Cauleen Smith, multimedia artist and filmmaker, gave a guest lecture about her most recent art installation titled “The Warden” in Choi Auditorium Feb. 3. The piece is now on display as part of the MONUMENTS exhibition in the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). The talk, hosted by the Art & Art History department, was followed by a conversation moderated by Associate Professor of Theater & Performance Studies Will Power, and Professor of Black Studies Erica Ball. Many Occidental alumni from the 50 Year Club were present in the audience, along with students and faculty.
According to Smith, the statue used in “The Warden” is of an allegorical woman known as Vindicatrix, or “Miss Confederacy,” which once stood atop a 70-foot pillar on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. It was removed in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the subsequent protest movement in the summer of 2020, along with numerous other statues that represented white supremacist histories. Smith said she was commissioned to transform Vindicatrix into an exhibit that recontextualized the statue’s narrative through an artistic reinterpretation.
“I accepted the challenge of making some artwork that responded to this statue,” Smith said. “I did not really consider the rules, or maybe they weren’t explicit about one of the rules, which was that I couldn’t touch her. I couldn’t intervene with her at all.”
Under these guidelines, Smith said she decided to put a mirror up to the statue and place her in a corner between two walls on either side. Smith said the statue was then submerged in red, white and blue lights with a live CCTV camera pointed at her at all times, which is where the title, “The Warden,” comes from.
“I really had problems with the way her beauty was always discussed in the description of the statue,” Smith said. “And I thought that we should be denied some kind of access to her, or that she should be denied the power to project that beauty.”
Cauleen Smith discusses her recent work in Choi Auditorium at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 3, 2026. Jane Hutton/The Occidental
According to Smith, the statue was sculpted by Edward Valentine and commissioned by the Daughters of the American Revolution, who wanted to preserve Confederate ideals in the wake of the Civil War. Smith said she believes this exhibit is a way of confronting white supremacy.
“What if you brought your history back but in a way that signifies the ending of a particular regime, and hopefully space for the contemplation of a new one?” Smith said. “Because obviously the regime isn’t over. So when you say dismantle the monuments, I don’t care about the monuments. I want to dismantle the country.”
Art & Art History major Ravij Diallo (senior), who introduced Smith, was able to see the MONUMENTS collection in person. According to Diallo, viewing the statue is more of an immersive experience than it is a static exhibition.
“The fact that it’s in prison means that it still has some sort of agency. And [Smith] makes it face the wall, so that you don’t see her face, and that kind of implies that there would be an effect seeing it,” Diallo said. “It’s the only [statue] that is almost treated as a person. And then because of that, it feels like there’s a really latent danger to it.”
Smith said that while she originally broke into the art scene through filmmaking, she has recently expanded her creative horizons into gallery exhibits. Power, a longtime collaborator of Smith’s, said he has seen an artistic evolution in her work over the years.
“Now, she’s a multimedia artist, an interdisciplinary artist. But if you look, she’s still utilizing film in a way,” Power said. “With this whole thing, she still had CCTV cameras and they had videos of the hands she described projected all over the museum.”
According to Smith, a Latin inscription on the platform where the statue used to stand reads ‘God Will Avenge Us.’
“Even though this Confederate monument is removed, her promise is still there to bring revenge,” Diallo said. “I think it’s almost just a message of vigilance more than it is of hope, which I think is important.”
Diallo said that the exhibit took on an even greater significance after hearing about the thought process behind it and the creative vision Smith had in order to bring the project to life.
Courtesy of Eran Karmon
“One of the things I loved was she was so uncompromising in her message, and she was so direct,” Diallo said. “And you never got any sense that this was about anything other than reminding a majority white audience that this is still happening today.”
Smith said she understands “The Warden” as a way of addressing the fact that racism and white supremacy are inseparable from the national identity of the U.S. and that they cannot ever be fully extinguished.
“I’m actually talking about white supremacy and how it needs to be contained at best because it will never be destroyed, not in this country,” Smith said.
Power said he believes that art has the ability to lead the way towards a real reckoning with legacies of oppression, even in the wake of such powerful reminders of white supremacy that continue to resurface in today’s political landscape.
“The idea of taking these monuments and having a deeper, truthful, transparent conversation, and to be engaging them in a profound way is powerful,” Power said. “I thought Cauleen was so brilliant at giving perspective. She’s such a great conveyor of ideas.”
Diallo said everyone has something to learn from the exhibit, and emphasized the importance of contemporary art’s role in helping us understand how to grapple with the past in order to forge a better future.
“I am so swayed by monuments and I think they’re one of my favorite subjects in art history, because they’re something that [has] such a direct integration with people and time periods,” Diallo said. “They’re not displayed as much as they are interwoven into the fabric of a space.”
During their final home meet against Cal Lutheran on Senior Day, captain of the men’s swim and dive team Isaac Bassett (senior) set the school record for the one meter dive with a score of 521.75 on Jan. 31. Bassett’s score surpassed that of former NCAA Division III National Champion Jonathan Dohring ‘07, qualifying him for NCAA Diving Regionals.
Isaac Bassett (senior) on the steps near Gilman Fountain at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 3, 2026. Jane Hutton/The Occidental
Head swim and dive coach Haley Meryl said Bassett’s consistency throughout the season has helped him grow into the athlete he is now.
“[Bassett] is one of our captains this year, so it’s really cool to have seen how much he’s grown,” Meryl said. “He’s super talented […] any time I look over I never cease to be amazed, he’s super consistent, he’s very reliable.”
Dive coach Jean Luc Miralda said Bassett’s consistency and perseverance contribute to him being a leader on the team.
“He goes out there and attacks the dive, he might smack on it, he might land not the best way possible, but he’ll still step back up and try it again and make the corrections that we’re asking him to do,” Miralda said. “It’s really exciting to see him develop and adapt and lead the team by example.”
