The Palau Freedom Memorial

An International Arts Exchange

Project Overview

The Palau Freedom Memorial is a dynamic collaborative project that will honor the citizens from
the Republic of Palau who served in the United States Armed Forces from World War II to the
present, those who sacrificed their lives, and those who continue to support the United States’
efforts to protect and defend the security of our country and others around the world. The
centerpiece of the project, the Palau Freedom Memorial, will bring together government and
cultural leaders, artists and craftsmen, the larger Palauan community, educators and artists from
Otis College of Art and Design (Otis) in Los Angeles, and a team of American humanitarian
workers from Project AmNet (led by the Honorary Consul General of Palau).

During summer 2010, Palauan leaders met with representatives from Otis and Project AmNet to
discuss collaborating on the Freedom Memorial. It was agreed that such a partnership would
create a wide-range of exciting educational, cultural, and exchange opportunities for Palauans
and Americans alike. Research and planning for the project commenced fall 2010 and Phase I
will begin in spring 2011 with the Palauan and American teams exchanging ideas and producing
sketches, plans, models, and other joint design presentations through a series of academic
activities and international videoconferences. In summer 2011, the American team will travel to
Palau to gather community input, conduct site visits and interviews, participate in workshops,
and further develop design proposals for the Freedom Memorial. Phase II will focus on refining
the design in relation to the information collected in Palau, developing a design that can be
implemented, material selection, construction, landscaping, and dedication services prior to or
coinciding with Palau's 20th anniversary of independence in October 2014. The Palau Freedom
Memorial is an inspiring and timely project that can deepen public understanding and
appreciation of the Palauan people's substantial contributions to the United States and its allies,
and addresses in a lasting, tangible way, broader themes of international exchange, democracy,
peace, and freedom.

Organizational Information

Project AmNet, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Los Angeles is committed to

improving the health of all Micronesians. Since 2004 the organization has worked with
government leaders to improve health services and health care on the island of Palau. Project
AmNet (for Ambulance Network) has provided two fully equipped ambulances; emergency
medical training for hospital staff; medical equipment, supplies and other hospital needs such as
shoes for nurses; and 127 bicycles to families and children to encourage healthy, active lifestyles.
Project AmNet was founded by Andrew Leeka, Honorary Consul General of Palau and President
of Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, and Thomas Baumann, Director of Physician
Development at Good Samaritan. Together, they have traveled throughout islands in the
Republic of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia to assess each community’s health
status, collaborate with officials to prioritize needs, raise or contribute their own resources to
purchase capital equipment, and continue to monitor the success of their efforts once a plan was
executed to ensure long-term sustainability.

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Otis College of Art and Design, founded in 1918 is Los Angeles’ first professional school of art
and has 501(c)(3) non-profit status. Otis has an enrollment of more than 1,220 undergraduate and
graduate students and is the most diverse private art college in the United States with 55%
minority enrollment. Alumni are represented in the Whitney Museum of American Art; the Art
Institute of Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Modern Art, New
York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Walker
Art Center, Minneapolis; and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, as well as other leading museums
and prestigious collecting institutions throughout the world.

Otis is a leading U.S. art and design college, especially recognized for promoting creative
professionalism with responsible citizenry among its students. Recently, the College
implemented a grant project funded by the Ford Foundation to develop a series of community-
based art programs in the rural town of Laton in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Otis is the only
art and design college in the U.S. to require students to complete two to three years worth of
community-based courses through the Integrated Learning program. Otis is also responsible for
the annual Otis Report on the Creative Economy of the Los Angeles Region, a groundbreaking
report which shows that artists and designers drive one of the largest segment of jobs and sales
revenues in the region. The report helps policymakers and business leaders understand the
significance and impact of this segment of our economy. For more information regarding Otis,
please visit http://www.otis.edu/.

Project Significance

1) The Palauan Freedom Memorial will recognize the Palauan people’s contributions to the
United States which are significant, yet often under-recognized and/or unknown. The Battle of
Peleliu (Operation Stalemate II), often called one of the most bitter and bloodiest battles during
World War II, was fought between the United States and Japan from September to November
1944 on the island of Peleliu, located 31 miles southwest of Koror, the capital. There were heavy
U.S. casualties and devastating Japanese losses during the course of this campaign. Presently, a
reported 200 Palauan men and women are fighting in the U.S. military and four have died in the
war in Iraq and Afghanistan (http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/17/world/fg-palau-soldier17).
With a population of only 20,000 residents, the losses are especially devastating.

