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Leo Politi 2008 Centennial Events
Leo Politi was born in Fresno, California in 1908. At age 6, he and his family moved to Italy where he began his art training at the Royal Palace of Monza. He returned to Fresno and launched his literary career in 1938 with "Little Pancho". In 1950 he was honored with the Caldecott Medal for "the nation's most distinguished children's picture book" for "Song of the Swallows". Over the years he wrote many more widely-acclaimed books and achieved worldwide fame prior to his passing away in 1996. A public library, a park, a plaza and an elementary school have been named for him. The Centennial of his birth saw many commemorative celebrations in California and the nation.
day to be
cherished. So many of you brought your
Leo Politi autographed books, artwork,
photos of paintings and precious stories to
share with his family and friends. It
rained leading up to the event and then all
suddenly the sun appeared. Leo Politi had to be smiling as he saw all the
children dressed in their cultural costumes
dancing, singing and celebrating his art
with puppet shows and readings of his books. The Politi family would like to thank all who volunteered and participated
including
The El Pueblo Park Association, The El
Pueblo Historical Monument, The City of Los
Angeles and the Merchants of Olvera Street. For those of you who could not attend, you
missed a very special and unique day that
made us proud to be an Angeleno. We
hope to see you at future centennial
festivities. Last but not least, 99
THANKS to David and Sherry Gold
of the 99 cents only store for making this
wonderful program possible and for all the
special things that you quietly do for the
City of Los Angeles. God Bless you.
so deserved. Sadly for Los Angeles, Mr. Politi's
own time would soon run out. Within
weeks of the reopening of the railway, he
passed away. In November, 2008, Leo Politi
would have been
100 years old. As Los Angeles and the
rest of the world celebrate Politi's life
long work during his Centennial Year,
the Angels Flight Railway Foundation is
planning an art installation immediately
adjacent to Angels Flight of large,
weather-resistant, ceramic reproductions of
nine Politi's
paintings of Bunker Hill. As passengers
ascend and descend on the 107 year-old Angels
Flight Railway, they will have a glimpse
into the City's past through Politi's
depictions of historic Bunker Hill. The
Foundation also is working on a
complementary publication about Bunker
Hill's history to be illustrated with Politi artwork.
This Angels Flight project is one of
many Southern California
tributes to the life and work of Leo Politi
on the occasion of his
centenary..jpg)
inspire,
especially in children and their
families, an appreciation for
and an understanding of the art
of the picture book. This
most important and unique
Museum, located in Amherst,
Massachusetts has long admired
Leo Politi's work and his
importance to children's book
art. The Eric Carle Museum
has expressed a desire to honor
Leo Politi for his vast
contributions to the field of
children's book art. The Leo
Politi Family supports the
mission of the Eric Carle Museum
and is pleased to partner with
the Carle Museum in a way Leo Politi
would be proud of.
(2008-2009).
Among planned exhibits will be "original
illustrations" from his Caldecott Medal
Award winning book "Song of the Swallows"
that was centered at Mission San Juan Capistrano.
In addition to the Caldecott Medal, the
prestigious Regina Medal awarded to Leo
Politi in 1966 by the Catholic Library
Association will also be exhibited.
The Regina Medal is awarded annually to a
living exemplar of the words of the
English poet Walter de la Mare, "only the
rarest kind of best in anything can be good
enough for the young," for continued
distinguished contribution to children's
literature without regard to the
nature of the contribution. Dates and
times of exhibits to be announced.
