Now, full disclosure: I loves me some Bert Green, downtown gallerist & founder of the LA Art Walk. [waves] And I loves me some Gallery Row Organization (some stories I assigned & edited for the LA Alternative Press back in 05 & 06 brought me into repeated contact with the original GRO). And I really love Kim Cooper & her husband Richard Schave (founders of literary/historic tour company Esotouric), who for some time now have functioned as the burgeoning Downtown Art Walk’s curator & director, respectively. But now they’ve both resigned over the addition of Russell Brown, head of the Historic Downtown Business Improvement District, to the Art Walk’s governing body.

I’m currently reaching out to all involved parties & should have more info soon. It does strike me as odd that a nonprofit org, designed to enhance the cultural vibrancy of the area (independently of commercial enterprise) should now have as its head a leader of the Historic Downtown Business Improvement District. In a brief phone call with Richard, he mentioned it heralded a “privatization of the public space of downtown.” Is downtown public? Private? Both? I’m hoping someone can explain to me how and why this happened. I’m trying to keep an open mind.

Either way, all of Esotouric’s offerings have been removed from the monthly artwalks, so those expecting shuttles, knowledgeable tour guides, food tours from foodblogger Javier (TeenageGlutster) Cabral, historical-literary discussions and more will be disappointed.

I’m a big history geek. I even got a national merit scholarship award in high school for the subject of history. Needless to say, this did not make me any cooler back then, but nowadays I have no shame about being totally gay for history (is that offensive? If so let me know).

So I’m crazy in love with the Heritage Square Museum in Highland Park. If you’ve never been there, what it is is a collection of historic homes & architectural wonderments, all transported from locations where they surely would have been razed to their foundations–instead deposited safely in the Arroyo south of Pasadena, in a neat little collection. They host lots of historical-reenactment living exhibits and do a great job of showing you what a Victorian-era home would have looked like. And on December 5 & 6 they’re hosting their 15th Annual Lamplighting Celebration for the holiday season.

With each charming home illuminated by lamplight, you can jump into the dancing, sip some warm apple cider and nosh on tasty holiday goodies. There will be period-style dress & festivities and the homes will be decorated in holiday decorations typical of the era in which each home was built. Additionally, guests can check out “Holiday Heritage: A Southern California Christmas,” a photographic exhibit offering a glimpse of the culture, commerce, and art of Christmas in SoCal from 1880 to 1950, listen to classic tales from a “special visitor,” and shop for adorable period crafts & gifts in the Museum Store–hello, stocking stuffers!

"Burn Joe, Burn!"

The Bruins of UCLA and the Trojans of USC will be competing on the football field tomorrow night. The Los Angeles Universities have a long-standing rivalry that is important to a lot of the city’s residents. Personally, I’m not really interested in the sport or who wins. Maybe I should be since the company I work for is highly affiliated with USC. In spite of not being a fan, I somehow ended up at The Trojans’ big pep rally, called Conquest, last weekend. (I was solely there to see the closing band, OK Go).

The event, held on the USC campus, was a big deal complete with a ferris wheel, food trucks, Jamie Kennedy introducing a variety of the school’s sports teams and coaches, and a very impressive fireworks display. Most of the “Yay Team!” (or “Fight On!” as they say at USC) stuff was lost on me, but I did thoroughly enjoy The Trojan Marching Band, otherwise known as The Spirit of Troy. They are excellent and their rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” was a huge treat.

The Spirt of Troy

It appeared that the highlight of the night for the students and alumni was the burning of Joe Bruin, UCLA’s mascot bear. There were chants of “Burn, Joe, burn!” It can only make me wonder what they light on fire at UCLA. Hopefully, it’s not what we all think of when we hear USC’s mascot because the smell of burning rubber is rather unpleasant.

There have been shenanigans this week with UCLA’s Bruin statue getting painted with Trojan cardinal and gold. So much for sportsmanship.

Are you into the big game and if so, who are you rooting for? I really hope your team wins.

photo by Stephen Coleman

As an alternative to the “Black Friday” frenetic activity Monrovia Association of Fine Art and the Monrovia Old Town Merchants paired up and are putting together a festive party atmosphere in Old Town Saturday 11/28.  Two of the art galleries in town will be featuring artists receptions with free nibbles and wine to lighten up their events.  Numerous merchants and restaurants will be hosting “open house” receptions as well.  Expect carolers to out and about in Old Town Monrovia as well.

Segil Fine Art (110 W Lime Avenue, Monrovia 91016) will host a reception from 6-10PM.  The reception will celebrate the current show “Peace and Light” with the works of Laura Wambsgans.

Paint n Play Art Studio and Gallery (418 S Myrtle Ave, Monrovia) will be hosting a reception for featured artist Dino Rassmussen and his nostalgic, kitschy “Mostly Christmas” series.  Also present will be nearly a dozen of other artists represented by the gallery (me included) to share in the holiday cheer and their particular art.  There will be ample nibbles and wine to add to the festive atmosphere created by the music of “Rat Pack” musician Tony Millot. Read the rest of this entry →

This years LA auto show is different than all others before it. This year will be the first year with the official sanctioning by the OICA “Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automoblies”. Yes, LA is officially one of the biggies on the international circuit which is appropriate for our importance in the world market place.

