Abdulnasser Gharem: Pause: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Bl., Los Angeles (323/857-6000) www.lacma.org The first solo presentation by the artist in the U. S. The exhibition includes 11 works of sculpture, stamp paintings, prints and film — all of which were created in the aftermath of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Gharem is a Muslim, an Arab and a lieutenant colonel in the Saudi Arabian army. April 16-July 2.
Autumn at Descanso Gardens: 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge (818/949-4200) www.descansogardens.org When the leaves turn brilliant shades or orange, gold and red and when a hint of crispness hangs in the air, what lovelier time to revel in all the season has to offer than fall at the Gardens. Enjoy a wide array of nature filled celebrations this September, October & November. Events include Native Plant Garden Walk, “H20,Where did You do?” shows that teach, Rain Barrel Sale, Water Agency Info Booths, Native Plant Display. Japanes Garden Festival Register for programs at the Visitor Center or by phone (818/949-7980) Some classes require advance registration.
Bhakti Fest: Joshua Tree Retreat Center www.bhaktifest.com This pioneering gathering, known for non-stop yoga, kirtan, meditation, sound baths, vegetarian cuisine, healing body work, spiritual study, conscious community and transformation continues to serve as a beacon for spiritual seekers from around the world. Sept. 6-11.
Berlin/Los Angeles: A Space for Music: Getty Center, 1200 Getty Drive off the 405 (310/440-7300) www.getty.edu/visit This exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of the sister-city partnership between Berlin and Los Angeles by exploring the Berlin Philharmonic (1963) designed by Hans Scharoun, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall (2003) designed by Frank Gehry. Focusing on the buildings’ extraordinary interiors, this exhibition brings together original drawings, sketches, prints, photographs and models to convey each architect’s design process, both pivotal in fostering a strong resonance between architecture and the city. April 25-July 30.
Cinema Tuesdays: Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Bl., Los Angeles (310/440-4500) www.skirball.org Free movies featured on the first two Tuesdays of each month, 1:30 pm.
Conversations at The Wallis: Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Bl., Beverly Hills (310/746-4000) www.the wallis.org
Culinary Events at the Gettys: Getty Center, 1200 Getty Drive off the 405. Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades (310/440-7300) www.getty.edu/visit The J. Paul Getty Museum is offering a number of culinary events in the coming months spotlighting the lush gardens and bountiful herbs at both locations. Tea by the Sea, at the Villa, ongoing Thursdays and Saturdays. Limited tickets.
E. Charlton Fortune: The Colorful Spirit: Pasadena Museum of California Art, 490 East Union Street, Pasadena (626/568-3665) pmcaonline.org This California artist came of age during a time when women began to challenge the status quo and redefine their expected roles in society. This exhibition showcases the work of this trailblazing female and one of California’s most significant artists. She had a thriving career as a painter until the age of 43 when she began a pioneering new vocation as a liturgical artist and as the leader of the Monterey Guild. The exhibition pairs the artist’s impressionistic and modernist landscapes with her ecclesiastical paintings, furnishing and other work produced for the Catholic Church. Aug. 20-Jan. 7, 2018.
Extreme Mammals: The Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Bl., Los Angeles (213/763-DINO) www.amnh.org Exploring evolutionary standouts and oddities in the 200-million-year history of mammals, the exhibition introduces animals many visitors will have never heard of or seen. Vivid reconstructions, animated computer interactives, and hands on activities, the exhibition examines the ancestry and evolution of species ranging from massive Colombian mammoths and and whales to minuscule monotremes and from speedy cheetahs to super slow tree sloths. The exhibit marvels at remarkable features and adaptations these animals have made over time. May 14-Sept. 10.
Festival of Arts Fine Arts Show: 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach (800/487-3378) www.LagunaFestivalofArts.org Rated one of the top festivals in the nation, the festival hosts 140 of Orange County’s most talented artists at this professionally juried fine art show featuring a diverse selection of artwork including paintings, sculpture, photography, ceramics, jewelry and more. Included is nightly live music, jazz concerts, wine and chocolate pairings, guided art tours and art workshops. Several special one day events include the Festival Runway Fashion Show and Family Art Day. To celebrate 85 years of art, the Festival is having a birthday bash on Aug. 13 and admission to the art show will be free all day and special events take place throughout the run of the festival. July 5-Aug. 31.
Generation Wealth: Annenberg Space for Photography, 2000 Avenue of the Stars. Century City (213/5403-3000) www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org This timely, thought provoking exhibition presents the conclusions of Lauren Greenfield’s 25 year study of the world’s growing obsession with wealth. The show documents how we export the values of materialism, celebrity culture, social status and media saturation to nearly every corner of the globe. April 8-Aug. 13.
