Academy Museum: 6067 Wilshire Bl, Los Angeles www.academymuseum@oscars.org (323/930-3000) This unique museum, dedicated to the moving picture industry, brings us back in time to the beginning of the film industry through never to be forgotten films and into the present. Fabulous costumes and even more fabulous and memorable creatures, Academy Award acceptance speeches, art, a look into the production work, movies and politics, documentaries, musicals.
Jaws: The Exhibition is now on display as the museum’s largest exhibition ever mounted showcasing Universal Pictures landmark summer blockbuster which earned three Academy Awards and was nominated for Best Picture. It will remain on view through July 26, 2026.
Barbie to Anna Karenina: The Cinematic Worlds of Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer is an immersive and experimental look at the works of one of the most distinctive production design teams working today. Thru Oct. 18, 2026
Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema & Cyberpunk Envisioning Possible Future Futures Through Cinema Cyberpunk examines the global impact and lasting influence of the science fiction subgenre cyberpunk on film culture, Oct.6-April 12, 2026.
Annenberg Community Beach House: Santa Monica (310/458-4934) beachhouseevents@santamonica.gov Grounds include playground, volleyball courts, sandy area, splash pad, courtyard, view deck, gallery. Dine at Back on the Beach, an indoor, outdoor restaurant overlooking the beach – (310/393-8282.)
Bob Baker Marionette Theater: www.bobbakermarionettetheater.com/summer2021 A rollicking trip through the calendar to all things celebratory throughout the year.
Catalina Adventure Activities: www.catalinachamber.com/ A new ropes and planks course weaves through a grove of towering eucalyptus trees deep within Descanso Canyon. Other adventurous activities nearby include Zip line Eco Tour and Catalina Climbing Wall and there is always hiking, camping and an adventure expedition.
Digital Witness: Revolution in Design, Photography and Film: LACMA (Los Angeles Museum of Art) 5905 Wilshire Bl., Los Angeles This exhibition examines the impact of digital image manipulation tools from the 1980s to the present through the works of nearly 200 artists, designers, and makers. The exhibition illuminates today’s visual culture where digital editing tools are more accessible than ever before. An landmark event exploring the intersection of art and science, both past and present. Nov. 24-July 13, 2026.
Draw Them In Paint Them Out: Trenton Doyle Hancock Confronts Philp Guston: Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles (310/440-4500) skirball.org The exhibition features key works by Guston, including his now iconic late satirical Ku Klux Klan paintings, in dialog with major works Hancock created in response to his inspirational mentor, highlighting their parallel thematic explorations of the nature of evil, self-representation, otherness and art activism. Opens Oct. 15.
Exhibitions of Impressionist and Post-impressionist Art: LACMA (Los Angeles Museum of Art) 5905 Wilshire Bl., Los Angeles lacma.org This exhibition looks back at the evolving tastes that have shaped the museum’s beloved collection of impressionist art. Features include newly acquired works by Monet and van Gogh. Dec. 21- Jan. 3, 2o27.
Fowler Museum at UCLA: 308 Charles E. Young Dr., N. Los Angeles (310/825-4361) fowler.ucla.edu Public programs celebrating world arts and culture online and in person. All programs are free. Must RSVP. Construction, Occupation presents the work of 24 artists and collectives that engage art’s potential to shape the city through the power of community. Drawing on myriad visual languages and poetics grounded in collective action, the exhibition investigates a radical urban vocabulary that blurs art and activism to address questions of infrastructure and vulnerability, circulation and segregation, and the body in public space.
Getty Villa Museum : 17985 Pacific Coast Hwy., Pacific Palisades (310/440-7300) visitorservices@getty.edu Encounter the latest discoveries from Messenia, an epicenter of Mycenaen civilization in Late Bronze Age Greece, displayed for the first time outside Europe. June 27-Jan. 12, 2026
Gold: Enduring Power, Sacred Craft: Norton Simon Museum, 411 W Colorado Bl., Pasadena (626/449-6840) https://www.nortonsimon.org Marking the museum’s 50th birthday, this exhibition explores the artistic and cultural significance of gold in approximately 60 works of art dawn from across the Museum’s collections which encompass South ad Southeast Asia, Europe, North Africa and North America. Sculptures, paintings, jewelry, tapestries and photography that span from 1000 BCE to the 20th century will be displayed together for the first time, revealing unexpected intersections in the circulation, craft and meaning of gold across time and place. Opens Oct. 4
Glass Sukkah: This Home Is Not a House: Skirball Museum, 2701 N. Sepulveda Bl., Los Angeles (310/440-4500) www.skirball.org This new exhibition reflects on the essential themes of
Sukkot, an ancient Jewish harvest festival. The works by artist Therman Statom in this gallery were all created for presentation at the Skirball Cultural Center, speak to Sukkot’s key messages: the temporary nature of shelter, the value of welcome and belonging and the preciousness of the natural world. Opens Oct. 7.
