New exhibit 'Ode to Dena' explores Altadena’s deep Black artistic legacy

When you walk into "Ode to ’Dena: Black Artistic Legacies of Altadena," a free exhibit at the California African American Museum in Exposition Park, you’re greeted not with pieces of fine art — but a large wall of photos.

Some are black and white, some are color. They show Altadenans over the decades during treasured moments, such as a birthday celebration or family pool time. They’re part of the exhibition’s more than 20 Black artists, all of whom live in or have family ties to the neighborhood.

“One of the first things that I envisioned in my mind was putting together this wall of archival photos, personal family photos, photos of the artists in the exhibition,” said Cameron Shaw, the museum’s executive director. She wanted to show how family and community are critical parts of Altadena life.

The photo mural that visitors see at the exhibit entrance.

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‘Community curated’

“Ode to ’Dena” isn’t your traditional tour of place and history. This exhibition is about the neighborhood’s artistic tradition, which blends the past and present.

Curator Dominique Clayton said the show is bittersweet because it stems from pain, but that it also poses an opportunity for people to learn another part of L.A. County’s cultural history.

Museum galleries usually take a long time to organize, but Clayton said she was able to put this one together quickly. She started working on it in mid-January, just after the Eaton Fire broke out. She said that speed was in part because of Altadena’s supportive community of artists.

“ I like to say it’s community curated,” Clayton said. “ I would talk to one artist. I was introduced to another and another. And so it sort of built itself.”

Some of the artists in the gallery lost homes in the Eaton Fire, including Clayton’s friend Kenturah Davis, one of the artists on display.

Meaning behind the art

These items were curated by Octavia's Bookshelf owner Nikki High as a symbol of the Altadena's Black literary legacy.

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There are a variety of styles and subjects in the exhibit.

The beloved Pasadena bookstore Octavia’s Bookshelf curated a display that shows the Black literary legacy of Altadena and Pasadena.

John C. Outterbridge’s renowned outhouse, a structure that calls out institutionalized racism, brings in the Civil Rights era.

Debris from the Eaton Fire also gets a new life here. A scorched flugelhorn sits next to burned tree branches.

A piece titled "From the Ashes" from artist Sam Pace. The work includes a flugelhorn that was found in the ashes of his neighbor's Altadena home.

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The burned sound bowl from the artist Grandfather.

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A charred sound bowl — used by the artist Grandfather in several of his audio works — was the only item found in his home's ashes after the Eaton Fire.

The show also transcends generations. Davis’ 2-year-old son Micah has two watercolor paintings in the exhibit. He’s the youngest artist in “Ode to ’Dena.”

Watercolor paintings from Micah Zuri Davis-O'Connor. These paintings were done with the help of his grandfather, Keni "Arts" Davis. His paintings, showing before and after looks at lost Altadena places, are also in the show.

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Betye Saar's album artwork for jazz musician Bennie Maupin.

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The oldest is 98-year-old Betye Saar, who has a mixed media installation and album artwork in the exhibit.

The exhibit is an example of change in America, Clayton said. The arts culture now has multiple generations of Black artists, and Altadena plays a big role in that. For example, Kenturah Davis' artworks are joined by ones from her parents. Her mother, Mildred “Peggy” Davis, has handmade quilts on display. Keni “Arts” Davis, Kenturah Davis' father, painted iconic Altadena locations before and after the fires.

One of Clayton’s favorite pieces comes from Marcus Leslie Singleton, who watched from New York as his family lost their home. His oil painting, called “Moses” contains the only reference to fire in the show. It shows Moses as a Black man sitting next to a burning bush surrounded by desert.

Clayton says that piece is emblematic of the hopeful energy she wanted for the whole show — “so that it’s not so much about destruction and disaster," Clayton said, "but really about enlightenment.”

Marcus Leslie Singleton's "Moses." During the L.A. fires, Singleton helped raise money from New York for his family, who lost their home in Altadena.

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Altadenas are everywhere

Shaw said the team leaned into its mission to preserve Black art history and culture after the fires. She hopes that people who have a history with the Altadena area can see themselves reflected honestly in the exhibit.

Shaw also wants folks who don’t have that connection to  learn about the neighborhood’s Black history and community. That goes back to the 1960’s. Until then, Altadena was almost an entirely white community.

This was largely because of redlining. When it was banned in 1968, a “white flight” in Altadena ensued. One of L.A. County’s first middle-class communities with Black people emerged there, known as the Meadows. Today, Altadena is 18% Black — roughly double the rest of the county.

“ Dominique says something so beautiful, which is that there are Altadenas everywhere,” Shaw said. “And that doesn’t mean that Altadena is replicable, but that there are Black places worth protecting.”

And Clayton has an idea for how visitors can put that into action with the artists.

“ Take a moment to look them up,” she said. “Read about them, learn about them, tell someone else about them.”

“Ode to ’Dena” will be on display through Oct. 12. Visitors can check out the free exhibit at the California African American Museum in Exposition Park.