Politi 2008 Centennial celebration. The
new Centennial set brings the
total to 48
Leo Politi Postcards. The artwork selected spotlights Politi’s love for the city of Los
Angeles and it’s diversity. All of (OSMAF)
proceeds from the sale of the postcards will
be used for the foundations educational,
cultural and historical programs. Their goal is
to spotlight the cities harmonious diversity and
the appreciation of the historic significance
of Olvera Street, the city’s birthplace, and its
importance in the formation of Los Angeles. 
music and
dance. The young
dancers learn and appreciate the
regional dances of Puebla, Jalisco,
Chiapas, Chinacas, Calabaceados to
name a few. The Tierra Blanca Art
Center admires Leo Politi’s books
for promoting values and his love
of culture and tradition. Blanca
Araceli Soto will honor Leo Politi
by interpreting his books through
dance and music. On October 12, 2007
as part of the City of Pasadena’s
Art night, they performed Leo Politi’s books at the Pasadena
Library. In 2008 the Tierra Blanca
Dance Company will continue to
celebrate Leo Politi's centennial
by interpreting
his books
through
dance. They will
be performing at
other Leo Politi
celebrations.
Pasadena
Cardinal Timothy Manning
once said "the artistic genius of Leo Politi
is his gift of being able to penetrate the
heart of a child and to reproduce in his
works the innocence and loveliness of those who reflect the
Kingdom of God." The San Fernando
Mission will present for the first time ever
Cardinal Manning's personal collection of
Leo Politi's Books with personal artwork.
November 2009
2008 ground breaking
ceremony to be held at the Madden Library for The
Leo Politi Garden. The memorial garden has
been designed by Robert Boro. The date and time will be announced.
To
celebrate and honor Leo Politi,
the Children's Literature
Research Collections installed a
display showcasing some of his
original material in the Kerlan
Collection. This exhibit was
viewable to all visitors to
Andersen Library. The complete
holdings of the Politi Papers
are listed in his online finding
aid.(
Leo Politi Elementary
School in Los Angeles. Sanchez chose to
salute Politi and his children books, by
painting in Politi's early style.
Now Julio Sanchez will celebrate the Leo
Politi 2008 Centennial by painting a
special portrait of Politi, to be
displayed at the school that bares his
name. It will also be included in
future Politi centennial events and the
future Politi tribute exhibit being
planned by some of Los Angeles' best
Angelino Artists. Each artist will
pay tribute to Politi's life and
influence through their art. The
exhibit is being organized by Los
Angeles Photographer Jose Luis Sedano.
When
we were young and lived
in Chinatown, we often
teased Moy Moy by saying
"Hi gnu" (Chinese Toi
Shan dialect for, 'Lets
see the little fish').
We used this phrase to
tease her about the day
she fell in a wishing
well in Chinatown while
attempting to get a
closer view of the fish
in the well. This
was an inside story we
thought only our family
remembered. To our
surprise, we discovered
only recently that Leo
Politi had witnessed the
incident and wrote about
it on one of his
watercolor drawings.
In July 2008 we came
across the drawing we
had never seen before at
the Brea exhibit of
Leo's art-work for his
book, "Moy Moy." To
learn more and to see
the drawing including a
detail account by Leo of
the wishing well
incident.
.jpg)
celebration
of The Leo Politi 2008 Centennial. Leo
Politi cut the ribbon and took the first
official ride for the re-opening of
Angels Flight and prior to his
passing. Mr. Politi painted many
wonderful paintings of Angels Flight
including some in his book "Bunker Hill
Los Angeles ".. reminiscences of by gone
days.
On
November
21, in
honor of
Leo
Politi's
100th
birthday,
the Tree
People
and
Yahoo
sponsored
the
planting
of over
30
trees.
The tree
planting
continued
all day
with
each
class
planting
and
naming
their
tree,
and then
being
taught
how to
care for
it.
The
classes
each
chose a
name for
their
tree.
Some
trees
were
named
after
one of
Leo
Politi's
picture
books.
The
first
tree (a
Podocarpus
Gracilior
- Fern
Pine)
was
planted
in honor
of Ann
Stalcup,
author
of the
biography,
"Leo
Politi,
Artist
of the
Angels".