Coach Jean Luc Miralda watching Isaac Bassett (senior) diving at the De Mandel Aquatics Center at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 4, 2026. Jane Hutton/The Occidental
Bassett said he keeps an open mind when trying new dives on the board.
“I never want to complain about something I have to do,” Bassett said. “It’s a privilege to do hard dives because that means you’re getting better. I like to accept every challenge. If there’s a hard dive, I’d rather do that […] even if I mess up sometimes.”
Miralda said Bassett displays his selflessness by helping teammates overcome both physical and mental obstacles.
“He goes out of his way to explain [dive technique] to some people and really reassure them by being a friend that’s there to listen — that’s what leadership is all about,” Miralda said. “Having someone that you can rely on is huge.”
Bassett said his success comes from maintaining a clear and open perspective about new challenges on the board.
“If I really can’t work it out during practice, I’ll take a break, go home [and] try to sleep it off,” Bassett said. “Sometimes I’ll watch some videos of professionals to try and hone in on what I’m missing. A lot of diving is mindset, trying to get over that mental block. You might smack a couple times but eventually you’ll get there.”
Emily Ko
Emily Ko (senior) drives the ball towards the basket during the game against Pomona-Pitzer in Rush Gym at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 4, 2026. Jane Hutton/The Occidental
Emily Ko (senior), a transfer from Folsom Lake College, has been a key contributor for the women’s basketball team this season.
Head coach Anahit Aladzhanyan said Ko’s demeanor on and off the court is a contributing factor to her recent success.
“She’s a wonderful human being,” Aladzhanyan said. “[She’s] very responsible and fun. One thing about her that stands out is how selfless she is. She really cares about our team’s success.”
Emily Ko (senior) on the steps near Gilman Fountain at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 2, 2026. Jane Hutton/The Occidental
Assistant coach Isaiah Gatewood-Flowers said Ko’s versatility as a player demonstrates her instincts and ability to read the game. Gatewood-Flowers said Ko tends to make big shots in important moments.
“Whatever the team needs on the court, she’ll walk in and fill that role,” Gatewood-Flowers said. “Her nickname is ‘Big Shot M.’”
Emily Ko (senior) looking for an open teammate during the game against Pomona-Pitzer in Rush Gym at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 4, 2026. Jane Hutton/The Occidental
Forward Ila Giblin (sophomore) said she sees Ko as a role model on and off the court. Giblin said Ko encourages everybody to do better for the sake of the team.
“Maybe not in the words of affirmation sense, but more in the intensity and example she brings,” Giblin said. “In games when she subs, she definitely brings a big spark.”
Ko said her key to success in basketball and life is consistency, which she achieves by focusing on small goals.
“We used to say at my old school to get 1% better every day,” Ko said. “You’re dedicating your time to this. Make it worthwhile.”
In the pine-needled winter of rural Georgia, I learned how to return to the bare necessities of living. Without running water, electricity and most, if not all, of the material comforts we have to come to enjoy in the modern era, I cultivated a gratitude for what Earth has to offer us without the disguise of capitalistic greed and competition. I spent time in an environment where the most pressing need was staying warm throughthe night, and I realized how trivial most of my daily anxieties seem compared to those that come with living off the grid.
Over winter break, I visited Salamander Springs, a permaculture farm in Milledgeville, Georgia through the WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) organization. For 11 days,I weeded, built fires, cleaned a chicken coop, farmed fresh produce and experienced a life far different from the one I have grown accustomed to both at home and at college.
When I arrived at Salamander Springs, Debbie Waugh –– owner of the homestead and long-time sustainability educator –– showed me around the property and led me to my cabin. I found myself facing the reality of my situation, mainly the fact that there was no bathroom. If I wanted to go, I had to squat outside. At 3 a.m. I found myself outside of the cabin, trying to find somewhere to do my business, praying a bug would not crawl up my leg.
As I got more accustomed to life on the farm, the inconveniences I experienced at the beginning of my visit slowly morphed into simple daily habits. My days started at 7 a.m., when the crow of a rooster would jolt me awake and leave me rolling around in my sleeping bag on top of a dirty mattress. With temperatures reaching below freezing at night, I wore four layers on top, three on the bottom and two on my feet. Later on, I found myself naturally waking up at that time, excited to start the day. I always looked forward to my first sip of coffee in the morning:fresh grounds hot off the campfire stove. The food tasted infinitely better knowing it came straight from the chickens or the garden.
My day-to-day tasks varied, but I spent the most time weeding in the main garden area. I sat on a bucket for 3–4 hours, listening to the “Middle Georgia” radio station on a tiny wireless box set. During the day,all electronics stayed in the library, where they charged via indirect solar power. My screen time each day stayed below 20 minutes. When I was on my phone, it was in private and primarily to contact my family.
Staying off all electronics allowed me to connect with strangers in a way I didn’t think possible. One day while gardening, I had a three-hour-long conversation with two WWOOFers about socialism, artificial intelligence and the role of a university education. I had met them the day prior.
When I wasn’t working in the garden, I read, wrote, played board games and wandered around the property. Over the course of 11 days, I had started and finished an 800-page historical nonfiction book, written over 30 full pages in my journal and played “Bananagrams” more times than I can count. I walked on a slackline until the sun went down and played guitar and mandolin around a campfire.
It is easy to say I support environmental restoration without actually doing the work myself.Although my stay at Salamander Springs was at times physically and emotionally draining, in those 11 days I was able to reconnect with my own values regarding sustainability, community and open-mindedness.
During my first couple of days at the farm, the owner Debbie Waugh mentioned a documentary called Dive! in which a man dumpster dives at one Trader Joe’s in Los Angeles everyday and is able to feed his family for a year. I now realize how frequently I take for granted the food I waste, the amount of electricity I expend and the resources I take advantage of without understanding where they come from and who procures them.
