It Girl Clara Bow in 1927 - The Roaring 20s version of Madonna, looking kinda punk in high heels, gun belt, sombrero, surfboard. Photo courtesy Cary Weiss.
Chumash to Hard Cash (<1542 - 2022) is the working title of a book that has been a lot of work and a long time in coming. Delayed by Covid and other uncertainties for over two years, it is hoped that this book will be ready by the summer of 2023.
“Chumash to Hard Cash” details the arc and many flavors and layers of Malibu, from the time of the Chumash Indians - who lived a free life in a land of sun and abundance - to the present - when Malibu has become one of the most expensive, desirable places to live in the world.
Bizzy C - daughter of a well-known actress. Knows all about Clara Bow. We got the gun belt. She did the rest, shot with Lucia Griggi and got it done. Photo: Lucia Griggi.
And “Chumash to Hard Cash” is a tip of the hat to the Chumash Indians, who lived la dolce vita around the village called Humaliwo for many many centuries - until the Spanish appeared in their tall ships and pulled an Apocalypto - and changed everything.
The photographs in this book begin in Serra Retreat and Paradise Cove in the 1890s and run right up to the 21st Century - the point of this book is to show what Malibu was like going back 130 years, and then show what has changed and what hasn’t changed over more than a century.
Malibu has a lot of layers - natural and cultural, by land, sea and air. This book will show what is here, but also what isn’t here: Like turning Malibu Lagoon into a small craft harbor (1966) and a nuclear power plant at Malibu Seafoods (1967) and paving the Adamson House and turning it into a parking lot (1968).
Chumash to Hard Cash will explain what is here and what is not here an detail how the people of Malibu have managed to maintain that 26 miles of scenic beauty into the Last, Best Place in Southern California.
A very bad idea that fortunately did not happen: Dredging Malibu Lagoon into a small craft harbor. What you can’t see is a long jetty/breakwater right through the surf break between First and Second points. Oi.
Malibu Lagoon circa 2020. Malibu Citizens raised a big stink about the restoration of Malibu Lagoon, but be glad it’s not a small craft harbor and still somewhat natural.Photo: Finn Leeves-Coben.
The ETP = Estimated Time of Publishing for Chumash to Hard Cash is unknown. This book will be art directed by Joni Casimiro and self published at around 240 pages and printed 12” x 12” with gold foil and/or abalone shell on a black and/or white cover.
A SLIDESHOW OF IMAGES FROM CHUMASH TO HARD CASH