2) The project aligns with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs’ new smARTpower program which aims to expand cultural diplomacy programs to
include visual artists to create public art projects with community members in foreign countries
(http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/10/149944.htm). The Palau Freedom Memorial is a
strategic partnership that helps strengthen the global role of creative professionals in advancing
human welfare and, at the same time, is a powerful opportunity for cross-cultural and inter-
generational collaboration. For example, Palauan leaders and families will be interviewed by
American artists from Otis to determine the needs of the people and collaborate with them to
implement a solution that best embraces the community’s vision. Collaborative processes such as
these are integral to Palauan culture and to Otis’ Integrated Learning program, a unique
educational platform that allows students to work in trans-disciplinary teams in tandem with a
community/site partner. Past community partners include, among many others, FilmAid
International, Center for Autism and Related Disorders, and Global Green USA.

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3) The project supports Palau Community College (PCC), which, based on conversations
between Otis Integrated Learning Director, Richard Shelton and PCC’s President, Dr. Patrick
Tellei and Marensia Edwards, Dean of Students, has a strong interest in arts education and
engagement practices as a potential area of future curriculum development. Otis would be
pleased to partner with PCC students and faculty in developing the Palau Freedom Memorial,
which both institutions believe will substantially bolster PCC’s access to and ability to adapt
leading art education and integrated learning teaching methodology. Further, such a partnership
would foster in PCC and Otis students alike, a deeper understanding of what is possible through
collaborative arts engagement, and of how the arts can serve to ignite community, enliven the
spirit, and raise collective consciousness. The Palau Freedom Memorial’s significance within the
island nation, and, likewise, within the hearts and minds of the Otis students and faculty
involved, will inspire others and promote recognition and understanding of the Palauan culture,
its people, and its contributions to freedom-building. For more information on Palau Community
College’s programs and accreditation, please visit http://www.palau.edu/.

Proposed Activities and Timeline

Phase I (January 2011-June 2011):

 Design Team. Faculty and students from Otis’ Integrated Learning program and Project
AmNet members will be the first group to travel to the region between June 1-15, 2011.
Students will stay at the dormitories at the Palau Community College and will collaborate
with other Palauan students, local artists, faculty and community members. Students will
participate in site visits and workshops, research cultural, educational, ecological,
sociological and economic aspects of Palau and identify ways in which they can effectively
articulate the community’s vision for the memorial. Local leaders, artists, historians and
other regional experts will be asked to speak to the team.

 Communication Plan. The Palau Freedom Memorial will be publicized through traditional
and grassroots marketing techniques, including, but not limited to: publication in American
and Palauan print newspapers and magazines, including Otis' alumni magazine; promotion
using email databases, social networking sites, and websites; and co-sponsorship with the
government, education, community, art and culture organizations.

 Community Events. To familiarize Palau residents with the project, the team will organize
events for community members, artists, students and faculty to meet.

 Documentation and Website. Writings, photos, and videos will be captured and collected
for archival purposes and for a website or book dedicated to the project.

Phase II (July 2011-date TBD):

 Research. In order to compile a list and verify names of Palauan war fatalities and/or
missing persons, the project will likely seek support from the United States Department of
Defense, the individual service branches, National Personnel Records Center, and National
Archives and Records Service. The American Battle Monuments Commission, Vietnam

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 Veterans Memorial Fund, and U. S. Commission of Fine Arts may also be contacted for
consultation purposes.

 Design and Construction. Information collected from the trip will be used for preliminary
designs for the Palau Freedom Memorial and will be presented to the Palauan leaders and
community for further feedback and selection. A jury comprised of Palauan community,
cultural and political leaders will select the final design. A general contractor will be hired
and Los Angeles-based architectural firm, Erlich Architects, has offered to prepare the
project plans and potentially supervise the construction. Groundbreaking and opening
celebrations will be determined and planned in collaboration with the Palauan leadership.

