At firtst glance the following message, that was passed on to me, may not appear to be a topic of concern to this list.  However the Southwest Museum is a unique treasure in southern California. The message below only mentions prehistoric, it also houses some very interesting historic documents. I had thought that the Autry Museum would preserve the old Southwest Museum, now who knows?  
Stan Berryman
Cultural Resources Program Manager
AC/S Environmental Security
Box 555008
Camp Pendleton, Ca 92055-5008

Office 760-725-9738
DSN         365-9738
Fax    760-725-9722

email [log in to unmask]

The possible demise of the Southwest Museum 
Friends: 
Helen and I have been with the Friends of the Southwest Museum 
Coalition since it was formed three years ago to be a proactive group 
to aid the Autry Museum in what we thought were its efforts in making 
the Southwest a viable destination. During this time, the Autry 
continues to be non-committal about preserving Los Angeles' first 
museum. Professional, peer-reviewed studies have shown clearly that 
the museum is viable and the reports (by architect Bonnie Levin) 
outline the steps that can be taken to make it so, all very feasible 
with a budget like the Autry's. Autry continues to obfuscate and cast 
negative light on the idea. 
The people in our coalition have won many battles, including getting 
the Gold Line train to build a SouthWest Museum stop and to get the 
signatures of every single Los Angeles council person claiming the 
SouthWest as a paramount Los Angeles landmark. 
As Autry continues to move the collection to a new facility on its 
leased land in Griffith Park, we have (after three years) no 
certainty that it will keep running the building as a museum. In 
fact, we have no assurance that they wish to continue to own it at 
all beyond a ten year period. 
This structure is a Los Angeles and indeed a world treasure. It 
contains 350,000 artifacts from many American Indian tribes, thanks 
to the inspired work of Charles Fletcher Lummis. This is enough to 
fill two world-class museums, yet the Autry continues to try to foist 
the idea that the Southwest is not a viable museum. If you want to 
ask questions, I will answer them. 
For now I urge you all to sign the petition I am distributing here. 
You do not have to live in this community (NorthEast Los Angeles) for 
your voice to count. As I said, this is a national and scientific 
issue. Many of you may not know much about the SouthWest Museum, but 
may have fond memories of visiting as a child. This facility serves 
as an educational tool for thousands of children and adults per year. 
It is a center for research and science and its ability to operate is 
being systematically dismantled by Autry. 
In addition to your signature on the petition, I ask that, if you 
belong to an organization (such as a historical society or even a 
corporation), that can add its name to the list of hundreds of 
institutions and organizations that support the position of the 
Friends to keep the SouthWest an active museum, please e-mail Nicole 
Possert with your organization's name. 
Thank you for your attention to this. 
With love to all, 
Petition: 
<http://www.friendsofthesouthwestmuseum.com/petition.html> 
Nicole Possert (for declaring your organization's support) 
[log in to unmask] 
--Scott Rubel 
P.S. If you want to come to a wonderful show about Charles Lummis 
(one of my favorite Americans of all time), please consider the 
following. 
"An Evening With Charles Lummis," a uniquely entertaining cultural/ 
historical event, will feature a "chautauqua" presentation with Dr. 
Daniel Lewis enacting an historical characterization of legendary 
author/adventurer Charles Fletcher Lummis, readings by poet Suzanne 
Lummis and live classical music by guitarist/composer Kenton 
Youngstrom and will be held at 7:00 pm on Saturday, May 13 amid the 
historic homes and buildings at Heritage Square Museum, 3800 Homer 
Street in Los Angeles. 
Admission, priced at $40 in advance and $50 at the door, includes 
wine, cheese, hors d' oeuvres and soft drinks. All proceeds will help 
underwrite the June 4 "Lummis Day: The Festival of Northeast Los 
Angeles," sponsored by Northeast Los Angeles neighborhood councils 
with the support of community organizations and City Council 
Districts 1, 13 and 14. To purchase tickets, email 
[log in to unmask] or phone 818-535-9178. 
In his "Chautauqua" presentation on Charles Fletcher Lummis, Dr. 
Lewis will take on the role of the pioneering Los Angeles author, 
journalist and adventurer, presenting a living interpretation of his 
voluminous works and groundbreaking ideas. Dr Lewis developed his 
Lummis "Chautauqua" with the sponsorship of the Museums of the Arroyo 
and the California Council for the Humanities. 
Suzanne Lummis, granddaughter of Charles Fletcher Lummis, has been 
recognized by the Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Poets and Poetry 
as "one of the most distinctive and influential poets in Los 
Angeles." At the May 13 event, she'll read her poems from the 
anthology, "California Poetry from the Gold Rush to the Present" as 
well as a poem from Charles Lummis' famed "Birch Bark" poetry 
collections. In addition, she'll discuss the changes that have taken 
place in artists' approach to poetry from her grandfather's time to 
the present. 
Guitarist Kenton Youngstrom has won acclaim as a producer, 
composer, arranger and recording artist. In addition to producing CDs 
for Southern California artists, Mr. Youngstrom's credits include the 
award-winning debut by the Falla Trio, Virtuoso Music for Three 
Guitars. His compositions and arrangements include works for solo 
guitar, songs for voice and jazz combo, arrangements for the Pasadena 
Jazz Orchestra, secular and sacred music for choir, and music for 
film: "Seven Year ZigZag...A Film in Rhyme and Swing," which received 
two screenings at the Cannes International Film Festival, and "An 
American Sweetheart," his second film score for Timeline Films. One 
of the CDs that features Mr. Youngstrom's playing was nominated for a 
2004 Grammy®. Active as an educator, Mr. Youngstrom currently 
teaches music at the prestigious Colburn School of Performing Arts. 
On Sunday June 4, musical, visual, culinary and literary artists 
of Los Angeles will join together to stage the first annual "Lummis 
Day: The Festival of Northeast ," a free, public celebration of the 
multicultural spirit, culture and rich history of the Northeast 
neighborhoods. 
"Lummis Day: The Festival of Northeast Los Angeles" is sponsored 
by the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council, the Historic Highland Park 
Neighborhood Council, and the Glassell Park Neighborhood Council with 
the support of Los Angeles City Council Districts 1, 13 and 14, 
Occidental College, the Department of Recreation and Parks, the 
Historical Society of Southern California, the Autry National Center, 
the Heritage Square Museum, the MTA, NELA Bikes, the Highland Park 
Heritage Trust, the Mount Washington Association, the Mount 
Washington Homeowners Alliance, the Arroyo Seco Foundation, the 
Arroyo Arts Collective, the Northeast Democratic Club of Los 
Angeles, the Boulevard Sentinel and California Examiner newspapers, 
and other community organizations