5 design things to do this week

Written by

This week, you can: smell art infused with scent; view the soul of Los Angeles architecture; muse-um until midnight; discuss the history and relevance of Chicano/a mural art in LA; and see an art exhibit of cutting edge architectural drawings.

Miles Regis at the opening of his Institute of Art and Olfaction show. (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

1 )  Miles Regis: Artist Talk + Closing Night Reception

The explosive colors, fusion images and multi-media integration of Los Angeles-based, Trinidadian artist Miles Regis made him a perfect candidate for a residency at the Institute of Art and Olfaction to explore artistic and experimental engagement with scent.  Regis’ work also incorporates creative mediums such as fashion, music, virtual reality and installation. On Saturday night, the IAO will host an artist talk and closing night reception, where Regis will present the scents he has been working on during his residency, and talk about the themes and creative practice behind his exhibition.

When: Saturday, August 19, 7 -10 pm

Where:  The Institute for Art and Olfaction,  932 Chung King Road, LA CA 90012

Tickets: Free. More details here.

Artist Jenny Okun methodically photographs her buildings by winding the film through the camera in small increments, thus producing one long negative of overlapping images. (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

2) Jenny Okun : Downtown L.A.

If a building has a soul, Jenny Okun will find it with her camera by concentrating on the essential qualities of form, texture, color and detail.  Recognized for her large scale, multiple exposure photographic abstractions of architecture, in recent years her work has shifted to digital layering for complex montages on a broader range of subjects.  This newest series expresses the energetic atmosphere surrounding the architecture of Downtown LA.  On Saturday evening, the Craig Krull Gallery will host a closing party, complete with bluegrass music and munchies.

When: Saturday, August 19, 5 – 7 pm

Where: Craig Krull Gallery, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave, B3, Santa Monica, CA 90404

Tickets: Free. RSVP by email.

LACMA becomes an art-themed dance club at this annual summer event. (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

3) Muse ‘til Midnight at LACMA

Join hundreds of fellow art-lovers for this annual summer night of art and music under the stars.  This year’s event celebrates Latin American and Latino art in Los Angeles with a dozen DJ sets curated by ArtDontSleep and drawing inspiration from Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA.

Art after-hours includes:

When: Saturday, August 19, 8 pm – midnight

Where: LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036.  BP Grand Entrance (museum map)

Tickets: $25 members, $35 non-members.  Admission includes one complimentary signature beverage provided by SHOWTIME®, ArtDontSleep-curated entertainment, access to five exhibitions, and parking. Must be 18 +.  Get tickets here.

Paul Botello’s mural at Ruben Salazar Park on Whittier Blvd in Los Angeles. (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

4)  Gustavo Arellano leads a panel discussion for “¡Murales Rebeldes!: L.A. Chicana/Chicano Murals Under Siege”

For underrepresented communities, art, and especially larger-than-life mural art, is a way to have their voices heard.  The Chicano Civil Rights Movement (El Movimiento) of the 1960s and 1970s protested the social, political, and educational inequalities in Mexican-American communities across the country, particularly in the Southwest. Chicana/Chicano muralists also took to the streets with their art, creating works that expressed cultural pride, embodied political activism, and challenged the status quo. On walls of city buildings, housing projects, schools, and other community structures, they claimed their identity. In Los Angeles and its environs, such murals have reinvigorated and transformed communities, expanding into new genres and locations.

Panelists at the Vroman’s event include Erin M Curtis, Jessica Hough, and muralists Barbara Carrasco and David Botello (brother of muralist Paul Botello, whose mural is featured above). Jointly published by LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes and the California Historical Society, “¡Murales Rebeldes!: L.A. Chicana/Chicano Murals Under Siege” will be available for sale and panelist signatures at the event.

Also note, an exhibit of the same title and also part of Pacific Standard Time (also referenced under Muse at Midnight listing) will be held at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in downtown Los Angeles, Sept 23, 2017 – Feb 27, 2017.

When: Sunday, August 20, 4 pm

Where: Vroman’s Bookstore695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101

Tickets: Free.  Books available for purchase, $40.  Book purchase required for panelist signing.  For each purchased copy, attendees can bring up to three copies from home for signatures. More details here.

Leave it to architects to make art inside the lines.(The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

5) Drawing Codes: Experimental Protocols of Architectural Representation

A lot has changed since I got my first drafting table back in college. As building codes have become ever more, let’s say ‘sophisticated,’ luckily so have the tools to beautify them.  An exhibit closing at the WUHO Gallery this weekend appreciates the art of how the latest drawing technologies can be used to transform codes and protocols into cutting edge design.

When: Closing Sunday, August 20.  Click here for gallery hours.

Where: WUHO Gallery, 6518 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Tickets: Free. More details here.