The 'Made in L.A.' biennial has its pandemic-delayed premiere this weekend, at long last, at the Hammer Museum and the Huntington.
â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â [Los Angeles Times] Essential Arts April 17, 2021
[View in browser]( Welcome to the Ooops I Forgot to Write the Newsletter edition of Essential Arts. Iâm L.A. Times arts editor Craig Nakano filling in for columnist Carolina A. Miranda, who as youâll see has been immersing herself in architectural solutions for people who are unhoused. This week has been bizzz-eee as California kicked its reopening into a higher gear, so thereâs much to share. Iâm sitting down to write at an hour when Iâm usually in a seismic snore. My 2-year-old is asleep, the coffee is hot, the contact lenses are out and the glasses are on. Letâs do this. Canât keep a good show down The Times doesnât usually publish reviews for exhibitions that might not ever open. But there we were on Nov. 10, publishing critic Christopher Knightâs review of the âMade in L.A.â biennial while the state was hurtling toward a holiday spike of COVID-19 cases. With California museums shuttered for months and the outlook for winter looking grim, our critic flat-out asked the question: âWill âMade in L.A. 2020: a versionâ ever open to the public?â I remember editing the review and replying to my laptop screen: âNo.â Good thing editors are wrong. âMade in L.A.,â at long last, is opening. The Hammer Museum in Westwood and select galleries at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino â co-host of âMade in L.A.â for the first time â begin welcoming visitors again Saturday. [A marble figure stands next to a contemporary sculpture of a prone person]
The 1859 Harriet Hosmer marble sculpture âZenobia in Chainsâ has a new neighbor during the biennial: Patrick Jacksonâs 2011 hyperreal human sculpture âHead, Hands and Feet.â (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) What to look for? Check out [Knightâs review](. At the Nov. 8 Huntington press preview (which seems like three years ago), I found myself drawn like a magnet to the Buck Ellison photography. And oh my god, I doubt there ever will be another instance of an animatronic male private part poking through a glory hole as part of an art installation in the staid confines of the Huntington. The Huntington! Make a reservation and go. Before you head out, read staff writer Deborah Vankinâs report from last July on how intrepid curators Lauren Mackler and Myriam Ben Salah, along with assistant curator of performance Ikechúkwú Onyewuenyi, scrambled to [salvage the show]( amid a historic pandemic, and catch up on some biennial [installations around town]( that you may have missed. A lot of museums are reopening, actually, making listings coordinator Matt Cooper a very busy man. Iâm happy to report that so many SoCal institutions are back in business, weâve restarted a weekly list of [promising exhibitions]( to see. Make a reservation, mask up and, as my father-in-law used to say, get out of the house and blow the stink off ya. If youâre desert bound, Knight has a show for you: âAgnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalistâ at the Palm Springs Art Museum. The painterâs [dreamy, luminous work,]( Knight says, âsecures her significant place among early American Modern artists.â [An American Modern painting.]
Agnes Pelton, âMessengers,â 1932, oil on canvas (Palm Springs Art Museum) For an art experience of a different sort, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has partnered with Snap to create give virtual installations across the region. As Vankin writes, the âMonumental Perspectivesâ project is meant to âadd to the national conversation around representation and historical accuracy in monuments, murals and other public works of art.â Among the augmented reality pieces you can view: Ruben Ochoaâs scene of [fruit carts floating over MacArthur Park](. Staff writer Jessica Gelt reports on the [Ahmanson Theatreâs revised plans]( for a 2021-22 season, which now starts Nov. 30 with âA Christmas Carolâ and includes the West End hit âEverybodyâs Talking About Jamie.â The Broad Stage in Santa Monica also [sketched out some highlights]( including commissions for a social justice opera by Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding, work by choreographer Emily Johnson centered on First Nation creation myths and scored by Raven Chacon ([âSweet Landâ]( and a theatrical work of magical realism created by Angélique Kidjo with visuals by [Kerry James Marshall](. ADVERTISEMENT
Shipping containers as housing solution? The weekâs most-read arts story was Mirandaâs subscriber exclusive walking readers through new SoCal design ideas for people who are homeless. She visits Chandler Street Tiny Home Village, a North Hollywood project of Lehrer Architects, and she tours Hilda L. Solis Care First Village, a $57-million development in downtown L.A. consisting of converted shipping containers and portable units for as many as 232 people. She also checks in with Lorcan OâHerlihy, whose firm is transforming shipping containers into 54 units of supportive housing in South L.A. Writes Miranda: âMy burning question has been: What exactly are these spaces like to live in?â Can structures that you might assume to be small, dark and dank actually feel livable? Can they feel like home? For answers and a peek at the designs, [read the story.]( [A housing site being built.]
