Tobi Smith, Executive Director of the California Heritage Museum will be among those honored at the 18th Annual Heritage Award Dinner at the Museum on Friday, September 23.
Other honorees are corporate honoree Wells Fargo, represented by Irene Gaye Assistant VP, David L. Callender, M.D., Associate Vice Chancellor and CEO of the UCLA Hospital System, James V. Luck Jr., M.D., President, CEO and Medical Director of Orthopaedic Hospital, and Artist honoree, photographer Tim Street-Porter.
Guests at the gala fundraising event will be given an advance look of the museum’s new exhibition, “Behold, the Pacific! California Coastal Views,” (see related story, this page), followed by dinner hosted by The Victorian/Duck Duck Mousse that are adjacent to the museum, and a silent auction featuring hotel accommodations, meals at local restaurants, fine art, wine, merchandise, and other services.
Guests will receive a limited edition, signed and numbered, lithographic print, “Ocean Park.” by Street-Porter.
Smith will be honored for her 20 years at the helm of the museum and her significant role in the cultural life of Los Angeles.
In the 1970s, Smith was co-founder of the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art (LAICA), the forerunner of MOCA, in downtown Los Angeles. Since becoming director of the Heritage, Smith has widened its scope to include ground -breaking California decorative art exhibitions, multi-media displays and community outreach programs.
In addition, the museum regularly publishes exquisitely produced exhibition catalogs and books recommended by sources as varied as the New York Times and Architectural Digest.
Corporate honoree Wells Fargo’s long history in California is well known. Following the paths forged by pioneering miners, merchants, farmers and ranchers, Wells Fargo opened up the West, operating the country’s first coast-to-coast service in 1888. The company is now a generous supporter of community organizations.
Honoree Dr. David L. Callender is new to California, arriving in 2004 to serve as the Associate Vice Chancellor for the UCLA Hospital System and Director of UCLA Medical Center, presiding over a system that is capable of handling 40,000 admissions and 900,000 outpatient visits a year.
Honoree Dr. James V. Luck Jr. is at the threshold of an important landmark for Santa Monica with the opening of the new Orthopaedic Hospital in Spring, 2006. He began his 45 years of service to Orthopaedic Hospital as a volunteer in the Plaster Department in 1959.
Honoree Tim Street-Porter is an internationally recognized photographer, who has lived and worked in Los Angeles since 1977. His love affair with the city has been chronicled in magazines and his books Freestyle, the New Architecture & Design of Los Angeles, (publisher: Stewart, Tabori ) and The Los Angeles House (publisher: Clarkson Potter).
In a 1997 accolade, the Los Angeles Times wrote, “After L.A. slips into the ocean and disappears forever, people will remember it primarily through the images of Street-Porter.”Tickets for the Gala are $300 for two, and $200 for one. For additional information and for reservations, please contact the museum staff at (310) 392 8537.