COMMUNITY FORUM Mailbag

Our imaginations and civic pride should be stimulated by the call to action Jean Sedillos wrote on July 9th.

Santa Monica's Barnum Hall indeed presents opportunities beyond its utility to our high school, opportunities which we as a community must attend to with separate fundraising efforts.

Barnum once was the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, a 1937 Art Deco gem hosting our city's most elegant events. Six decades later, we can add the latest in high-tech digital capabilities, once again enjoying a world-class showcase venue.

Take Barnum's classic architecture, restored to full glory. Mix in multimedia technology, to encourage and enhance creative performances.

Call it "Art Techo."

Spanning six decades of Santa Monica history and vision, straddling our city's new fiber-optic broadband network, an Art Techo Barnum Hall will expand Samohi curriculum opportunities and showcase community performances and videoconferences.

Our school district bond, which deserves to pass this November, will fund the basic building repairs. A dedicated group of community activists seeks further money for a faithful restoration of Barnum's architectural and artistic distinction.

We need an entertainment industry heavy-hitter to step in as well, to put the tech in Art Techo. Those Colorado-corridor megacompanies with three- and four-letter names know who they are. How about it?

Kevin McKeown
Santa Monica Telecommunications Working Group

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