Schools are starting again (a few this week, LAUSD next week, and many others in the next couple of weeks), so it looks like big summer events are winding down a bit…but there are still some great learning opportunities this weekend, and at least one great big cultural festival for the whole family to enjoy.
First, on Saturday, LACMA is offering a One-Day Workshop in Mixed Media Photo Collage. Starting at 10 a.m. , participants will look at art inspired by the exhibit, “In the Fields of Empty Days: The Intersection of Past and Present in Iranian Art” …and then artist Gloria Westcott will guide the creation of similar works with multiple expressions — and you can experiment with unconventional methods using a variety of media including printmaking and spray paint on mylar. Cost is $35 for LACMA members; $45 for the general public (adults only, please). See the workshop link above for registration and more details.
Later, starting at 1 p.m. Saturday at the John C. Fremont branch library, 6121 Melrose Ave., you can brush up on your French with a free French Conversation Class. Parisian native Samba Magassa teaches the twice-monthly session (the next class is Thursday, August 30 at 5:30 p.m.), and everyone is welcome to connect to this friendly community of Francophiles, and refresh your high school and/or college French.
Also at 1 p.m. (and again at 3 p.m.) on both Saturday and Sunday, you could head over to the Marciano Art Foundation, 4357 Wilshire Blvd., for Maceo Paisley with ​Andrea Felyer Present Line Steppers. Paisley is multi-disciplinary artist, designer, and cultural producer who explores themes in society and identity through movement, language, and imagery. The event will unfold in the museum’s Albert Oehlen/Peppi Bottrop: Line Packers exhibit, adding “a layer of commentary on labor versus expression in the world of art and entertainment.”
And finally on Saturday, for something even more peaceful, there’s Symphonic Serenity, a guided meditation program that combines music and silence, at 2 p.m. at Wilshire Branch Library, 149 S. St. Andrews Pl. The session will include both silence and music, and is open to both adults and older teens.
On Sunday, there are a couple of reasons to venture a bit further from home. First, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Hollywood Heritage Museum, 2100 N. Highland Ave., will be holding a gift shop clearance sale, with merchandise including film and Hollywood-related used books, DVDs, posters, memorabilia and collectibles. They’re making space for the holiday season and a couple of big upcoming events, so you should be able to find some fun items at great prices.
Later, you could take the whole family back to LACMA, for an Andell Family Sundays workshop on Printmaking in Italy. Drop in any time between 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. to explore the printmaking boom during the Italian Renaissance, as highlighted in the exhibition The Chiaroscuro Woodcut in Renaissance Italy, and then learn simple printmaking techniques in an artist-led workshop. The session is free and open to the public. All ages welcome, though children must be accompanied by an adult.
And finally, there is one really big event this week — the annual Nisei Week celebration of Japanese culture, which runs from August 11-19. There will be educational, performance, music, food and other special events both this weekend and next (see the festival link for the full event list). This includes, on Sunday, Aki’s Pawp-Up Party Festival, “for your beloved fur babies,” which sounds too cute not to mention. Held at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, 244 San Pedro Street, starting at 10 a.m., you can bring your dog and enjoy dog-related vendors, a special appearance by Aki the Akita and other “celebrity instagram dogs,” a dog fashion runway, dog training show, and animal psychic.
Of course, however, the really big Nisei Week event is the  Nisei Week Grand Parade, which starts at 4 p.m. on Sunday in Little Tokyo (see the parade link for complete route information). The huge, colorful parade is one of the biggest of the year in Los Angeles, and is always one of the highlights of Nisei Week (if not late summer in general). Be sure to arrive early to stake out a great spot on the curb…
…and have a great weekend!