 Assessment/Evaluation. An independent evaluator will provide an in-depth analysis of the

project, reviewing the impact on the community and the project participants. (Otis previously
worked with Washington DC-based firm, Urban Institute, on the Ford Foundation-funded
San Joaquin Valley project.) The project will be shared with peer institutions at higher
education conferences such as Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and
Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD).

Funding

The Palau Freedom Memorial seeks a diversified funding strategy to include support from
government sources, individuals, corporations and foundations, veteran’s, civic, and professional
organizations. Otis is committed to contributing to the project by directly funding faculty and
administrative salaries, facilities, and by securing in-kind services such as Erlich Architects to
contribute drafting services. Project AmNet is committed to serving as an oversight,
coordinating, and fundraising body, as they have successfully completed numerous projects on
the islands and have deep-rooted established working relationships with government officials as
well as the Council of Chiefs. Funds received will be managed responsibly through an
established and audited escrow account.

Budget

Phase I costs are estimated at $50,000, including travel and accommodations for team members
(Otis faculty and students, Project AmNet), documentation, assessment, general and
administrative expenses. Phase II costs will be determined upon the implementation of Phase I,
based upon variables of site selection, project design, construction and material selection, fees
and permits, groundbreaking and dedication ceremonies, and miscellaneous expenses. As a
baseline, the Ngarachamayong Cultural Center in Koror received a $2.5 million grant from the
Republic of China toward the construction of the center and matching funds of $600,000 was
appropriated by the government of Palau (http://www.visit-palau.com/index.cfm).

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Short-Term Goals (Immediate to 1 year)

 Establish partnership team and expand the list of potential community partners.
 Develop written criterion and protocol.
 Expand personnel to include program manager.
 Organize travel and accommodations for team traveling to Palau.
 Identify and confirm guest speakers, experts, and workshop leaders.
 Develop strong relationships with Palau residents via community events.
 Engage independent evaluator.
 Begin documentation and website development.
 Secure funding from public and private sector.

Long-Term Goals (2 to 5 years)

 Design and construct a memorial that honors the individuals who have sacrificed their lives
for freedom as well as those who have served and/or are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
 Increase public knowledge and appreciation for Palau’s contributions to freedom.
 Report real, tangible, long-term benefits and positive relationship between Palauan and
American community.
 Palauan and Otis students will gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities available in
the arts and the role and responsibility of artists.
 Publish a set of best practices for student learning and demonstrate how full-college
curricular involvement in project-based and integrated learning can enrich communities.
 Continue Otis and Project AmNet’s involvement in the region.
 Publish and present research reports based on the project.

Indicators of Success

Interviews and surveys will primarily be used to measure the success of this project. Below is a
sample of the indicators that we aspire to collect. An independent evaluator/researcher will assist
in refining the measures and data collection methods.

 Palauan leaders will report:

 A high level of satisfaction for the team’s work in the region.
 A high level of trust and respect for the team among community members.
 A high level of appreciation and knowledge of the team’s efforts in the region.
 An increase in arts participation among youth, educators and community members as
well as an increase in students’ consideration of higher education and/or careers in art
and design.

• Palauan and American citizens will report:

• That they are proud of the Freedom Memorial because it is elegant and timeless, and is
representative of Palauan and American sacrifices to secure freedom.
• That art is a powerful and effective tool for cultural diplomacy.

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 Project leaders and partners will report:
 That the project was organized and effective.
 That the project is a solid model for community-based arts projects.
 A high level of satisfaction being involved in the partnership team.

 Otis students will report:

 Receiving a balanced and high-level of critical thinking, research and theory through
involvement in the project.
 That they are continuing and/or are focusing their personal creative work in the region.
 That the project enhanced their educational experience.
 An increased interest working with community members and organizations.

Project Leadership

Andrew Leeka, Honorary Consul General of Palau; Chief Executive Officer and President,
Good Samaritan Hospital; Co-Founder, Project AmNet. Mr. Leeka has been a vital force in the
Los Angeles health care community for over 30 years. He has served for the past 14 years as
President and CEO of Good Samaritan Hospital, a 408-bed nonprofit tertiary care medical center
in downtown Los Angeles. Good Samaritan Hospital has earned the prestigious designation as
one of “The Top 50 Hospitals in the United States” for four consecutive years by Healthgrades, a
national rating agency. Prior to joining Good Samaritan Hospital, he was President of City of
Hope Medical Group and Chief Operating Officer of City of Hope National Medical Center in
Duarte, California. Mr. Leeka holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of
California, Los Angeles, a Master of Business Administration degree from California State
University Northridge, and a Master of Arts Degree in Organizational Behavior from Phillips
Graduate Institute.