I also realized how much I take amenities like sinks, toilets and laundry machines for granted. I have never wanted to wash my face and brush my teeth in a bathroom so badly. The space heaters I often assume are a given seemed luxurious compared to the stove furnaces we had to start a fire in every night. Eventually I stopped caring how I looked because most of my pants had chicken poop on them and because the “shower” was a hose nestled in a shed in the middle of the garden.
The experience taught me basic survival skills like how to build a fire, but I also experienced a world in which materialism and individualism did not and could not exist. Although I don’t own a homestead, I want to maintain a gratitude for nature in other ways: by reducing my food waste, lowering my phone usage and learning more about how I can personally contribute to a more giving, sustainable world. I now know I don’t need much to be happy; a loving community, firewood and mustard greens are more than enough.
The Cycling Pigeon, located on Eagle Rock Boulevard, was created out of Coco Fausone-Wilson’s wish to open a studio that went against the edginess of spin culture, Fausone-Wilson said.
According to Fausone-Wilson, The Cycling Pigeon is named for the Pigeon pose in yoga, which is one of the two primary classes offered, alongside cycling sessions. The studio has also started offering mobility and strength classes, Fausone-Wilson said.
“People have an idea of spin in their mind, and what we offer is so different from that,” Fausone-Wilson said. “There’s a very aggressive part of spin, but there’s also this really great opportunity to cleanse stressors out of your mind and your body.”
A cycling class at the Cycling Pigeon on Eagle Rock Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 5, 2026. Marty Valdez/The Occidental
Eloise Sundal (senior) said she worked at the Cycling Pigeonand that a big draw for the studio is their outdoor cycling classes.
“It’s nice to work out outside, because sometimes it feels like you’re at work all day staring at a screen, and then you go to the gym to lift and you’re still inside, and then you leave and it’s sunset,” Sundal said. “[Outdoor cycling is] a really cool way to work out.”
Fausone-Wilson said The Cycling Pigeon’s outdoor cycling classes started during COVID-19, but grew so popular that the studiodecided to keep the classes going.
“We have this faux grass, this amazing covering and our parking lot is private,” Fausone-Wilson said. “When you walk through the gates, you step into this oasis studio. It became such a vibe that it was something on its own — it wasn’t just a temporary fix until we got back inside.”
Sundal said Fausone-Wilson’s husband and daughter both taught classes at the studio, contributing to the familial feeling.
“I worked at the front desk, and [I] was just building connections with the people who went there,” Sundal said. “Coco truly knows everyone who comes in the door, so it doesn’t feel like a big chain.”
Cycling instructor teaching a class at the Cycling Pigeon on Eagle Rock Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 5, 2026. Marty Valdez/The Occidental
Yoga instructor and psychology professor Zachary Silver said the clientele of the Cycling Pigeon feels more like a big family working out together than people who just showed up for a workoutclass.Silver said he loves his Occidental community, but also feels a draw to the greater LA area.
“To be in a space like [the Cycling Pigeon], where people are coming from all over the city in hopes of investing in their physical and mental wellness — and being able to support that — is something that feels really great to me,” Silver said.
Silver said he uses his experience teaching psychology at Occidental to improve his yoga instruction.
“I think that [my psychological experience is] something that is relatively unique within the space of a yoga studio,” Silver said. “I think of my yoga practice as being very scientifically driven, and I share that with people when we’re on the mat. I talk about the ways how we breathe and how we think can influence how we feel.”
According to Sundal, classes at the Cycling Pigeon emphasize progress, not perfection.
“Wherever you’re at fitness-wise, you’re not going to be judged for it. There’s an acceptance that we’re all doing the best we can rather than having a really intense view of how you need to work out,” Sundal said. “It’s not going to be easy all the time, but you’re going to have people around you, supporting you, […] and it definitely makes people happier, moving their body every day.”
Sundal said she organized a collaboration with her sorority, Alpha Lambda Phi Alpha, for sorority members to take a class with Fausone-Wilson.
“We’re in such a unique location and time in our lives to explore Eagle Rock, and so having a place that’s a five minute walk from campus was a really cool collaboration opportunity,” Sundal said.
Fausone-Wilson said growing up in the Silver Lake and Echo Park area has made her want to emphasize neighborhood outreach in her business. According to Fausone-Wilson, she remembers Eagle Rock as an empty strip with few businesses.
“It’s definitely a part of my upbringing to be on the Eastside,” Fausone-Wilson said. “I’m really thankful that I get to contribute to the shops and stores that are here. It’s sad when [neighborhoods] transform and there’s nobody local that’s holding it down.”
Pat & Lorraine’s Coffee Shop, located on Eagle Rock Boulevard, was founded in 1977 and named after two sisters-in-law, according to current manager Maria Rodriguez. Today, the breakfast restaurant, frequented by local families and celebrities, is known for its large portions, often shared family-style, Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said she has worked at Pat & Lorraine’s since her parents bought the restaurant from the previous owners in 1999. According to Rodriguez, her father began working at the restaurant as a dishwasher before moving up the ranks. When her parents bought the restaurant, Rodriguez said shewas only in third grade, but began working alongside other family members as a cashier.
Rodriguez said she now manages the restaurant and its employees, which include a mix of Rodriguez’s relatives and Northeast LA community members. Rodriguez said she has seen generations of regular customers return to the restaurant and watched families of customers expand throughout her time working at Pat & Lorraine’s Coffee Shop.
“A lot of our customers have been coming here since the ’70s, so they know what they want,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve seen kids grow up. One of our regulars is about to graduate college this year, actually.”
