On May 9, 2026, the premiere artist event of Culver City’s Colorful Communities program took off at El Marino Park celebrating the 96th anniversary of the airport that once occupied that exact space. The manicured lawn of the park and the soft sand of the playground were only the most recent persona of a space that had a very different function when the city was young.
A small crowd was on hand to listen to artist Deborah Aschheim’s plans for commemorating the space with a ‘time-slip’ drawing of the original pilots who used the airfield, adding in the faces of some current Sunkist Park residents. A unique way to blend the memory of those who worked in the space, and the people who came to hear the history.
“The airfield was owned by Margaret Perry, who brought in Amelia Earhart. There were – and still are – very few women working as pilots, and of course, many of them knew each other.” Aschheim’s narrative of the how the air field came into existence included a brief history of the Ninety-Nines, a piloting ‘sorority’ that kept female flyers in touch with each other for professional opportunities. Aschheim was joined by Daniela Ossemer Guimarães, a current member of the Ninety-Nines Los Angeles Chapter.
The artist asked those in attendance to pose for photographs, so she could include their faces in the ‘time-slip’ drawing, which will be presented and installed on the site.
Questions from the crowd included how many planes used the field, what kind of training the pilots had, and if stuntwork for the local film studios was also done here.
Aschheim was chosen by the Cultural Affairs Division as the artist for the Sunkist Park community. Other communities in this phase of the program include Blair Hills, Culver West, Lucerne/Higuera, and Fox Hills.
The Ninety Nines is still an international organization of licensed women pilots from 44 countries.
The next Colorful Communities event will be for Blair Hills, and will feature artist Lori Escalera this Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 2 pm to 3:30pm at Blair Hills Park, 5950 Wrightcrest Drive.
Judith Martin-Straw
Photo – Daniela Ossemer Guimarães with Deborah Aschheim
