Latest news with #Hilbert
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Hilbert Museum partners with Pageant of the Masters to tell a story of California art
When Diane Challis Davy, director of the Pageant of the Masters, was first invited to tour the Hilbert Museum of California Art in Orange last year, she was struck by the many images she knew would be a fit for Laguna Beach's famed living picture show. Mark Hilbert, who co-founded the museum with his late wife Janet, walked Challis Davy through the museum personally and sent her home with art books to look through. She came across a painting in one of those books that she knew had to be included in the Pageant. 'Mark gave me some of his beautiful books and I took them home and right away, I knew that 'Monday at the Crab Cooker' was perfect for a Pageant tableau,' said Challis Davy. The work by local artist Bradford J. Salamon depicted three men having dinner at the iconic Newport Beach restaurant. Challis Davy knew the scene inside the popular seafood eatery fit well with the 2025 Pageant of the Masters theme, 'Gold Coast: Treasures of California,' which is intended to be a tour of some of the most notable works of art on view at California's coastal museums. Unbeknownst to Challis Davy, she had just selected a piece that documents the beginnings of the Hilbert Museum itself. 'I chose it before Bradford told me he is [one of the men] in the picture, Mr. Hilbert is painted in the picture and Gordon McClelland is in the picture,' said Challis Davy. On Monday nights the three art lovers would get together over a fish dinner and discuss the idea of opening a museum that could display the collection amassed by Mark Hilbert and his late wife, Janet. 'We would just get together and talk about art until we were deaf,' Hilbert said. The meeting of the minds was the first imagining of the Hilbert Museum as it stands today and Salamon said he recognized history was being made. 'I felt privileged to be watching the soup being made with Mark and Gordon and the idea of a museum,' said Salamon. 'As we kept going every Monday and talking, I realized I was really dealing with people who could pull this off, I was dealing with a visionary who is going to do this; and I thought I should document it.' Salamon joined Challis Davy, Hilbert and Hilbert Museum director Mary Platt on the evening of June 4 in a panel discussion at the museum discussing the painting and other works selected from the Hilbert Collection that will be featured in this year's pageant. The Pageant of the Masters has been a tradition at Laguna Beach's Festival of Arts since 1932, when a few living pictures were presented as the 'Spirit of the Masters Pageant.' 'It grew over the years,' said Challis Davy. 'Thanks to a fellow by the name of Roy Ropp, who was a builder in town and a painter. He is considered the father of the pageant because he gave us our name, Pageant of the Masters.' Ropp used his expertise to add painted backdrops on a larger stage and incorporated music and narration in the show. He is also responsible for introducing 'The Last Supper,' as the finale, a tradition that continues today. Each year the show follows at theme, such as last year's 'À La Mode: The Art of Fashion,' which put the spotlight on popular styles of dress in various periods. Challis Davy works closely with her team to find the right works of art to present that best represent the theme. 'Proportion of overall canvas to figure is very important to us and how the figures are aligned,' said Challis Davy. 'We are going to take this two dimensional painting and we are going to turn it back into 3D, so it's all about the proportions.' Challis Davy said she also keeps an eye out for works with meaningful narratives, something the Hilbert Museum prides itself on. 'We specialize in what we call California narrative art, which is art that tells a story, ' Platt said of the Hilbert. 'You can also call it representational art or figurative art. It certainly has people in it, or the work of people. You might see a boat, or a pier or ranch or road.' In addition to 'Monday at the Crab Cooker,' the pageant has also selected Phil Dike's 'Afternoon at Diver's Cove,' Lee Blair's 'Mary by the Sea,' and another of Salamon's oil works, 'Seal Beach Nighthawks,' which depicts a cold night at a seaside corn dog shack. The Millard Sheets mosaic 'Pleasures Along the Beach,' which is the crown jewel of the expanded Hilbert Museum and was relocated from a Home Savings & Loan building in Santa Monica, will also be featured in the pageant along with a third Salamon painting, commissioned by the pageant. Since the segment on Salamon will include the Crab Cooker and the corn dog stand, Davy was hoping to include a third work that depicted a restaurant or bar. 