Seating area in Pat & Lorraine’s Coffee Shop on Eagle Rock Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA. Feb 4, 2026. Olivia Adams/The Occidental
Rodriguez said not all regulars are locals, and that one couple from Whittier comes to the restaurant every Wednesday morning to order the restaurant’s most popular dish: biscuits and gravy.
Nicole Anderson said she ordered the biscuits and gravy while dining at Pat & Lorraine’s for the first time.
“I decided to stop by because I saw the film crew stationed outside and was curious what was going on inside,” Anderson said. “I really like the ambiance here, and I’ll definitely be back.”
Rodriguez said the restaurant has been featured in independent films, movies, commercials and music videos over the years. Rodriguez said the most well-known film the restaurant has been featured in is “Reservoir Dogs,” a 1990s crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The opening scene of the movie was filmed at Pat & Lorraine’s.
“We’ve had a lot of actresses and actors come in because of Reservoir Dogs,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said cast members from “Sons of Anarchy,” “Shameless,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Twin Peaks” have frequented the restaurant.
Despite only being a ten-minute walk from Occidental College, Rodriguez said tables are more often filled by actors, familiesand older couples than by college students.
“It’s not that we don’t cater to them,” she said. “It’s just that we don’t really sell the matcha and that sort of stuff. I feel like it’s a generational thing. Back in the day, onSaturday and Sunday, we had a lot of college students come in for breakfast.”
Lani Young (sophomore) said she enjoys occasionally coming to Pat & Lorraine’s with friends for breakfast or to study.
“I love exploring different cafes around Occidental and really like how Pat & Lorraine’s has a homey feel,” Young said. “When I come here, I instantly feel relaxed.”
Counter view at Pat & Lorraine’s coffee shop on Eagle Rock Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA. Feb 4, 2026. Olivia Adams/The Occidental
According to Rodriguez, business decreased at Pat & Lorraine’s due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The business went down, so we’re still trying to climb back,” said Rodriguez. “We’ve definitely added a lot more Mexican elements to [the menu], but the restaurant hasn’t really changed that much.”
Rodriguez said Pat & Lorraine’s has always been a place that makes people feel like they are at home.
“Hopefully [customers] feel like Pat & Lorraine’s is part of their home,” said Rodriguez.
The Eaton and Palisades Fires destroyed the homes and businesses of roughly 40 current and former Occidental professors, staff members and students, according to “Life After Fire,” an article in the Occidental Magazine. In the aftermath of the January 2025 fires, The Occidental interviewed seven Occidental community members who were affected by the Eaton Fire. Here are four of their stories a year later.
Senior Director of Administration for the Mary Norton Clapp Library Brian Chambers
The Eaton Fire destroyed roughly two-thirds of Brian Chambers’ vinyl collection, or around 600 records. The remaining third of Chambers’ collection — the records his wife “doesn’t mind being away from the house,” he said in our interview last year — was in the Mary Norton Clapp Library during the fire, where Chambers works as the senior director of administration.
Over the past year, Chambers said he has acquired between 150 and 200 records to replace those he lost. He bought them at shows and received them for free at fire relief events hosted by music distributors.
According to Chambers, most of his new additions are not replacements of what he lost.
“If I’ve been to a show or something, it’s like, ‘I need records,'” Chambers said. “It’s a nice freedom that I haven’t always had.”
Chambers said his family finalized their plans for a new house on their property in west Altadena.
“We’re very excited about them,” Chambers said of the plans.
Chambers and his family worked with a group of designers with ties to the community called the Altadena Collective on the plans. Chambers said the Altadena Collective is specifically interested in Jane’s Cottage style houses, which were once predominant in Altadena and northern Pasadena.
“When we saw the drawings for those, we were just like, ‘Those are beautiful, and we loved those houses when we were in the neighborhood — and we can have one of those?’ That’s what got us excited,” Chambers said.
The Chambers’ new Jane’s Cottage style home is going through the county’s permitting process, and Chambers has already received bids from contractors for the rebuild.
“We’re hoping to get construction started in the next six to eight weeks,” Chambers said.
Chambers said his family — he and his wife have two teenage daughters — lived in a ranch style house before the fire. They bought the home in 2022, and Chambers said that the fire hit just as they were starting to build a community beyond their immediate neighbors in Altadena.
“It felt like things were starting to come together,” Chambers said. “That Christmas, two weeks before the fire, we did a Christmas party with everybody and we all walked down to Christmas Tree Lane together. The kids had their group … it was really nice.”
After the fire destroyed their home, Chambers said he and his family moved into a house in north Burbank. As his family was searching for homes, they shared rental listings with his next door neighbors in Altadena, who also lost their home.
“Their 15 year old daughter is the girls’ best friend,” Chambers said.
When Chambers’ now-landlord called to move forward with their lease agreement, Chambers learned that his old neighbors wouldn’t be too far away.
“They ended up renting the apartment right behind the house that we’re renting,” he said.
Now, the families’ kids “just bounce back and forth between the two places,” Chambers said. His neighbors also plan to rebuild in Altadena, and recently came over to compare notes on contractors.
According to Chambers, Burbank is more active than Altadena, which is great for his daughtersbut not for him and his wife.
“It’s loud and busy. But the girls are within a mile of movie theaters and shops and restaurants,” Chambers said.
Chambers said Occidental went “above and beyond” in supporting him after the fire.
“The students, the faculty, the staff — the institution itself was a microcosm of what I saw with Los Angeles and the world and the outpouring of support,” Chambers said.
Because the Chambers bought their house in Altadena only a few years before the fire, its value was reflected in their insurance coverage.
“We have talked to quite a few people that were like, ‘we bought in 2010, or 2014, and we hadn’t had the value of our insurance coverage catch up with the market value of these homes,’” Chambers said. “So we are some of the few fortunate ones that have the money to rebuild.”
