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

Weekend Buzz: Events for February 23-24, 2019

It may still feel a lot like (our L.A. version of) winter outside, but we live in a place where gardening is a year-round activity, so if you’d like to learn more about how to nouish your home gardens by making your own compost, you can check out the Los Angeles Department of Santitation’s home composting workshop, starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Griffith Park’s composting facility, 5400 Griffith Park Dr., 90027.   Participants will learn how to turn kitchen scraps and yard trimmings into a nutrient-rich soil amendment…and compost bins, worm bins, and mulch will also be available, while supplies last. The bins can be purchased at a discounted rate of $20 (checks only, proof of residency required, all sales final), and if you’d like to take home some free mulch for residential use, bring your own container and shovel. (Note that the event may be cancelled if it rains.) See www.lacitysan.org/compostworkshops for more information, or call 1-800-773-2489.

From 10 a.m.-1 p.m., on Saturday, all stakeholders in neighborhoods adjacent to the Purple Line Subway Extension are invited to come to a workshop on the proposed Purple Line Transit Neighborhood Plan, which would create new zoning rules for areas within a half mile of the three new subway stops on Wilshire Blvd. (at La Brea, Fairfax and La Cienega).  The workshop will have an open house format, with breakout groups discussing topics such as land use, urban design, mobility issues and more.  It will be held at the Pan Pacific Senior Center, 141 S. Gardner St., 90036…but if you can’t make it and would still like to weigh in with suggestions and comments regarding the plan, you can take the Planning Department’s online survey at http://www.latnp.org/purple-line/survey and/or sign up to receive e-mails about the project at http://www.latnp.org.

At noon on Saturday, you might just meet your new best friend at a dog adoption fair at Robert Burns Park (located at Van Ness and Beverly), held by Pacific Pups Rescue. And even if you’re not looking to adopt right now, you’re still welcome to come by, meet and play with the dogs – they would love your company!

Starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, at the Petersen Museum, there will be a panel discussion with artists and curators featured in the current exhibit Auto-Didactic: The Juxtapoz School. The panel will include Robert Williams, Meg Linton, Phil Linhares, and Kenny Scharf, and will be moderated by Pat Ganahl. The topic is the “lowbrow” art movement, which draws from an array of Southern California subcultures, including comix, graffiti, and the rod and custom world.  According the the museum, “Lowbrow Art broke from the dominant abstract and gestural art movements of the mid to late twentieth century. Snubbed by the mainstream art world until the pivotal 1993 Kustom Kulture exhibit at the Laguna Art Museum, the Lowbrow Art movement found a home with the founding of Juxtapoz magazine in 1994.” The event is free with paid museum admission. Light refreshments will be served.

Also starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, there’s a “Podcasting 101” workshop at Memorial Branch Library, 4625 W. Olympic Blvd.  The workshop will be led by Mala and Diosa, two self-taught Los Angeles Latinas, who produce and host Locatora Radio, an indie, DIY podcast.  The workshop will lead participants through the steps that Mala and Diosa took to create their podcast, Instagram presence, and website…and attendees will learn creative ways to build their own podcast, blog, or other online platform from scratch. The session is free and open to everyone.

And if you’re more hungry than anything at 1 p.m., on Saturday, you could head over to Surfas Culinary District, 3225 W. Washington Blvd., for a free Fusion Cuisine demonstration with Chef Lowell Kay.  According to Surfas, “Most chefs find their passion for cooking later on in life. Lowell Kay has been in a kitchen since he was 5 years old and has never stopped experiencing what the world has to offer on a plate. He was fortunate to have traveled the world, studied and cooked for Diplomats and friends, owned a catering business and now resides in Los Angeles, where he shares his love for food.” Kay will be sharing a Carnitas Tacos and Corn Relish recipe, and samples will be provided.

For your weekend art exploration, the LaunchLA gallery, 170 S. La Brea, will be hosting an opening reception from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday, for its new exhibit, “Paradox California,” a two-person show featuring works by mixed-media artist Chelsea Dean and photographer Osceola Refetoff, who were paired for the show because of their mutual enthusiasm for the deserts of Southern California. The show’s title highlights “the contradiction between the promise of paradise to be found in the “Golden State,” and the harsh realities of much of its terrain and opportunities.” Though Deank and Refetoff’s style’s and media are different, “each finds beauty and looks for the truth in landscapes transformed by weather, time, and circumstance, as well as evanescent traces of civilization.”  The reception is free, but space is limited, so please RSVP to [email protected].  The show itself runs through March 23.

Sunday is, of course, Academy Awards day, which is something of an all-consuming event in L.A. So it looks like event planners have mostly (and wisely) steered clear of the Oscar juggernaut this year, recognizing that most people – even relatively jaded locals – will be focused on Hollywood for the day.  Of course, here in Los Angeles, “Hollywood” is also a very literal place, and there will be a lot of traffic disruptions associated with the big event.  And if you can’t avoid the Dolby Theater and the larger Hollywood and Highland area on Sunday, at least be sure to check out this good information, from CurbedLA, about street and subway station closures, bus route interruptions and more.

Finally, if you don’t need or want to spend your Sunday afternoon fighting Oscar traffic, there are two other events worth mentioning, which are nicely removed from the celebrity crush.

The first is “Beyond Sight,” three gallery tours for the visually impaired at the Craft Contemporary, offered at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday. The specially-designed tours will create a multi-sensory experience for blind or visually impaired guests, helping them engage with the museum’s art in an immersive and accessible way. The tours include verbal descriptions of all artworks.  They’re also free, but space is limited, so RSVPs are required at [email protected].

Click to see full size flier.

The second and final Sunday event is “Stories from the Frontline,” starting at 1:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 540 Commonwealth Ave., 20020.  Attendees will hear a first-person story of recovery from homelessness, and get the most up-to-date report on our city’s fight in the ongoing crisis. Most importantly, say the organizers, you will also learn how to speak like an expert to help educate your friends, family and community members about the Bridge Home and Supportive Housing options coming to our part of town. Light snacks will be served.  The event is sponsored by an interfaith and community collaborative, including Stories From The Frontline, the First Congregational Church, Blessed Sacrement, St James Episcopal Church, Immanuel Presbyterian, Ktown for All, ImagineLA, Everyone In, and the John and Marilyn Wells Family Foundation.  It’s free and open to all, but please RSVP to [email protected].

Have a great weekend!

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Elizabeth Fuller
Elizabeth Fuller
Elizabeth Fuller was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN but has lived in LA since 1991 - with deep roots in both the Sycamore Square and West Adams Heights-Sugar Hill neighborhoods. She spent 10 years with the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, volunteers at Wilshire Crest Elementary School, and has been writing for the Buzz since 2015.

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