On Saturday, Beverly Hills hosts a "public art party" to celebrate the work of Yayoi Kusama. I’ve experienced a Kusama installation before at the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh. It was cool and wacky. This event’s free and the Paley Center for Media will be free as well that day as part of the festivities.
http://www.publicartparty.com/
Combine this day with a visit to the Renegade Craft Fair (also free) and you’ll have a great, creative Saturday.
This sounds great!
http://www.renegadecraft.com/los-angeles?site=la
And it’s free!
Learn how to make a linoelum block print and other arts/crafts for free! There will be bands too. And it all takes place on the penthouse level of California Market Center with 360-degree views of downtown L.A.
**** UPDATE***
We went to this. It was very cool to see all the great craft-y stuff people made. Creativity was everywhere. It was nice to see that there were people who weren’t technologically obsessed and still making things by hand. Practically everyone was a hipster there in a craft-y sense and no grandma dollies or doilies were around. Most of the vendors were quite shy and that was cute to see, though that probably doesn’t help their businesses. One of the coolest things I saw was The Weekend Store which made vintage recycled jewelry from old typewriter keys. Pics to come.
These bloggers have nice posts about the event:
http://apatchworkworld.blogspot.com/2009/07/renegade-swap-o-ramarama-recap.html
http://milkandeggsco.com/index.php?_a=viewBlog&blogId=34
Ever since I was little, the story of Pompeii intrigued and haunted me
From LACMA’s email newsletter:
Special Offer: Free Admission to Pompeii and the Roman Villa
LACMA is pleased to offer one day of totally free access—June 9—to its blockbuster exhibition Pompeii and the Roman Villa and the entire museum!
KCRW exclaims that you simply can’t afford to miss Pompeii and the Roman Villa’s sculptures, frescoes, and glass vessels that have never been see outside of Italy, and the L.A. Times hails the show as “absorbing, well-considered, and beautifully installed.” Now is your chance to experience it all for free!
_____________________________
*TWO WAYS TO RESERVE YOUR TICKETS
To reserve your free tickets to Pompeii and the Roman Villa, you may visit lacma.org or stop by a LACMA Welcome Center. Tickets are not avaliable by phone. Tickets are limited to four per reservation.
This sounds intriguing, got it off a listserv. Also, could be a fun cheap date/recession fun outing -
" The Coffee Cup Collective is a project sited at the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock and Swork for the Intersections 2009 exhibition. The production phase of the project introduces participants to ceramic reproduction methods with the aim of manufacturing coffee cups. Completed cups will be inserted to Swork’s dish inventory and be activated by Swork’s staff to serve beverages to customers.
Participate in the production activities of the Coffee Cup Collective
- Make a 2 Part Plaster Mold
- Slipcast Coffee Cups
- Glaze Bisque Ware
(all materials, tools, and equipment supplied)
Where:
Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock
2225 Colorado Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90041
When: (drop in any time during the sessions)
May 26, 10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
June 2, 10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
June 6, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
June 9, 10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
June 11, 10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
June 16, 10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
June 18, 10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
For more information:
Edith Abeyta - (323) 906-1978 or edith@edithabeyta.net "
Along with the Police Historical Museum. I went on this day last year - great fun! We took mugshots at the police museum and ate free hot dogs there. :0)
From Pasadena Now:
|
Free Admission Event:
“Museums of the Arroyo Day” Six museums in Los Angeles and Pasadena located along the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena will open free to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 17. Participating museums are
Heritage Square Museum, The Gamble House, Los Angeles Police Historical Museum,
the Lummis Home and Garden, the Pasadena Museum of History and
the Autry National Center’s Southwest Museum of the American Indian.
Various Locations Six Museums along the Arroyo | (213) 740-8687 |
The Pasadena Waldorf School is hosting its second annual Festival of Art on Saturday, April 25, 2009, 10 am to 5 pm. I’ve been curious about Waldorf schools ever since I read that its students learn how to knit and weave even before writing. The thinking behind this is if a student knows how to make clothes, she’ll be empowered. I could have this all wrong though. Please enlighten if you know. Nonetheless, the festival gives outsiders a chance to tour the school’s wooded grounds.
http://www.pwsfestivalofart.com/
209 E Mariposa Street, Altadena, CA 91001
***** UPDATE ****
I went to this and it was great, very peaceful and relaxing. The campus is idyllic with its shady trees and bungalows. I was impressed by the selection of artists too; they seemed to be representing higher quality work than what I’ve seen at other art fairs (i.e. South Pasadena’s). Also the food, though just with two vendors, was great: vegetable fritters, healthy vegetable chow mein, potato latkes, gourmet pizzas, and more. This was a zero-waste event, meaning all trash was either recycled or composted. I was impressed. I also got to visit a very cheerful, yellow classroom and see the handiwork of the students. Yes, they do learn knitting and then progress to making clothes, dolls, and animals. They also have a school period called "games." The school just seemed like a really safe, protected place. I couldn’t tell if the kids did computer projects or had computers. A place without texting - could it be?
