5 design things to do this week

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This week: learn how motherhood impacts artists; see what UCLA architecture and urban design students are working on; watch a classic film at a vintage DTLA theater; explore the environment in the post-digital era; and paws to admire some purrfect cat-themed art.

1)  Screening and Panel: Artist and Mother

Balancing work and family is a major challenge in our culture and women in particular often feel the greatest conflict.  The art world is no exception, with many women artists still worrying that if they really want to succeed, they will need to choose between the two.  The KCET Artbound documentary Artist and Mother follows four artists who defy this thinking.

Rebecca Campbell, Andrea Chung, Tanya Aguiñiga, and Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle not only juggle career and family but they have also found inspiring ways to use the materials or images of motherhood in their art.  The California African American Museum (CAAM) is screening Artist and Mother followed by a panel with all four artists – three of whom have exhibited their work at CAAM – moderated by journalist Jori Finkel, co-producer of the film.

When: Tuesday, June 12, 7 – 9 pm

Where: California African American Museum (CAAM) 600 State Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90007

Tickets: Free. More information here.

2) RUMBLE at UCLA

With more than 250 design studio projects and program installations on view and over 100 leading critics and practitioners, RUMBLE is a great opportunity to engage with UCLA’s Architecture and Urban Design department and to examine the shifting edge of contemporary critical thinking and design innovation.

When: Opening Reception and Awards Tuesday, June 12, 6 – 9 pm.  Work will be on display through June 16.  Additional related events and locations here.

Where: Perloff Hall on the UCLA Campus (Parking lot 3)

Tickets: Free. On campus parking $12.

3) Last Remaining Seats

Throughout the month of June, the Los Angeles Conservancy lights up the big screen of Los Angeles’ historic theaters. Catch a classic flick amidst the glamour of these restored gems and even take a backstage tour of the theater before the show with an ever-knowledgeable and engaging Conservancy guide.  This Wednesday at 8 pm, the Theater at the Ace Hotel, a 1927 Spanish Gothic-style theater, will be screening In the Heat of the Night, the 1967 film featuring Sidney Poitier in his iconic role as officer Virgil Tibbs. At the Los Angeles Theatre on Saturday you can catch Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) at 2 pm and The Birds (1963) at 8 pm. See the full lineup here.

When: Wednesday June 13, 8 pm and Saturday, June 16 at 2 pm.  Additional dates and shows here.

Where: Various historic theaters.

Tickets: Film: $22.  You can get tickets here. Backstage Tour: $20.  You can get tickets here.

4) Environment[al]: Curated by Herwig Baumgartner and Marcelyn Gow

Environment[al] is a group exhibition at SCI-Arc in which architects, designers and landscape architects contemplate changing views on the environment, considering ongoing debates over climate change, renewable energy and the erosion of natural resources. SCI-Arc Director and CEO Hernan Diaz Alonso invited Herwig Baumgartner and Marcelyn Gow to collect examples of post-digital design thinking on the environment and “what a reconstituted landscape might look like; how might it be instantiated within a different site,” according to an interview in LA Forum.

This includes efforts to reconstitute the concretized Los Angeles River channel, and what to do with the debris produced by the recent demolition of the 6th Street Bridge. Swiss landscape architecture firm Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten transformed the SCI-Arc gallery into a landscape that is both a partial facsimile of the Owens Valley watershed and a reinstantiation of the L.A. River.

When: Opens Friday, June 15 with a panel discussion at 5 pm.  Exhibition runs through August 26

Where: SCI-Arc, 960 East 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Tickets: Free. More information here.

5) Cat Art Show 3: The Sequel Returns Again

Feline companions can be a source of comfort as well as frustration (stop clawing at the couch!), but for some they are an artistic muse. The third iteration of the Cat Art Show brings together  140 works by over 120 globally-recognized and emerging artists, including Lola Gil, Travis Louie, Daniel Maidman, Brandon Boyd, Brandi Milne, Marion Peck, Mick Rock, Edel Rodriguez, Mark Ryden (see his work, Quantum Superposition, above), Devan Shimoyama, Tasya Van Ree, Ellen von Unwerth, Casey Weldon and Marc Dennis (see his image top of page: “Katty” 2018). Beneficiaries of the exhibition include The Ian Somerhalder Foundation and Kitten Rescue LA. Admission is free Monday through Friday courtesy of a generous donation by a cat art loving benefactor.  

When: Exhibition is open June 14 to 24. VIP opening on Thursday, June 14 from 6-8:30 pm, public opening is 8:30-11 pm.

Where: Think Tank Gallery, 939 Maple Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Tickets: Public opening tickets are $10. VIP opening tickets are $70 and includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. $10 of every ticket sold will go to benefit cat welfare charities. Purchase tickets here.