Getty Exhibitions: Getty Center, 1200 Getty Drive off the 405 (310/440-7300) www.getty.edu/visit From Paris to Madrid and Vienna to London, Europe’s most iconic cityscapes and monuments have played host to magnificent ceremonies. During the golden age of view painting in the 18th century, princes, popes, magistrates and ambassadors commissioned artists to create depictions of important moments. The works of Eyewitness Views: Making History in 18th Century Europe bring the spectacle and drama of the past to life. May 9-July 30. From the crumbling ruins of ancient Rome to the crystal clear light of Venice, Italy has fascinated travelers and artists for centuries. Painters and draftsmen have found inspiration in both the cities and countryside and in the deep history and culture as shown in The Lure of Italy: Artist’s Views, May 9-July 30.
Halloween Horror Nights and Christmas Celebrations: Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com/Hollywood A living, breathing three dimensional world of terror featuring an all new slate of unrivaled film production quality mazes, frightful scare zones and a fully re-imagined Terror Tram experience. Southern California’s most extreme Halloween experience. Opens Sept. 15. Starting this holiday season, celebrate Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter with festive decor, new holiday themed food and stunning projection that wraps Hogwards castle in sparkling holiday spirit.
Hollywood in Havana: Five Decades of Cuban Posters Promoting U. S. Films: Pasadena Museum of California Art, 490 East Union St., Pasadena (626/568-3665) www.pmcaonline.org An assemblage of nearly 40 Cuban posters publicizing Hollywood films from the 1960s to 2009. Aug. 20-Jan. 7, 2018.
Illuminating Women in the Medieval World: J. Paul Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Drive off the 405 (310/440-7300) www.getty.edu/visit This exhibition reveals the vibrant and complex medieval representations of women, real and imagined, who fill the texts and images within illuminated manuscripts. Ranging from the Virgin Mary to the adulterous Bathsheba, the exhibition is divided into five sections and features a wide variety of female figures and roles June 20-Sept. 17.
Independence Day Celebration in Solvang: Solvang (800/468-6765) www.SolvangUSA.com A day of special events and activities for the whole family begins at 10 a.m. with a free concert, Independence Day Parade, 11:00, BBQ noon-2:00, 23rd Annual Independence Day Festival 2:00-9:00 p.m., Solvang Independence Day Fireworks, 9:00-9:30 p.m. July 4.
IRIS Nights Lecture Series: Annenberg Space for Photography, 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Century City (213/403-3000) www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org Attendees can hear first hand from photographers featured in the newest exhibition. Call for specifics.
Jazz at LACMA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Bl., Los Angeles (323/857-6000) www.lacma.org Free jazz concerts every Friday night at 6pm at the Grand Entrance.
LAX Presents: Los Angeles International Airport www.laxishappening.com . Live music program where guests will be treated to a variety of live music, dance and theatrical performances and special events at Los Angeles International Airport year round. These performances aim to enrich the airport environment, ambiance and guest experience with moments of cultural enlightenment. The performances will alternate throughout terminals to ensure an LAX guest experience that is continually fresh, exciting and inviting in the entertainment capital of the world.
Marisa Merz: The Sky Is A Great Space: Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Bl., Westwood (310/443-7000) info@hammer.ucla.edu Bringing together five decades of work, this exhibition explores the prodigious talent and influence of Merz’s understudied body of work. The exhibition brings together five decades of work from her early, Arte Povera experiments with non traditional art materials and processes to the enigmatic heads and faces she created in the 1980s and 1990s to mid and late-career installations that balance intimacy with impressive scale. The exhibition will explore the prodigious talent and influence of her understudied body of work. Thru Aug. 20.
Meet and Greet Series: Skylight Studios, Annenberg Space for Photography, 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Century City (213/403-3000) www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org Multi-media venue located directly across from the Space for Photography offers a free lecture series with attendees given the opportunity to interact one on one with the featured guest speakers. Free. No reservations necessary.
Military Days at the Tram: Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, 1 Tram Way, Palm Springs www.pstramway.com For the entire month of July, all military personnel with valid military identification, active, former and retired, receive free admission to the Tramway along with a special gift as part of Military Days. Spouses of deployed military members as well as widows also quality for the motion. Additionally, up to six of their guests receive 25% off the regular Tramway fares.
