degree program offers two different tracks: bio-an-
paths one could take within it. Beyond the obvious—dis-
alytical and entrepreneurial. The program description
pensary manager, budtender, grower, trimmer—there are
mentions that the additional focus means graduates will
a ton of opportunities in the field. Career website Glass-
not only be qualified to perform the instrumental analy-
door released a report earlier this year on the state of the
sis in a laboratory, but “will also be empowered to build sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 37
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their own testing laboratory, dispensary, and growing
up for the program in the fall of 2017, when it opened
operation from the ground up.”
to grads and undergrads. A year later, there were 225.
When the school announced the program, it wasn’t ex-
“We’re pulling in students from all over the country.”
pecting much interest, but it proved to be quite a viral
Minot State in North Dakota introduced a similar pro-
topic. Hall says a lot of people were looking for a cre-
gram this year, making it only the second college to offer
dential to help them get into the cannabis industry. “We
a four-year degree program specializing in cannabis. In
fielded a ton of calls from people who were serious about
the Rocky Mountain region, Colorado State University,
it. One interesting thing is we had a lot of students who
Pueblo, offers a minor in Cannabis Studies, with courses
said, ‘My parents suggested it.’ A lot of others said they
focused on cannabis and its social, legal, historical, po-
knew people who had benefited from the medicine.”
litical, and health-related impact on society. The degree
It’s a very demanding program. “The heavy chemistry
brochure mentions that “as part of a Hispanic Serving
requirements are mind-boggling. Kids who are there are
Institution, there is an emphasis on understanding and
very, very serious,” Hall says. About 20 people signed
appreciating the impact cannabis has had on the Chicano/Chicana community and other regional populations of the Southwestern United States.” In New York, SUNY Morrisville is introducing a Cannabis Industry minor this fall semester that combines courses in agricultural science, horticulture, and business programs. It also includes hands-on instruction in cultivating cannabis plants with less than 0.3 percent THC, thanks to the school’s license to grow hemp. In June 2019, University of Maryland announced the
“On the one side, you have the growers, and on the other side you have the users. In between, you have a chemistry lab measuring compounds… Those are the people we are interested in.”
country’s first postgraduate program in the field, a mas-
—Derek Hall, Northern Michigan University
ational and/or medical purposes.” The university, along
ter’s of science in Cannabis Science and Therapeutics. Associate degrees in the field are offered at Stockton University in New Jersey and at Philadelphia’s University of Sciences, where students can earn an associate degree in Cannabis Health Therapy. Even the Ivy League is getting into the field. Cornell launches “Cannabis: Biology, Society, Industry” course this fall, with plans to introduce a master’s in cannabis next year. That program is said to have an emphasis on oral and written communication skills with media and industry stakeholders, according to reports from Quartz. At Harvard, law students in a Cannabis Law class last spring considered “criminal law enforcement, land use, civil rights, banking, and other issues arising from the cultivation, distribution and use of marijuana for recrewith MIT, received a $9 million alumni donation this summer earmarked for independent research on the influence of cannabis on brain health and behavior. The University of Vermont’s pharmacology course in Medical Cannabis is considered the first of its kind at a US academic institution, and the medical school is also the first to offer a professional certificate in cannabis and medicine. And it’s fully online, led by faculty from the college, geared toward teaching doctors, pharmacists, nurses, PAs—medical professionals—what wasn’t on the course lists whenever and wherever they earned their degrees. sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 39
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Cannabis courses are popping up in undergrad and grad-
To create the curriculum, Seaborn had to start from
uate programs at schools coast to coast, from UConn (Hor-
scratch. “When you teach a course, you use standard
ticulture of Cannabis: From Seed to Harvest) to UC, Davis
materials. In this area, there is no road map. You have to
(Cannabis sativa: The Plant and its Impact on People). Even
figure it out on your own.” Seaborn drew on people work-
more institutions have launched certificate programs cov-
ing in the new Colorado industry as guest speakers, and
ering a range of topics. Clark University in Worcester, MA,
found many eager to help. Business Insider reports that
introduced the country’s first certificate program in can-
the semester culminates with a field trip to Sweet Grass
nabis control regulation. University of Las Vegas runs the
Kitchen, where students tour the facility and hear from
Cannabis Academy through its continuing education divi-
management, including marketing director Jesse Burns.
sion, with classes in cannabis and the opioids epidemic, cannabis professionals, and pets and cannabis.
Burns has an MBA from the University of Colorado, Boulder. “It’s been the foundation that I’ve built my career
Professor Paul Seaborn has taught a class titled the
on,” Burns says. “The skills I acquired helped me do the
Business of Marijuana at University of Denver’s Daniels
best and become successful and achieve goals. Having
College of Business for a few years now. Seaborn says af-
that formal education helped me see the bigger picture
ter legalization in Colorado in 2012, it seemed like a good
and helped give me the confidence to make the best deci-
idea to approach the topic from an entrepreneurial point
sions.” And as the manager, he does a lot of the hiring. He
of view. He offered the first class in 2017, and it was the
is so very excited to see more qualified applicants enter
only accredited business school offering a class in can-
the field—ones with an education specific to the industry.
nabis at the time, open to undergrads and grads. “I’ve never had as many different people—alumni, staff members, parents, students—who showed interest.” The cannabis industry needs people who have general
“A lot of students are ready,” says Seaborn. “It’s a question of universities catching up to them.” Leland Rucker contributed reporting to this article.
business skills to help those who don’t. “A student might have a marketing or finance or accounting major, but we’re adding on to that with history and regulation, so we can get the best candidates who can hit the ground running,” says Seaborn. “It’s a steep learning curve, and the competition has gotten more fierce. It’s not guaranteed success. The bar keeps rising, and the more you can be prepared, the better.”