Chambers, a named plaintiff in a lawsuit against Southern California Edison, said it is clear that the power company’s electrical transformer started the fire.
“My anger is at what we’ve gone through over the past year,” Chambers said. “It’s an extreme disruption of life — for me, for my family and for my community.”
According to Chambers, he was in survival mode for the first six to eight months after the fire, thinking about what he had to do to keep his family safe and provided for.
“Probably sometime around Thanksgiving it started to get a bit exhausting. Like, ‘Oh my God, what happened?’” Chambers said.
According to Chambers, he has started to feel the weight of the fire a lot more over the past two to three months. “But we’ve got good people in our lives,” he added.
“We got to see a lot of them during the winter break and have some really good times with everybody,” Chambers said. “It was just sometimes in different spaces.”
Senior Director for Advancement Services in the Office of Institutional Advancement Natalie Greenhouse ’10
Senior Director for Advancement Services in the Office of Institutional Advancement Natalie Greenhouse ’10 said via email that her family is uncertain about the path they will take with their property in west Altadena after their home was destroyed by the Eaton Fire.
“It is hard to say that we are truly in a ‘rebuilding’ process, and the year has mostly been marked by grief, logistics and waiting,” Greenhouse wrote. “Our journey has taken us to consider an alternative path that feels best for our family. We’ve shifted our energy toward roots in Eagle Rock (where our kids have been in school, even pre-fire) and are moving forward with projects on a home we purchased in the fall.”
Greenhouse said via email that the rebuilding efforts are mostly taking longer than expected.
“The community remains fragmented and displaced. Even those whose homes remain are still not living there due to smoke damage and insurance claims,” Greenhouse wrote.
Student Wiley Calkins
On the night of Jan. 7, 2025, Wiley Calkins (senior) fought the Eaton Fire with his dad at their home in Altadena. While they were able to keep their home from burning down, the fire destroyed the Calkins’ pool cabana and outdoor furniture.
Calkins said his family rebuilt the cabana with new tiles after the fire and tracked down the exact furniture that burnt down. A statue of the Buddha’s head charred in the blaze remains in the refurbished space.
“It’s back to normal now,” Calkins said of his backyard. “Nicer than it was before.”
Calkins said his family expected to replace their HVAC system after the fire but did not need to, although they did replace their water filtration system.
According to Calkins, his neighborhood is quieter than it used to be. Across the street, there are empty lots where homes stood a year ago, now overgrown with vegetation. Ivy has grown back on a concrete wall in the family’s driveway. Above the wall, Calkins said that he helped his dad rebuild a wooden fence that burned down.
The cabana in Wiley Calkins’ (senior) backyard after the Eaton Fire. Jan. 25, 2025. James Miller/The Occidental
Calkins said that if his house had been destroyed in the fire, his family would have moved out of Altadena.
“Altadena’s not insanely expensive, but to rebuild our crib would have been a heinous amount of money … we were fortunate because we got it for cheap way back,” Calkins said.
Arthur G. Coons Professor in the History of Ideas Amy Lyford
Arthur G. Coons Professor in the History of Ideas Amy Lyford at her property in Altadena. Courtesy of Sunny Mills.
On the eve of the Eaton Fire’s first anniversary, Amy Lyford, an art historian and the Arthur G. Coons Professor in the History of Ideas, dropped in at the Altadena Ale & Wine House for the first time since the fire.
Before the Eaton Fire engulfed Lyford’s home of 25 years in northeast Altadena, Lyford said she was a weekly regular at the baron Fair Oaks Avenue across from Mountain View Cemetery.
The Altadena Ale & Wine House on Fair Oaks Avenue in Altadena, CA. Feb. 1, 2026. James Miller/The Occidental
According to Lyford, the watering hole encapsulated Altadena’s richness and diversity — of age and gender, sexuality and ethnicity. Inside, where there are Dodgers bobbleheads batting from behind the bar, dollar bills dangling from the ceiling and old Westerns playing on the TV, there had been a “more fluid way of having a social network that was very Altadena,” Lyford said.
“People would bring a book, or you could go by yourself and you always saw somebody you knew, and there were always new people and old-timers, and younger and older … it was that kind of place,” she said.
Inside the Ale & Wine House in January 2026, Lyford talked with the owner, Gail Casburn, and her friends Matt, who she had not seen since before the fire, and Mike.
“We didn’t plan it, it was like we just gravitated toward going there,” Lyford said.
They stayed until around midnight, Lyford said, “just talking about where we were and how we felt. So it’s really nice that that place still exists.”
“Going in and seeing them, I mean, they brought tears to my eyes — big hugs,” Lyford said. “But then we were all like, well, we’re still here. We survived it. We didn’t go away.”
According to Lyford, Altadenans “scattered to the wind” after the fire.
“You don’t even know where people are. You can’t even figure out how to get in touch with them, because we would just see each other in real life,” Lyford said.
Lyford said the loss of her community has been the most painful part of recovering from the fire.
“What the fire did, because of the scale, is that it tore up, it burned up, literally, some of these places of community connection,” Lyford. “Not just the individual people, but the places we knew, if we went there, we would run into people we knew.”
Lyford’s return to the Ale & Wine House reminded her that spaces of community gathering are essential.
“Walking in and seeing those people, it’s not that it gave me hope, but it made me realize that the community isn’t completely torn asunder,” Lyford said.
Wiley Calkins’ (senior) backyard in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire. Jan. 25, 2025. James Miller/The Occidental
Knowledge lost in the fire
Lyford, who said she is “the family archivist,” lost a trove of professional and personal research materials when her home burned down.