Ann was
presented
with a
certificate
and
flowers
in
recognition
of her
role in
helping
the
students
to come
to know
the man
and his
work.
admirer
of Leo Politi's work, first met him in
the early 1980's. A friendship
began and over the years she experienced
many cherished meetings. Like the
man, the memories were unique and
colorful. Her book was based on
those meetings, research, and on
interviews conducted with his family,
friends, and admirers. His son
Paul states, "Author Ann Stalcup has
seen and experienced so many wonderful
things on her travels that she could
have written about; the fact that she
wrote a book on my father is a great
honor in itself." He continues, "What I
love about her book is the simplicity
she used in capturing the essence of my
father, the same simplicity he
used to capture the essence of a child." Ann
will be giving a series of lectures and
slide shows on Leo Politi and
autographing her book "Leo Politi,
Artist of the Angels" throughout
California for The Leo Politi 2008 Centennial.
David Katz of Silver Moon
Press is proud to be the publisher of
"Leo
Politi:
Artist
of the
Angels", which
showcases the life and work of Leo Politi.
He takes great pride in his
association with the lifelong achievements
of this multi-talented author and artist, a
man who was as comfortable writing for
adults as he was for children. In
recognition of Leo Politi's 2008 Centennial,
a special gold seal will be added to each
book sold during the centennial year. 
the
Heart of Los Angeles". This full-color
monograph examines the life and work of Leo
Politi, the beloved artist and author, whose
paintings, illustrations and sculptures
vividly articulate the multiethnic
identity of Los Angeles. Trained as a
fine artist in Italy, Politi worked as a
street artist on L.A.'s famed Olvera Street
and achieved national attention with his
twenty children's books and a coveted
Caldecott Medal. Remembered for capturing
the heart of Los Angeles, both on paper and
in the minds of its people, Politi's
artwork is showcased in this extraordinary
volume, in time for the Leo Politi 2008
Centennial. ISBN-13 978-1-883318-76-5
/$45.00
illustrator, Politi's lesser known but
equally important work can be found in his
early art, sculptures and murals.
Readers will be treated to nearly 300 images
of his work. The book will include his
fine art, completed long before his fame as
a children's illustrator. Featured images
will include paintings on Bunker Hill,
Chinatown, Olvera Street, Little Tokyo, and
his many other picturesque hangouts. A
majority of the paintings will be
unpublished, never before seen art, mostly
from private collections, as well as some
rare clip art. If you study close some
of the 20th Century's social, idealistic,
and cultural advances made in Los Angeles,
you will find the fingerprints of this
humble, un-assuming man with a gentle heart.
Leo Politi is considered an indigenous part
of the California Landscape.
the selection of paintings and
carvings to be featured in the Leo Politi
Coffee Table Art Book entitled "Leo Politi,
Capturing the Heart of Los Angeles". Angel City
Press intends to publish the book in time
for The Leo Politi 2008 Centennial.
The book will reveal many facets of Leo Politi's career, a major focus will be on
his early fine arts period. To achieve
the finest representation of Leo Politi's
work, the family is requesting collectors to
email jpg photos of any painting or carving
that they would want to be considered for
inclusion in this very important art book.
Jpeg photos should be emailed to:
published The History of The
Archdiocese of
Los Angeles 1840 –2007, by
Msgr.
Francis J. Weber. Chapter 3
entitled Clergy, Religious &
Laity, acknowledges the
contributions of Leo Politi.
Msgr. Francis J. Weber states
of Politi, “He was an
indigenous part of California’s
landscape who will never die or
be diminished in the hearts and
souls of his public.” A quote
from Timothy Cardinal Manning
about Leo Politi is also
included in the
book
Politi's art. At the
opening, Leo Politi said "This is one of the
happiest moments in my life, to see my
paintings hanging in such an aesthetic and
harmonious setting. The Lummis House
is California at its best." In
2009 The Lummis Home will once
again adorn Leo Politi's art. An
exhibit is now being planned that will
feature Leo Politi's Native American
artwork, most of which has never
before been seen in public. The Historical Society
of Southern California
will host this very
special exhibit. Dates and
times to be announced.
the Parks and
the Los Angeles
Department of Recreation and Parks, to
celebrate the Leo Politi Centennial. The celebration will take place at the park
that bares his name. Politi, a park
advocate, wrote and illustrated "Tales of the
Los Angeles Parks" and many award winning
children's books. Bring your kids,
there will be piñatas, Chinese kite flying,
painting and many more activities for the
young. So if you love parks and have a
child's heart, come and celebrate the Leo Politi
Centennial with us in 2009.
the diversity that
inspired Leo Politi's art with an enchanted
evening under the stars. View Elisabeth's collection
of Leo Politi art and enjoy
the music, costume and dance
of many cultures.
