While last weekend’s events were dominated by St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, there is no big central theme this weekend. But what the next few days lack in singular focus, they definitely make up for in variety…including the weekend’s biggest event, the annual So Cal Museums Free for All Day on Saturday.
Friday
In addition to films (see the separate category below), your two best choices tonight are quite diverse: Persian music and improv comedy.
First, from 7-9 p.m., LACMA hosts one of it’s special Taste & Sound events with a performance from The Persian Music Ensemble. The series, presented in conjunction with the exhibit Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting, celebrates Ramadan and brings people together over food and live musical performances. Visitors are encouraged to break their fast (if they’re observing) by bringing their own picnic blankets and refreshments or purchasing a custom mezze box created by chef Paris Rezale. The event is free, but RSVPs are required.
Meanwhile, if you’re more in the mood for comedy, Dynasty Typewriter, 2511 Wilshire Blvd., is presenting The Last Improv Show, with Tony Hale, Nicole Byer, and more, from 7:30-9:00 p.m. The group improvises scenes based on true stories told by a celebrity special guest and inspired by suggestions from the audience. Tickets are $35 and limited to ages 18+. Livestream tickets are also available for $15.
Saturday
As mentioned above, Saturday’s big event is definitely the city-wide So Cal Museums Free For All Day – during which more than 30 local museums and cultural institutions open their doors for free in celebration of the region’s vibrant cultural landscape. Hours and locales vary, but you can find a big list and many of the links in our calendar listing at the link above, or at the event’s main website.
In addition to the museums, though, there are lot more venues and organizations buzzing with activity this weekend.
Starting at 8:30 am on Saturday, Alexandria House will hold its 8th Annual Walk-a-Thon, this year celebrating Judy Vaughan’s 60th Jubilee as a Sister of St. Carondelet. The event will be held at Mount St. Mary’s Doheny Campus, 10 Chester Place, and in addition to honoring Judy’s life and work, it will raise funds to maintain and grow Alexandria House’s crucial community services.
From 9-10 a.m., you can join LAPD officers from the Olympic Division station for a Coffee with a Cop event at the Starbucks inside the Ralphs store at 3410 W. 3rd St. (3rd and Vermont). It’s a casual chat with your local law enforcement representatives, where you can get to know them, learn about crime trends in your neighborood, and share your concerns.
Moving a bit west, and running from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles offers an Art Deco Hollywood walking tour. Discover the birthplace of the film industry and experience the glamour and modernity that Hollywood Boulevard has to offer.
Also bright and early on Saturday, from 9:30-11:30 am, the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council and the Koreatown Youth + Community Center will be holding a neighborhood cleanup. Volunteers who would like to help tidy up the neighborhood can sign up here, and then meet at 701 S. Western Ave. to get started.
Meanwhile, from 10 am to 4 pm on both Saturday and Sunday, Miracle Mile’s Two Dog Nursery, 914 S. Cloverdale Ave., returns temporarily for a two-day Tomato Party. It’s an all-tomato extravaganza, with seedlings from 44 varieties of heirloom and open-pollinated tomatoes (and a couple of hybrids). Bring your own box or flat for transport, invite your friends and fellow gardeners…and, yes, owner Jo Ann Trigo will have her traditional cookies and lemonade, too. Cash and Venmo only!
Another two-day event starting on Saturday and continuing Sunday is the Autry Museum‘s 14th Annual Short Play Festival. From 1:30-3:00 p.m. each day, in the series titled “Who You Calling Stoic? Not Your Cigar Store Indian,” seven Native American playwrights will present staged readings that delve into pervasive images of Native stoicism and showcase the wit and empathy lurking behind those facades. Tickets are a very affordable $5.
Later on Saturday, from 4-5:30 pm, head back to Dynasty Typewriter for “Keep it Up, Cutie,” in which Anna Przy “puts a comedic spin on a fresh, honest approach to mental health…with colorful encouragement and awkward but hilarious stories about the hard-won lessons in life.” The message is that laughter is, indeed, often the best medicine.
And finally on Saturday, from 7:30-10:00 p.m., the Artlounge Collective, 145 N. La Brea Ave., opens its new All About Abstract show, highlighting the work of artist Hope Zarra and presenting “a rich tapestry of artworks that beckon you to indulge in immersive creative exploration.”
Sunday
On Sunday, from 10 am to 12 pm, the J Los Angeles invites parents of small children to an Open House at its Early Childhood Center. The event is open to everyone (definitely bring your pre-school age kiddos!), and there is no cost. The schedule includes a Purim-themed Family Jam, tours of the Early Childhood Center, and an open play period on the campus playground. Please register at the event link above if you’d like to attend.