Lyford published a book about 20th Century sculptor Isamu Noguchi in 2018. She said she lost several Banker’s Boxes full of research materials about Noguchi in the fire. Inside the boxes were Noguchi’s FBI files, which Lyford acquired after taking trips to the National Archives and filing painstaking FOIA requests, and research materials from years of travel to the Hawaii State Archives and the Bishop Museum in Honolulu.
Lyford said she published some of her research about Noguchi in her 2018 monograph, but not all of it. According to Lyford, people forget how research is so physical.
“That’s what excites me about it. I go and look at something that this other person from so long ago actually touched,” Lyford said.
According to Lyford, one of the more painful aspects of the fire was losing records of her family history. Letters her parents wrote while her father served in World War II were destroyed by the fire, as were her dad’s dog tags.
Lyford’s house was itself a memory of her late husband, as well as her peers and friends in the art world. According to Lyford, in 2017, the couple planned to renovate their midcentury-modern house when Lyford’s husband died suddenly in a motorcycle crash. When the renovation finished in 2020, Lyford filled the house with artwork from her friends and colleagues, including Occidental Professor Emeriti Linda Besemer and Professor Mary Beth Heffernan.
Lyford said she now lives in a home she purchased last year in Echo Park. She has no plans to sell her property in Altadena.
Lyford is a litigant against Southern California Edison. If Lyford’s group wins its lawsuit, she said she expects a higher settlement from the electric utility company if she does not sell her property.
According to ABC News, the electric utility company’s CEO said in October 2025 that its equipment could “likely” be found responsible for the Eaton Fire.
Lyford said her attorneys will have her property’s soil toxicity tested.
“That’s going to impact if I go hang out there and put a tent up,” Lyford said.
Lyford said it will be interesting to see Altadena in three years.
“There’s pieces left, and we’re all waiting to see how it gets reconstructed,” Lyford said.
Associate Professor of English and Black Studies and current Mary Jane Hewitt chair for Black Studies, James Ford, brought Capoeira to Occidental’s Academic Quad years ago for an informal Sunday tradition. Now, this part martial art, part dance and part ritual takes place every Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
According to Ford, for every one African that was brought to the Caribbean and North America during the Transatlantic Slave Trade, three were sent to Brazil.
“All of those cultures from West Africa [and] Central Africa that made it to the Americas: Brazil became the ultimate mixing space,” Ford said. “Capoeira is a combination of the kicking martial arts, the religions, the work, [and] the various philosophies among the laboring classes of Brazil.”
Professor James Ford in front of Gilman Fountain at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 2, 2026. Jane Hutton/The Occidental
Ford said the Roda (pronounced Ho-da), a circle formed of people playing instruments and participating in a call and response song, creates space for players to engage in the ritual. Ford said the instruments used in his practice are called Berimbau, which create a Bateria (an orchestra).
“We don’t say ‘spar,’ we say ‘play,’” Ford said. “Because that’s a more wide-ranging way of talking about the combination of elements.”
According to Ford, the group that shows up to play Capoeira changes week to week, due to the open, informal structure of his sessions.
“It’s just been word of mouth,” Ford said. “Sometimes there’s been a group of students from Oxy who join me, sometimes it’s just local community members, but it’s very enriching for me and the people involved, and that just inspires me to keep going.”
Although the attendance at his meetings fluctuates, Ford’s friend Jaidi Doyle remains a consistent attendee. Doyle said he has been training in Capoeira across the country for decades,and started training with Ford when he came to LA eight years ago.
“I started training in Providence, Rhode Island in the mid 90s, at this place called the Carriage House under this guy who was a student of master Geraldo,” Doyle said. “I used to […] go there to break dance. Then I noticed these guys doing [Capoeira] after the breakdown. I just hung around and I started picking it up.”
Cole Banks (junior) in front of Gilman Fountain at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 2, 2026. Jane Hutton/The Occidental
Cole Banks* (junior) said they had observed Ford’s Sunday Capoiera from afar with admiration. According to Banks, they taught themselves Capoeira with YouTube videos one summer so they could participate with the group.
“I learned it as well as I could, then came [back to school] and joined them one day,” Banks said. “I’m probably a year in, and I fell in love with it […] I found this community that’s welcoming. Let’s sing and dance and work out together.”
Cole Banks (junior) and Professor James Ford practicing their handstands outside of the Academic Commons at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 1, 2026. Jane Hutton/The Occidental
Ford said that in his Sunday practice, he aims to create an atmosphere unlike the fast-paced capitalist reality we live in.
“Occidental students come here being overachievers, and I hope that Capoeira will be a break from that sometimes,” Ford said. “There’s a word that often gets used in Capoeira called ‘vadiando,’ which means hang out, loafing, chilling. […] It’s not loafing like abandon[ing] doing something in a skilled way. […] It’s ‘let’s take a break from labor work.’”
According to Doyle, the interplay between the music, the game and players produces a certain cohesion and spontaneity in each practice.
“Tones and rhythm also dictate the game,” Doyle said. “There’s a story between the three bidding balls like a family. The Gunga is the mother, Médio is the father [and] Viola is a little child. The Gunga holds the rhythm down, she’s playing the same just repetitively […] The Médio does variations, but sticks to the same [beat as Gunga] because they’re a parent to the Viola. [The Viola] can play a little more, do a lot more variation. That [dynamic] hypes up the game when people are playing really well.”
According to Banks, Ford’s teaching style in Capoeira flows throughout his classrooms as well. Banks said they are taking Ford’s Afro-Surrealism class, and that Ford carries himself in the group in the exact way he conducts class.
“[Ford] has been one of the most […] monumental people for me. He welcomes anybody into the space, he looks at you in your ability, and he understands [the] details,” Banks said. “He always has a smile on his face and a joke. He creates a community where, almost like Capoeira, you make fun of somebody and they make fun of you. It’s almost like a fight without actually fighting.”
According to Ford, he feels the philosophy of Capoeira has seeped into his teaching.