'I thought there is got to be a third one and I look and looked and I couldn't find one that was suitable for our stage, so I thought 'OK, let's take a leap of faith and let's commission an artwork' and that painting is now in the Festival of Arts' permanent collection.' Salamon was given a choice of painting the landmark Sandpiper lounge in Laguna Beach — affectionately called the 'Dirty Bird' by locals — the Swallows Inn or the Marine Room Tavern on Ocean Avenue in Downtown Laguna Beach. The artist went with the Marine Room, painting a scene of patrons at the bar and in front of the fireplace. 'I put different little Easter eggs in there regarding art history; on the far left there is 'Folies-Bergère' by Monet, there is Winslow Homer's 'Breezing Up,' which they have done at the pageant for many years,' Salamon pointed during the panel discussion. There is also a small cat peeking out from behind a bar stool, a reference to the 'McSorley's Cats' by John Sloan, and a balloon dog on one patron's hat, a nod to Jeff Koons. 'These were all little things that I thought would be fun to put in,' Salamon said. Mark Hilbert will also get in on the fun this summer, joining the cast of volunteers at the pageant on 'Hilbert Museum Night at the Pageant' on July 9 to play himself in the 'Monday at the Crab Cooker' painting. 'We are not going to ask him to shave for this but he will have to be subjected to the make up application process,' Davy said. The 2025 Pageant of the Masters opens July 5 and recipients of the Hilbert Museum e-newsletter will receive a 20% ticket discount. For more information on the 2025 Festival of the Arts and Pageant of the Masters, visit For details on the Hilbert Museum exhibitions and the five works selected from the Hilbert Museum collection go to
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hilbert Group Appoints Russell Thompson as Group Chief Investment Officer
STOCKHOLM, SE / / May 21, 2025 / Hilbert Group (STO:HILB-B)(FRA:999) Hilbert Group AB (Nasdaq: HILB B), a leading digital asset manager, today announced the appointment of Hilbert Group partner Russell Thompson as its new Group Chief Investment Officer (CIO), effective immediately. Thompson joined Hilbert earlier this year following Hilbert's recent acquisition of Liberty Road Capital (LRC), the renowned digital asset manager he co-founded. Mr. Thompson's distinguished career spans top-tier roles at AIG and HSBC Hong Kong, where he led Pan-Asia trading desks, and at Midland Montagu. In 2003, he co-founded The Cambridge Strategy, steering it to a peak of USD 3.5 billion in AUM through pioneering emerging markets derivatives strategies. Most recently, he built Monaco-based Liberty Road Capital into a profitable hedge fund and successful business. Mr. Thompson is a Hilbert Group board member and will be overseeing all asset management related activities in the firm. For further information, please contact:Barnali Biswal, CEO Hilbert Group AB orNiclas Sandström, Co-founder Hilbert Group AB+46 (0)8 502 353 00ir@ About Us Hilbert group is a quantitative investment company specializing in algorithmic trading strategies in digital asset Group is a Swedish public company and is committed to providing operational infrastructure, risk management and corporate governance that meets the ever-increasing demands of institutional Group is listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market (ticker HILB B) with Redeye AB as Certified Adviser. For more information, visit: Attachments Hilbert Group Appoints Russell Thompson as Group Chief Investment Officer SOURCE: Hilbert Group View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oklahoma income tax cut bill clears first hurdle, sets stage for future reductions
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, speaks at an announcement of a budget deal for the 2026 fiscal year on May 14, 2025. House budget chair Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Faxon, stands to his right. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House on Tuesday advanced a measure to lower the state's income tax despite concerns it would have little impact on residents. House Bill 2764 creates a process for ultimately eliminating the state's income tax when revenues hit certain triggers. The measure would initially reduce the state's top income tax to 4.5% from 4.75%. It would also collapse the six income tax brackets into three. Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore, said the measure has safeguards to compensate for economic downturns. A tax cut would not occur if a revenue failure is declared, he said. It would take nearly 20 years before the income tax could be eliminated, Lepak said. Tax collections for the past 20 years on average grew at 4%, even when taxes were reduced, he said. A 0.25% cut would cost state coffers about $340 million, Lepak said. 