CaliforniaGermans

All Things German In California

LACMA

Old Masters, Modern or Contemporary Art – Visit LACMA for Free

by Leave a Comment

Old Masters, Modern or Contemporary Art – You can have it all at LACMA

.

Nothing is more refreshing on a scorching hot summer day than walking the air-conditioned aisles of LACMA!

Well, …nothing except for cooling off at the beach perhaps.

But, hey, you can’t let the beach monopolize you, right? There is so much more to do and see in LA! Like visiting the Los Angeles County Museum of Art – LACMA, the western United States’ largest art museum.  

And….LACMA is making it sooo easy for you to visit! Especially if you have children.

LACMA has a special membership program for children called NexGen. My kids have been members ever since this program existed. It makes visiting LACMA a fun and enjoyable family outing, that doesn’t overstretch your budget, because … it’s FREE!

Every child 17 years and younger can become a member ! You just sign up at the museum or online. Your kids are then presented with a cool orange lanyard that allows them free entry every time they visit. Plus they can invite one adult guest for free as well! So, guess what? You, as the parent can enjoy LACMA for free, too? 

Still missing the beach? …Because, it’s just a must during summer? Well, with the NexGen membership it’s easy to divide the day and do both in a day! After all, this awesome  kids’ membership makes it possible for you and your child to visit the main galleries and all temporary exhibitions any day, any time, all year! So it doesn’t matter if you stay for 2 hours or 5.

Give your mind and soul a well-deserved break from the fast-paced life around you. I tell you, it’s relaxing and invigorating at the same time to walk LACMA’s various galleries. And, you will be amazed how much children actually like it as well. Check out the modern and contemporary art galleries to visit the oversized billiard pool set, blown-out-of-proportion- comb, and ask your child what he thinks of a Pollock painting! Kids especially enjoy the installation of Chris Burden’s Metropolis II.

We often start out at LACMA by roaming the galleries to our heart’s content and then stop by the museum’s store. It used to be an all time favorite for my children, and even now with only our youngest one in tow it hasn’t lost much of its attraction. You can always find something there that is cool, inspire or else. Sometimes it’s just something small like an all graphite pencil, which turned out to be a hit at my son’s school a few years ago.

Occasionally we stay for lunch or a light snack at the museum’s restaurant, bar or cafeteria before we hit the road to the beach in the summer. 

If you do it the other way around and visit the beach first, then you might catch some of LACMA’s cool outdoor summer concerts later in the afternoon; or choose to attend a talk at the museum’s theater. LACMA is not only about art and design. It’s an overall cultural experience !

I have to say for us the “LACMA outing” has never been boring. Ever! We always find new things to look at, new installations to marvel at, and discover new art installed in some of the galleries; galleries, that we thought we knew already inside out. 

Images: “Art At LACMA” ©CaliforniaGermans

.

Get Prepared for Oscar Night – Exploring the Movies in L.A. Exhibitions

by 1 Comment

CABINET_DES_DR_CALIGARI_01

Its Oscar Time! – The 87th Academy Awards Ceremony is February 22, 2015

The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will honor the best films of 2014 and will take place February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

If you’d like to catch up on some movie history in particularly German-American related, then go see some of these great exhibitions out here in Los Angeles that for sure will get you in the right mood for the grand night. And the winner is… !

Light & Noir: Exiles and Émigrés in Hollywood, 1933–1950

The Skirball Cultural Center co-presents with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences the exhibition Light & Noir: Exiles and Émigrés in Hollywood, 1933–1950, which pays homage to the lives and work of émigré actors, directors, writers, and composers who fled Nazi Europe and made a lasting impact on American cinema and culture. Explore how the experiences of German-speaking exiles and émigrés such as of directors Billy Wilder and Fritz Lang, actress Marlene Dietrich and many more, influenced the classic films of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

“The exhibition demonstrates how the experiences of exodus and exile affected the lives and work of émigrés in many different ways. It is a story of immigration, acculturation, and innovation that intersects with the flourishing of Hollywood as an American cultural phenomenon.” (Skirball Center)

The exhibition will close March 1st with the screening of the PBS documentary, Cinema’s Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood at 11am.

