As warmer weather slowly creeps its way back into the forecast this week, so has Jazz at LACMA, a new exhibit at the Grammy Museum, and some of the usual suspects that never disappoint. And even though this week’s roundup is a little slim, the happenings below are more than worthy of my small curation. You could earn your Girl Scout charity badge at a FUNdraising event, show off your smarts at a book talk, or become inspired by uplifting stories of overcoming homelessness. So little to do, so much time! Oh, wait, reverse that.
Arts, Culture, FUNdraising, and The Power of Song
It’s always fashionable to give back, but this event takes that to heart! So dust off those checkbooks (yes – I’m over 40), people, because the annual SHE IS HOPE LA FUNdraiser event, Glamour & Hope: Fashion for a Cause is back at Tag Gallery this Sunday, April 23 from 12-3 p.m. This year’s event will feature a fashion show, live auction, music and entertainment, craft cocktails and small plates, and the always popular swag bag! SHE IS HOPE LA is a non-profit that provides low-income, single mothers in LA with the resources and support they need to create a better future for themselves and their families, through employment assistance, educational opportunities, and life skills training. General admission tickets are $50. Sponsorship level tickets range from $250-$2500. All proceeds will go directly to SHE IS HOPE. Tag Gallery is located at 5458 Wilshire Blvd.
And if after your selfless giving, you’re interested in switching gears a bit, why not head on over to The Museum of Tolerance for a late afternoon with author and award-winning photojournalist, B.A. Van Sise for a discussion of his new book, Invited to Life, Finding Hope After the Holocaust. This moving celebration of survival, resilience and joy, is portrayed through 90 black-and-white portraits of Holocaust survivors, complemented by personal stories of their postwar lives. Join those who appear in the book as they talk with the author and offer wisdom that only comes from “building a life of one’s choosing out of the wreckage of despair.” Van Sise’s work has been featured in major solo exhibitions, as well as in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery. A book signing will follow the conversation. This free event, co-sponsored by the Holocaust Museum LA, starts at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 23; RSVP here. The MOT is located at 9786 W. Pico Blvd.
The GRAMMY Museum’s latest addition, The Power Of Song: A Songwriters Hall Of Fame Exhibit will open this week on a Wednesday, an underrated day of the week if you ask me, showcasing the work and legacy of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, while exploring the mysteries behind the making of great music. This newly expanded traveling exhibition will feature an original film with songwriters Jimmy Jam, Toby Keith, Carole King, Smokey Robinson, Carole Bayer Sager, and Diane Warren, sharing insights about their creative process; a songwriting interactive; a piano owned by Irving Berlin; Handwritten lyrics and other artifacts of inductees such as Cyndi Lauper and Taylor Swift. Exhibit will be on display from April 26 – Sept. 4, 2023.
And next up, with no introduction needed, the LA Opera‘s multi-season collaboration with the groundbreaking Beth Morrison Projects continues with a double bill (and double the fun) of extraordinary West Coast premieres by Irish composer Emma O’Halloran. The first of the two, Mary Motorhead, portrays a convicted murderer, mezzo-soprano Naomi Louisa O’Connell, who tells the story of the disappointments and betrayals that shaped her life in the hope that it may shine some light upon the darkness of her actions. And the other, TRADE, set in working class Dublin, is the story of a boy prostitute or “rent boy” (played by Kyle Bielfield) and his closeted client (three-time Tony nominee Marc Kudisch) whose characters are both “trapped within their own lives”. The show opens on Thursday, April 27 and run through Sunday, April 30 at the REDCAT in DTLA. Tickets are $49-$74.
The Ebell of Los Angeles is consistently providing us with compelling programs and workshops that are meant to uplift and inspire, just like this one happening on Thursday, April 27: Stories From The Frontline: Homelessness Solutions That Work, featuring women who have successfully overcome homelessness. The audience will experience the women’s journeys through the system, and the challenges they face getting critical social services and support for themselves and their young children, through the harrowing stories told by Alexandria House, CSH Speak Up!, and Imagine LA advocates. Pre-Reception starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Art Salon; Program at 7:30 p.m. in the Lounge. The cost is $10 for members; $15 for non-members; and FREE for students with current ID.
FREE JAZZ (!!!) is back in our lives this week, thank goodness, and I am even more thrilled to announce that it’s Jazz at LACMA: The Los Angeles Jazz Orchestra that will be bringing it this Friday, April 28. Founded in 2022, LAJO quickly distinguished itself as one of the top-caliber jazz orchestras in the nation. Led by Conductor Charley Harrison and Artistic Director Winston Byrd, the ensemble is “comprised of some of the most heralded musicians in the Los Angeles jazz community, while also reflecting the great diversity of LA’s population.” Presented on Friday evenings through November, Jazz at LACMA provides a stage for some of LA’s finest jazz musicians. Seating is limited and first come, first served, so try and get there early. Face masks are encouraged but not required. Concerts take place from 6-8 p.m.
Local Government
Your local NC, voted “best all around” back in high school, the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council will have just one meeting this week, and it’s for the Land Use Committee on Tuesday, April 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Marlborough School (Board Room) located at 250 S. Rossmore Ave. Check the GWNC’s website for agendas and full calendar here.
Closing things out, per usual, is the Mid City West Neighborhood Council with 3 more meetings on the calendar this week. One for the Social and Racial Equity Committee on Tuesday, April 25, another for the Transportation and Sustainability Committee on Wednesday, April 26, and another on Thursday, April 27 for the Executive Council. Check MCW’s calendar for details. Please Note: all meetings will now be held at the Pan Pacific Park Senior Center (Lunch Room), 141 S. Gardner St., Los Angeles.
And don’t forget to cast a ballot for your neighborhood representatives at the upcoming Neighborhood Council Elections taking place on Sunday, April 30 (for both the GWNC and MCWNC). Check your local NC’s website for details.
