La Jolla News Nuggets: New mural completed, Jewel Ball set, animal benefit events, more
‘Ebony on Draper and Girard’ mural complete
The latest work in the Murals of La Jolla public art program, June Edmonds’ “Ebony on Draper and Girard,” was completed July 19. Unlike other murals that are printed out and hung on a building, this one was painted on a three-story column over several days on the alley-facing side of 7724 Girard Ave.
For Los Angeles-based artist June Edmonds, the in-production “Ebony on Draper and Girard” mural is about more than making a three-story statement on the alley-facing side of 7724 Girard Ave. in La Jolla.
Edmonds said her work, inspired by the first Black women to own property in La Jolla, incorporates more than 40 colors in undulating lines. “I used the lines of the streets from old maps in the artwork. There are curves on the right that represent the curve of Girard Avenue on the south end. The curves on the top are like the north end of Draper Avenue.”
The curves come together to create a leaf shape to symbolize “feminine energy” and a darker color palette to represent “the darker skin tones of these pioneers.”
Learn more about the Murals of La Jolla program at muralsoflajolla.com.
Las Patronas sets Jewel Ball for Aug. 7
La Jolla-based women’s philanthropy group Las Patronas has set its in-person Jewel Ball, themed “Diamonds Are Forever” (in the spirit of James Bond), for 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7, at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, 2000 Spindrift Drive.
Last year’s Jewel Ball was held virtually because of COVID-19-related restrictions on gatherings.
Guests of the 75th-anniversary Jewel Ball are encouraged to “dress to kill” and “be transported into Bond’s world of delicacies, diamonds and drama,” according to a news release. The black-tie tradition is the culmination of a year-long fundraising effort by Las Patronas members to support the San Diego nonprofit community.
“The work our beneficiaries do to improve the lives of so many in need in our community continues to inspire our efforts. On this special evening, we celebrate these incredible San Diego nonprofits,” said Las Patronas President Martha Sottosanti.
Ballroom seats are $675 per person.
Since its inception in 1946, Las Patronas has donated about $25 million to more than a thousand local charitable institutions. All funds raised by Las Patronas stay in San Diego County and are distributed to nonprofits of all sizes.
Learn more about Las Patronas and the Jewel Ball at laspatronas.org.
Humane Society benefit and kitten adoption to be held at J. McLaughlin
Clothing store J. McLaughlin at 7880 Girard Ave. in La Jolla will host a Sip & Shop event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, July 30, and Saturday, July 31, when 15 percent of sales will benefit the San Diego Humane Society.
J. McLaughlin also will hold a kitten adoption event from noon to 3 p.m. Friday, July 30. The first five adoptions will receive $250 in services from La Jolla Veterinary Hospital; all adoptions will receive a welcome bag from Decker’s Dog + Cat at 7928 Ivanhoe Ave.
Newcomers Club resumes in-person gatherings
With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, the La Jolla Newcomers Club has started to sponsor in-person events again.
For instance, its golf groups are again teeing up at Mission Bay Golf Course. In addition, some of the club’s book and movie discussion groups have started meeting at members’ homes. And on July 9, many club members participated in the popular “Coffee Around Town” activity on the lawn of the La Jolla Historical Society.
Most recently, more than two dozen members hiked the bayside trail at Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma.
The Newcomers Club welcomes new members. People who have moved to La Jolla’s 92037 ZIP code in the past three years are eligible to join. For more details, visit lajollanewcomers.org.
UCSD Health implants neurostimulation device to help with chronic back pain
UC San Diego Health has completed the first surgery in the nation to implant a device that uses neurostimulation in the form of electrical pulses to key nerves and muscles responsible for stabilizing the lower back.
“We have learned that over time, patients with mechanical back pain experience degeneration of their multifidus muscle — a series of small, triangular muscle bundles located on either side of the spinal column,” said Dr. Krishnan Chakravarthy, director of clinical pain research at the UCSD Health Center for Pain Medicine and an assistant clinical professor at the UCSD School of Medicine. “By targeting this muscle with neurostimulation, we can not only reduce pain but potentially restore function.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one-fourth of adults in the United States live with chronic back pain.
The device — roughly the size of a small pager — is implanted in the lower back in an outpatient setting, requiring no more than an hour. After the surgery, patients receive 30 minutes of targeted neurostimulation twice a day every day, causing the multifidus muscle to contract and strengthen. The stimulation is applied through a patient-controlled remote connected to the device.
“In a clinical trial for the device, a significant improvement in pain and function was observed in a majority of patients after just three months, with durable effects lasting almost four years,” Chakravarthy said.
“What we’re seeing now is a positive impact through innovation by providing non-opiate pain therapy alternatives that are implantable, minimally invasive and are certainly redefining the pain-management landscape by providing patients more personalized options.” — City News Service
— Compiled by La Jolla Light staff ◆
Get the La Jolla Light weekly in your inbox
News, features and sports about La Jolla, every Thursday for free
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the La Jolla Light.