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# Ice at Santa Monica hosts Culture Collective conversation
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/ice-hosts-fireside-chat/
- Published: 2023-12-04T14:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-12-11T23:01:51.000Z
- Author: Thomas Leffler
- Tags: arts, Entertainment, Lifestyle, News, Ice Rink, YMCA, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-11-06 12:20

The final Culture Collective conversation event of 2023 took place on Nov. 28, a fireside chat at the Santa Monica Ice Rink hosted by Santa Monica Arts Commissioner [Michelle Edgar](https://smdp.com/2023/11/20/collective-of-cultural-trailblazers-graces-viceroy/?ref=smdp.com) and Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. Director of Operations & Placemaking Jeremy Ferguson.

The event, titled “How Art Can Shape a Cityscape,” included a panel with Edgar, Santa Monica Family YMCA CEO Hodge Patterson, artist Vida Rodriguez and contemporary artist [RETNA](https://www.artsy.net/artist/retna?ref=smdp.com). The panel discussed their individual connections to the arts world, how arts can transform a community like Santa Monica, and their own successes.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/smdp-com/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2024/07/culture_3-scaled.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/smdp-com/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2024/07/culture_1-scaled.jpg)

Patterson told the crowd that YMCA participation has continued to rise in 2023, and that he looks forward to following up the success after taking the CEO title at the Santa Monica location six months ago.

*thomas@smdp.com*