Hilda L. Solis Care First Village under construction in downtown L.A. The development includes a three-story building made of stacked shipping containers converted into single-occupancy homes. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Long live Cinerama Dome Another must-read of the week: ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres announced they were pulling the projector plug and would not be reopening. Film and architecture Twitter heated up with conflicting reports of what that meant for the historic Cinerama Dome. Could the 1963 design by midcentury icon Welton Becket and Associates â the worldâs first all-concrete geodesic dome, L.A. Historic-Cultural Monument No. 659 â be torn down or gutted? [The Cinerama Dome lit up at night.]
Cinerama Dome on Sunset Boulevard. Sigh. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Technically, yes. Gelt and I agreed that weâd rather see our beloved Hollywood movie landmark torn down than turned into Cinerama Cheesecake Factory or Dave & Busterâs Dome. But Gelt silenced all the speculation on social with calls to L.A.'s Office of Historic Resources and the L.A. Conservancy, [whose leaders explained]( why neither of those scenarios seemed likely. Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. [Become a subscriber.]( ADVERTISEMENT
Shakespeare and Sondheim Critic Charles McNulty pulled up another seat to the virtual stage, this time to watch Oscar winner Lupita Nyongâo and âThe Crownâ star Josh OâConnor star in [two riffs on âRomeo and Julietâ]( â she in the Public Theaterâs bilingual podcast âRomeo y Julieta,â he in a National Theatre film airing on PBSâ âGreat Performances.â Together, McNulty writes, the twin takes on Shakespeare prove how âin a world riven by inequities and grudges, the story of these young lovers helps us see the gentler, kinder and more sensual lives we could be living.â McNulty also catches âTell the Story: Celebrating Stephen Sondheim and John Weidmanâs âAssassins,ââ a recorded benefit for Classic Stage Company that probes the [weird appeal]( of a musical centered on people who killed or have tried to kill a U.S. president. (ââAudaciousâ seems far too tame for a musical that searches for the pep in pathological and even makes treason tuneful,â McNulty writes.) Ultimately the emotional pull of so many cast, crew and creatives at this moment in the pandemic â the sense of whatâs at stake in the survival of theater â proves as powerful as any song. [Two actors gaze at one another.]
Jessie Buckley as Juliet and Josh OâConnor as Romeo in the National Theatreâs âRomeo and Juliet.â (National Theatre)
And you thought your commute was bad Gustavo news alert: Dudamel, the beloved artistic and music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, accepted an appointment Friday to be music director of Paris Opera. Our critic Mark Swed has the details of how Dudamel will keep his position in L.A. and [shuttle between]( California and France for at least five years. The conductor returns to L.A. for the May 15 reopening of the Hollywood Bowl, a [special free concert]( for hospital workers, grocery store employees, delivery drivers and other essential workers. [Gustavo Dudamel smiles.]