Santa Monica Library is letting borrowers check out real live people!
What a great idea! I kinda am interested in talking to the ex-gang member.
is Friday, March 13, 2009.
Here are the deets.
The new Samurai exhibit at the Pacific Asia Museum is free on this night too.
Go here and enter in some text. Hit submit and out comes your wordle, word art. Click on Wordle.net’s gallery to see some samples. Words that are repeated will appear larger. If this makes no sense to you, please just go to the site and play around. It is super cool! If you’re a teacher, this could be a fun classroom activity. If you fetishize words and fonts, you’ll be in heaven here. This site is great too for those who are challenged in the graphic design area but want to make cool looking signs.
See a wordle of this blog entry at unhipla’s wordle gallery. This one’s my favorite unhipla wordle so far.
Just got this from my Nucleus email newsletter:
Nucleus Sketch Book Society Sessions
Every Wednesday | 6:00PM - 9:00PM
The Sketch Book Society is an informal club for professional and aspiring artists to gather, share, draw, and inspire one another. Hang out and meet local artists in a relaxed atmosphere while gaining some pencil mileage. Complimentary refreshments are served.
On February 18, 2009 we will hold a special session with a live model. Tickets for this session are $15.00 per person. For more information, click here.
Also, Nucleus is renting out space for serious artists in their loft workspace above their gallery.
(626) 458-7482 | 210 East Main St Alhambra, CA 91801 | Mon-Thur: 12pm-9pm, Fri-Sun: 11am-10pm
What a great title! LACMA is hosting a free lecture on looking at art. Here’s its blurb:
"Milton Esterow, editor and publisher of ARTnews, talks about the international art scene, the art market, art journalism, art criticism, and changes in taste and fashion, followed by questions from the audience. Born in New York City, Esterow was a reporter for the New York Times and specialized in cultural affairs. He has lectured extensively both in the United States and abroad and is the author of The Art Stealers. Since he bought ARTnews from Newsweek Magazine in 1972, Esterow has guided its growth into the most widely circulated art magazine in the world. Under his direction, ARTnews has won most of the major journalism awards presented to magazines; ARTnews editors and reporters have been honored thirty-two times for excellence in reporting, criticism, and design."
Free, no reservations needed.
February 5 | 7:30 pm | Bing Theater,
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90036
tel 323 857-6000
tel 323-857-0098 (TDD)
www.lacma.org
Check here for more free talks and screenings at LACMA. Get an art history education for free! Some of my favorite moments in college were sitting in an art history lecture, with huge slides of art before us, and hearing the professor discuss them.
The Riverside Dickens Festival is this weekend, February 6-8, 2009. Have tea with Queen Victoria, enjoy a Victorian Era fashion show, performances, and much more.
LA’s Chinatown is having its first Art Night on Saturday, January 24, 2009, from 7 - 10 pm. This will be a quarterly shindig featuring contemporary art, clothing, furniture, music, performance and design.
Sounds like fun and it’s free!
Bee Vang and Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino
I’m a little late on this post, but the best movies I saw this year were Milk and Gran Torino. Milk just had so many great themes running throughout it: having passion and truth in your life, making the world better for others, giving people hope and courage, and of course, civil rights and fair treatment of all. Milk, about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California., showed a man who changed the world while in his 40s. He figured out his purpose late in life, which kind of goes along with the Barack Obama idealism that is floating around these days: It’s never too late for change, for others and yourself. I really encourage everyone to go out and see Milk. Sean Penn gave a phenomenal performance, really transforming himself for this role and channeling the charismatic Harvey Milk. James Franco, who I admit is the reason I first went to see the movie, also gives a quietly charming performance. At one point while watching the movie, I took a look at the audience while Harvey Milk was giving a speech. They (we) were all riveted. The movie also gives a great history of the gay rights movement in the 70s in San Francisco; I had no idea how tumultuous it was.
If you’d like to see a documentary on Harvey Milk, there’s a free one here on Hulu.com: The Times of Harvey Milk. Yay for Hulu.com!
