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Pencil This In: Art Openings, Bloomsday and a Red Carpet 'Suicide Bombing'
Provocative much? There's a 'Suicide Bombing by Invitation Only' tonight (through Saturday) | Photo of Lars Jan (in vest) courtesy of Early Morning Opera.
While theater productions abound thanks toRADAR LA and the Hollywood Fringe Festival,and film aficionados await tonight's opening of the LA Film Festival, the arts scene is alive and popping tonight, too, thanks to a number of gallery openings and the Hammer's celebration of James Joyce's Ulysses. Oh, and lest we forget, you're totally invited to a "suicide bombing" on the red carpet. Read on for more deets.
ART
Here are a few openings that we’d like to call to your attention. The Long Beach Museum of Art presents Ray Turner: Population, an exhibit of hundreds of portraits by Turner. The opening reception is tonight from 6-9 pm, and the show runs through Sept. 11. During the Venice Art Crawl, Hit+Run and Townhouse Gallery show work by street artist Cryptik with an opening from 6-10 pm. Gallery1988: Melrose hosts an opening from 7-10 pm tonight for Little Cloud Show, an exhibition of 20 new pieces from Arkansas artist Ben Strawn. The show will be up through July 1.
BLOOMSDAY*
James Joyce fans celebrate June 16th—Bloomsday—and relive his novel Ulysses, which takes place on a single day in Dublin in 1904. While the holiday is named after the novel’s protagonist Leopold Bloom,the Hammer Museum tonight celebrates the women of Ulysses, including the book’s fictional women, the women who published and supported Joyce; and the women in Joyce’s family—his wife and daughter. The program includes a number of dramatic readings. Live music by The Sweet Set and Guinness on tap at the Hammer Cafe. Free admission. 7 pm. Parking is available under the museum for $3 after 6 pm.
RED CARPET SUICIDE BOMBING
Lars Jan and his Early Morning Opera troupe present A Suicide Bombing by Invitation Only tonight at 9:30 pm at the Hi-Lite Gallery in Downtown LA. For the genre-defying multimedia event, Jan exposes today’s collective social paranoia and the absurdity of by staging a satiric “suicide bombing” red-carpeted event. Tonight through Saturday at 9:30 pm, with an additional show at 7:30 pm on Saturday. Running time: 60 minutes. Tickets: $10 to $100.
BOOKS
Family Bookstore hosts a signing for Mike Mills’ book Beginners: Drawings and Photographs, new drawings inspired by his film Beginners with Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer. Opening reception/book launch/signing from 6-9 pm tonight (Mills will be signing from 6-7:30 pm.) Some of his drawings from the book will be on display as will photographs by Todd Cole and Sarah Soquel Morhaim, taken on set during the film's production. This is the first show in Family’s expanded gallery.
THEATER
Native Voices at the Autry, America's leading Native American theater company, opens its Festival of New Plays tonight at 7:30 pm. The company develops works by both new and established Native American playwrights, and it culminates in four public readings of new plays all this weekend at the Autry National Center, Los Angeles. Up tonight: Cikiuteklluku (Giving Something Away) by Holly Stanton (Yup’ik). Readings are $10 each or $25 for a festival pass for all four plays; half price for students, senior and military; and free for Autry members.
HAT PARTY
Tonight’s a grand opening party for Goorin Brothers' newest shop in Larchmont from 6-9 pm. This isn't just another hat store: Goorin Brothers was first established in Pittsburgh in 1895. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
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*Pencil pick of the day
Want more events? Follow me on Twitter (@christineziemba). Or follow Lauren Lloyd—who takes care of Pencil on Wednesdays (@LadyyyLloyd).
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