Plaza El Segundo Partners With Renowned Non-Profit Foundation Portraits of Hope On The World’s Largest Civic Art Exhibition of 2015 “The Spheres at MacArthur Park"
Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) June 09, 2015 -- Plaza El Segundo is thrilled to officially announce its partnership with global non-profit Portraits of Hope on its current project dubbed “The Spheres at MacArthur Park”. The popular South Bay shopping center opened two studio spaces exclusively for the foundation in April of 2015 and will continue to house the foundation until August of 2015 when the project culminates with a four-week public art installation at MacArthur Park in Downtown Los Angeles.
With enthusiastic support from Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office, Portraits of Hope received final project approval from the City of Los Angeles earlier this year. The MacArthur Park Revitalization Project—“The Spheres at MacArthur Park”—integrates public art, civic leadership education, creative therapy, and community engagement opportunities throughout Los Angeles. The project will involve approximately 8,000 – 10,000 children and adults, and will result in the temporary transformation of the once iconic park via the installation of one-of-a-kind floating artwork – encompassing seven thousand hand-painted inflatable spheres – for and on the entirety of the MacArthur Park Lake. The huge floating spheres, painted in florescent colored florals and aquatic designs, range in size from 4 – 6 ft. in diameter and will spread across the lake, making for fantastic vistas at the park and photographic opportunities. Following the exhibition, the historic spheres will be donated to bring color and beauty to social services such as hospitals, schools and women’s shelters.
When Federal Realty, owners of Plaza El Segundo, discovered that Portraits of Hope required studio space to host community painting sessions, the company immediately opted to get involved.
“We have been huge fans of Portraits of Hope since their Lifeguard Tower project, ‘Summer of Color’, launched along beaches in the South Bay in 2010, ” says Collette Navarrette, Director of Marketing for Federal Realty. “When the opportunity arose to contribute to ‘The Spheres at MacArthur Park’, we were honored to offer our support. It’s rewarding to see the donated space at Plaza El Segundo helping Portraits of Hope accomplish this historic exhibition. The entire community has been overwhelmingly supportive, and we are humbled to provide everyone with a safe and modern space to learn, create and inspire.”
Ed Massey and Bernie Massey, Founders of Portraits of Hope, conjured their current vision for MacArthur Park in 2008. The brothers are incredibly thankful that Plaza El Segundo has helped make their long-time initiative become a reality. Since moving into its new studio space at Plaza El Segundo, Portraits of Hope has already had more than 3,000 volunteers, ranging from ages 5 to 91, participate in the free painting and civic leadership sessions. The Massey brothers attribute this success to not only their outstanding reputation and following, but also to the accessibility and benefits that Plaza El Segundo offers volunteers!
“Our studio space at Plaza El Segundo is the best we’ve ever had,” says Bernie Massey. “The location is central to the South Bay community who has been overwhelmingly supportive of our program throughout the years. It is also accessible to commuters from all around Southern California. The venue is very clean, safe, attractive, and close to restaurants and stores so volunteers can eat, shop and complete errands all in one trip!”
Neighboring tenants at Plaza El Segundo are also offering their support to the project by offering exclusive discounts to Portraits of Hope volunteers. The Counter, a popular burger joint located directly next to the studio, is offering a 20 percent discount; Melt Café and Gelato Bar is offering a 15 percent discount for POH patrons; La Sirena, a contemporary Mexican grill with an edge, is offering a 10 percent discount; California Fish Grill, a relaxed chain serving fried and charbroiled seafood, is offering a 10 percent discount. All of the tenants at Plaza El Segundo have been enthusiastic in welcoming not only the South Bay community members but also volunteers coming to paint from far and wide.
“The energy at Plaza El Segundo from all the tenants has been phenomenal,” says Ed Massey. “We see volunteers come paint for an hour, grab a bite to eat next door, and then come back to paint. The South Bay community and park area community have been coming out in droves with incredible enthusiasm and a willingness to help. We see repeat volunteers coming back to each project with new family and friends to eager to help out!”
Portraits of Hope extends an invitation to anyone and everyone from near and far to join them in the upcoming months at Plaza El Segundo to help paint, give back and ultimately enjoy the company of their surrounding community. Painting and civic education sessions are held seven days a week. Volunteers can register online at portraitsofhope.org.
Plaza El Segundo is located at 760 S. Sepulveda Blvd. in El Segundo, California. To sign up to participate in “The Spheres at MacArthur Park” project visit portraitsofhope.org. For more information regarding Plaza El Segundo visit plazaelsegundo.com.
For press inquiries regarding Plaza El Segundo or Portraits of Hope, or to schedule an interview, please contact Kyrstin Riley at Melrose PR at kyrstin(at)melrosepr(dot)com or (310) 260-7901.
ABOUT PORTRAITS OF HOPE
In 1995, Ed and Bernie Massey founded Portraits of Hope, continuing their utilization of art and poignant visual imagery for large-scale projects of social consequence.
Developed initially for seriously ill and physically disabled children, the 501(c)(3) program conceives and develops one-of-a-kind motivational art projects that merge the production of dynamic public art works with creative therapy for hospitalized children and civic education for students of all ages.
Portraits of Hope projects have involved tens of thousands of youth and adults in high-profile civic collaborations that have visually and spectacularly transformed everything from airplanes, buildings, and the New York City taxi fleet to blimps, tugboats, and NASCAR racecars.
To date, more than 800 hospitals, schools, after-school programs, and social service agencies have directly participated in Portraits of Hope projects and programmatic activities in addition to a wide array of adult community groups.
The majority of youth served by Portraits of Hope regularly face socio-economic and/or physical or medical challenges. For them and for all involved, the project culminations provide a tangible civic achievement and an opportunity to point with pride and say, “I did that.”
And in the course through their participation in the program, the youngsters learn about important social and community issues, the power of teamwork, and their ability to achieve.
ABOUT FEDERAL REALTY
Federal Realty Investment Trust is an equity real estate investment trust specializing in the ownership, management, development, and redevelopment of high quality retail assets. Federal Realty's portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) contains approximately 20 million square feet located primarily in strategically selected metropolitan markets in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and California. In addition, the Trust has an ownership interest in approximately 1.0 million square feet of retail space through a joint venture in which the Trust has a 30% interest. Our operating portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) was 95.3% leased to national, regional, and local retailers as of June 30, 2014, with no single tenant accounting for more than approximately 3.2% of annualized base rent. Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since it’s founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 47 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty is an S&P MidCap 400 company and its shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT.
Kyrstin Riley, Melrose PR, http://melrosepr.com, +1 310-260-7901, [email protected]
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