Now for Gran Torino. I don’t know what it is about Clint Eastwood, but he’s just so cool. He plays a 78-year-old hero who saves his young Hmong neighbors from gang violence. The ending alone is reason to see this film and how the story builds up to it is great filmmaking (though the beginning of the film is bumpy). I also loved watching the cranky Eastwood character interact with his culturally different neighhors and how he takes the boy and girl under his wing. Also in terms of filmmaking, it seems like Eastwood is passing the torch onto a younger generation and by casting real Hmongs in the film, he is making cinema more authentic and inclusive. I’m Asian American and seeing Clint Eastwood, a quintessential American, with a Hmong cast is unexpected and wonderful. Go Clint go! The two young Hmong actors in this film, Bee Vang and Ahney Her, gave fine performances as well.
Ultimately, both movies are about making America better for the next generation.
On Sunday, November 30, from 1 - 5pm, two Alhambra art galleries will be having closing shows. I’m pretty sure the art, music, food, and festivities will be great. The Howeeduzzzit show is called "Jazzed About the Blues" and features art inspired by music.
Howeeduzzit Gallery
821 S. Raymond Ave., #27
Alhambra, CA 91803
Web: www.howeeduzzitgallery.com
Studio: (626)458-8811
The two galleries are within walking distance of each other. Please click here to read about my recent, very fun visit there.
This Saturday, November 15, the City of South Pasadena will be hosting its Fall Arts Fest, featuring artist open houses, holiday boutiques, art-making workshops, music performances and much more. Check out the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce’s site for details. Mission Tile West (853 Mission) will host a free tile-making workshop from 2 pm to 5 pm. Woopie!
Location: Mission Street between the Meridian Iron Works Museum Plaza (at the Gold Line Station) and Fair Oaks Avenue.
Today, October 5, 2008 from 1- 5 pm, is the closing reception of the Chair Show at the Howeeduzzit Gallery in Alhambra. I went to a reception here last month and it was just dandy: an eclectic display of artist-made chairs with tasty food and jazz playing in the background.
HOWEEDUZZIT GALLERY
821 S. Raymond Ave., #27
Alhambra, CA 91803
(Corner of Mission Road and Raymond, 3 blocks east of Fremont)
More recession fun -
On October 4 and 5th, many museums in Los Angeles County will be open for freesies. Typically a museum free day means way more crowds, but still it’s a fun way to hit a bunch of museums at once. Here’s the list from www.MuseumsLA.org:
MUSEUMS FREE-FOR-ALL
Free Admission Days October 4 and/or 5, 2008
In a joint effort to welcome diverse communities across Southern California, the Museum Marketing Roundtable announces the fourth annual “Museums Free-For-All” during the weekend of Saturday, October 4, and Sunday, October 5, 2008. The following 24 institutions—exploring art, cultural heritage, natural history and science—will offer free admission to all visitors on one or both dates
Participating Museums:
From the Pacific Asia Museum:
Sunday September 28, 11:00am-5:00pm
Free Family Day - Himalayan Festival We’re celebrating the people of the world’s highest region with the biggest FREE Family Festival of the year! Enjoy hands-on crafts, music, dance, exhibitions, demonstrations, and food and crafts for sale from Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Tibet. The Himalayan Festival is presented in association with the Tibetan Association of Southern California and is made possible in part by the City of Pasadena Arts and Culture Commission and Cultural Affairs Division, Pasadena Art League, Target, Dharma Arts, Tibetan Arts, India Sweets and Spices and Bodhi Tree Bookstore. In-kind support provided by Dolphin Rents, Sierra Club, and Whole Life Times. Special thanks to the volunteers of Pacific Asia Museum’s Himalayan Arts Council and Pakistan Arts Council.
*** EVENT CANCELLED ***
This looks like a good opportunity to get some unique items. From Yelp:
Alternative Art Market
Saturday and Sunday
September 27 - 28
1 until 7 pm
A Harvest of Uniquely Wondrous Curios
T-shirts, Original Art, Pottery, Posters, Jewelry, Handbags, Hats, Home Accessories, Holiday Gifts, Doggie Clothing, And No MMP Guaranteed! (No Mass Manufactured Products)
Plus Live Music Provided by the following:
Remmy (Flamenco reinterpretation)
Hiro (Jazz Keys & Bass)
DJs Sean & Katia
A special super groovin’ intergalactic progressive jazz improve jam band
And two blues bands too!
Come join us in the majestical courtyard at
88 North Fair Oaks (at Holly St.)
Pasadena
(626) 844-8886
http://www.myspace.com/majesticalroof
For some pics of this majestical place, visit eyelevelpasadena’s discovery of the spot.
