Palm Springs is set to be the recipient of a gigantic statue of Marilyn Monroe that, while at its former home in Chicago, was repeatedly vandalized and roundly panned by locals and critics alike. more ›

LACMA held a special press preview for Chris Burden's kinetic sculpture Metropolis II earlier today, and we eagerly headed to the museum to witness the highly anticipated unveiling. Imagine 1,100 miniature cars racing through a network of roadways and buildings. It's loud, it's mesmerizing and it'll incite rush hour flashbacks for any Los Angeles driver. more ›

If you've been on La Brea in the Miracle Mile area since Sunday, you may have noticed an unusually large communist leader's head appear at the southeast corner at 4th Street. This is the Ace Museum, and that head belongs to Lenin--in art form, at least. more ›

Writer, actor, director and performance artists Miranda July has added museum-worthy sculptress to her resume, with a traveling installation that went on display this weekend at MOCA's Pacific Design Center location. "Eleven Heavy Things" is an interactive set of pieces that challenge the viewer to not only put themselves in the images created by the sculptures, but to also consider how we look at ourselves and others in our lives and society. more ›

The stretch of Santa Monica Blvd. between Doheny Drive and Almont Drive is regularly strewn with art, displayed in the grassy median that separates the traffic going east and west. Now, the city of West Hollywood will play host to seven sculptures along the same few city blocks, as part of an agreement between the city and non-profit organization The Sculpture Foundation. more ›

It's considered the unofficial gateway to Santa Monica, and now artist Tony DeLap's sculpture "The Big Wave" has been restored, and is lighting up Wilshire Boulevard at Franklin Avenue. Since its installation, the piece suffered from deterioration, including rust and corrosion, and the failure of the original light system, Now, however, using LED lighting, the "Big Wave" is shining once again. more ›

The new abstract public art at the Police Administration Building in downtown is garnering some nice discussion and attention, as all good art should. Artist Peter Shelton tells blogdowntown that the six "beasts of burden" should have viewers making up their own stories as to what they are. more ›

The Hammer Museum presents a lecture by artist and photographer Stephen Berkman tonight at 7 pm. He’ll discuss his work, which uses antiquated photographic and optical processes. “Berkman, currently a teacher at the Art Center of Design, will also discuss his quixotic art in the context of the early history of the photographic medium, including phenomenology, spirit photography, and the technical processes used to achieve them.” The lecture is a related program to “The Darker Side of Light” exhibition. The public program is free, but tickets are required. Parking is available under the museum for $3 after 6 pm. more ›

Good art makes you think. (Or at least scratch your head and ask, “wtf”?). This weekend’s ART LA 2009 promises to have plenty of both. more ›

As a number of museums around Los Angeles and Orange County plan their two days of free admission this weekend, one of that's not participating has a different kind of announcement. The Huntington Library, which is free on the first Thursday of the month, announced the acquisition of eight new paintings, sculptures and furniture. more ›

In conjunction with the exhibition "The Vision and Art of Shinjo Ito," The Westwood Art Forum is presenting a series of free events that include guided meditation classes, yoga, discussions and a day programmed for children. Spaces are filling up fast, but there is still plenty of availability starting this Thursday for events throughout May and June. more ›

Robert Hass presents Time & Materials 7pm @ Central Library more ›

A brief overview of the new Takashi Murakami exhibit at the MOCA. more ›

Lauren Bon's, Not a Cornfield Project, created quite a stir in the art community. Saturday night her new exhibit "Bees and Meat" is bound to generate more talk. Bon will fill the vast Ace Gallery with sculptural pieces created from honey, bees, and lamb carcasses. The "Bees and Meat sculptures involve the following items: 90 miles of irrigation stripping 33,000 pounds of dried “Not a Cornfield” corn kernels Two working wild hives and over... more ›

While the Great UCLA Versus USC Debate may never reach a resolution (those damn Trojans are too hard-headed and engorged with pride to recognize true superiority when they see it), all Californians can hold their heads up with pride thanks to our excellent universities. I don't know if you noticed the recent Washington Monthly ratings of the nation's top schools, but they're giving the U.S. News and World Report a run for their money.... more ›

The Flickr Related Tag Browser, a much easier way to look at photos in Flickr. more ›