Thomas W. Baumann, Director of Business Development and Physician Development, Good

Samaritan Hospital; Co-Founder, Project AmNet. Mr. Baumann has over 30 years of
experience in health care management. Since 2006, he has led program development, physician
recruitment and retention, marketing, public relations, community and international relations at
Good Samaritan Hospital. He has been instrumental in bringing new programs to Good
Samaritan such as the Transfusion-Free Medicine and Surgery Center and international patients
from Guam and Micronesia. Prior to his role as Director of Business Development, he was the
Administrative Director of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiation Oncology from 1988 to 1996 at
Good Samaritan. He holds a lifetime teaching credential for the State of California community
colleges and has been an instructor in the Life Sciences Department, Division of Radiology
Technology at Pasadena City College since 1986 and has been a guest speaker for State and
National conferences including the California Radiology Teachers Association. Mr. Baumann
also served in the United States Air Force, closing of the Vietnam War (1972-1976) as a
paramedic and Radiology Technologist.

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Samuel C. Hoi, President, Otis College of Art and Design. President Hoi joined Otis in 2000.
Under his leadership, Otis became the first and only art school in the inaugural group of 76
colleges and universities qualified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
for its new elective Community Engagement classification in December 2006. While Dean of the
Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C., he created the Visual Arts Community
Outreach Program that received a National Multicultural Institute Award and a Coming Up
Taller Award from the President’s Committee on Art and Humanities. He was awarded an
honorary doctorate degree from the Corcoran College of Art and Design, and decorated in 2006
by the French government as an Officer of their Palm Academy. President Hoi received his J.D.,
Columbia Law School; BA, Columbia College; AAS, Parsons School of Design.

Randall Lavender, Interim co-Provost, Otis College of Art and Design. Professor Lavender is
a nationally and internationally exhibited artist/educator whose work has been shown at the Frye
Museum of Art, Seattle, Washington and Museo Calouste Gulbenkain, Lisbon, Portugal, and is
included in numerous private and public collections, such as Oceanside Museum of Art,
Southern California Gas Company, Cedars Sinai Hospital, and the Frederick R. Weisman
Foundation. Multiple works have also been featured in the Watson-Guptill publication, Zoo,
Animals in Art, and Professor Lavender’s authored publications include academic articles on
college art/design education in F.A.T.E. in Review, Journal of Aesthetic Education, and Studies
in Art Education.

Richard Shelton, Director, Integrated Learning Program, Otis College of Art and Design.
Mr. Shelton joined Otis in 2006, working in both the Digital Media and Liberal Arts and
Sciences Departments and in 2008, became Director for the Integrated Learning program. Prior
to Otis, Mr. Shelton was a visiting professor at Northeastern University, leading Northeastern’s
summer exchange program at the Burren College of Art in Ireland. He also served as Assistant
and Associate Professor in the Media Arts Department at the Minneapolis College of Art and
Design (MCAD) where he launched the animation program and assisted in the growth and
development of MCAD’s summer high school program. For the past 20 years, Mr. Shleton has
actively worked with community organizations such as the Minnesota State and Federal
Correction Facilities; Upward Bound; Film in the Cities; and Open Arms, serving the critically
ill in Minnesota. Mr. Shelton has also exhibited internationally at the Walker Art Center,
Minneapolis Institute of Art, NEXIT Gallery (Netherlands), Carlton College, and Goldstein
Gallery at the University of Minnesota.

May Sun, Instructor, Otis College of Art and Design. Ms. Sun was born in Shanghai, and
raised in Hong Kong and San Diego. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UCLA, and a
Master of Fine Arts from Otis College of Art and Design. Her work ranges from theater-based
performances to multi-media installations. Her public art projects include the Gateway Transit
Center, Culver City's City Hall, Boston’s Central Artery, and a commemorative fence for
Chinatown. Ms. Sun has taught at CalArts in Los Angeles and been an artist-in-residence at
Monet’s Gardens in Giverny, France, and at ArtPace in San Antonio, Texas.

