ARTmageddon — LA art report

In response to this coming weekend’s impending Carmageddon II, a growing alliance of LA-based artists and arts organizations have united with community leaders to create ARTmageddon, a two-day citywide celebration of the prolific and inspiring art happening all over Los Angeles on Saturday, September 29 and Sunday, September 30, 2012.

ARTmageddon centers on a simple idea… Encourage all of Los Angeles to walk, bike and Metro to art in their neighborhoods!  In order to offer Los Angeles residents a user-friendly resource where they can discover all the great events happening on September 29th & 30th, the team behind ARTmageddon created their own website for the event.

This brand new website features comprehensive listings for arts and cultural happenings in neighborhoods across Los Angeles County and beyond. Dynamic maps allow visitors to check out what’s going on at major institutions or dig deeper to discover hidden gems located just around the corner.

Here is a quick sampling from the hundreds of events Angelenos can discover at ARTmageddon:

Chinatown –
• 9/29: Los Angeles Chinatown hosts the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival.  Fusing traditional ceremonies with more modern sensibilities, this free event offers lion dancers, kung fu artists, hands-on cultural workshops, art gallery openings, food trucks, artisans, ghost story-telling, and more against the magical neon backdrop of LA’s Chinatown.  5:00-11:00pm.  [Link]

Long Beach –
• 9/29: An Evening with Lily Tomlin, a special one night only event at the Carpenter Center on the California State University campus in Long Beach, takes the audience on what The Washington Post calls a “wise and howlingly funny” trip with Tomlin’s comical insights and wildly witty observations.  Starts at 8:00pm.  [Link]

Reseda –
• 9/29: In honor of the Reseda Centennial, the Reseda Neighborhood Council will present the Reseda Centennial Music and Arts Festival with live performances, an artists pavilion, interactive live art, amusement rides, food and more at Reseda Park. 10am-10pm.  [Link]

Santa Monica –
• 9/29: ADC & Building Bridges presents Bestabee Romero’s installation Cartography of an Identity. Exhibition is curated by Laura Pomerantz and sponsored by the General Consulate of Mexico in Los Angeles.  11:30am-6:00pm.  [Link]

Downtown LA –
• 9/29 & 9/30: The Panza Collection and Selections from Major Gifts of Beatrice and Philip Gersh, Rita and Taft Schreiber, and Marcia Simon Weisman are on view at MOCA Grand Avenue.  When acquired in 1984, the Panza Collection was considered at the time to be one of the world’s most important acquisitions of contemporary art, marking a turning point in the museum’s early history. The exhibition features 92 works, including paintings, sculptures, and works on paper.  11:00am-6:00pm  [Link]

Lincoln Heights –
• 9/29 & 9/30: DIY creative community space HM157 presents Journey to the Center of My Mind, an event with art, film and music featuring works by 10 female artists.  Saturday includes performance art by Elsa Philippe and an a capella performance by Guy Blakeslee.  Sunday includes a screening of No Deposit No Return Blues, a documentary about the legendary Sandy Bull, followed with performances by Blakeslee, Jeff Levitz (Brian Jonestown Massacre) and Jason Simon (Dead Meadow).  6:00pm-Midnight. [Link]

Pasadena –
• 9/29 & 9/30:  What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been: 35 Years of the Pasadena Doo Dah Parade at the Pasadena Museum of History includes a photo wall of the annual absurdist parade; vignettes of entries such as the Synchronized Precision Marching Briefcase Drill Team; costumes and memorabilia of various parade queens and music groups.  Noon-5:00pm.  [Link]

Hollywood –
• 9/30: Filmforum presents Breaking Ground: 60 Years of Austrian Experimental Cinema – Part 10: In Awe, the concluding program in this astounding ten-part retrospective of experimental films from Austria at the Egyptian Theater.  7:30-9:30pm.  [Link]

North Hollywood –
• 9/30:  The New Short Fiction Series in North Hollywood at the Federal Bar presents In Cars, a spoken word evening of short fiction by LA writers contemplating our cars, freeways, and getting around LA.  Half price tickets are available online with promo code ARTMAGEDDON or your Metro Line receipt/pass at the door.  Includes short fiction by Robert Morgan Fisher, Sacha Howells, and A.R. Taylor.  6:00-7:00pm.  [Link]

Santa Ana –
• 9/30: The Bowers Museum presents an installment of its Art & Healthy Aging Lecture Series:  Music in the Brain, The Brain in Music.  Dr. William R. Shankle of the Hoag Neurosciences Institute will discuss the impact of music on the brain.  With special guest Maxim Eshkenazy, Assistant Conductor of Pacific Symphony.  1:30-3:30pm.  [Link]

Silver Lake –
• 9/30: Butoh Meadow::Meadow Butoh is a movement experience in Silver Lake Meadow.  Enjoy a morning of intense movement on Sunday at 9:00am by making a slow crossing of the Silver Lake Meadow en masse.  Participants are invited to wear white, if desired.  Body flour will be provided.  If the highways are unreliable and fast is unavailable – why not discover slow.  [Link]

Westwood –
• 9/30: The Hammer Lectures Series presents A Conversation with Zarina on the opening day of the Indian-born American artist’s exhibition at the Hammer Museum in Westwood.  Works in the exhibition include woodcuts as well as three-dimensional casts in paper pulp.  Join Zarina in conversation with curator Allegra Presenti at 2:00pm.  The event is free with museum admission. [Link]

For additional performing and visual arts events, please see visit the official site. and click on the neighborhoods listed below to view comprehensive maps and listings organized by region:

– South Bay / LAX Area
– Hollywood
– Beverly Hills / Westside
– North Beach / Santa Monica
– Downtown LA
– Port / Long Beach  / San Pedro
– Santa Clarita
– San Fernando Valley
– San Gabriel Valley
– All Listings

Many galleries are staying open late, theater companies are offering half-price discounts, dance companies are creating installations in parks, and much more.  The excitement in the arts community to present this wealth of entertainment during ARTmageddon weekend is palpable and offers a testament to Los Angeles as a vital arts capital.

ARTmageddon was created by artists Diana Wyenn (Beyond the Usual) and Ezra LeBank (Curbside), in collaboration with a team of volunteers made up of LA-based artists and arts marketing professionals, in partnership with Metro, Department of Cultural Affairs, LA Stage Alliance, ForYourArt, Green Galactic, and Experience LA, in association with a growing alliance of community partners.  Support for ARTmageddon has come in from individual arts patrons and the Los Angeles Downtown Arts District (LADAD).  For a full list, visit the official site.