Historic Downtown in-person & Virtual Tours: Los Angeles Conservancy (213/623-2489) info@laconservancy.org Award winning docent led tours include the L.As most beloved landmarks including the Los Angeles Central Library, the Million Dollar Theatre and the Bradbury Building. Visit Pershing Square and learn about the founding of this great city and its architecture. In person Walking tours, Saturdays at 10 a.m.. general public sales begin Thursday at noon. Live and virtual tours held Wednesdays at 6 p.m.
Made in L.A: Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Bl., Los Angeles (310/443-7000) Made in L.A. brings together 28 artists and collectives whose work reflects Los Angeles’s every-evolving terrain across film, painting, choreography, sculpture, sound and video. Oct. 5-March 1, 2026
Marionette Theater: Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 4949 York Bl., Highland Park www.bobbakermarionettetheater.com
Mindful Awareness Meditation: presented by the Hammer Museum Thursdays 12:30-1:00. Reserve in advance. Free. www.hammer.ucla.edu/programs-events
MoMA Contenders 2025 Lineup: Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Bl., Los Angeles (310/443-7000) hammer.ucla.edu The museum celebrates the year’s most influential innovative films featuring an exciting slate of bold new cinema and special guest appearances. Dec. 2-Dec. 18
NHM Common: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: 900 Exposition Bl., Los Angeles Introducing the museum’s new wing and community hub in Exposition Park. This modern and inviting “front porch” to the museum will feature 75,000 square feet of renovated space, new construction and landscaping. It offers a new indoor-outdoor experience. The museum and its collection will enable he public to see into the museum while offering views of the park from inside. A great new experience for visitors and residents.
Now Showing: Youssef Nabil’s I Saved My Belly Dancer: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Bl., Los Angeles www.lacma.org The first public presentation of the film since it entered the museum’s collection in 2025. Aug. 24-Jan. 11, 2026.
Photography at The Getty: www.visitorservices@getty.edu The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, West Los Angeles (310/440-7300) The museum has recently acquired works by Japanese American artists of the 1920s and 30s, members of the Kamoinge Workshop, contemporary women photographers and Southern California artists, all to shape a more inclusive canon of photography for current and future generations.
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
Public Programs and Exhibitions at The Huntington: The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Rd., www.huntington.org An assortment of fascinating topics and displays with talks and book signings, garden tips, music, film, lectures, exhibitions and tours.
Revered Residences: Los Angeles Conservancy Virtual Program https://www.laconservancy.org/events/2021-benefit-revered-residences-virtual-program Historic walking tour adventures are offered on Saturdays. Register in advance.
Santa Barbara Museum of Art: 1130 State St., Santa Barbara (805/963-4364) www.sbma.net Renovation of the original 1812 building has improved the exhibition space, making it possible to show more of the 27,000-object permanent collection and will enhance visitor experience through improved flow through the museum, newly created galleries dedicated to contemporary art, photography and new media. Advanced tickets are encouraged for admission and can be purchased at tickets.sbma.net+
The Greatest of All Time: Pageant of the Masters, Laguna Beach, (800/487-3378) Next summer celebrates masterpieces and visionaries who have changes the art world. Picture Michelangelo, Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, Rockwell, Warhol and more brought to life in stunning detai8l with original music performed by a live orchestra, live narration and with all the magic and artistry that makes the Pageant so unforgettable. Tickets available now.
UCLA Public Arts Program: UCLA Westwood campus (310/825-2101) www.arts.ucla.edu/calendars and www.tickets.ucla.edu Ongoing 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.
The Day Tomorrow Began: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), 5905 Wilshire Bl., Los Angeles lacma.org Introducing more than 20 new works — including the artist’s most expansive neon piece and one of his largest sculptures to day. This multi sensory exhibition spotlights Tavares Strachan’s excavation of histories that have been rendered invisible within mainstream narratives. A unique and outstanding exhibition. Oct. 12-March 29, 2026.
Writers Lab: Alex Goldberg, TCTWritersLab@colonytheatre.org The Colony Theatre in Burbank will be launching a new TCT Writers Lab as part of its development initiate to facilitate new work by Los Angles based playwrights. The first installment will begin in August and continue through May 2026.