Experience the romance of
old California, beautiful
music and Leo Politi art as
Elisabeth Waldo's Historical
Rancho celebrates the Leo
Politi Centennial.
Leo Politi
has continually supported “Feria De Los Ninos” the concept of using cultural arts to
instill self- esteem, confidence, cultural
pride and family respect through creative
expression, discipline, training and
achievement. Leo Politi’s support and
poster artwork has been a part of the “Feria
De Los Ninos” tradition. September 2009, the Los Angeles Department of Recreations and Parks and
“Feria De Los Ninos” join the Leo Politi Centennial Celebration at Hollenbeck
Park in East Los Angeles celebrating the
rich and diverse culture of latino speaking
people, that
promises to be a memorable time for all.
The
Italian Hall is planning
an exhibit on Leo Politi
and his art as the
concluding part of the
Leo Politi Centennial in
November 2009. It
is only fitting that the
centennial that started
at the historical
landmark Pico House will
conclude at the
historical landmark
Italian Hall that Leo
Politi loved so much.
At present the Italian
Hall is going through
restructure preservation
work. It is everyone's
hope that the project
will be finished in time
for the conclusion of
Leo Politi centenary.
January 26, 2008
was the
"official
kick off" of
the Leo Politi 2008 Centennial.
It was also the commencement of the Leo
Politi Art Exhibit at the Pico House. The
exhibit contains never before seen Leo
Politi paintings, sculptures and surprises! The
festivities included music, dance and
celebration of Olvera Street's beloved Artist,
Muralist, Author and Illustrator. The
Historical Pico House is located across from
Olvera Street, and is part of El Pueblo de Los
Angeles. 
On
January 26,2008 the El Pueblo Park
Association and El Pueblo de Los Angeles
Historical Monument are proud to celebrate and
honor another treasure, the artist Leo Politi,
who painted the 1978 Blessing of the Animals
mural on the Biscailuz Building in El Pueblo.
The year 2008 marked Politi's Centennial with
many events, exhibitions and festivities planned
throughout the country. The Official
"Kick
Off" for the Centennial was held in the Pico
House at El Pueblo where there was an
exhibit mounted by the Politi family in honor of
their father. The reception, also in the
Pico House, was cosponsored by EPPA and El Pueblo
de Los Angeles Historical Monument.
volunteered
their time and resources to help save
Hazard Park, Elysian Park and other
endangered Los Angeles Parks. David Gold is also an admirer of Politi's talent and has a large
collection of his art. However in
2008, rather than celebrate Leo Politi's
100 Year Celebration (Centennial) David
Gold founder of the 99¢ Only Store will
celebrate Leo Politi's (99th) NINETY
NINTH YEAR....AGAIN. Last
year he and his wife, Sherry were part
of the Olvera Street Oral History
Documentary and this year they sponsored
99% of the Leo Politi 2008 Centennial
Kick Off Souvenir Program with the El
Pueblo Park Association. They will
continue celebrating nine days a
week......
To
coincide with the Bunker Hill/First Floor
Gallery exhibition and the Leo Politi
Centennial, the Los Angeles Central
Library’s children’s room featured
eleven glass cases of Leo Politi books.