“I try to help my students develop a healthy perspective towards grades, and the skills that they’re learning […] a lot of that has to do with what I’ve learned from Capoeira,” Ford said. “When I looked at the people who are further along than me [in Capoeira], they would always say the most important time would be before or after the class, when the masses are talking and they’re gaining knowledge that you can’t really formalize.”
Jaidi Doyle during capoeira practice outside of the Academic Commons at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 1, 2026. Jane Hutton/The Occidental
Doyle said Capoeira has emphasized his consciousness of the world around him and its history.
“Capoeira is an art of struggle,” Doyle said. “People use this to escape tyranny and escape oppression. This is a community art, so everybody’s looking after each other.”
According to Ford, Capoeira is a practice that one should take with them beyond Sunday afternoons and into their hereafter.
“The assumption is that it’s with you all of your life,” Ford said. “The way you train, who you train with, and how you train is going to go through phases. The goal is to be a senior citizen, and you can still do it. You may not do all the acrobatic physical moves, but you can still do it.”
The Occidental College Chorus, directed by Resident Professor of Music Desiree La Vertu, meets every Tuesday to rehearse for their end of semester performance at Herrick Chapel, which will take place April 26.
Giselle Reyes (sophomore) in the Academic Quad at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Jan. 30, 2026. Olivia Adams/The Occidental
According to Giselle Reyes (sophomore), despite the 7:15 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. class time, they look forward to College Chorus all week.
“[College Chorus is] so chill and friendly and light that the energy is always upbeat,” Reyes said. “If you’re having a bad day and you show up to College Chorus, you’re going to leave it feeling better because it’s just a fun, nice environment.”
Paloma Campi (sophomore) in the Academic Quad at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Jan. 30, 2026. Olivia Adams/The Occidental
According to Paloma Campi (sophomore), the late-night rehearsals are so fun that they don’t feel exhausting.
“I would just encourage [everyone] to join, because it’s super low-commitment and very fun,” Campi said.
Karen Matsuoka (junior) said La Vertu always chooses songs she finds meaningful.
“[The song choices] really encourageus to do well at the concert,” Matsuoka said. “We bonded so well because of how much the songs resonated [with everyone] differently.”
According to Matsuoka, College Chorus is a chance for students to come together weekly, despite being exhausted from classes.
“There’s such an emphasis on community in Desiree’s class, which I really appreciate,” Matsuoka said. “I think Desiree really focused on us singing songs about facing challenges in different ways […] I feel like we’re going through it [right now], but we still come together Tuesday nights.”
Colin King (first year) said La Vertu’s encouragement has helped him grow as a singer.
“I’ve always had confidence in my voice,” King said. “This is the first time that I attributed talent to my voice.”
King said anyone, regardless of experience, can be a part of College Chorus. However, according to King, you have to be ready to learn and grow.
“At a certain point, you do need a little bit of understanding of music and your own voice if you want to be able to sustain throughout the semester,” King said.
Reyes said La Vertu always makes sure the class is prepared.
“Professor La Vertu has a really specific way of conducting us,” Reyes said. “It’s really fun. She’s really great. There’s always a really light and fun atmosphere.”
Reyes said some of their favorite memories from College Chorus are their dress rehearsals in Lower Herrick.
“The acoustics in [Lower Herrick] are really so beautiful and meant to project people’s voices,” Reyes said. “It’s […] fun in of itself to be like, ‘Oh my God, that’s what I sound like in a space that’s meant for [singing].’”
Matsuoka said College Chorus’ rehearsals in Lower Herrick are special because they are so different from their regular class periods.
“When we practice in Lower Herrick, the echo is just crazy,” Matsuoka said. “It just sounds so much better. With the percussion added too, it sounds beautiful.”
According to Reyes, the majority of their class time is now spent preparing for their annual spring performance.
“The moment you arrive in class, every single song that we learn together as a group, [La Vertu] teaches us is for the concert,” Reyes said. “By the time you get [to the performance], you know exactly what you’re doing.”
According to Reyes,La Vertu’s preparation helped her push through her stage fright.
“I was really nervous walking up and getting into my place in the stands,” Reyes said. “Then the music kicked in, and we had to sing our first song. Everything that I had learned kicked in, like muscle memory. Your vocal cord is a muscle; your breathing and your lungs are [muscles]. I just knew how to do everything. I [didn’t] have to be nervous. I [was] exactly prepared how I [needed] to be.”
Campi said she has participated in College Chorus since her first semester at Occidental College.
“[The performance is] always really fun, because everybody’s friends and family members come,” Campi said. “It’s just always a good time and [it is] really fun to perform with [everyone] at the end of the semester.”
The Outside In Theatre has finished building its new space, where, according to their website, they hope to create an evolving force in equitable and transformative storytelling. Outside In Theatre began working out of a one-room art box next door to the two-year construction of their current site. According to their mission statement, Outside In Theatre creates brave spaces for people to foster creativity and build community partnerships.
According to co-founders Daniel Blinkoff and Tamlyn Tomita, the importance of theater in the modern era is as a tool for change and bringing together a community of people. Blinkoff said he encourages everyone to experience art.
“Art is percolating in people all the time,” Blinkoff said. “I think art is called for so much right now.”
According to Blinkoff, the necessity of art and community space is vital in the modern world.Blinkoff said inspiration for their space comes from a Ronald Harwood playbill, which references turning one individual world upside down.
“I used to treasure that art came out of the middle of nowhere,” Blinkoff said. “I think now it is the time to invest in what it is that you individually believe in.”
The lobby at the Outside In theatre on York Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA. Jan. 30, 2026. Lila Weiner/The Occidental
Binkoff said he was moved by his experience in Outside In Theatre’s Asian American improv class, taught by Keiko Agena.