Parallel to the above mentioned exhibition a site specific installation by Austrian artist Isa Rosenberger can be visited. Café Vienne honors the recently rediscovered work of Austrian American Jewish writer Gina Kaus (1894–1985) and the cultural role of the Viennese coffee house.

LACMA presents Haunted Screens: German Cinema in the 1920s

This exhibition explores masterworks of German Expressionist cinema and features over 150 drawings, as well as manuscripts, posters, and set models, the majority gathered by Lotte Eisner, German emigrée film historian and author of the pioneering 1952 text The Haunted Screen.

Haunted Screens closes on April 26 and is included in the general admissions ticket.

Further reads: Expressionist Films ad the German Trauma 

—————————————

Source: Skirball Cultural Center, LACMA

Photo: Wikipedia

LACMA – An Adventure In Front of Your Door

by Leave a Comment

Metropolis II by Chris Burden has opened to the public Saturday, January 14, 2012. It’s an experience! Should you be in L.A. for the weekend, do pay LACMA a visit and check out this outstanding exhibition.  An “elaborate system of 18 roadways including one 6-lane freeway and HO scale train tracks…” and 1200 custom manufactured die-cast cars make you feel like being in the midst of a mini New York or Los Angeles . An impressive structure of steel, aluminum, shielded copper wire, glass, plastics, wood and even legos take the viewer with amazement. One can spend quite some time discovering all kinds of different buildings and world landmarks like the Eiffel tower and Saint Basil’s Cathedral on the Red Square in Moscow. 

This upcoming Monday is part of Target Free Holiday Mondays, which offers free entrance to all LACMA shows and a variety of children activities throughout the day. Not only will you get a look at this amazing architectural design gem, but your kids will have a moment of awe and can continue the day at LACMA with all kinds of other fun activities.

NEXGEN the LACMA Youth membership lets accompanying adults visit for free

By the way, should you have children at the ages of 3-18, get them a NEXGEN membership. It’s a free membership for children and allows one accompanying adult per child to visit LACMA for free.

My son and I just spent a great day at LACMA and actually could take a sneak preview on Metropolis II on Friday, when LACMA offered a special member preview day before the official opening of Metropolis II yesterday.

We continued our LACMA adventure with viewing the art collection at the Broad Contemporary Art Museum. Already the building with its contrasting red elements and the steep escalator, that my son named the ‘escalator to the sky’ is a delight for the eye. Inside, one can experience  the fascinating paintings and sculptures of so many famous artists like Jeff Koons, Baldessari and more.

Should you love Expressionism, then walk over to the Ahmanson building. The Rifkind Gallery for German Expressionism offers quite a selection of Kirchner, Pechstein and Co. An entire small exhibit is dedicated to Ludwig Meidner: Ecstatic Expressionism, which will be on view until April 15th. Quite an impressive selection of other representatives of modern art can be found here on level 2 as well. From Picasso, Klee, Otto Dix to Motherwell, Rothko, Pollock, Sam Francis and Liechtenstein.

“Telling the story of the birth of the LA art scene” – PACIFIC STANDARD TIME at LACMA

German design bei Kem Weber - Desk & Chair

California Design, 1930–1965: “Living in a Modern Way” is another exhibition that should be on your agenda. As part of Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980 it gives a chronological overview through the many historical highlights that shaped California Design.

Related articles

Music And The Arts in Southern California – CaliforniaGermans Weekend Suggestions

by Leave a Comment

Have already plans for the weekend? If still undecided or in need of some more ideas, look over our CaliforniaGermans‘ eclectic suggestions:

According to the weather forecast this weekend has some colder summer temperatures in stock for us. Perfect weather for checking out some of Southern California’s cool museums. So after a quick and windy visit at the US Open for surfing in Huntington Beach, you might want to drive down south along PCH and pay a visit to the Laguna Art Museum and its exhibit  Art Shack that OC Weekly calls  a “cooler-than-cool” exhibition. Open until Oct 3rd one can explore “…surf shacks, tattoo huts, retro shanties and more… Art Shack is presented by Hurley.”