'While it will have a small amount of savings for those in poverty, it is not sufficient enough to really have an impact on their circumstances,' said Rep. Michelle McCane, D-Tulsa. Rep. Ellen Pogemiller, D-Oklahoma City, questioned the timing of the cuts. Proposed federal changes to Medicaid could cost the state $841 million, she said. Congress is considering proposals that could require states to pick up more of the cost. Cutting taxes is an effort to check a 'political box' when there has been no substantial evidence that people want it, Pogemiller said. 'I think people would rather have daycare,' she said. 'I think people would rather have health care. I think people would rather have good roads.' Cutting the income tax by 0.25% equates to a Starbucks coffee a month for his constituents, said Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Oklahoma City. 'Maybe if you add it up over a year, it'll let them buy a couple dozen eggs,' Fugate said. The state expects to have $3.5 billion in surplus, said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. 'You reach a point as a state where you have so much surplus, you start to ask is it time we restore some of that back to the taxpayers to let them keep a little bit more of their hard earned money,' Hilbert said. He said the bill was responsible. It sets up a mechanism where an additional tax cut is only triggered if revenue projections are met plus more than what the tax cut would cost in terms of lost revenue to the state, Hilbert said. Even if the triggers are met, the Legislature could still put a tax cut on hold, Hilbert said. The measure passed by a vote of 74-19 and heads to the Senate for consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oklahoma Republicans tout proposed $12.6 billion budget deal
Gov. Kevin Stitt announces a budget deal for the 2026 fiscal year on May 14, 2025. Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, left, and House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, right, and other legislative leaders joined the governor for the announcement at the state Capitol. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. Kevin Stitt and legislative leaders on Wednesday announced an agreement on a $12.6 billion state budget for the upcoming fiscal year that contains a tax cut, increased education spending and money to purchase a prison. Republican leaders praised the budget deal, with one legislator calling it the smoothest negotiations he'd seen in seven years. Democrats, though, expressed doubts that the deal benefits Oklahoma residents. The proposed tax cut, which drops the state's top income bracket to 4.5% from 4.75%, comes after years of calls from Stitt. The Republican had faced roadblocks from lawmakers within his own party, who feared it could harm state coffers in bad revenue years. It also reduces the number of tax brackets from six to three. 'It stays in people's pockets to be able to be spent how they see fit,' Stitt said. The plan calls for triggers to further reduce the top bracket when revenue hits a certain target. Most Oklahomans fall within the top bracket. A family of four with an income of $50,000 would save about $137 a year, according to Senate staff. 'That's going to be very, very significant for a lot of families,' Stitt said. He said the cut is needed so Oklahoma can be competitive with other states. The budget agreement keeps most state agency allocations flat. However, it includes a 3.15% increase in public school funding, but a nearly 8.8% decrease in CareerTech funding, according to the Oklahoma State School Boards Association. Public schools will get $3.98 billion, up from $3.86 billion, according to the association. Some other agencies are slated to receive strategic investments for special projects. Some $200 million will go to construct a University of Oklahoma pediatric heart hospital, said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. Another $250 million is allocated to the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine in an effort to increase the number of animal doctors in the state, Hilbert said. 'It has not been taken care of and it should be an absolute gem for the state of Oklahoma,' Hilbert said. The state also plans to buy the private prison in Lawton for $312 million. The facility currently houses about 2,300 Oklahoma inmates. The budget keeps about $3.5 billion in state savings, Hilbert said. Senate Appropriations Chairman Chuck Hall, R-Perry, said the budget allocates funding to address deferred maintenance at state facilities. It also calls for a $26 million supplemental appropriation for the financially troubled Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. In addition, it gives the agency some funds to finance the provisions of a settlement agreement that the state entered into after being sued for not providing competency restoration services to inmates awaiting trial, said Trey Caldwell, R-Faxon, the House Appropriations and Budget Committee chairman. On the policy side, Republicans said they agreed to create business courts, which are specialized courts that handle commercial litigation matters. They also said they've agreed to reform the state's workers' compensation system and lawsuits. Under the proposed tort reform, lawmakers are expected to propose a cap on damages for pain and suffering, called non-economic damages. A prior cap was deemed unconstitutional. The bills are being drafted and will run through the legislative process, officials said. Hilbert said it was the seventh year he has been involved in the budget process. 