“It was humbling in its bravery, and I was just a witness to it, and I think that is one of the things that we stumble upon just by engaging in conversation with the neighborhood,” Blinkoff said.
Tomita said she recognizes the strength it takes to join a community like Outside In Theatre.
“It is brave space because we cannot guarantee a safe space,” Tomita said. “But we can guarantee you a place where you can feel brave enough to say all the things or see all the things or to sound off on all the things because I’m big enough to say, ‘Oh, what do you want to do?’”
According to co-art director Jessica Hanna, Outside In Theatre is forming a web of people through this new space. Hanna said that before the building was finished, Outside In Theatre would invite the community to talk to them in person.
“We would keep a door open, and we’d be here with a table and maybe some coffee,” Hanna said. “If anybody walked by, we’d be like, ‘Hello, what’s going on?'”
Inside the Outside In theatre before the “Jane Austen and Zombies” improvised comedy show on York Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA. Jan. 30, 2026. Lila Weiner/The Occidental
Outside In Theatre has worked with students from Occidental College. According toJiahui Ji ’25, she started working with Outside In Theatre after interning during their creation. Ji said she worked with Outside In Theatre through Occidental’s Edgerton Fellowship, which funds students to attend summer internships with professional theatre companies. According to Ji,her experience with Outside In Theatre gave her a home away from her home across the world.
“Being able to be here, it’s the best way I can do this,” Ji said, “And in any sort of way to celebrate. Joy to celebrate. Community to celebrate togetherness.”
Occidental College students joined demonstrators in Northeast LA (NELA) Jan. 18 to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Highland Park, according to students and organizers who attended the protest.
The protest, known as “ICE Out of Highland Park,” took place at the intersection of Figueroa Street and York Boulevard and was organized by Native Elders in the region.
Casey Scott (junior), a Critical Theory and Social Justice (CTSJ) major, said his motivation to attend the protest stemmed from federal rhetoric surrounding immigration and its consequences.
“At the root level, what motivated me to attend the protests is the deeply authoritarian and xenophobic rhetoric being pushed in our country and informing policy conditions,” Scott said.
Scott said students should think critically about what follows demonstrations, and protests should be paired with sustained organizing rather than standing alone. Scott said protests can be emotionally and politically powerful, but their long-term impact depends on thoughtful follow-up, ongoing engagement and strategic action.
“The question is how protest actually changes systems of power rather than becoming purely performative,” Scott said. “It’s about affecting the cogs of the machine creating these conditions.”
Scott said safety and preparation are important when attending protests and recommended practices such as attending protests with others and remaining connected. Scott said students should be aware of rapid response networks.
Community members holding signs on the intersection of York Boulevard and Figueroa Street in Los Angeles, CA. Jan. 18, 2026. Marty Valdez/The Occidental
“If students encounter ICE activity, they can reach out to rapid response networks like ICEout.org, CHIRLA or the Highland Park Community Defense Coalition,” Scott said.
According to Julia Wallace, an LA–based social worker, union member and longtime organizer, participants gathered in response to what organizers described as an increase in ICE raids across LA. Wallace said her involvement in anti-ICE protests is rooted in both her political identity and organizing history.
“I feel like it’s important as a Black woman and as a socialist, revolutionary person to be involved in the fights of the oppressed and the working class,” Wallace said.
Wallace said protesting remains necessary under current federal immigration policy and broader political conditions.
“I think it’s important to take a stand against the onslaught of far-right attacks and Trump’s continuing authoritarian measures,” Wallace said. “Protesting is one way to resist, and it shows that there’s massive discontent and unity against ICE and racism.”
Wallace said immigration enforcement is tied to broader systems of power and inequality.
“Racism is the bedrock of U.S. capitalism,” Wallace said.
According to Wallace, such protests combine celebration and resistance, creating space for both joy and anger.
“When I was protesting last June, there was a cumbia group playing music, and people danced in the streets,” Wallace said. “I felt a strong sense of pride, frustration and determination.”
Wallace said demonstrations can foster moments of collective realization and solidarity.
“It’s enraging to see what’s happening, but it also makes you realize how powerful working-class people and oppressed people can be when organized,” Wallace said.
An Occidental student who wished to remain anonymous said the protest felt urgent rather than symbolic, and the demonstration emphasized community care alongside resistance.
“These protests are a place to connect, organize and sustain the movement,” the student said. “There were tables giving out food and information, which made it feel like people were really taking care of each other.”
Community members and Occidental College students marching at the intersection of York and Figueroa in Los Angeles, CA. Jan. 18, 2026. Marty Valdez/The Occidental
According to the student, protests also serve as an emotional outlet for participants, providing a space to express solidarity in response to social and political issues.
Assistant professor in Critical Theory and Social Justice Carla Macal said protest must be understood as collective and embodied action.
“Protesting has to be done communally,” Macal said. “There are many ways to protest, including organizing, boycotts and speaking out on campus.”
Macal said protests serve both immediate and long-term purposes by building relationships and sustaining political engagement.
“In the short term, protests build connection, and in the long term, they cultivate discourse, dialogue and networks,” Macal said.
According to Macal, protests are a deeply embodied experience rooted in solidarity.
“There’s a word in Spanish, acuerpar, which means embodiment,” Macal said. “It literally means to put your whole self on the line to be with others.”
Macal said collective survival is central to resistance.
“Solo el pueblo salva al pueblo,” Macal said. “Only the people save the people.”
According to Macal, students should recognize their agency and responsibility, particularly within academic institutions.
“Students forget how much power they have,” Macal said. “They have access to resources and platforms that many people don’t, and that gives them real responsibility.”
Wallace said student participation reflects an understanding of history as ongoing.
“History isn’t something we read about later,” Wallace said. “It’s happening now.”