I know there are a few art galleries in Alhambra, but I just wind of a few more. Could Alhambra be becoming the next hip artist spot? Will gentrification rear its ugly ahead in the SGV? Honestly, I think Alhambra is big enough that it could take it and still retain its ethnic charms. From http://www.yolandagonzalez.com/homepages/events.html
2008
I found out about this via an enewsletter I get from the artist Carol Es whose work I dig.
**** UPDATE *****
I moseyed on down to this and it was a great show. I was impressed by the art at both galleries and the abundance of food and drink. The vibe was very laid-back, cool, but in an SGV-way, not pretentious. People were nicely, artistically dressed. I’d say the age range was late 30something and up with a majority being Latino. Not too many young hipsters milling about. The galleries are in an industrial park of sorts, alongside clothing and computer manufacturers, and a Mexican restaurant. I was really surprised that Alhambra had this semblance of an artistic community and was really happy to not have to drive past downtown to get a dose of art. You could say it was Bergamot Station-light, very light, with two galleries within walking distance of each other. A jazz band entertained at Howeeduzzit while patrons sat on the grass and enjoyed them. The weather was beautiful. Yay Alhambra!
This sounds like it could be interesting and a fun date option. From Yelp:
The Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA) is proud to announce its summer event, the museum’s first ever multimedia celebration: 8eight8. This night of music and art will take place on Friday, August 8 (8-8-08), from 8 o’clock until midnight on the museum’s rooftop terrace and will feature three DJs, custom light and graphic shows and a cash bar. The evening will also include gallery viewing on the second floor of the museum.
The event is co-organized by the PMCA, Poo-Bah Record Label of Pasadena, and dublab, the web radio collective. Poo-Bah Record Label artists Matthew David, Take, Ras G, and Sacred & Nobody, will perform under the summer sky and visitors can explore the galleries from 8pm-10pm. The current exhibitions on view at the PMCA are the acclaimed Kori Newkirk: 1997 - 2007 and Tales from the Strip: The Hot Rod Comics and Drag Racing Cartoons of Pete Millar
FREE FOR MEMBERS $5 FOR NON MEMBERS
When: Friday, August 8 2008, 8:00pm - Saturday, August 9 2008, 12:00am Where:
based on 2 reviews 490 East Union St
I can’t wait to make it over to this! I love Yoko Ono’s art and the hopefulness and whimsicality in it.
From Pasadena Now:
 Yoko Uno sits under a wishing tree. |
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Yoko Invites the Public to Make a Wish One Colorado Courtyard |
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Run, don’t walk, over to the Alhambra Public Library as they are currently checking books out for 10 weeks. This is great geeky fun! The long time span covers the library as they move over to their new building opening September 13. Woopie! Summer reading for the rest of the summer! This includes books on tape too, but not DVD rentals.
ALHAMBRA PUBLIC LIBRARY WILL BE
CLOSING ON AUGUST 11, 2008.
Starting July 21 we will begin checking all books, audio materials and educational DVD’s out for 10 weeks, so they will be due on October 1, 2008 at our new site.
The New Civic Center Library will open on
September 13, 2008
101 S. First St
Alhambra, CA 91801
To see the new library plans, visit here.
I read somewhere that one way to be environmentally conscious is to buy recycled clothes, as in thrift store shopping. Could me boycotting The Gap really make that much of a difference? For the past week, I have been looking for inexpensive, thin, 100% cotton, long sleeved shirts for traveling to India. I scoured many stores and came up with nothing reasonably priced. Then it dawned on me to try the Goodwill. Score, score, score. Thrift stores are perfect for buying clothes that are out of season, as long sleeve shirts seem to be right now.
I was amazed at the really good selection at this Wesssside Goodwill:
8905 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 845-9327
The fashionable cast-offs here were aplenty. Seriously! The Wessside’s good for something.
Right down the street from here is Govinda’s, a Hare Krishna restaurant, store, museum, and temple. I actually stopped here first to try to find shirts but didn’t find anything I liked (the shop is nice and worth a visit). The LATimes has written about Govinda’s food many times, and I would have given it a try, but I wasn’t hungry. The vegetarian buffet did not look that extensive though. It’s $7 all you can eat or $4.15 a pound. On Sundays at 6 pm, they offer a free six course feast, according to their website. It was very peaceful there.