From 11:30 am to 12:30 pm on Sunday, join Craft Contemporary curator Alma Ruiz for an insightful and personal walkthrough of Power in Every Thread: Maria A. Guzmán Capron and Minga Opazo. Learn about the various themes that connect Guzmán Capron and Opazo’s complex textile-based practices and how each employ different historic and contemporary associations to textiles. The tour is free and open to the public, but space is limited, so advance reservations are required at the event link above.
Next, from 12:30-3:30 pm on Sunday, LACMA‘s Andell Family Sunday’s series presents a Fancy Feast workshop that invites participants inspired by the exhibition Dining with the Sultan and led by artists Rosanne Kleinerman and Juliana Ostrovsky to make their own art.
Also at LACMA, and also running from 12:30-3:30 on Sunday, fiber afficianados of all ages and skill levels are invited to bring current projects or grab supplies from LACMA’s stash for the weekly Fiber Maker’s circle, led by experienced fiber artists. It’s a great opportunity to learn a new skill or help others in the circle.
Just a bit to the northeast, the Holocaust Museum LA will host a Sunday Survivor Talk with Susanna Reyto, from 3-4 p.m. Reyto was born just six days before the Nazi occupation of Hungary, and survived the first year of her life living with her mother in the basement of a so-called “protected house,” with protective papers (Schutzpass) from the Swedish and Swiss legations. Later, after the war, she and her family made adifficult escape from Communist Hungary, and she grew up in Australia, lived on Guam while her husband served in the US Navy, and later traveled the world.
For the music-minded, the Leimert Park Jazz Festival will present one of its monthly Sunday Jazz at ORA Cafe events from 4-6 p.m. This week’s program features the Chris Powe quartet, which will perform a one-hour set followed by an open jazz jam from 5-6 p.m. Jam sesson musicians will create a pipeline for the emerging artist set at this summer’s Leimert Park Jazz festival, held annually on the last Saturday of August. So come to listen or jam, and bring your own instrument (except for drums, which will be provided).
On Sunday evening, from 6:30-9:30 pm, Japan House LA, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., will present Tying the Knot – Celebrating Diverse Wedding Traditions, focusing on cultural and culinary journeys through the rich tapestry of wedding practices from Japan, India, and Mexico. The two-part program starts with a colorful presentation introducing the vibrant heritage of these nations’ respective wedding traditions, including cultural elements, dress, ceremonies, food, drink, and festivities. The presentation will be followed by a reception and culinary experience featuring special wedding foods and beverages, including chirashi sushi, sashimi, empanada with Mexican caviar, chicken with mole sauce, oaxacan nicoatole, samosas with chutney, aloo with paneer parathas, malai kofta, butter chicken, pumpkin seed horchata, mezcal cuish madrecuishe, and more.
And finally on Sunday, from 7:30-9:00 pm, it’s time for more comedy, this time a bit closer to home, with the monthly Whippet Comedy at Hexi, located at the wonderful Deco Building LA, 5209 Wilshire Blvd. This month’s lineup features Sohpie Buddle, Tavaris Smith, Sammy Mowrey, Sammy Weiser, and Karen Haber
Film
Last but hardly least – in what is arguably the world’s best neighborhoood to be a film fan – your weekend can also include big screen presentations of:
Friday:
7:30 pm – Salomé (with Live Score by Sarah Davachi) – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
7:30 pm – Lust Caution (full NC-17 version) – New Beverly Cinema
7:30 pm – Never Open that Door & The Window (Double Feature) – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre
11:59 pm – Death Proof – New Beverly Cinema
Saturday:
11:00 am – Wadjda – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
2:00 pm – Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog – Holocaust Museum LA
2:00 pm – A Bug’s Life – New Beverly Cinema
2:00 pm – The Bride Wore Red & Christopher Strong (Double Feature) – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
3:00 pm – Oscar-Winning Short Films – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
4:00 pm – Kiss of Death – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
6:30 pm – My Man Godfrey & 20th Century (Double Feature) – New Beverly Cinema
7:00 pm – Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre – Philosophical Research Society
7:30 pm – Spellbound – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
7:30 pm – Union Station & Cairo Station (Double Feature) – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
Sunday:
2:00 pm – Zouzou (in 35MM) and Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
2:00 pm – A Bug’s Life – New Beverly Cinema
3:00 pm – Oscar-Winning Animated Short Films – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
4:00 pm – Desert Fury – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
6:30 pm – My Man Godfrey & 20th Century (Double Feature) – New Beverly Cinema
7:30 pm – Anatomy of a Fall – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
7:30 pm – La Bête Humaine & Human Desire (Double Feature) – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
Have a great weekend!