Natural History Museum Events: 900 Exposition Bl., Los Angeles (213/763-DINO) www.nhm.org First Fridays — Walk on the Wild Side after hours features cocktails, KCRW DJ lounge, LA bands, tours and talks…a unique adventure. Live music and discussion series continues. www.nhm.org/firstfridays
New Acquisitions Feature the Kaufman Collection: Autry National Center, 4700 Heritage Way (Griffith Park) Los Angeles (323/667-2000) www.theAutry.org Inspired by the gift of 490 paintings and sculptures, this exhibition highlights recent additions to the art collections. Discover a powerful selection of works representing diverse peoples and perspectives including bronzes by Remington and Houser, paintings by Rick Bartow and Eanger Irving Couse, lithographs by Fritz Scholer, watercolors by David Einstein and others that reveal a set of dynamic visions of the American West. Thru July 9, 2017.
OC Fair: 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa (714/708-1500) www.ocfair.com Whimsical images of cows licking ice cream cones and Ferris wheels made of oranges illustrate the 2017 OC Fair theme, Farm Fresh Fun. In The Hangar, fans will welcome the return of Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez, Aug; 6. Metal fans will enjoy a unique tribute performances from Metalachi – The World’s Only Heavy Metal Mariachi Band July 23 and Zeppelin Live – A Live Rock Tribute to Led Zeppelin, Aug. 5. Five days of rodeo action in the Action Sports Arena Aug. 2-6. Master chocolatier, Stephane Treand, will serve up French treats and culinary masterpieces in the OC Promenade during the entire run of the fair. Celebrating the country’s rich relationship with agriculture the 127th annual fair opens on July 14-Aug. 13.
Odd Market at Casa Vertigo: 1828 Oak St., Los Angeles www.laeventco.com/odd-market A new and inspired event continues each Sunday featuring up to 88 hand-picked crafters, live music and gourmet food trucks. Visitors of all ages will enjoy a full day of shopping, exploration and fun in the comfort of a historic indoor venue, originally the stunning Odd Fellows Temple.
Orange County Marathon Relay: Mike Ward Community Park, Irvine www.Laceuprunningseries.com The Lexus LaceUp Running Series Orange County Walk for a Cause will donate proceeds to the American Diabetes Association. A 5K walk will take place Sept. 9, 9:30 a.m., one of four 2017 LaceUp Running Series events. Registration starts at $25.
Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA Plus: Getty Center, 1200 Getty Drive off the 405 (310/440-7300) www.getty.edu/visit An abundance of riches from the Americas, Golden Kingdoms: Luxury and Legacy in the Ancient Americas, on display including the development of gold working and other luxury arts in the ancient Americas from approximately 1000 BC to the arrival of Europeans in the early 16th century. (Sept. 16-Jan. 28, 2018). The exhibition also features results from the first comprehensive technical study of artworks by abstract artists working in Argentina and Brazil in the 1940s and 50s, Making Art Concrete: Works from Argentina and Brazil in the Coleccion Patricia Phelps de Cisneros. (Sept. 16-Feb. 11). Photography in Argentina, 1850-2010: Contradiction and Continuity, nearly 300 works by 60 artists spanning the history of the photographic medium. (Sept. 16-Jan. 28, 2018). An exhibition exploring the architecture of six capital cities in Latin America, 1830-1930: Buenos Aires, Havana, Lima, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and Santiago de Chile in The Metropolis in Latin America, 1830-1930, (Sept. 16-January 7, 2018). More than 60 works of Video Art in Latin America from the 1960s until today (Sept. 16-Dec. 16) on view at LAXART, 7000 Santa Monica Bl., Hollywood www.laxart.org. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art will be participating, along with two other curating organizations at six venues throughout the Santa Barbara area. www.pacificstandardtime.org/
Pageant of the Masters: Irvine Bowl at the Festival of Arts, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach (800/487-3378) www.PageantTickets.com In the 17th and 18th centuries, the desire to experience the world’s great art firsthand inspired the European tradition of continental travel of the Grand Tour. Inspired to set out on pilgrimages by land and sea to the great cultural centers of Europe, and eventually the globe, those early travelers often risked life and limb to stand in the presence of masterpieces. It’s that original dedication to expanding one’s horizons by visiting the great art centers of Europe that fueled the Pageant Director’s excitement and research as she fine-tuned plans for this summer’s production, The Grand Tour. Works will include the masterpieces of da Vinci, Tiepolo, Longhi, Watteau, Reynolds and Romney, and Americans including Singer Sargent. With the coming of new transportation, it was possible for travelers to enjoy international theatrical possibilities and showmanship. This unique performance creating living pictures, faithful re-creations of classical and contemporary works of art with real people posing to look exactly like their counterparts in the original works of art. July 7-Aug. 31.