The first 4 winners will receive a nifty $50 value gift pack containing the following goodies:

• 1 general admission passes to the Show
• 1 LA Auto Show T-shirts
• LA Auto Show Messenger Bag
• other goodies from the Show!
• final 4 win tickets only (my bad on the clarification)

To win all you have to do is tell me why you want to attend and include a legit email address so I can contact you for mailing information on your prize package.

As we get closer to the auto show I’ll decipher and condense down the press releases, but Green Car of the Year is going to be celebrating its 5th anniversary and will be among the many events and premiers at this years show.

Details: LA Convention Center, LA Auto Show is open to the public Dec. 4-13. Hours are:
Weekdays: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Saturdays: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Sundays: 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Apologies for the late-ish notice, but heads up if your afternoon is free:  Designer Con 2009 is up and running until 5pm today at the Pasadena Convention Center.  Designer art, apparel, and slick toys will be on display and for sale.  Their attitude is to “expand the scope of ‘that which is design.’”  Artists defining and expanding the scope of design include Amanda Visell, Christopher Lee, Tim Biskup, and Buff Monster (!).  If you follow Buff Monster on Twitter, you’ll see he’s made an exclusive t-shirt for the event.  And, though it’s not nearly as kawaii as watching the shiba inu puppies grow, ToyBreak also is using Ustream to stream live from the floor of the show.

Admission price is $5 before 3pm; after 3pm, it’s free.  See you at 3.

Just wanted to let you know about an awesome scavenger hunt game on the west side tomorrow afternoon, hosted by Wise Guys Events. It’s designed for teams of two and combines elements of a photo scavenger hunt and the spy game, Assassin. It’s super cheap for a few hours of fun and will be over in plenty of time for you to head to your evening plans.

Here’s some information I ripped from the event’s Facebook page:

Camera Assassins is the newest Wise Guys Events game! Play in teams of 2: that’s right, teams of 2! Get your future Amazing Race partner in on the action. It’s part photo scavenger hunt, part Assassin. You and your partner are racing to complete as many of the photo challenges as you can. The catch is, you can’t do them without the help of the other teams, and one of the other players is aiming to kill you. Unless your partner is.

Camera Assassins, the amazing game of double exposure! RSVP on their Facebook event page to play.

The cost is $20 per team, to be collected on game day.

Saturday, November 21, 2009
1:00p – 4:00p
Westwood Park – Meet at the Picnic Benches
1300 Veteran Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90024

click for a full view with map

The LAAA is having its annual Aurora Holiday Art Sale Saturday only 11/21.  There is a preview sale that includes complimentary champagne starting at 6pm that will cost you 25 bones.  Its free after 7PM but no free booze.   (Their flier does get bigger with a click for all the details you could ever want).

The best part of this show is that it is all about affordable art for collectors and exposing them to up-and-coming artists.  Artists like my friend Ginger Van Hook who was picked up after the jurists viewed her work at last weekends Inglewood Art Walk.

Venice Beach

Ok, Metbloggers and Metblogs readers, get off your bikes and get ready for the Great Los Angeles Walk 2009 this Saturday, November 21.  This annual walk to celebrate Los Angeles has been taking place since 2006.  Here’s Will Campbell’s preview of last year’s walk. This year, over 300 feet are expected to join in.

Who
Great Los Angeles Walk is the brainchild of Mike and Maria, purveyors of the Franklin Avenue blog, and no doubt passionate readers of Los Angeles Metblogs.

What

A 13.5 mile walk from the Shrine Auditorium to Venice Beach, taking in the sights along Figueroa, Adams, Washington, the Mid-City, and Culver City on the way.
Read the rest of this entry →

VerdElf at SantaCon 2008 (Photo courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff and the LA Times)

Details about the annual Santa Conference (SantaCon) is usually unavailable this early in the year and the veracity of any information that does become available is often in question due to Santa’s propensity for pranking. What we do know is this, the annual conference is coordinated by a shadowy figure known only as “Santa” and while he sometimes tolerates elves at his annual gathering,  he will do anything it takes to keep those damn clowns from ruining his jolly good time.

While specific details about SantaCon are never revealed until it is actually happening, I just received some intel regarding this year’s event that may be helpful for those of you who are looking to either participate or avoid it altogether. My sources have informed me that this year’s event will take place on Saturday, December 12.

I am also told that Santa is likely to be traveling on foot instead of bus this year, which means a $5 Metro Day Pass is all you’re going to need to hurl your cheer onto every street corner.

Last year, Santa merged at Echo Park Lake to begin the conference. So far, no one has revealed the exact starting location of this year’s event, but to me downtown seems like an obvious choice. Then, you never really know with Santa.

Ho, ho, ho.

