San Pedro City Ballet, Arts United Invite Community to Mural Unveiling Oct. 5

SAN PEDRO — San Pedro City Ballet and Arts United San Pedro announce the unveiling of a brand-new mural and an official building renaming at 13th and Pacific Avenue.

A ribbon cutting ceremony officiated by the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce will happen October 5, to commemorate the official renaming of the San Pedro City Ballet building in honor of Legacy Donor Dr. Joseph A. Adan.

This event will be followed by the unveiling of a mural featuring the image of American Ballet Superstar Misty Copeland. Mural artist EL MAC (https://eimac.net/) will be in attendance, and the ceremony will conclude with champagne sabering. The mural was made possible by Arts United San Pedro (https://www.artsunitedsp.org/).

Misty Copeland said of the mural: “I’m incredibly honored to be featured in this stunning mural by El Mac at San Pedro City Ballet, my very first ballet studio and a place that will always feel like home. What he’s captured through my image is so much bigger than me, it represents every young person from this community and beyond who deserves access to the arts. This is such a beautiful tribute to where it all began for me.”

San Pedro City Ballet Artistic Director Cindy Bradley is quoted saying: “When we received a grant from Arts United San Pedro for the Misty Copeland mural on the side of our studio building, I became aware that world renowned and ultra talented artist El Mac had moved to San Pedro. He mentioned to me his desire to make a major contribution to the local community. We were very lucky to have him come on to the Misty mural project. El Mac’s version of Misty’s beauty will surely become an iconic local art installation”

Mural Artist El Mac said: “After moving to San Pedro roughly nine years ago, I was excited to finally have an opportunity to create a public mural here. One of the things I love most about this humble seaside corner of Los Angeles is its blend of maritime, immigrant, and working class culture, organized labor history, beautiful ocean surroundings, and the way this has all combined to create a home for assorted creative luminaries like Bukowski, Brenton Wood, the Minutemen, and one of the most famous ballerinas in the world, Misty Copeland. I was honored to be able to paint a mural honoring this beloved hometown hero on the side of a classic 1930s art deco building that now houses an awesome ballet school. I was also fortunate to receive lots of positive feedback and encouragement from the community while I worked on it a little bit here and there over the last few months. I’m hopeful that this mural and the love put into it, and the subject it highlights, might provide continued inspiration for other creative folks in years to come.”

A ticketed event will be held inside the studio as a fundraiser for San Pedro City Ballet. Attendees will enjoy:

Signing and meet and greet with EL MAC

A performance by San Pedro City Ballet principal dancers.

Hours D’oeuvres and beverages

Vinyl Dj (King Steady Beat) and Dancing

Time: 4 p.m., Oct. 5

Cost: $80 

Details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1571714312819?aff=oddtdtcreator

Venue: San Pedro City Ballet, 1231 South Pacific Ave. San Pedro