The six-month art extravaganza known as “Pacific Standard Time" is undoubtedly a strong effort to ensure L.A.'s place in art history. But Off-Ramp animation critic Charles Solomon says there's a glaring omission among the scores of events and exhibits: the groundbreaking work of animation studio United Productions of America (UPA).

It's a 12' x 8', almost 2-ton, polyester resin sculpture made by De Wain Valentine in the 1970s. It encapsulates what "Pacific Standard Time" is all about: it's a groundbreaking piece, made here, and is a bear to take care of.

His shows told the stories of thousands of Californians and helped millions more learn about California's history. He's reportedly retiring, but he's left his mark on the state.

For most kids, summer means going to camp, taking a vacation or hanging out at the beach. But for 15-year-old Jose Luis Sandoval of Wilmington, summer is for the birds, literally: Jose spends his summers scoping out Los Angeles' top birding destinations, and he does it all using public transit. Off-Ramp producer Kevin Ferguson met up with him just outside KPCC headquarters in Pasadena to begin the long hike to Ken Malloy's Regional Harbor Park in Wilmington.

Pacific Standard Time reviews art from 1945 to 1980. Towards the end of that period, L.A.-based artist Judy Chicago created "The Dinner Party," a massive installation that honors 1,038 real and mythical women for their contribution to human civilization using symbolic place settings atop a ceremonial banquet table.

A few weeks ago, the Grammy Museum at LA Live unveiled its new Songwriters Hall of Fame gallery, which celebrates the men and women who wrote the soundtrack of our lives. To mark the occasion, they brought in some of the most famous living songwriters to sing and explain their hits. The event was MC'd by songwriter Paul Williams. Through a special collaboration with the Grammy Museum, Off-Ramp presents excerpts from that concert, starting with the dean of American pop songwriters, Hal David, Burt Bacharach's longtime collaborator on hits like "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again."

When the Grammy Museum hosted a group of songwriters to inaugurate its new Songwriters Hall of Fame Gallery, bringing in Hal "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" David, Ashford and Simpson ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough"), Paul "Love Boat" Williams, and Lamont "How Sweet It Is" Dozier, Mac Davis said he felt like mudflaps on a Cadillac.