There has never been more worldwide attention on the creative culture of Los Angeles. People from all over the world came to L.A. for the opening of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) and the recent celebration of the 30th anniversary of MOCA, and are already planning for Pacific Standard Time in 2011. We are living in the city everyone is watching and visiting. Get engaged.
Each Week, ForYourArt highlights select cultural offerings throughout the week ahead to help you Plan ForYourArt.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11
Undergraduate Juried Exhibition
New Wight Gallery (UCLA)
5-8pm
The opening reception for UCLA's undergraduate juried exhibition, judged by Hammer curator Anne Ellegood. A gallery talk at 5pm is followed by a reception from 6-8pm. Exhibition on view until February 25. Free admission.
Mel Chin
Farmlab (Downtown)
7-9pm
Artist Mel Chin presents an interactive salon lecture called There is no (a) solution, because there is no (a) problem Or: Making a 300 Million Dollar difference with Conceptual Art in the Age of Disaster and other Repetitive Negatives, and will discuss his work as political critique. Audience participation encouraged; please bring pen, pencil or crayons.
Public Conversation: Crisis in Museums
Doheny Memorial Library (USC)
7-9:30pm
A public conversation among a leading group of international museum directors, which includes Donny George Youkhanna, the director who served at the the Baghdad Museum during the American invasion and subsequent looting, and LACMA director Michael Govan. The conversation will discuss the current crisis in museums, and its broad cultural, economical and institutional ramifications. Free, space is limited. Contact uscnews@usc.edu for more information.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12
Wes Jones: Meet the Nelsons
SCI-Arc (Downtown)
7pm
A book launch reception for Meet the Nelsons, Wes Jones' notorious comic strip that pairs critical architectural discourse with references to the traditions of the comic book, co-hosted by the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Design and the SCI-Arc Student Union. Reception with Coolhaus Ice Cream truck to follow.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13
Brinksmanship: Park Chan Kyong and Sean Snyder
REDCAT (Downtown)
6:30-8:30pm
The open reception for a collaborative exhibition with artists Park Chan-Kyong, based in Seoul, and Sean Snyder, based in Tokyo and Kyiv. The artists shared interest in North Korea and the lingering politics of the Cold War has facilitated in a multi-media collaboration that aims to dissect the language of media in the formation of political discourse. Exhibition on view until April 18.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14
Sumi Ink Club
Pasadena Museum of California Art (Pasadena)
12-5pm
In their new installation for the Project Room, Sarah Anderson and Luke Fischbeck have taken up a residence in the gallery, holding weekly events to fill the room with their signature topsy-turvy, detailed, collaborative drawings using sumi ink. Open to the public, these group drawing events function as a means to open and fortify social interactions that bleed into everyday life, reinforcing their non-hierarchical philosophy. Exhibition on view until May 30.
Silent Chances; My Mondo Valentine
Cinefamily (Fairfax)
6pm, 10pm
A especial Valetine's Day screening of Silent Chances, the 1925 film -- characterized by a scene of thousands of brides chasing after Buster Keaton in the street -- in which Keaton needs to marry before the day is out in order to cash in on a multi-million dollar inheritance, and My Mondo Valentine, Cinefamily's own mash up of rare and bizarre love scenes and sequences, ending with Ice Castles, 1979. Tickets $15 and $12 respectively.