Keep going south and stop by the San Juan Capistrano library later on for their Music At The Library Event on Saturday evening, featuring Steve Riley and the three-time Grammy-nominated Mamou Playboys. There will be two shows with the first one starting at 6:30pm and the second at 8:30pm. Location: San Juan Capistrano Regional Library, 31495 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano, CA  92675

On Sunday, don’t miss OCMA’s (Orange County Museum of Art) Target free second Sunday Family event. Not only is admission free on the second Sunday of every month but a whole program of activities is offered throughout the day, form hands-on projects to film shorts for kids screenings, and more. The program is from 11 am to 4 pm.  

Going north along the coast brings us not only to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, which is always a lot of fun, but Long Beach is also home to a great museum , that my family always enjoys:  MOLAA. The Museum of Latin American Art which is the only museum in the western United States that exclusively features contemporary Latin American Art.  MOLAA is now offering free admission on Sundays. Apart from great contemporary art exhibits and a noteworthy 15,000 sq. ft. sculpture garden, this Sunday, August 8th, will also kick off the Colombian Cinema Showcase which will present screenings of the best in contemporary Colombian film. These screenings will include a variety of features, documentaries, and short films. The opening reception is free and open to the public, will include tours of the galleries, live music and a free screening. Call for details – 562-437-1689

More Latin Sounds are offered at LACMA in Los Angeles which is presenting Adonis Puentes this Saturday, August 7,  at 5:00 pm. The concert will be at Hancock Park and entrance is free.  On Sunday LACMA will have its free Andell Family Sundays from 12:30–3:30 pm with bilingual gallery tours and programs designed especially for families. Special Tip: Richard Wagner fans might want to visit the exhibit Myths, Legends, and Cultural Renewal: Wagner’s Sources at that time as well since it will be closing on August 16, 2010.

More music but this time especially for kids can be found at the Getty Center. This free concert series in the Central Garden is for kids and their families and features some of the best children’s musicians from across the nation:  August 7 and 8- Dance with Milkshake, a band sure to have you and your kids on your feet with their rock ‘n’ roll tunes. From 11:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. there is also free family fun with tours especially designed for children, art workshops, hands on projects and much more.

Despite the predicted cooler summer nights this weekend, I have to mention the Flights & Sounds Summer Festival at the Orange County Great Park. With free dance lessons at 7:30pm and concerts starting at 8pm the Orange County Great Park Corporation presents in partnership with the Irvine Barclay Theatre free Saturday night concerts and Friday Night Dance Parties.

The Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles presents Skirball’s free Sunset Concerts, celebrating musical traditions from around the globe, every Thursday evenings, July 22–August 26. All concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Free admission; no reservations.

Last, should you care for some German theatre, right from Berlin. Franz Kafka’s: A Report To an Academy is playing in German with English subtitles at The Ivy Substation (The ACTORS GANG) in Culver City, 9070 Venice Blvd. Tickets are $20/$15 and can be ordered by calling 323-464-3375 or per email zoodistrict@gmail.com

Enjoy the weekend!

Share

What’s new – From German Movie “John Rabe”, Bertold Brecht & Beuys to Dinosaurs

by Leave a Comment

Summer is finally here. I feel and know this time has come for sure when my kids are out of school and want to be entertained. When the floor in my house slowly feels like a beach in the making with all the sand and toys being carried in and out of the house.

But there is in fact some great stuff going on in and around LA:  The German movie “John Rabe” by director Florian Gallenberger is out at the moment and can be seen in various theaters. It is “…a true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.” (IMDB). In the style of “Sophie Scholl – The final days”  it tries to draw a more in depth picture of the person, who is willing to sacrifice his own life for the many lives of others. In this case here John Rabe survives, but later life has been very harsh to him and he eventually died forgotten in poverty. John Rabe is impressively played by the great German actor Ulrich Tukur.  

