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For 86 years, Phoenix Bakery’s confections have been featured in countless birthday parties, weddings, and other festive occasions. The bakery’s historical archive at The Huntington offers scholars insight into the formative years of Los Angeles’ New Chinatown and chronicles the bakery’s impact.

The importance of empathy and the power of language were recurring themes in a wide-ranging conversation between Carol Christ, chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and Huntington President Karen Lawrence. Topics addressed included the Pac-12 collegiate athletic conference, the impact of digital technology on education, and free speech.

The Huntington has acquired six extraordinary collections through the generosity of the Library Collectors’ Council, a group of supporters who help fund the purchase of new items to add to the Library’s holdings.

Inspired by the dazzling array of birds that add beauty and wonder throughout the Huntington gardens, staff member Harrison Hyatt created an interactive map that highlights commonly seen bird species and some of the plants they frequent. His goal is to enhance the Huntington experience by fostering connections with wildlife.

Historians long thought the Qing dynasty was arrogant, xenophobic, and closed to the world. If it had been more open, they argued, China would have been able to counter the Western advance. Recently, however, scholars have shown that the Qing were far more cosmopolitan, open, and connected than once believed.

Before Eve Babitz became a published writer, she was a visual artist, and her chosen medium was collage. Inspired by Joseph Cornell and Andy Warhol, she created the album cover art for Buffalo Springfield’s “Buffalo Springfield Again” and The Byrds’ “Untitled.”

To celebrate this year’s Founders’ Day, Lori Bettison-Varga, president and director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, engaged in a wide-ranging conversation with Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence about the past, present, and future of The Huntington.

California natives add a regional flair to gardens and also support local wildlife; many birds and pollinators prefer native plants, and some depend exclusively on them. Native plants fit a variety of garden niches, from spectacular specimen trees to ground covers, vines, and colorful annuals.