“It’s a steep learning curve, and the competition has gotten more fierce. The bar keeps rising, and the more you can be prepared, the better.” —Paul Seaborn, University of Denver sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 41
42 SEPTEMBER 2019 Southern California
Last year, after two years
SPENT WHITTLING MY POSSESSIONS DOWN TO WHAT COULD FIT IN AN AIRSTREAM, I CLEARED OUT OF BOULDER, CO, MY HOME FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS. I’D DONE MY TIME, I TOLD EVERYBODY. I WAS TRADING PINE TREES FOR PALM TREES, AND I WASN’T LOOKING BACK. I HIT
a digital nomad, living the dream.
THE ROAD AND HEADED WEST,
My plan was to start out easy with an extended stay at the Chula Vista marina just south of San Diego, watching the sun spill orange into San Diego Bay from my dinner table every evening and waking up to swaying palm trees outside my bedroom window every morning. I’d spent the previous winter there, and I was counting on many more—but that wasn’t meant to be. Rock stars write songs about it. Even long-haul truckers can’t endure it forever. The road. It’s hard. And crowded. And lonely.
Tales of an accidental RVer. by R O BY N G R I G G S L AW R E N C E
“WHEN IT GETS TOO FAMILIAR, I’LL BE GONE.” —Fastball, “Airstream”
On February 1, the Chula Vista RV Resort was closed to make way for a billion-dollar mega-development. After a bittersweet month of reunions and goodbyes as longtimers who had been wintering there for decades swung by one last time, I rode with the Chula Vista diaspora off into the sunset. I made plans with my then-sweetheart (and driver) to spend a couple months exploring Baja, but I changed my mind at the last minute, and we parted ways. It probably wouldn’t have been the greatest trip, anyway. I had a lot of anxiety about hauling my one-and-only home through Mexico, where I’m sure it’s completely safe but some of my friends and most of my family members kept telling me it wasn’t. That left me in southern California with a 27-foot-long Airstream I’d towed only once (on an empty state highway) and no parking reservations. sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 43
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www.inclusivecannabis.com 44 SEPTEMBER 2019 Southern California
“DON’T LET THE SOUND OF YOUR OWN WHEELS DRIVE YOU CRAZY.”
state and national parks) need to be made half a year in
—The Eagles, “Take It Easy”
advance, and it’s damn near impossible to find a spot
(three months at most private resorts and two weeks at
without reservations if you stay on the road past cocktail With the help of friends I met in Chula Vista, I learned
hour—which pretty much kills the whole freedom-of-the-
how to haul my own rig. I can’t say it’s something I love,
road, drive-til-you’re-done vibe that was key to this dream
and I still can’t back in, but towing is now something I
for me. I spent too many nights in Motel 6 rooms (which
do—an accomplishment I’m proud of because I stepped
are actually cheaper than the nicer RV parks).
through extreme fear. Hauling a 9,000-pound trailer
Securing parking became a full-time job—which was
down the kind of steep grades that have runaway truck
problematic, because I have a full-time job, and promised
ramps and signs warning truckers they’re not down yet
my colleagues and clients everything would flow seam-
PHOTO BY AIRSTREAM INC. VIA UNSPLASH
is one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.
lessly while I was chasing the dream in my Airstream.
What I did not see coming was the parking situation for
They loved to hear about my adventures, but they didn’t
RVs in southern California, which is akin to, and proba-
love to hear that unhooking sewer and electric lines, pack-
bly worse than, the parking situation for cars in its major
ing up and securing an Airstream (and everything in it),
cities. As the economy has soared over the past decade,
hitching it to a truck, hauling it to a new spot, unhitching,
anyone and everyone who ever wanted an RV (myself
plugging in and setting up a sewer line, then unpacking
included) bought one. RV parks are packed to capacity
and unsecuring everything again took the better part of a
with shiny new Tiffins and Jaycos, a decent number of
day, leaving little time for their projects.
Airstreams, and a good smattering of Prevosts—the rock
I learned why digital nomads steer clear of KOA Camp-
star buses that can be had for well over a million. Most
grounds, which cater to families, sometimes with groups
of the towering motorhomes are owned by baby boomers,
so large you can’t imagine how or where everyone sleeps
some of whom traded in their homes (like I did) to live
inside that Prowler. It’s great to see kids riding their bikes
the dream on the road. A lot of the Winnebagos and Lanc-
in the streets while their parents drink beers and listen to
es are driven by millennials, some of whom are living the
’80s metal, until you have a conference call or a deadline.
dream because they can’t afford to buy houses.