Most of Leo Politi’s twenty children’s books
that he was both the author and illustrator
were being featured. Also
included were some of the children’s
books that Politi had only illustrated.
to the students of
Wolters Elementary
School. She explained to
the students that
"Little Leo"
was a true story that
started in Fresno and
took place when when Leo
was their age and how
Leo Politi grew up to be
a world famous artist
and author. Linda
encouraged the students
to read more and also to
write their own
stories. Ivan and Rose
Rowe, friends of Leo's
friend Arnie
Nixon, donated
"Little 
Theatre of the Puppets’ many
productions, and especially The Reading Railroad
with its
puppet rendition of the book, "Pedro, the Angel of Olvera Street". Most memorable
for Leo was a performance at the
Open House at the Hollywood Bowl. After that perform-ance, Leo used to say
with a big smile, “Pedro performed at
the Hollywood Bowl…. and he sang like an
Angel.” On
January 26, 2008 for the Grand Open-ing
of the Leo Politi 2008 Centennial at
the Historic Landmark, the Pico House,
Theatre of the Puppets Co-Founder Bill
Sousa, Artistic Director Bob Stone, and
two of Bill’s grandchildren, Michael
Sousa Jr., and Sara Serrander Sousa gave a special performance of
"Pedro, the Angel of Olvera Street".
Bill came out of retirement to pay
homage to the memory of his dear friend,
Leo. Sara, now a mother, as a young
child was herself “The Angel of Olvera
Street” for several years. Mark your
calendars now, so that you don’t miss
this most memorable day and historic
performance. Come and see our beloved
Pedro, his Grandfather, and other dear
friends from this book “come alive”.
In 1959, Leo Politi met a little girl and her older
brothers in the picturesque
section of Los Angeles known as
Chinatown. After a year of
having sketched them, playing
and interacting, one of Leo Politi's finest children's
books, entitled "Moy Moy" was
born. On January 26, 2008
Mary Joe as she is known today
and her brothers will celebrate
the Leo Politi centenary "Kick
Off" by reading their now famous
book in Helman Quan at the El
Pueblo Historical Landmark. Bring the kids and come enjoy a
very special day of festivities
and share this precious moment
in time.
was based on a real
family: three brothers of the Yan family, Frank, George, Harry
and their little sister Mary
Joe, who in the book is "Moy
Moy". From the centennial
"kick off" on January 26, 2008
at the Pico House/El Pueblo
Historical Park, Moy Moy
and her brothers have played a
major role in the celebration. They shared their precious
memories with Leo's family,
friends, and fans through the
items personally received from
Leo, along with their own
collection of his works. These photographs and
recollections help bring Leo Politi's paintings to life. Harry Yan has now created a
website, and with permission by
the Yan family, we invite
everyone to view the exquisite
collection of memories they continue
to cherish. (Click for gallery
photos)
appreciation of books, art, and
children is present in
all we do. Our kinder-garten students will be counting
down the days 'til January 26. The
official kick-off of the Leo Politi 2008
Centennial. For our Leo Politi
Centennial Festival, every class on campus
will become experts on one Leo Politi book
and will create a project celebrating his
work. Our older students will get to
know "Leo Politi's Los Angeles," from Olvera
Street to Echo Park. Also, there will
be other ways that we will celebrate Mr. Politi's centennial, but the students
say, "for now, they are TOP SECRET."
Charles Wright wrote and
recorded the
multi-million-selling hit
record,
"Express Yourself", now
considered a modern day
standard. Charles Wright
helped make Watts, California
internationally famous.
Along with his group, The Watts
103rd Street Rhythm Band, they
had a string of world wide
"hits". As an admirer of
the late Leo Politi, Charles
Wright will feature Leo Politi's
painting of the "Watts Towers"
in his soon to be released
documentary video. In
addition, he dedicated and
sang his new composition "God
Bless the Children" with
the Frank D. Parent School Choir
and the Leo Politi Elementary
School Choir at the Leo Politi 2008 Centenary "Kick Off"
event on January 26, 2008.
school in
California.
Located on the Historical grounds of
the San Juan
Capistrano Mission, it played a
very special roll at the Leo Politi
2008 Centennial "Kick off
festivities" on January 26, 2008.