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Cindi Alvitre, Instructor, Otis College of Art and Design. Ms. Alvitre has been a cultural and
environmental educator and activist for nearly three decades. She was the first woman chair of
the Gabrieleno-Tongva Tribal Council and was appointed to the Director of California State
Parks’ California Indian Heritage Center (CIHC) Task Force. Ms. Alvitre has represented her
community domestically and internationally in a number of different venues including opening
for Nobel Laureates Rigoberta Menchu Tum and His Hoiliness the Dalai Lama. She helped
found the Ti'at Society in the 1980s and continues to dedicate her life to the preservation and
protection of indigenous cultures. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a Master of
Arts in History/Museology and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of California,
Los Angeles in the Department of World Arts and Cultures.

Jeffrey Vallance, Program Mentor, Otis College of Art and Design. Mr. Vallance has
presented exhibitions at museums and galleries around the world, including Dakar, Senegal;
Reykjavik, Iceland; Zürich, Switzerland; Milan, Italy; Paris, France; Mexico City, Mexico;
Amsterdam and Middelburg, Holland; Vienna, Austria; Sydney and Tasmania, Australia;
Stockholm, Sweden; London, England; and Athens, Greece. Examples of his research and work
include initiating a campaign called “Preserving America’s Cultural Heritage” (a federal bill that
would establish a benefit fund for all living visual artists in the United States); meeting with the
king of Tonga and President of Iceland; creating a Richard Nixon Museum; and traveling to the
Vatican, Turin, and Milan, Italy to study Christian relics. Currently, he teaches at California
Institute of the Arts and has taught at Umeå University in Sweden, University of Texas at San
Antonio, University of Tasmania, University of California, Santa Barbara, UCLA, and
University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 2004, Mr. Vallance received the prestigious John Simon
Guggenheim Memorial Foundation award. In 1979, he received a B.A. degree from California
State University, Northridge. In 1981, he earned an M.F.A. from Otis College of Art and Design.

Steven Ehrlich, FAIA, RIBA, Principal, Erlich Architects. Mr. Ehrlich serves as the Design
Principal for all of Erlich Architects’ commissions and has been a guest critic at USC, Harvard,
Yale, and UCLA, and lectures extensively in the US and abroad. Mr. Ehrlich joined the Peace
Corps after graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was the first architect sent to
Marrakech, Morocco in 1969. Four more years of living, teaching, traveling and studying
indigenous vernacular architecture in North and West Africa formed Steven's approach to design
and continue to influence his work today. This formative period of Steven's education as an
"architectural anthropologist" helped Steven understand connections between architecture and
culture, people and place. After this period of learning, Steven returned to the United States in
1977 and resided in Los Angeles. There he could continue his interior-exterior connection
explorations within the context of a variety of public and private commissions with a variety of
clientele. Steven has sought to strengthen the connection between art and architecture. To that
end, he has worked in collaboration with several notable artists such as Ed Moses, Miriam Wosk,
Guy Dill and John Okulick.

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Advisors
Advisors and experts who have expressed commitment and interest in supporting the Palau
Freedom Memorial:

1. President Johnson Toribiong, Republic of Palau

1. Helen Reed-Rowe, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Palau
2. Hersey Kyota, Republic of Palau Ambassador to the U.S.
2. Dr. Victor Yano, Minister of State, Republic of Palau
3. Bilung Gloria Salii, Queen of Koror, Palau Traditional Women's Leader
4. Paramount High Chief Ibedul Gibbons and all 16 Chiefs from the 16 States (Aimeliik, Airai,
Angaur, Hatohobei (Tobi Island), Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngardmau,
Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngarchelong, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol)
5. Faustina K. Rehuher-Marugg, Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs, Republic of
Palau
6. Eunice Akiwo, Director, Bureau of Domestic Affairs, Republic of Palau
7. Dwight Alexander, Director, Bureau of Arts and Culture, Republic of Palau
8. Dr. Patrick Tellei, President, Palau Community College
9. Marensia Edwards, Dean of Students, Palau Community College
10. Congresswoman Diane Watson, former U.S. Ambassador to Federated States of Micronesia

Primary Contacts

Andrew Leeka
818-482-1231
aleeka@goodsam.org

Richard Shelton
310-849-7369
rshelton@otis.edu

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