Results tagged “contemporaryart”

       

As noted over the weekend, MOCA is offering free admission at their two downtown locations through Friday. The museum is celebrating thirty years by displaying their permanent collection through May 3rd.

It was just a year ago that wealthy philanthropist Eli Broad came to save the day at MOCA by offering the museum a much-needed bailout to help keep it on its feet. By summer, however, the Broad Foundation had begun to chatter publicly about future cultural endeavors, namely a museum of contemporary art of their own. At the time, "Broad said that the museum 'is going to happen' and that it's merely a matter of timing," reported the LA Times. Broad was enthused about having the space in 90210: "Our first choice is the Beverly Hills site."

              

Office art is often bland, mass produced and uninspired, but that's not the case at the offices of the Creative Artists Agency in Century City. With over 400 works, their collection, which is focused on art by locals who live and create in Los Angeles, is worthy of being a contemporary museum on its own. From established artists to the young and upcoming, the CAA has been collecting these works to support arts education. "LA is great in a sense that we've got all these great art schools concentrated here," explained Thao Nguyen, who oversees the collection. "We want to support LA artists in terms of being educated here and producing art here."

LACMA officially announced today that they would like to merge with MOCA, who is having considerable money problems right now. "Under the terms of the proposed merger," reports Culture Monster, "MOCA's collection and programs would be exhibited at MOCA's Geffen Contemporary Space in Little Tokyo, the Broad Contemporary Art Museum at LACMA and at LACMA's Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion, under construction on the LACMA campus. Additional programs are planned for MOCA's Grand Avenue site." If the merger goes through, money from LA County would not support MOCA like it does with LACMA. The institutions would be operated by the same people and share the same infrastructure, but both would keep the "independence and integrity" of their missions.

In honor of the opening of the brand new Broad Contemporary modern galleries, LACMA is hosting a free community weekend, opening their doors to the public at no charge for the next three days.

In some TV news with local flavor, Santa Monica-based Ovation, "The Arts Network" (I thought this was Lifetime's tagline?), has announced a series of partnerships with cultural institutions across the country to produce and promote their content and collections. Local organizations include: the LA Opera, Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, and P.S. ARTS. Now if I could only get Ovation on local cable....

And who said culture doesn’t exist in Los Angeles? Check out these events for a little learning, a little entertainment – or both.

Los Angeles philanthropist, Eli Broad (rhymes with road), has decided not to give his massively large and impressive private collection of art to museums, rather, keeping the collection in house under control of a private foundation according to the New York Times. One of the assumed recipients of the art was LACMA, where the new $56 million Broad Contemporary Art Museum is scheduled to open next month. However, even with Broad's name on the museum, there would be no gaurantee that any art he donates from his private collection will be on display 100% of the time.

“We don’t want it to end up in storage, in either our basement or somebody else’s basement,” Mr. Broad said. “So I, as the collector, am saying, ‘If you’re not willing to commit to show it, why don’t we just make it available to you when you want it, as opposed to giving it to you, and then our being unhappy that it’s only up 10 percent or 20 percent of the time or not being shown at all?’” [New York Times]

ART: Downtown’s Art Walk happens the second Thursday of each month. The Art walk is a monthly, self-guided tour of the art exhibition venues in Downtown Los Angeles, which includes commercial art galleries, public museums, and nonprofit arts venues. Museum of Contemporary Art on Grand Ave (MOCA), Los Angeles Public Library Grey Goose, LA Artcore Center are just some of the places on the Walk.

You have four more hours to get yourself downtown to take a peek at what some of LA's best art galleries are currently offering. On the second Thursday of every month from noon to 9pm, museums, galleries, and nonprofit art venues participate in the Downtown Art Walk, staying open late for those who might not get a chance to stop by during the weekdays. What better way to take the edge off the workweek than with some wine, cheese, and pretty pictures?

Some people get long weekends, so this one's for you, lucky ducks.

• Come and celebrate Spaceland's 10th anniversary with special guests The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Quarter After and The Clean Prophets at 9 PM.

• The El Rey hosts Brit sensations Razorlight with The Like and Tender Trio at 7 PM. Tickets are $15.50.