Bazaar Del Mundo and Life with the Ruoccos: Diane Powers

The Finest City

In this episode, Todd Pittman sits down with Diane Powers, a native San Diegan and local champion of cultural tourism. Diane, an accomplished design professional and entrepreneur, shares how she came to preside over Bazaar Del Mundo, a grouping of colorful shops and restaurants in Old Town San Diego. She shares how her interest in art and design started at an early age and credits her growth as an artist from studying under Lloyd and Ilse Ruocco. Diane recounts how San Diego’s design and architecture landscape has been forever shaped by that era of bold calculated risk-takers.

Timestamps:

[5:43] Diane talks about the many inspirational people that got her into design, from her art teacher, interior designers, and her grandfather. She learned early on that she loved the idea of creating environments and thinking beyond what was possible.

[7:13] Diane discusses Ilsa Ruocco’s unique personality and expansive knowledge of what she would refer to as environmental design. Having her as a teacher, she saw firsthand Ilsa’s perspective and appreciated her style, and began to notice how it both matched up and differed with her own.

[11:28] What Diane loved most was how Ilsa taught. It was learning together, rather than just sitting in a classroom.

[18:51] Diane talks about falling in love with textiles and beautiful pieces from India, which then led to developing an appreciation for folk art and Mexican culture.

[21:46] The most expansive thing that Diane learned from the Ruoccos was their use of open plans. She learned how to really see the details of the buildings, the materials, light, use of wood, etc.

[23:08] The Ruoccos also had amazing parties with professionals and interesting people at the top of their game.

[27:52] Lloyd would bring a lot of plants in the house and the natural materials would help homeowners feel a connection with the outdoor world while they were inside.

[37:00] Did people collaborate while at the Design Center? Diane shares how architects, landscapers, photographers, and more all came together.

[39:22] Diane gets emotional about a partnership and begins to explain how Bazaar Del Mundo came about.

[49:02] How has technology both helped designers and architects, and how has it possibly negatively affected their creativity?

[58:48] Diane carries on the legacy of her inspirations by trying to get people motivated, together, and feeding life into the city.

About C-3

In its 60 years of existence, Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 (C-3) has brought together local thought leaders from planning, design, policy, academia, community development, and more to address our region’s distinctive and pressing land use challenges. In founding C-3 almost 60 years ago, architect Lloyd Ruocco’s vision was to bring together our region’s most creative minds from the arts, sciences, academia, and government to share ideas, learn new perspectives, and build fellowship around the idea of creating livable communities.

Opportunities for Advocacy and Engagement:

C3sandiego.org

Diane Powers

Lloyd Ruocco

Ilsa Ruocco

Homer Delawie

Garden Cities of To-Morrow, by Sir Ebenezer Howard

Arline Fisch

Robert Peterson

Hal Sadler