| Margaret Blue:
Opening the “Gate” to South Bay Art
Associate professor of political science Margaret
Blue is on the event committee for the Los
Angeles premiere of the internationally acclaimed
film, “Buffalo Boy,” which will be held
at the historic Warner Grand Theatre on Jan. 28.
The CSUDH alumna (Class of ’81, B.A.,
Political Science) serves as co-chair of a reception
that evening, honoring the film’s director
and screenwriter Nghiem-Minh Nguyen-Vô. She
currently serves as a board member and is a past
secretary of Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro,
which is presenting the film.
“Angels Gate has a special role in the art community
in the area and in greater Los Angeles, partly because
of the unique location,” she notes. “Because
[the South Bay] is so geographically separated from
West L.A. where much of the art world is, it is important
to have public access to art.”
“Buffalo Boy” is Vietnam’s official
entry for the 2005 Academy Awards and has received
international accolades, including Best Director, Cape
Town World Cinema Festival, South Africa; Best Foreign
Language Film Palm Springs International Film Festival;
and Best Cinematography, Asian Pacific Film Festival.
The story of a coming-of-age journey reflects the filmmaker’s
boyhood in Vietnam.
Blue, who directs the Students Preparing for Academic
Rigor and Knowledge (SPARK!) Program on campus, emphasizes
the educational contributions of Angels Gate to the
community.
“Angels Gate receives grants to provide art
education for LAUSD campuses in the area as well as
the new L.A. Port Charter High School,” she
states. “Internships give students an opportunity
to understand how an art center is run and to be a
part of that.”
Blue underscores the relationship between CSUDH and
Angels Gate and hopes for further collaboration between
the institutions. Patricia Cherin, professor
of English and humanities, College of Extended
Education, also serves on the board of directors, and alum Daniel
Porras (Class of ’05, B.A., Art) has
recently begun an internship at Angels Gate.
“It’s not easy for people in this area
to get up to L.A.,” she emphasizes. “It’s
nice to have art that is accessible to the public in
terms of cost and in our own backyard.”
For more information on Angels Gate Cultural Center
and the Warner Grand Theatre, visit http://www.angelsgateart.org/buffaloboy/index.html and http://www.warnergrand.org/.
- Joanie Harmon |