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway: 1 Tram Way, Palm Springs (888/515-TRAM) www.pstramway.com Memorial Day Weekend marks the official start of the summer season with extended holiday hours, late evening weekend trams and early morning Friday trams. In observance of the Memorial Day holiday, weekend hours will be extended through May 29 with the first car up at 8:00 a.m. each day.
Paul Simon: Words & Music: Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Bl., Los Angeles (310/440-4500) info@skirball.org Making its only West Coast stop, the traveling exhibition curated by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum highlights the artist’s creative process and illustrates how his music has reflected social and cultural ideals. On view will be instruments, records, sheet music, handwritten lyrics, photography, costumes and stage maquettes as well as listening stations and performance footage spanning Simon’s six-decade career. April 27-Sept. 10, 2017.
Public Gardens of Santa Barbara: Tour these spectacular gardens but check websites in advance. Casa del Herrero www.casadelherrero.com; Ganna Walska Lotusland www.lotusland.org; Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden www.santabarbaraca.gov/Parks/parks_passive_main.html; Santa Barbara Botanic Garden www.sbbg.org
Serial Flirtations: Rotaris Muses: Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Bl., Pasadena www.nortonsimon.org This intimate exhibition examines Pietro Rotari, an illustrious Italian artist who found success and fortune in Vienna ultimately becoming court painter to Empress of Russia, March 3-July 30.
Spring Wear LACMA Collection: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Bl, Los Angeles (323/857-6000) www.thelacmastore.org Featured are new designs by Kendall Conrad, Lena Wald and Outerknown. An initiative of the museum’s Director’s Circle. This is an art and fashion project featuring unique edition pieces created by Los Angeles’s designers and inspired by the museum’s permanent collection. Begins June 7.
Standing Rock: Art and Solidarity: The Autry Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles (323/667-2000) https://theautry.org/exhibitions/standing-rock-art-and-solidarity In April 2016, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota launched a large public campaign to stop the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Over subsequent months an unprecedented movement developed among allies from hundreds of other indigenous nations as well as large numbers of non-Native activists, organized around the Dakota/Lakota principle “Mni Wiconi,” translated as “Water is Life.” Artists joined in this effort, producing works that connected this issue to broader questions of resource use, climate change and tribal sovereignty. May 20-Feb. 18, 2018.
Taking Shape: Degas as Sculptor: Norton Simon Museum, 411 West Colorado Bl., Pasadena www.nortonsimon.org This exhibition marks the centenary of Degas’s death by presenting the museum’s entire collection of bronze modeles for the first time, Nov. 1-April 9, 2018.
The Inner Eye: Vision and Transcendence in African Arts: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Bl, Los Angeles (323/857-6000) www.lacma.org Featuring more than 100 works of sculpture and textiles, through a series of themes the objects in the show conveys multiple notions of visuality and celebrate artists and performers as agents of insight and transformation. Feb. 26-July 9.
UCLA Public Arts Program: UCLA Westwood campus (310/825-2101) www.arts.ucla.edu/calendars and www.tickets.ucla.edu Programs include distinguished lectures by luminaries such as Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne and Phillipe Vergne, student exhibitions showing work from UCLA’s top ranked fine arts programs, student performances directed by renowned faculty and the rich offerings of the Fowler Museum, the Hammer Museum and the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA. Many of the events are free and all are open to the public.
Wallis Annenberg PetSpace: 12005 Bluff Creek Drive, Playa Vista Opening day at this unique space dedicated to pet adoptions, educational programming and the science behind the human-animal bond. Fun activities for the entire family, behind the scene tours, food trucks and surprises. This event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required. June 24, noon to 4. Otherwise, for animal lovers, come by on another day and learn about this unique service which includes high tech adoption platforms, scientific information about why pets have evolved to be our best friends. He4alth and rescue services for dogs, cats and rabbits using advanced technologies. Community spaces, meetings and ongoing workshops and programs .
Watermelon Festival: Lake View Terrace, Hansen Dam Soccer Complex, San Fernando Valley www.watermelonfest.org Celebration pays tribute to the4 early days when watermelons were the prized crop of the eastern San Fernando Valley foothills. Patrons can step into carved out watermelon halves and melon ski across a greased canvas to showcase their skills. Festivities include a marketplace, demonstrations, live entertainment, carnival rides and a variety of engaging activities. July 29-30.
Your Ticket to Santa Barbara Car Free Experiences: www.SantaBarbaraCarFree.org The City’s award winning project with more than 100 community partners dedicated to making car free vacations care-free.