A vibrant new koi fish mural at Little Shanghai will simultaneously usher in a new era for the Santa Cruz restaurant and support the artist Elijah Pfotenhauer and his charitable work in Haiti.
Pfotenhauer is a Santa Cruz native who has been giving back with his artistic talents through teaching and creating pieces for local organizations like Barrios Unidos and the Santa Cruz Teen Center.
“It’s just who I am, everyone’s an artist,” Pfotenhauer said. “Some people just stop and switch to different things.”
Little Shanghai is hosting a weeklong event from Jan. 28– Feb. 2 in which several of Pfotenhauer’s pieces are displayed inside. Up for sale are mixed-media pieces with prices ranging from $25–$1,000. During this event beers are two dollars each and one dollar from every purchase of apricot basil chicken, the artist’s favorite dish, will be donated to him.
in Haiti.
Pfotenhauer works with Burners Without Borders, a non-profit that volunteers its time addressing cultural and societal issues. Created by regular attendees of the Burning Man festival, the organization first came together in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild demolished communities in Mississippi. The organization grew and has since organized dozens of projects globally in places including Japan, Peru and Haiti.
Pfotenhauer departed last Monday to Jakmel, Haiti — a southern coastal town devastated by the 2010 earthquake. He hopes to teach art to the populace while simultaneously helping them set up a sustainable silkscreen shop.
The opening of the silkscreen shop is an effort to rebuild Haiti emotionally and economically. Currently there are no silkscreen shops along the south coast of Haiti, and this effort would provide a new source of revenue to the town and its resident artists. Pfotenhauer will also be volunteering at the Jakmel Expresyon art center, teaching the first of 10 month-long classes covering illustration, design and printing.
John Chiao, the new owner of 26-year-old Little Shanghai and son of the previous owners, says he’s happy to help support Pfotenhauer’s efforts, a cause he believes in. Besides the koi fish mural, Chiao has plans to further renovate the restaurant into a more modern and artistic space.
“I’m planning on renovating everything from the outside in to create an environment that is more of a spot people want to come to rather than simply another restaurant,” Chiao said.
Aaron Arkin, a student at UCSC, said he was already impressed with the food and is now glad to see the atmosphere keeping pace with it.
“I’ve been a student here now for three years and Little Shanghai is definitely my go-to Chinese spot,” Arkin said. “The new artwork definitely brings the restaurant more to life — I hope to see them keep adding more nice pieces”.
Chiao has known Pfotenhauer since high school and regards him as one of Santa Cruz’s premier artists. Chiao said through teaching and creating art, Pfotenhauer’s work will continue to leave a positive impact on the Santa Cruz community.
“I consider this a win, win, win,” Chiao said. “The community wins, Elijah wins, my family wins … it’s good for everybody.”
