Best things to do this week in Los Angeles and Southern California: February 10 - 13

Regina Jones founded the SOUL newspaper in 1966 to cover Black culture including jazz, funk and gospel music, and later started her own publicity firm. She sits down with NPR alum and Code Switch correspondent Karen Grigsby Bates to talk about her career and preview the new documentary about her life, "Who the Hell Is Regina Jones?," which is also showing at the Pan African Film Festival.

It should come as no surprise that California’s art scene in the 19th and early 20th centuries was a little more progressive than our East Coast and European counterparts and allowed women to participate in salons they were excluded from in other places. Chapman’s Hilbert Museum celebrates this legacy with a new exhibit about the women of California’s art clubs, including works by Elsie Palmer Payne, Elanor Colburn, Henrietta Berk, Mabel Alvarez, Betye Saar, Burr Singer, Ruth Peabody, Patssi Valdez, Agnes Pelton and more.

East Los Soul is building a community of artists in Boyle Heights and hosting some very cool events to bring people together. This week, they have a storytelling night honoring love for Valentine’s Day.

Read more about the collective in this recent Boyle Heights Beat article.

The Palisades Fire took so many things from us, and one of them was the Arnold Schoenberg Archive, which housed more than 100,000 scores by the pioneering 20th century Austrian-American composer. Now, Camerata Pacifica is honoring Schoenberg’s legacy with several semi-staged performances of his masterwork "Pierrot Lunaire," featuring celebrated German soprano Sarah Maria Sun.

It's at the Huntington on Tuesday night, and then moving to The Colburn School on Thursday, Feb 13.

Club Kaya is an interactive art show featuring Alan Nakagawa's years of interactive art based on the Kaya Press catalog. Upstairs in the same building, view "Portrait of a Publisher as a Political Project: 30 Years of Kaya Press," an interactive exhibit featuring archival editorial notes, promotional posters, and original artwork. Together, these exhibitions demystify the publishing process and explore the steps between manuscript and bound book, inviting visitors to participate in a publishing project of their own.

See King Isis light up the stage live, with openers Enny Owl and Sahara Grim. At the Sweetheart Spectacular, you can expect to hear a selection of music from their current favorite artists in L.A.

Slow dance with your boo or scream-sing with your besties, shop accessories and trinkets perfect for any Galentine’s or Valentine’s present, or just spend your Wednesday evening with Junior High Los Angeles at the Echo! $1 from each ticket sold will go to Junior High's Fire Relief Fund which is donating $100 to 100 GoFundMe campaigns started in response to the L.A. fires that remain underfunded.

Do you love some of Hollywood's most famous romance movies like "Titanic" and "Dirty Dancing?" Then you'll want to check out the D.R. Cabarets show at the Mint this week. Celebrate Valentine's Day early and watch performers bring iconic songs in cinema to life on stage. Enjoy dinner, drinks, and dessert while you bask in love stories.

There's complimentary admission for those affected by the L.A. fires. For any other LAist readers, use the special discount code "BeMine5" to get $5 off!

More than 100 features and short films are being screened during the 2025 Pan African and Arts Film Festival. On Wednesday, Upwind Condor Inc. and El Estudio present the world premiere of the highly-anticipated documentary "Teófilo: Boxing’s Most Revolutionary Champion" at Culver Theater. The film, directed by Ethan Higbee, tells the life story of Teófilo Stevenson, one of Cuba’s most historic athletes. It features interviews with other renowned athletes like George Foreman, Mike Tyson and Nadia Comăneci.

Grab your Valentine (or Galentine) and craft seasonally-inspired drinks to share with your date. Each guest will make their own cocktails to sip while learning about seductive libations and delectable love potions.

Chefwear brand Tilit hosts this event at the cookbook store Now Serving, featuring $30 flash tattoos, bites from Howlin' Ray's, and drinks from San Pellegrino and Miller High Life. Celebrate the kickoff of their collab, knowing that funds are also going to L.A. fire relief.