Caldecott Medal Award Winner, "Song
of the Swallows" was Leo Politi's
most famous book. The setting
of the book was San Juan Capistrano
Mission. It was during the
making of this book that a very
unique friendship between Politi and
the Mission was born. It
lasted close to fifty years.
However even after Leo's passing the
school continues to honor this bond
by creatively honoring the book at
many of their school events.
Students, faculty and parents at
Mission Parish School payed honor
to Leo Politi as they made the
"Song
of the Swallows" come alive for the
beginning of their dear friend's
centennial. Details to follow
at a later date.
as booksellers,
we
acquired a beautiful first
edition of his book “Juanita".
The copy was signed and
inscribed with watercolor
embellish-ments by Leo. We
fell in love with Politi’s
beautiful story of a Los Angeles
child and the Blessing of the
Animals and soon decided to
specialize in children’s
literature and illustrated
books. We have been happy with
our choice ever since and feel
we have Leo Politi to thank for
that. In 2008, Appleby Books is
planning to join his many
appreciative fans in celebrating
Leo Politi’s 2008 Centennial.
Part of the January 26th
premier festivities will include
cultural entertainment from Leo Politi books and special book
readings for the children. May Ellam, Appleby Book’s founder
said, “on this very special day,
it is going be my honor to read
Leo Politi’s “Juanita” to the
children of Los Angeles.”
During
the month of January 2008, the Chinatown
Branch Library
celebrated the Leo Politi
2008 Centennial with three displays on the
Caldecott Medal award. One display case
exhibit featured a collection of
Caldecott Medal Award winning books, with a
“special” tribute to the just announced 2008
Award winner. This special exhibit spotlighted Leo Politi’s award winning books,
plus "one of a kind documents" on loan from
his family. One of the highlights of this
special exhibit was Leo Politi’s
original paintings from "Song of the
Swallows" along with the actual Caldecott Award Medal. 
Celebration, exhibited some of Leo Politi’s Artwork on Chinatown’s
community. The “Special Two Day Exhibit”
on Friday and Saturday, February 8 and February 9, 2008. was
attended by members of the Leo Politi
Family. They were at the library to
meet the public and answer questions
about the Leo Politi 2008 Centennial. Also,
during the month of February, there was a reading of Leo Politi’s
book
"Moy
Moy"
by Mary Joe who is the original Moy Moy for whom the book was based. The reading was
followed by a craft activity by GAB
volunteer Marge Lew on how to make a
fantastic Chinese dragon out of beads,
pipe cleaner and curling ribbon.
Focal
(Friends of Children and Literature)
presented a Leo Politi celebration, in honor
of the Leo Politi 2008 Centennial Year,
enjoyed special guest readers and children
activities. This event was located
at the Central Library, 630 West 5th Street,
Downtown Los Angeles (Children Literature)
on February 3, 2008. 
read
millions of words outside of the classroom. This campaign is a partnership between the
City of Los Angeles, First 5, Families In
Schools, the Los Angeles County Office of
Education, and the Los Angeles Unified
School District with supporting sponsorship
from La Opinion, NBC 4, T52, Target and
Washington Mutual. Each participating
school will have the opportunity to select
one student to receive a $50 gift
certificate valid for purchasing books at
the Feria del Libro: A Family Book
Fair, held on June 7, 2008.
Student winners will be announced at the end
of May and be recognized by their local
schools. This year, the Million Word
Challenge honored the Legacy of
Author/Illustrator Leo Politi and celebrated
his Centennial by staging the Million Word
Challenge Kick-Off at Leo Politi Elementary
School on February 21, 2008.
"Poncho"
and his little dog. The Politi family
gratefully accepted the painting and has
named it "Poncho from Long Beach" and named
the dog, "McMillan." The family will
take "Poncho from Long Beach" and McMillan"
to their favorite framer for "Poncho from
Long Beach" to pick out a frame that he
feels at home in. (If "Poncho from
Long Beach" would like matting, he may also
choose matting.) Once "Poncho from
Long Beach" is framed, the Politi family
will make arrangements with future event
organizers to display "Poncho from Long
Beach" and his dog "McMillan." Where they
can then look forward to meeting Leo Politi
fans.