I stopped making friends because I got tired of having
All those folks living the dream need a place to park. And
to say goodbye a couple days later—and I don’t have the
in southern California, at least, infrastructure isn’t keep-
capacity to follow even one more living-the-dream jour-
ing up with demand. Reservations for long-term parking
ney on YouTube and Instagram. sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 45
46 SEPTEMBER 2019 Southern California
“WHAT A LONG, STRANGE TRIP IT’S BEEN.”
for that month, and when it came time to think about
—The Grateful Dead, “Truckin’”
traversing mountain passes and metro areas on the way
I was happy and grounded in my one-and-only home
to the next place—wherever that might be—I felt very There were, of course, experiences that made the dream worth living. Walking on sand made from fish skeletons
PHOTO BY AIRSTREAM INC. VIA UNSPLASH
along the banks of the churning Salton Sea as low char-
tired. I dreaded the road. I wanted, maybe even needed, a soft spot to land in for a while. And so it ended. I dragged my Airstream over the Rock-
coal-colored clouds moved over the Chocolate Mountains
ies and back to Boulder, feeling my heart sink at the smell
in February is one I’ll never forget. I finally got to see Slab
of pine trees, then soar with every welcoming hug from my
City, an anarchist squatter RV community on a former
kids and friends. I went to practice with my favorite yoga
military base that’s known as “the last free place on earth.”
teacher and signed a lease with my bestie. I came home.
(The residents there aren’t actually all that thrilled with
I lasted less than nine months on the road. I could eas-
looky-loos hanging around, but it’s worth a drive through.)
ily consider my truncated journey a failure. But I don’t. I
I went on epic bike rides around Mission Bay and Corona-
did something I didn’t think I could do and learned some
do, and I never stopped appreciating palm trees.
big lessons—about the road, about myself, and about life.
I met new friends who let me park for a month behind their paddleboard shop in Page, Arizona, on the banks of Lake Powell, one of the most spectacular places on earth. It rained a lot, but it didn’t matter. Settling into one place— especially one so beautiful—felt like the ultimate luxury.
I know, without a doubt, that people matter more than palm trees. ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE, author of the bestselling Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook and the recently released Pot in Pans: A History of Eating Cannabis, is thrilled to be growing her own cannabis again.
I dragged my Airstream back home, feeling my heart sink with the smell of pine trees, then soar with every welcoming hug from my kids and friends.
sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 47
48 SEPTEMBER 2019 Southern California
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sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2019 49
{HereWeGo } by DAW N G A R C I A
IDEA1
September 21, 2019 // 895 Park Blvd. (Please use F. Street Entrance) // San Diego // VANGUARDCULTURE.COM/BREAKTHROUGH-THE-NINETIES/
THE NINETIES ARE BACK Jump up, jump up, and get down! A 1990s costume-filled evening of spoken word, live music, a dance party, visual arts, scrumptious wine, and tasty food.
the culture of the ‘90s. With wild fashion, edgy bands, unique dance moves, and politically and socially motivated art, the
Mixed tapes used to be my jam. Anyone with a pulse in the
1990s changed the world. At the beginning of this decade,
‘90s who found John Hughes to be the guide to young love
the world watched as the Berlin Wall fell, giving life to a surge
remember the Fresh Prince of Bel Air before Will Smith was
of nonconformist art and music that tapped into the notion
singing “Summertime” or saving the world from alien invasion.
that no one was going to allow further oppression. It was a
What about Nirvana, Lenny Kravitz, Beastie Boys, House of
loud era that inspired much of today’s contemporary art and
Pain, Missy Elliot, Salt n Peppa, or Alanis Morisette? The music
gave birth to a new revolution. Punk rock was still hanging
that shaped minds and encouraged rebellion in line with the
on, spoken word took center stage, and the age of expres-
1960s, that was an era worth remembering. While the era
sion came to life. The era also gave life to a new mobility and
may have taken place nearly 30 years ago, celebrating the
famed placelessness for many writers, and the literature to
incredibly interesting time of the 1990s is happening in the
follow mirrored the coming of a new generation.
heart of San Diego for one unforgettable dance party, a spo-
Vanguard Culture provides a sea of opportunities for cre-
ken-word series, pop-up art classes, and exhibitions, including
atives and art journalists, and its sole focus is bringing a di-
San Diego Museum of Man’s PostSecret Street Team, who will
verse community together through the visual, performing,
be presenting the Soviet Poster Show. There will also be fash-
and culinary arts. The Breakroom Nineties event is co-pro-
ion and special-effects makeup classes.
duced by California Poet Laureate nominee Gil Sotu and will
Presented by Vanguard Culture, a nonprofit founded by Su-
have a colorful selection of food, visual art, music, dance, and
sanna Peredo Swap to further the creative industries of San
spoken word. Guests are encouraged to dress in ‘90s themes
Diego, this quarterly spoken-word series is themed around
and stay for the epic dance party.
50 SEPTEMBER 2019 Southern California