'I would say it to me it feels like the smoothest year in terms of budget negotiations amongst the three stools of the House and Senate and governor,' Hilbert said. Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said her party was left out of the process and has some deep concerns about the budget. She said the budget has priorities for big business and corporate giveaways, but doesn't prioritize people and services. 'We don't believe this budget prioritizes people,' she said. Lawmakers must pass a budget before 5 p.m. May 30. Reporters Emma Murphy and Nuria Martinez-Keel contributed to this report. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill capping petition signatures from a single county advances from Oklahoma House
State House lawmakers have advanced a version of a closely-watched bill that would overhaul Oklahoma's initiative petition process. Versions of Senate Bill 1027 have now passed both the Oklahoma Senate and House of Representatives, but the Senate now has the final say on whether to send the bill to the governor. State questions, also called ballot questions or initiative petitions, can be put to a statewide vote if enough voters sign the petition. The bill would limit how many signatures can be collected from voters living in each county. Supporters say the change is needed to ensure rural Oklahomans have more of a say in their government. But opponents have argued SB 1027 will discount the voices of people who live in metro areas and make it harder for petition campaigns to succeed. House Speaker Kyle Hilbert is the co-author on legislation to cap the number of initiative petition signatures that can be collected in each county. House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, who shepherded the bill through his side of the Oklahoma Capitol on May 7, cited numbers from a recently circulated petition that showed 68% of signatures came from Oklahoma and Tulsa Counties, the state's two most populous counties. "You know how much the actual population of the state that is? That's 36.4%," Hilbert said. "For all this 'woe is me' about the metros, the metros are getting double the say of the rest of the state under the current process." During the House debate on the bill, state Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Oklahoma City, argued that the bill harms Oklahomans' ability to change their own laws. "When state questions are proposed, whether we propose them or the people propose them, ultimately the people decide. This body should be making it easier for people to put something on the ballot," Fugate said. "This particular measure should have gone to a vote of the people. If we're going to take away their power, they should decide that – not us." The House version of the bill is mostly the same as the version that left the Senate in March. One significant difference, however, is how the signature limits are calculated. Instead of limiting the collection of signatures to a percentage of registered voters in that county, the version passed by the House sets the limit based on the number of people who actually voted in the most recent gubernatorial election. More: Read the current version of SB 1027 adopted by the Oklahoma House (PDF) For example, initiative petition campaigns hoping to get their proposal on the ballot could only collect 25,593 signatures from Oklahoma County voters, and about 22,000 from Tulsa County voters. To succeed, they would need to find about 44,000 more signatures from less-populated counties. To propose a more permanent change to the state constitution, Oklahoma and Tulsa County voters could only provide about half the number of signatures needed to get it on the ballot. The House voted 69-23 to pass the bill. It was a party-line vote except six Republicans, mostly from urban districts, joined 17 Democrats in opposition. If the Senate agrees to the amendments approved by the House, it would then be up to Gov. Kevin Stitt to make a final decision on whether it should become law. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma initiative petition signature limit bill advances in House