Angeles CA.
90006 began with a
continental
breakfast hosted by the
school. Speakers and guests included David Brewer,
Superintendent of the Schools LAUSD, Monica Garcia, President, LAUSD Board of
Education, Evelyn Martinez, Executive
Director, First 5 L.A., Darlene Robles,
Superintendent, LACOE, Richard Alonzo, Local
District 4 Superintendent, LAUSD and Ilene
Abramson, Los Angeles Public Library,
Director of Children Services. Sylvia
Lopez from KCAL 9 was the Mistress
of Ceremony. The Leo Politi Elementary
School showed and told their "joy of
reading" by performing two dances from two
Leo Politi Children's Books. 
In
conjunction
with
their
annual
awards
luncheon
California
Readers
celebrated
The
Leo
Politi
2008
Centennial.
Every
year
the
California
Readers
presents
their
Annual
Golden
Leo
Politi
Award
to a
California
Author. The
Centennial
was
even
more
special
to
the
2008
recipient
as
there
were
many
Leo
Politi
surprises. All
teachers,
librarians,
authors,
illustrators,
parents,
book
lovers
and
Leo
Politi
fans
were
anxious
to
attend
on
February 23, 2008
at
the Pickwick
Gardens,
Terrace
Room.
day-only
exhibition entitled "Leo Politi's
Children." On display were
examples of Leo Politi's stunning
original art work. In
addition, the library had an
afternoon program for children and an
evening program for adults. The
children's program included special
book readings and Politi related
participation activities. Lectures
on Leo Politi were given by authors
Ann Stalcup and son Paul Politi.
See for yourself why the wonderful
children of greater Los Angeles were Leo Politi's, "Mona Lisas." 
The
City of South Pasadena takes great pride
in the Leo Politi Mural at the South
Pasadena Public Library which is
considered a city treasure. As part of
the Leo Politi 2008 Centennial
Celebration the South Pasadena City
Council placed on the February 22,
2008 agenda, an item to
On the Biscailuz Building at the plaza of Olvera Street, Leo Politi's mural comes
alive with the Blessing of the Animals
March 22, 2008. A very special day was combined with the Centennial Celebration and many surprises. Many parents brought their children, their animals and their love of tradition and celebrated! .JPG)
Olvera Street"
was read and performed by the Theatre of
Puppets at the 13th Annual Los Angeles Times
Festival of Books at UCLA. Pedro appeared on the Reading by 9 stage in
the Festival's children's area.
140,000 people attended the 2 day event, the
largest book fair in the USA. Pedro, the Angel of Olvera Street is the only one of Leo
Politi's 24 children's and adult books
currently in print. It was sold at
the Festival to benefit the Olvera Street
Merchants Foundation. 
Library paid
honor to Leo Politi as part of their
celebration of the Leo Politi 2008
Centennial. Included was a special
exhibit of the "Redlands Impressions"
book. Original paintings from the book
were on display throughout the
library. Also in the Children's Room Leo Politi's mural of Children
reading was on exhibit. Members of the Leo Politi
family were there to share in
the festivities. On Saturday
April 26, 2008, Ann Stalcup presented a program on Leo Politi's
life and work for the children
of
Redlands. Then on Sunday April 27,2008, Ann again gave a program
as part of the centennial celebration. 
Levi Bischof, Leo Politi's great grandson, sitting with the pumpkins at Harmony Farms Country Store in Mountain Center, California. Harmony Farms is a family run business where people come for farm fresh eggs, wild bird feed and gifts for their friends and family. As we celebrate Leo Politi's Centennial, Harmony Farms is proud to be selling his beloved books and postcards of his artwork. All are welcome to join us in celebrating this momentous event and admire the treasures Leo Politi has created for all to enjoy.