If you feel more like theater then check out The Open Fist Theater in Los Angeles. On stage now, there is “The Good Woman of Setzuan” by Bertold Brecht. “The Open Fist Theatre Company presents a re-imagined version of Brecht’s classic play….The play is an alternately humorous and shocking look at how society deals with poverty and philanthropy.” (Goethe Institut) Perfomances: June 4 – July 17, 2010 – Fridays & Saturdays @ 8 pm, Sundays @ 7 pm –Tickets Adults $25 | Students & Seniors $20 – call (323) 882-6912

German Artist & Sculptor Joseph Beuys: The Multiples still shows at LACMA until July 18, 2010 on the third floor of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM). This exhibition features 572 of the artist’s works from the collection of The Broad Art Foundation. To get an impression of what this show has to offer and can communicate read an art review of “The Multiples” in The Student Life of Pomona College.

Music may not be missing in this potpourri of ‘How to kick of Summer’ around LA. The Summer Jazz concerts at the Hyatt Regency in Newport Beach will be starting June 25th . Tune in or buy your tickets online. It’s worth to make Newport Beach a day trip or stay for a weekend and enjoy the beaches around.

If you are staying around the beach, travel a bit more south and pay a visit to the Laguna Art Museum, which current show is “Art Shack”, presented by Hurley 30 different ‘shack-worlds’ will be featured. With some shacks including interactive components like video and music, this promises to be a fun art show.

For the kids there will be lots of attractions throughout the summer. To mention just a few famous ones, Disneyland in Anaheim, Legoland in Carlsbad, Sea World in San Diego are always sought after destinations, but let’s not forget the great museums around here. San Diego’s Natural History Museum will be kicking off its ‘Dinosaur Sundays‘ this June 28th, 11am-3pm.

“In celebration of the Museum’s current exhibition, Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries and our permanent exhibition, Fossil Mysteries, each Sunday afternoon will be dedicated to the mighty dinosaur. Meet dinosaur experts and friends, dig for fossils, create dinosaur art, and explore your love for all things dino! Dinosaur Sundays provide fun for the entire family.” (San Diego Natural History Museum website)

San Diego Natural History Museum is located in beautiful Balboa Park with plenty other museums to visit as well. Make it a great family outing. I am sure the kids will love it!

For some last minute or timely updates, visit CaliforniaGermans Twitter or become our friend on Facebook.

A world to experience: LACMA – more than a museum.

by Leave a Comment

LACMA, the “mega museum’ in Los Angeles just opened its blockbuster show RENOIR on the 14. February. The exhibition focuses on the last three decades of the master’s work, when he turned away from impressionism towards a more decorative and classical painting style. “This exhibition is the first monographic study dedicated to Renoir since the comprehensive retrospective of 1985 at the Galeries nationales du Grand Palais in Paris, and the first one ever mounted by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.” (LACMA  Online).

For everyone who wants to immerse him/herself more into the French culture, LACMA offers a special Adult Art Course—The Art of Wine: Sensuous Wines from Renoir’s France on Saturday, March 20 | 7:00 pm.  After viewing the exhibition a wine historian will introduce a variety of wines from the area near Renoir’s home in the South of France, and from his wife’s home region, Provence.

Another art exhibition at LACMA not to be missed is Joseph Beuys: The Multiples at BCAM, 3rd Level.
This special exhibition has already been open since September 2009 and  “…features 572 of the artist’s works from the collection of The Broad Art Foundation” (LACMA online). Joseph Beuys (1921–1986) is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and his life and his art spiked a lot of controversy not only in Germany.  “Beuys’s multiples were intended to be widely circulated and cheap to acquire. Ranging from small-editioned objects to mass-produced political flyers and postcards, in materials as different as felt, wood, found objects like water bottles and tin cans, instruments, records, film, video, and audio tapes related to performances, these works, rich with allusions to his biography and personal iconography, provide a complete picture of his diverse oeuvre.” (LACMA online)

If you want to combine art and music, visit LACMA on a Sunday. Every Sunday at 6pm, one can enjoy free chamber music concerts and recitals with artists from Southern California and around the world. And if you are at LACMA with children then don’t forget to check out NexGen’s Boone Children’s Gallery. Kids will love all the creative arts programs and it’s free.

To find out more about this wonderful museum, where one can spend more then just an afternoon, visit LACMA’s website: www.lacma.org

Share