Govinda’s www.govindsla.com
3764 Watseka Avenue • Los Angeles, California • 90034 • 310-836-1269
>> DIRECTIONS <<
And while you’re over there thrift shopping and eating Indian food, might as well stop by the Musuem of Jurassic Technology which is also nearby. It’s probably L.A.’s most unique, imaginative museum consisting of fictitious displays. It’s a great and freaky. So there you have it, UnHip LA does the Wessside: Govinda’s, The Goodwill, and The Museum of Jurassic Technology. You might even forget where you are.
The Museum of Jurassic Technology
www.mjt.org
9341 Venice Boulevard
Culver City, California 90232
four blocks west of Robertson Boulevard in the historic Palms district of Los Angeles across the street from Main Street, Culver City.
See Map
PS The LATimes also recommends eating at Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine for their $4.99 lunch specials. Tara’s is near the other stops mentioned above and is number 16 on the Time’s recent Delciious Deals list. I plan to try it someday.
Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine, 10855 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 836-9696.
This Sunday, July, 20, the City of South Pasadena will be sponsoring their 2nd Annual Clean-Air Car Show and Film Festival. Here’s your chance to learn about environmentally friendly cars that are currently on the market and in development; over 30 cars will be there (sans pushy car sales people I hope). The City will also be showing eco-movies at the Rialto; the 11th Hour by Leonardo Dicaprio plays at 11 am and 3:30 pm, with mini-seminars and guest speakers in between. Sounds like a good, learning time. There’s free food and give-aways to boot. I feel so yesterday driving a gas-guzzling car. It’s time to learn my options.
South Pasadena’s 2nd Annual Clean-Air Car Show and Film Festival
Sunday, July 20, 2008
11 am - 6 pm
El Centro Street and Fair Oaks Avenue
Free Admission!
Here’s an article on the event from Pasadena Now, from which I learned about the event. Thanks PN!
The San Gabriel Valley is so uncomfortably hot and muggy now. I was in Westwood the other day and the weather was beautiful, a cool breeze all over the town. It’s so unfair that the Wesssside has such lovely temps.
I took a walk through the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, which opened on June 30, 2008, after a 10-year building process and a $829.3 million budget. Wow! What an ultra-modern beautiful space designed by I.M. Pei. When I stepped into the main hallway, I was overwhelmed by the spaciousness and white color scheme. I thought I was on a ship in Star Wars and looked for Storm Troopers. It was that white. If you’re in Westwood, I suggest you stop by and see this stunning design which encompasses over 1 million square feet and can withstand up to an 8.3 earthquake. It was utterly beautiful right down to the doors of the bathroom which blended into the walls. The meditation room was also a nice spot, with blankets in a basket.
And if you get hungry, eat there. Hospital cafeterias usually have reasonable prices; $6.60 for a meal including side dishes and drink. This cafe, with a resort-like patio, is up the outside stairs and connected to the Ronald Reagan hospital. There is also a dingy restaurant on the circular driveway of the hospital. Skip that place; the prices were high and the food seemed like greasy hamburger stand fare. Is it wrong to eat at a hospital if you don’t really have a reason to be there? I admit to feeling a little guilty.
The Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
757 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095
(310) 825-9111
(Click here for maps and directions)
Take the photo tour on the website. The hospital really felt monumental and took healing to the next level. Way to go UCLA! I wonder if my piddly HMO insurance would get accepted there. Probablly not!
LATimes coverage of opening day. This article says that the 520 new patient rooms are all singles and have daybeds for overnight visitors; bow-tied waiters bring meals; children have Wiis, plenty of play space, electric cars to scoot around in, a ceiling painted like a constellation; and there are separate entrances for the different patients - children get a less initimidating entrance and don’t have to enter with adults.
with Jazz Fest Weekend, June 21 - 22. You can’t go the summer without stopping by the Levitt at least once, where you can picnic, boogie, and listen to great music. It’s a free concert season five nights a week in Pasadena, with over 50 concerts planned. Wednesday is Children’s Night, Thursday is American Music, Friday is World Beat (my favorite night), Saturday is Musica Latina, and Sunday is the popular Jazz Night. But it all kicks off this weekend with a Saturday and Sunday Jazz fest. Last year, I had a fabulous time listening to DJ Cheb i Sabah. Check out that post for tips and where to park for free.
http://www.levittpavilionpasadena.org/summer-programs.html
The Levitt Pavilion is located at 85 E. Holly St. in the heart of Old Pasadena at Memorial Park, right off the Fair Oaks exit from the 210 freeway, and on the corner of Walnut and Raymond.
Here’s a video on youtube.com about the Levitt.
Here’s Cheb i Sabbah last summer. Good times.
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