Ways of Water
In the Multipurpose Room, second floor.
In this conversation, Bob Ramirez (Kuruvungna Village Springs) and Sunny Wang (City of Santa Monica, Water Resources Division) will discuss the commonalities and conflict between Indigenous and municipal approaches to water stewardship, and possible points of collaboration as both work toward improving future sustainability.
Moderated by Debra Scacco as part of Scacco's artist residency at City Yards. Through 2025, Scacco is working with the Water and Resource Recovery and Recycling divisions at City Yards to examine natural resource and waste pathways through the city and beyond, and illuminate the lives of their essential workers keeping Santa Monica functioning. Presented by the Santa Monica Library in collaboration with Santa Monica Cultural Affairs.
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Bob Ramirez is the president of the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation, and CEO of Ramirez Design Inc., developing custom homes and gardens in our local community. He is currently engaged in creating the Memorial Gardens at the Mission San Gabriel in honor of the original inhabitants of California. Passion for the art of building and love of adventure inspired Ramirez to explore the world as a young man, leading to a multi-year circumnavigation of the globe. As president, Ramirez is leading the current efforts to restore the native ecology of the Tongva people and to educate the public about their history and cultural heritage. Ramirez has also been appointed to the Santa Monica Arts Commission.
The Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established to preserve and protect the Kuruvungna Village Springs site located at University High School in Los Angeles. The Foundation is a community organization dedicated to preserving the heritage site and educating the public about the history as well as preserving the natural and cultural resources of the area.
Sunny Wang oversees operations for the Water Resources Division of the City of Santa Monica. This includes groundwater production, treatment, and distribution of high-quality drinking water for the City as well as wastewater collection services. Additionally, Wang directs water resources policies and is leading the City’s goal of achieving water self-sufficiency as adopted by the City Council. The City’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP), the first underground water treatment facility in the country, is one of only four international projects nominated for a Global Water Award, a recognition of excellence across the entire international water industry.
Debra Scacco’s 25+ year research-based artistic practice examines cartography as an exercise of power. Her work lives at the intersection of ecology, history and policy; in the uncomfortable space where everything is connected. Scacco is the first civic-appointed artist-in-residence for the City of Santa Monica, in the Water Division and Resource Recovery & Recycling (RRR) Division (2023-25). She is the recipient of a 2023-24 City of Los Angeles Master Artist Fellowship (C.O.L.A.), and is co-director of Getty PST Art project Brackish Water Los Angeles at CSUDH. Her public works have been seen in the Western Mojave Desert, LAX Airport and at Ellis Island. Her work features in collections including LACMA, the Hammer Museum, MOAH and CAA.