Did you know today is the 226th birthday of El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora La Reina de Los Angeles -- aka L.A.? The old bitch is looking pretty good for her age! Although the city did not incorporate until 1850, September 4th, 1781 is the date that 44 Mexican pobladores set out from San Gabriel with a military escort to settle alongside a great river -- then called the Rio de Porciuncula, later to... more ›

Who knew that for nearly a decade, newly appointed Poet Laureate Charles Simic’s work has been on display in the unlikeliest of places in Downtown Los Angeles? more ›

- Gustavo Arellano, who writes the syndicated column “¡Ask a Mexican!” for the OC Weekly, is profiled in the New York Times. - Hollywood loves top cop Sheriff, Lee Baca. Now he faces questions over his handling of Paris Hilton. - From University of Virginia to UCLA, here comes Gene Block. - Summing up City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's last couple weeks. Photo taken at the UCLA Sculpture Garden by Zach Behrens for LAist.com... more ›

Ever had one of those fever dreams where you enter a donut-eating contest, win $2500 and meet one of the original Latino superstars Erik Estrada all at the same time? Well, tomorrow that dream can be made real. In honor of the release of , Frank “Ponch” Poncarello will be hosting a donut-eating contest at Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood. A portable DVD player and a signed copy of the DVD are also up for grabs. There’s even talk of a massive donut sculpture so bring your cameras. Spend a few minutes reading the contest requirements here and be sure to arrive by 8:30. And pray that Kobayashi doesn’t show up. more ›

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If Paris Hilton is allowed to leave the state, she'd surely be on her way to the Capla Kesting Fine Art gallery in Brooklyn, where Daniel Edwards' "Paris Hilton Autopsy" will be on display through the end of May. According to our Mothership, Gothamist, Hilton is said to have commissioned Edwards to create a sculpture of her for the Sunset Strip. Surely, she'd blame this sculpture of her untanned body on her fired and... more ›

LA named one of the Best Places for Artists in America "... one of the reasons Los Angeles leads the list is because it has 56 artistic establishments for every 100,000 people, a diversity index of 84.2, and an arts and culture index of 100 (on a scale of 1 to 100)." (Business Week) City's Cultural Affairs Department gets new Head "I am thrilled to put forth such a visionary and inspiring leader as... more ›

Friday was the 50th birthday of Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat. A few area schools honored the occasion with special events including the release of "THE SEUSS IS LOOSE!: Young Lil' Hats, Writing All That," at The Watts Learning Center charter school. Cabrillo Elementary in Hawthorne went all out for the good doc with a Read-a-Thon and a Green Eggs and Ham Cookoff, and the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library served birthday cake while hat-wearing... more ›

Happy Birthday Create:Fixate! You are 5 years old! more ›

Bill Clinton had a warm reception yesterday at the UCLA sculpture garden, where hundreds of students came to see him speak. Crowds waited in anticipation for the celebrity president to arrive at 10am, where he would rally in support of Proposition 87 - a measure that aims to reduce dependence on foreign oil, as well as to reduce greenhouse emissions by imposing oil-drilling fees on on oil companies. Opposition to this proposition is of... more ›

Millionaire beautiful people Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie did a lot more than just browse while attending the latest Banksy show in downtown LA; they scooped up three pieces, including the $226,000 painting "Picnic", which depicts a family of white people eating while several Africans look on hungrily. Some say the husband in the party looks similar to Pitt. But the spending spree didn't end there. According to Star Magazine, and reported by the... more ›

Graffiti artist Banksy, who most recently was in the news for getting a disturbing sculpture into Disneyland, as well as his work that trashed Paris Hilton's new cd, is in town causing trouble guaranteed to make pretty much everyone who passes it smile. This week the LA Weekly spotlights the controversial artist in a Q & A about his new collection of thought-provoking art that literally hits the streets of LA. Here's an excerpt:... more ›

by Ericka Lozano Okay, Elina, I'll take the bait and defend my beloved Westwood, even if no one else will. I have to say that to bash a whole neighborhood because you got stuck in a parking garage overnight when you didn't read the signs (!!!) seems like you overreacted. I lived in Westwood for four years, and worked at UCLA almost the whole time. I still serve on the board of the Westwood... more ›

by Debbie Long more ›