Serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and the Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles since 2011.

The Week Ahead – Events for February 4-10, 2023

Yes, please! Moe than 30 Museums from Long Beach to LA to Santa Barbara will be offering FREE admission this Sunday, Feb 5.

 

Oodles of good things are going on this week and I’d like you all to be a part of it. February is home to Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, and Mardi Gras, but it also has the distinguished honor of being Black History Month to boot. CAAM’s got a KCRW event happening, the Hollywood Heritage Museum is showing a very rare African-American silent film from the 1920s, the Velaslavasay Panorama is in the mix with The King Show, and the Year of the Rabbit is here to stay, but Lunar New Year festivities will come to a close this weekend, until next year – when the Dragons emerge from their slumber! Oh, and there’s also an Antiquarian Book Fair for all, and a Summer Opportunities Fair for the kids.

 

Free Museum Day, Black History Month, and Other Cool Stuff

 

Lunar New Year festivities will sadly come to an end this weekend, but there’s still time to celebrate nearby at the Original Farmers Market. Join other shoppers and revelers as they celebrate the Year of the Rabbit with “spectacular” lion dances, rabbit crown-making workshops, balloon twisting and red envelope giveaways, featuring Farmers Market Gift Cards and merch! Event takes place on the Plaza from 2-4 p.m. this Saturday, February 4, so why not check it out? And since this is such an itty-bitty paragraph, I’ve decided to combine it with this next related event. This being one of my favorite places in Southern CA, I couldn’t not include this 2-day Lunar New Year event at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino – just a hop, skip, and a jump over the 110 Fwy. Come on over to the spectacular grounds of The Huntington this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, February 4-5 for its Chinese New Year Festival from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Welcome the Year of the Rabbit and enjoy the last days of LNY jubilees at this family-friendly event, featuring Martial Arts, Lion Dancers, Mask Changer (Bian Lian), Calligraphy Demos, Contemporary Dance And Circus Acts, Family Activities Center, Storytime Theater, Arts And Crafts, Wushu Tai Chi, Taiko Drums, Live Music, Brush Painting, Chinese Floral Arts Displays, Penjing And Viewing Stone Display, Special Dining Specials, AND, most importantly of all, a special lion dancers Photo Op to impress your 100 followers!! Please note that capacity is limited and all visitors must have advance reserved tickets. Tickets will not be available for purchase on site. Tickets range from $13-$29. Kids under 4 are free. Click here for event schedule.

God bless the VP and the obscurities it showcases! I personally love it and this time it’s a Sunday Funday of Davinci’s Film Festival of Hollywood this Sunday, February 5. This all-day Fest (11 a.m. – 6 p.m.) will be all about Pa,Sacio Davinci’s THE KING SHOW happening at the Velaslavasay Panorama. In this premiere film festival, celebrating more than 25 years of filmmaking by Pa,Sacio Davinci, attendees will enjoy episodes such as the FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT and BLACK TREK, including a Q&A with director, creator, South LA artist, producer, painter and musician, Pa,Sacio himself, plus special treats throughout the day and a viewer’s choice ceremony and gala! THE KING SHOW is a public access program dating back to the late 1990s starring the South LA neighborhood, “weaving Hollywood tropes with hallucinogenic visuals that expand beyond the limits of everyday filmmaking. Hollywood westerns, alien abductions, super heroes, American rituals and revolutionary visions abound in every episode.” Doors open at 10:30 a.m. Tickets: $10 General / $6 VPES Members & Kids.

FREE MUSEUM DAY ALERT! SoCal Museums Free-for-All Day is happening this Sunday, February 5 at more than 30 museums presenting art, cultural heritage, film, natural history, and science. From Long Beach to LA to Santa Barbara, there is so much to see, so you could make a whole day out of it.  View the full list of museums at the link above. This offer is for general museum admission only and does not apply to specially ticketed exhibitions. P.S. The Craft Contemporary is just one of said museums participating, along with LACMA, MOCA, and The Broad, and will be offering free admission to all galleries as well as art-making activities to get your creative juices flowing. Regular CC hours are Tues-Sun, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

The Ebell of Los Angeles is yet another local treasure bringing you a great mix of important discussions, philanthropy, and fun parties, and this week it’s The Zen Of Schizophrenia, taking place on the evening of Monday, February 6. Come join painter and author Miriam Feldman for a “lively and honest” discussion of her book, He Came In With It: A Portrait of Motherhood and Madness. “Feldman found her path to mental health advocacy the hard way: through lived experience. Her son, Nick, has schizophrenia. It is with perfect symmetry that she returns to the neighborhood where it all took place. In this book, the intersection of motherhood, mental illness and artmaking converges with policy and politics in a way that affects all of us.” Come join the Ebell and fellow humans as they “do a very important thing: talk about it!” The cost is “Pay What You Can.” Suggested Donation is $10. The evening will commence at 7 p.m.

