The Elco on their tote is a signal:
They were at the party that was the talk of L.A.
This story is part of Image issue 18, “Mission,” an anthology of fantastic voyages — from L.A. to the world and back to the epicenter. Read the whole issue here.
“My goal is always to have something timeless, rather than a design that’s gonna relate to what’s in trend,” says artist Jake Garcia. He kept this intention in mind when designing a commemorative tote bag for Género Neutral, the concept clothing shop in Echo Park, that just turned 2 this spring.
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Life of Film: Darnell
Nearly two decades have passed since Darnell Abraham ’09 walked beneath the lights of this particular stage. Though not an exceptionally large or prestigious theater, the weight of the moment moves him to tears. The stage in the cafeteria at Dr. Juliet Thorner Elementary School in Bakersfield is Darnell’s very first.
Darnell paces the empty platform, reflecting on his performing arts career that began on this very spot when he was in the first grade. “This is almost like a spiritual experience for me,” he said. “I’m just deeply moved right now.” Today, as is often the case for stage actors, Darnell is waiting for a showtime of sorts. Thorner students are preparing to flood the cafeteria in waves to meet Darnell and learn from him, one of their own.
It’s not unlike the charged moments of anticipation before the curtain rises eight times a week at San Francisco’s 2,200-seat Orpheum Theatre, where Darnell plays George Washington in the touring production of Hamilton, one of Broadway’s most celebrated modern musicals. The genius of Hamilton lies in framing our nation’s history from the vantage point of citizens today. As the playbill and lyrics go, “This is a story about America then, told by America now.” The power of Hamilton is not lost on Darnell, a black actor playing the role of a founding father who is revered as America’s first president but who also owned slaves.
In Act One of Hamilton, Darnell sings as Washington about personal and collective legacy in “History Has Its Eyes On You.” The lyrics hold layers of meaning for the APU alumnus. He is connected to those who came before him and those who will follow. “Darnell realizes that he is standing on the shoulders of his ancestors and at times carrying those people with him,” said Darnell’s mother, LaWain Powell. “For those who didn’t have a voice, he’s now their voice.”
Local Difference Makers: Annie
Most camp experiences don’t involve a boat ride back in time, yet that’s very nearly what campers encounter as they head to Mountain and Sea Adventures (MSA) on Catalina Island. In the hour-and-a-half crossing, they leave behind the bustling and congested urban port of San Pedro and arrive on the island’s north-facing shore with a stunning view of White Cove, their home for the next several days.
Annie MacAulay ’11 is the founder, president, and CEO of MSA, but around the campgrounds she goes by her camp name, Playful. “Our goal here is to create world-changing adventurers who love and steward the Earth,” she says.