SHANNON URTNOWSKI
Living Editor
Malibu may be known for its sandy beaches and celebrity sightings, but many forget it is also a culture and arts Mecca.
At least, that is what Malibu resident of 15 years Mary Devine Scott has been working to promote in the community.
Scott is the owner of the Studio for Performing Arts Malibu and co-partner of the Malibu Performing Arts Center, which are located behind Malibu City Hall on Stuart Ranch Road. She said one of her main goals is to make a difference in the community, especially in the area of arts.
“It’s about the arts,” Scott said. “I don’t view it as a business. It’s a place for parents, teachers and students — kind of like a partnership.”
Scott has been involved with the Studio for Performing Arts Malibu for the past year and the Malibu Performing Arts Center since August. She said she encourages students to visit the studios to take part in the different classes offered.
“We love Pepperdine students,” Scott said. “Dance in Flight comes here, and we offer huge discounts for students.”
Scott was named co-partner of the Malibu Performing Arts Center, but the Studio for Performing Arts Malibu was a studio she opened through her own efforts. Constructing it was something she wanted to do for years while she was taking care of her daughters, now 13 and 15 years old.
The Studio for Performing Arts Malibu’s focus is primarily dance, while the Malibu Performing Arts Center encompasses a number of different performance classes.
Though she only took a few ballet classes when she was younger, she said her passion for the art is something she has passed on to her daughters, both of whom are active at the studios.
“My girls are total ballerinas, so I get to see it through the eyes of a mother,” Scott said.
Scott has stayed involved with her daughters over the years, home-schooling them since their birth until this past year. She now drives them to and from school and takes them to their dance classes six days a week.
“I’m a dancer at heart,” Scott said.
Her true artistic roots lie in music.
“Me and my dad, we would travel and sing in a gospel group,” Scott said.
Scott is a devout Christian. Recently faced with the deaths of close loved-ones, including her husband in August, She said her faith and daughters have guided her through the rough times.
“I’ve learned you need to survive every day, one day at a time,” she said. “It [my faith] is a huge part of my life. For me, it’s what I exist on.”
Those around Scott say they are inspired by her strength.
“She’s a woman of immense faith and trust,” said Katharene Johnson, a 2004 Pepperdine alumna who manages the Studio for Performing Arts Malibu and the Malibu Fencing Club in the Malibu Performing Arts Center.
When not active at the studios, Scott said she enjoys being in nature.
“I’m a total outdoor person, into camping, biking and all of it,” Scott said. “I might look girly, but I’m actually pretty tough.”
Scott is California native, born and raised near Pasadena, but her father owned a ranch in Missouri, so she said she went back and forth between the two homes. She attended college at Southwest Missouri State University.
Malibu is the place she now calls home, though.
“We’re definitely a part of the community,” Scott said. “I love living in Malibu because it really is a small community, so it has a safeness and small-town feeling.”
11-16-2006