Looking for an educational and entertaining humpday activity this Wednesday, February 8? If yes, keep reading – if no, keep reading anyway. An Evening@TheBarn: Black Silent Film History Program & Screening at Hollywood Heritage Museum is what I’m referring to and it’s to celebrate Black History Month with a special program on the “race” films produced by Florida-based Norman Studios during the 1920s. The Flying Ace, the studio’s only film to survive in its entirety, will be screened following a presentation by historian, lawyer, and education consultant, Barbara C. Wingo. This is a rare opportunity to view a film starring an African-American cast in an aviation epic. Starting in 1907, Jacksonville was the “winter film capital of the world” and home to Norman Studios. Headed by Richard E. Norman, an inventor, soft drink manufacturer, and filmmaker, his Studio would become one of the leading producers of films for the African- American market until the introduction of sound. Tickets are $10 for members and $20 for non-mems. Program begins at 7:30 p.m.

Yay!! It’s a KCRW x CAAM (California African American Museum) event and it’s an Open House Dance Party (my favorite kind of dance party – how did they know?) going down on Friday, February 10 from 7-10 p.m. Come get your dance on, under the 10 stars in the sky that we Angelenos can see, to the beat of KCRW DJs Francesca Harding and Tyler Boudreaux. Sip on luscious libations in the outdoor beer garden and feast of eats from some of your favorite food trucks, all while “vibing amidst the joyous colors and concepts” in CAAM’s lobby exhibition, Adee Roberson and Azikiwe Mohammed: because i am that. Bonus: KCRW members get early exhibition access and remarks at a special meet-and-greet with Jennifer Ferro, KCRW President, and Cameron Shaw, Executive Director of CAAM from 6-7 p.m. Kindly register here. CAAM’s regular hours are Wed-Sat 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sun 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

And the last in a lovely curation of events, if I do say so myself, will start this coming Friday, February 10 and spill into next week on Feb 11 and 12. It’s the 55th Annual Antiquarian Book Fair at the Pasadena Convention Center (300 E. Green St.), which features fine and rare materials from around the globe, including manuscripts, modern first editions, children’s books, ephemera, maps and autographs, as well as antiquarian books on a vast array of topics. The sched and cost is as follows: Friday: 3-8 p.m. / VIP Ticket $25; Saturday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. / $15; Sunday: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. / $10. FREE for students; librarians, curators, and related non-profit cultural institution workers (who register in advance here); and kids under 12. VIP tickets provide readmission throughout the Fair, and Saturday tics provide readmission on Sunday. Bonus: Opening night (Friday) tickets benefit The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens and can be shown for $10 off admission to The Huntington during the whole month of February. Noice!

 

Kids, Community, and Local Government 

 

There are 3 events in or near the beautiful City of Pasadena this week that could very well be worth the trouble, and here’s another one. The Westridge School’s 32nd Annual Summer Opportunities Fair on Saturday, February 4 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Catering to all kids of all ages (5-18, more specifically), there will be 100+ camps and programs to choose from, including pre-college programs for high school students. The Summer Opportunities Fair (SOF) is a community service event presenting a wide range of local, national, international camp, and summer study opportunities for kids of all ages in academic and cultural enrichment, outdoor adventure, sports, travel, day and board, community service and volunteer programs, and programs for children with special needs. Considered one of the premiere camp fairs in the nation, this informative event offers something for every student and is free to the public. The Westridge School is located on Madeline Dr. in Pasadena.

Next up for the kiddos is the WJCC’s annual Tu B’Shevat Festival on Sunday, February 5 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Perfect for little ones, the festival celebrates the birthday of the trees and will be complete with bounce house, a family art mural, game booths, food, free trees, and more! Shenanigans will take place at the Westside Jewish Community Center (WJCC), located at 5870 Olympic Blvd. in Los Angeles. Tickets are $5 per person. Activity/Food Tickets: for every 10 tickets purchased in advance at $1 each, receive 2 free tickets! And wristbands will get you Unlimited Moon Bounce time for $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

Mid City West Neighborhood Council has one of the quietest weeks on record (!) with just one gathering for the Homelessness, Refugees, and Renters’ Rights Committee, aka HRRRTs, on Monday, February 6 at 6:30 p.m. Click here to check MCW’s calendar for details.

Greater Wilshire Neighborhood CouncilIn conclusion of TWH, here’s the latest and greatest from your local NC; the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council is back in the saddle again this week with a Monday, February 6, Resilience Committee meeting and a Tuesday, February 7, Sustainability Committee meeting, both in the evening and both via Zoom. And the GWNC Board will wrap things up on Wednesday, February 8 with a virtual gathering starting at 6:30 p.m. Check the calendar for details. P.S. Meetings may go back to IRL starting next month, so stay tuned for more info.

 

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Julia Christiansen
Julia Christiansen
Julia is a native Angeleno and jack of all trades, having worked in television, visual effects, professional sports, health and wellness, and custom design. She currently resides in El Segundo.

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