The Leo Politi 2008 Centennial. In
1950 his book "Song of the Swallows"
that was set at Mission San Juan
Capistrano was awarded the coveted
Caldecott Medal. To help celebrate
The Leo Politi's milestone centenary,
his family hand picked from his over
sixty years of sketching on Olvera
Street, his most festive paintings. The art together with the wonderful and
authentic Mariachi music at the Jewel of
the Missions setting, was an
art exhibit not to be forgotten.
the Leo
Politi 2008 Centennial by presenting
Ann Stalcup, author of "Leo Politi,
Artist of the Angels", as one of the
eight featured speakers. Ann was
the events only Children's Book
Author. She gave a talk and
slide presentation on the "Life and
work of Leo Politi". The event was
open to the public, but attendance
was limited to 500.
Registration began in late
February and filled very quickly.
and a $1,000.000 dollar endowment
from Professor Arne Nixon. Leo Politi's books and artwork are an
important part of this collection.
Once a year, ANCA has a special
program to show its appreciation of
its Life Members. In this
centennial year of Leo Politi's
birth, they decided to honor Leo. Thirty-five Life Members gathered at
the Sciandra residence that was
transformed into an English tea
room. On each table was a
potted plant in a planter decorated
with Politi artwork. A vase
decorated with his artwork and
filled with a blossoming branch was
centerpiece on the food table.
Bookmarks hung from it that were
created for the occasion with a
picture of Politi's "Three Little
Girls in Pink". The china
cabinet was filled with Denise's
Politi books, artfully arranged
among pink blossoms. To end
the afternoon, Denise showed a
PowerPoint slide presentation
featuring Leo Politi's stories set
in Los Angeles and including
personal photos taken in Los Angeles
of Politi on Olvera Street during
The Blessing of the Animals, Angel's
flight, Politi's home on Edgeware
Road and the sidewalk that he
decorated with mosaic tiles.
On Sunday, May 18, 2008, the City of Los Angeles paid honor
to muralist, artist, author and
illustrator Leo Politi by naming the
intersection of Echo Park Avenue and
Sunset Blvd. "Leo Politi Square". The time of the ceremony coincided with a walking tour of Angeleno
Heights and Trolley Car dedication.
Included in the celebration was a
"special" tribute to Leo Politi from the
Los Angeles School District's Leo Politi
Elementary School students.
The
City of Los Angeles, Department
of Public Works and the Public
Affairs Office, in the spirit and
commitment to keep Los Angeles
beautiful, have granted The Leo
Politi Neighborhood Association, in the
historic
Westmoreland
Place
neighborhood
bound by
Hoover,
Pico,
Vermont
&
Olympic, another 27 trees
that were planted to further beautify
the neighborhood. The project
was completed in time for the
Leo Politi 2008 Centennial
Celebration.
father and
participated in a question and answer
session. The event was part of the
Echo Park Historical Society's quarterly
meeting on Wednesday, February 13th. The EPHS meeting was held
in the Library of Barlow Hospital, 2000
Stadium Way in Los Angeles. In
addition the Echo Park Historical Society
participated in other planned Echo Park
events honoring Leo Politi including The Angeleno Heights open house walking tour,
The Angeleno Heights Trolley Car "Plaque
Dedication and City of Los Angeles
Dedication of "Leo Politi Square" at the corner
of Echo Park Avenue and Sunset Boulevard. These events took place on the weekend
of May 17 and 18, 2008.
Visit the beautiful
Victorian homes from Leo Politi's book "Angeleno
Heights". Displayed inside each house were the original Leo Politi painting from his
book. This was a once in a lifetime tour
of Los Angeles' most filmed and beautiful
sections. Included in the tour was a stop at
Leo Politi's former residence with his
original mosaic artwork in the yard. Here,
guests were able to meet the Politi family where they shared more paintings of the
neighborhood that their father loved so much. May
17th and 18th, 2008.