Seventeen art gallery’s and studios will be hosting the Inglewood Art Walk this weekend.   Courtesy the Parks and Recreation Department there will be free Trolley Tours taking you along the route.  The complete map of the route can be downloaded HERE.

Among the participants are two of my favorite artists Ginger Van Hook (photography) and Luke Van Hook (painting).  They will be hosting the closing reception 5-7Pm on Sunday 11/15 at their studio located at 703 E Hyde Park Blvd, Inglewood, CA.

More information on the artists and art can be found at the Inglewood Open Studio blog.

Photo “Hot Pink Peppers”  by Ginger Van Hook and used with permission.

My boy is back after a week away shooting music and art in Vegas, and boy are his arms tired! Um…sorry. Yes. Anyway, CuriousJosh is here with your to-do list of this week’s weird and wonderful underground events. -Lucinda.

Hello Los Angeles! I’m CuriousJosh, happily here on loan courtesy of LA Weekly. Read on for vampires, live art, Miss Jackson–if you’re nasty–Hello Kitty, underground DJs, and wig socialization opportunities.

Downtown Artwalk (Thursday)
Thousands converge for this culture crawl through Los Angeles’ downtown art district. Visit an array of galleries, speckled with live music, wine, craft sales, and more. FREE

I AM A LASER (Thursday)
When artwalk dies down, the culture continues. DJs and Live art highlight the new monthly I AM A LASER artwalk afterparty at Club Nokia. This month features DJ Take (Dublab/Alpha Pup/Los Angeles), R/D (The Designed Disorder), LC (Cannibal Flower/Think Space), live artwork by Hans Haveron, live painting by John Park, and roving photography by Curious Josh.  $10.

Wig Out! (Thursday)
Get your wig out, and join this offbeat crowds monthly themed wig party. This month DJ My Little Pony, DJ Spinny, and performance art troupe Art of Bleeding spearheads the medical themed health care night. Tonight’s a perfect opportunity to use that Halloween naughty nurse outfit you thought would stay in the closet until next year. $8 with wig/ $10 without. At Bordello. (Great parking and safe!) 901 E 1st St, 90012.

Click thru for vamps, tribal DJ parties, one spooky Kitty, and wardrobe malfunctions en masse.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tough Cookies battle The Swarm on Saturday night. Photo by Stalkerazzi f/8.

The L.A. Derby Dolls 2009 season is drawing to a close. With only one regular season bout left (then the Championship in December,) now is the time to get to the Doll Factory for the most exciting fast-paced, full-contact sport in Los Angeles. LA MetBlogs has your tickets, so read on to find out how to get them.

The bouts have continued to get more and more exciting throughout the season. This Saturday, November 14, the action will reach a fever pitch as the Tough Cookies (2008 Champions) take on The Swarm. Both teams are undefeated this season, and will battle for the top spot in the standings.

Come with me past the jump to win your tickets to this epic bout. As a special bonus, I’ve also got your tickets to Sunday’s Baby Doll Brawl… Read the rest of this entry →

My work took me past Jeremy Swan’s Broken Art Tattoo shop on Hyperion today, to shoot some photos for our website. When I realized what a nice, cool guy he is, I decided I had to help however I could. You see, Friday is the day–that’s 24 hours, there–that Jeremy tattoos over 801 people.

Well, that’s the plan, at least (info). Here’s the man in his own words: “November, Friday the 13th, I will attempt to beat the world record of ‘most tattoos done in 24 hours.’  I have learned that the actual number to beat is 801 tattoos set on Nov. 17, 2008 by Hollis Cantrell.  That is an incredible amount of tattoos to do in 24 hours. I began to wonder if I should still do this…This is twice the amount of tattooing I had anticipated.”

But he’s got a lot in his favor: he’s a great artist, as you can see by the photos, and he’s offering four designs to keep the process streamlined: one, a cute little bat; two, the classic “LA”; third, a heart with wings; and fourth, lucky number 13–since it’ll be Friday the 13th when he does this. And you can’t argue with the price: $20 for the first, $10 for each additional one. You can check out Jeremy’s blog here.

Stop by even if you’re an indecisive wuss like me and not gonna get ink done: they’re gonna have live music, tasty food, booze, t-shirts with a custom design you can see in this photoset I just made, and a raffle for cool stuff.

For those with imaginations that run dark in their romantic tendencies, the brain child of L.A. underground artist Nui Cobalt will be your dirty cup of tea.  Nemesis promises to be an end of the world descent into debauchery and exquisite poignance.

Dance to the sweet strains (Darkwave, New Romantic, Tribal Goth) of your final hours with music spun by DJ Xian and MP3J SARK while partaking of exotic libations. (I hear the coconut martinis are mindblowing.)  Also, fans of Gentleman Junkie can expect a chance to own a limited edition CD that can only be procured on this one occasion.

Nemesis debuts on 11/11 and will slither back to life quarterly. Doors open to the Electric Lotus (4656 Franklin Ave) at 10:30 pm.  Cover is $5 until 11 pm, after which it becomes $10. Valet parking is available.