Gustavo Dudamel at a news conference Friday announcing him as the new music director of Paris Opera. (Associated Press)
Briefly ... While the rest of us try to deny their existence, staff writer Matt Pearce bravely swims [NFT waters]( for a piece headlined âWho Can Sell a Wonder Woman NFT? The Guy Who Drew Her or DC Comics?â If you hadnât yet heard, Frieze Los Angeles has been [canceled for 2021](. Vankin explains how the event will return in 2022 â but not to the Paramount backlot. Contributor Michael Rechtshaffen reviews âBill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts,â a documentary about the man who was born into slavery, started making art at age 85, died in 1949 and didnât gain much attention until the 1970s. Rechtshaffenâs [assessment of the film]( in two words: âhauntingly intriguing.â And if you still need some ideas of things to do, Cooper has [23 more picks for weekend culture](. Warning: self-serving promotion ahead Some applause for Team Arts here at The Times: The National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards announced its winners, and the list was packed with names familiar to Essential Arts readers. Staff writer Makeda Easter, in addition to placing third for print journalist of the year, won two categories: multimedia package (with Claire Hannah Collins, J.R. Lizarraga and Vanessa MartÃnez) for her [âRise of the Dancefluencer,â]( and visual arts/architecture feature for [âSlavery Documents From Southern Saltmakers Bring Light to Dark History.â]( [A close-up of a handwritten letter.]
A letter written by John Stand, an enslaved person, says he no longer wants to work for a saltmaker. The document is part of an acquisition by the Huntington Library. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times) McNulty placed first in column writing for a selection of work that included his memorable [âPresident Trump vs. Oedipus Rex: Leaders Reveal Themselves in Times of Plague.â]( McNulty also placed first in the arts commentary analysis/trend category for his pre-pandemic piece [âAs Center Theatre Group Sputters, L.A. Struggles to Realize Its Artistic Potential.â]( Knight and Miranda delivered a 1-2 punch in in the art/design criticism category, placing first and second for selections of work that included a proposal to [build a national COVID-19 memorial]( on the site of Trump Tower and a discussion of how the lack of Latino representation in mass media and the then-presidentâs xenophobic rhetoric is a recipe for the kind of [race-based violence]( plaguing the country. Contributor Lisa Fung and Gelt dominated the theater arts feature category, finishing first and second for pieces centered on fictional work about an innocent man sentenced to death and a real-life project to hold theaters to account for systemic racial bias. Check out [ââThe Wrong Manâ Musicalâs Epic Journey to the Stage, With Help From Team âHamiltonââ]( and [âThe Spreadsheet That Shook the Theater World: Marie Ciscoâs âNot Speaking Outâ List](. Deborah Vankin, a frequent presence in these awards, was honored again, this time with a third place finish in the visual arts/architecture feature category: [âHolocaust Survivor Portraits at USC Museum Call on âProfoundâ Beauty to Fight Hate.â]( Thatâs a wrap Thanks for hanging in till the end! Itâs now Saturday. The sun is up, the 2-year-old is awake, thereâs more coffee to brew. Letâs get out and do something. ADVERTISEMENT
Thank you for reading the Los Angeles Times
Essential Arts newsletter.
Invite your friends, relatives, coworkers to sign up [here](.
Not a subscriber? Get unlimited digital access to latimes.com. [Subscribe here](.
[Los Angeles Times]
Copyright © 2021, Los Angeles Times
2300 E. Imperial Highway, El Segundo, California, 90245
1-800-LA-TIMES | [latimes.com]( *Advertisers have no control over editorial decisions or content. If you're interested in placing an ad or classified, get in touch [here](. We'd love your feedback on this newsletter. Please send your thoughts and suggestions [here](mailto:newsletters@latimes.com). You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from The Los Angeles Times.
[Manage marketing email preferences]( · [Manage newsletter subscriptions or unsubscribe]( · [Terms of service]( · [Privacy policy]( · [Do Not Sell My Personal Information]( · [CA Notice of Collection]( FOLLOW US [Divider](#) [Facebook]( [2-tw.png]( [Instagram]( [YouTube](