This week: Drive by thrilling Halloween installations; See the best in problem-solving design at AIA SF Cote exhibition and symposium; consider the vulnerability of the wildland urban interface with LA Forum; see craftworks taking on the big themes in today's America; catch the first solo show for graffiti artist Ladie One.
Photo: Courtesy of Descanso Gardens1) Halloween Roundup
Halloween is arguably THE design holiday of the year. You've got costume design as far as your imagination can take you, crafts ranging from pumpkin carving to cookie decorating to cobweb weaving, haunted set designs, and techno-effects that can make the spirits howl. With traditional trick or treating probably not a big draw this October, check out these Covid-safe Halloween experiences to creep your crawl - or just celebrate the season.
Stranger Things Drive-Through Set Design: Drive into Hawkins from the safety of your car to unlock the untold story and be an eye-witness some unforeseen and unusual occurrences. The year is 1985 and a world of bitchin’ tunes, mullets and monster hunts awaits. Drive to the Starcourt Mall and find yourself at the heart of the action. In a town built on secrets, you may be surprised to discover a more sinister truth than you had ever imagined. DTLA. Location provided with ticket confirmation. $59 for two people, one car (more options available). More information and tickets here.
Nights of the Jack: The grounds of the scenic King Gillette Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains is illuminated with thousands of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns. Expect to spend about 25 minutes cruising the mile-long trail. King Gillette Ranch, 26800 West Mulholland Hwy, Calabasas, 91302. $69 for one car, up to 7 people. More information and tickets here.
Halloween at Descanso Gardens: Bring some fresh air and family-friendly fun to Halloween. Throughout October, you can take a socially-distanced stroll through the La Cañada Flintridge gardens and its seasonal displays: a hay maze, a pumpkin arch, wooden jack-o’-lantern boxes, a scarecrow trail through a forest and a house made entirely out of pumpkins. Before you're done, find your way over to the Oak Grove for a meditative installation with a mandala of orange, white and green pumpkins bursting from the trunks of trees. Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Dr, La Cañada Flintridge 91011. General Admission $15. More information and tickets here.
Stay tuned for more design-rich Halloween events throughout the month.
Society’s Cage is an interpretive installation born in the aftermath of the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor protests as our society reckons with institutional racism and white supremacy. Photo courtesy of SmithGroup.
2) Leading by Design exhibition and webinar
How can building and urban design take a leading role in health, social equity, resiliency, and energy conservation? That's the question being posed at 'Leading by Design' an exhibition of photographs and videos, coupled with discussions, at AIA SF Cote Symposium. Filmmaker Richard Neill has selected buildings and urban design projects from around the world that he believes take a lead in addressing some of today's tough societal challenges.
KCRW/DnA's Frances Anderton will moderate a conversation about visions for a more sustainable future for all. Panelists include: Richard Mullane, Principal / Environment & Communities Sector Leader, Hassell; Katie Swenson, Senior Principal, MASS Design Group; and Stet Sanborn, Principal, SmithGroup.
When: Opens Oct 7; Panel discussion moderated by Frances Anderton, Friday, October 9, 9:00 - 10:50 am
Where: Online links provided with registration
Cost: $10-$25; You can register here.
Photo courtesy of LA Forum3) ‘The Wild’ addresses the complexities of the wildland urban interface
As fires continue to consume hundreds of thousands of acres along the west coast, and simultaneously affects air quality across the U.S., LA Forum for Architecture and Urban Design presents a dialogue about the wildland urban interface, based on a pamphlet written by Greg Kochanowski, a Studio Director at RIOS.
In The Wild, Kochanowski explores the periphery of Los Angeles, where the city meets the mountains, a landscape inherently vulnerable to wildfire and its secondary and tertiary effects, including flash floods and debris flows. He has documented the policies that have incentivized growth at the exurban periphery and reveal the risks produced by the urbanization of the fire-adapted landscape.
Anthony Fontenot, Professor at Woodbury University will talk with Kochanowski and other local, regional, and national leaders about the political, economic, and environmental realities of these "periurban" environments. Those guests are: Maria Estrada, Deputy Director Global Diversity Equity and Inclusion, The Nature Conservancy; Alison Hirsch, USC Chair, Department of Landscape Architecture; Travis Longcore, Ecologist, Director, The Urban Wildlands Group/UCLA; Molly Peterson, KQED Science Reporter; Elisa Read, Horticulture Specialist, RIOS; William Smith, AICP, Senior Planner, Wasco County, OR. You can read more about the participants here.
When: Thursday, Oct 8, 4 - 6 pm
Where: Zoom link sent with ticket confirmation
Cost: $10 - $30. You can get tickets here. Registration includes access to the webinar as well as a copy of the book.
Stefan Gougherty, Boom Brooch, 2020. Stainless steel, enamel paint. 2.75″ x 1.75″ x 1.25″. Photo courtesy of Craft In American Museum.4) Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
With an important election around the corner, Craft in America Center presents a virtual exhibition of works made by 21 artists from across the U.S. who express their concerns about social and racial injustice through objects and images made of craft-based materials of everyday life. The dynamic objects in this exhibition address key issues underlying the 2020 election and the American political landscape. Employing glass, fiber, ceramics, metal and wood, these artists use their media to voice concerns, point out injustice and inequity, and potentially instill hope for a better future. Craft is inherently democratic and it is part of our national heritage. The objects in Democracy 2020 touch on the spectrum of topics that shape the fiber of our nation and our societal conflicts.
Democracy 2020 is a digital exhibition but some works can be viewed in the Craft in America Center's public windows on West Third Street in Los Angeles.
When: Through January 2, 2021.
Where: Online and at 8415 W. Third Street, LA, CA 90048
Cost: Free. You can donate here.
Ladie One paints a graffiti art mural in Los Angeles in preparation for her Solo Exhibition at eWKUKs...Graffiti and Street Art Gallery
5) Ladie One: Instant Gratification
Street dancer and graffiti artist Ladie One opens her first solo show this week at eWKUKs...Gallery. The exhibition "Instant Gratification" presents the artist's work and transformation over the three years she traveled the world painting and honing her style - and documenting her journey by taking Polaroids along the way. With the use of framed Polaroids of her process alongside the finished oil canvases, the show is intended to put a spotlight on the lengthy, often arduous creation process, alongside the snapshot-moment-in-time image of a finished work.
The show will also be a first-come-first-in entrance along with mandatory masks/face coverings and social distancing indoors. Six people maximum will be indoors at one given time, with 15 minutes viewing time. A Virtual Show will also be provided online after Opening Day.
When: Saturday, Oct 10, 3 - 8 pm
Where: eWKUKs... Flagship Store and Gallery, 527 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles 90036
Cost: Free
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