5 design things to do this week

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Celebrate the printmakers of Gemini G.E.L., scope out cast-resin objects by Italian artist Gaetano Pesce, hear how stylish older people want to live today, see a VR film about immigration, and take a walk down memory lane in Pasadena.

Sidney Felsen is the nonagenarian co-founder and indomitable spirit of Gemini G.E.L.
Sidney Felsen is the nonagenarian co-founder and indomitable spirit of Gemini G.E.L. Photo by Avishay Artsy. (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

1) Master Printers of Gemini G.E.L. (in conjunction with “The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L.”)

In 1966, Gemini G.E.L. was founded during a renaissance in printmaking, which gave artists the ability to make limited edition prints of their work and allowed the American public access to fine art. The Los Angeles based studio developed long-standing relationships with top-tier artists and  helped catapult printmaking into a new era of experimentation. At this LACMA panel discussion, in conjunction with the exhibition The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L., Gemini printers past and present will discuss their experiences working on prints for artists such as Jasper Johns, Ed Ruscha, Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Serra, and Julie Mehretu. The discussion will be moderated by Gemini co-founder Sidney Felsen and LACMA curator Leslie Jones. The exhibition will be open for program participants prior to the program from 5:30 to 7 pm.

When: TONIGHT, Monday, September 12, 7 pm.  Exhibit open thru Jan 2, 2017.

Where: LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA  90036

Tickets: Free and open to the public

For another exhibition celebrating the printmakers behind the artists, consider “Paper and Plastic?” by Analia Saban, open now through Nov. 12 at Mixografia, 1419 East Adams Blvd, Los Angeles.  Listen to DnA this Tuesday, September 13 at 2:30 pm for more on both exhibits.

pesce
Gaetano Pesce, Vase with Hair, 2015, polyurethane resin, 11 x 13 3/8 x 12 3/16 in. (28 x 34 x 31 cm), courtesy of Gaetano Pesce, New York, photo by Sebastian Piras. (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

2) Gaetano Pesce: Molds (Gelati Misti)

Colorful and pliable with playful eccentricities, the works of Gaetano Pesce seem to defy gravity with movement caught in a moment. Gaetano Pesce: Molds (Gelati Misti) at MOCA, organized by senior curator Bennet Simpson, presents the world-renowned artist’s cast-resin works of vases, chairs, lamps and 2-D reliefs.  The exhibit also includes wooden molds, process drawings and video so you can see the artist ‘at work’.  Pesce’s work spans architecture, exhibition and industrial design with playful eccentricities not to be missed.

When: Open now through Nov 27

Where: MOCA Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Tickets: Admission is free

design-for-ages
This is NOT your grandfather’s Lazy Boy! (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

3 ) Design For The Ages: Up Close With Frances Anderton and Roman Alonso

In keeping with KCRW’s look at aging in Los Angeles, Frances Anderton sits down with Roman Alonso, founder of Commune Design, to discuss how stylish older people want to live today.  A new generation of design-conscious consumers are coming of age and they expect to continue to live with the aesthetic to which they have become accustomed.  Roman will talk about how his jet-set design ideas can be applied to create spectacular spaces for the “silver-set.”

When: Thursday, September 15, 6:30 – 9 pm

Where: Helms Design Center, 8745 Washington Blvd, Culver City 90034. Free valet parking is located at 8711 Washington Blvd.

Tickets: Free.

arttechlab1
Joel Ferree, program director for Art + Technology, viewing an early demo of “Reaching the Shore” by Nonny de la Peña and Alex Rivera (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

4) Art + Technology Lab: “Reaching the Shore” Demo

LACMA’s Art + Technology program was launched in 1966 to bring science and the humanities together by pairing artists with technology corporations. It was rebooted in 2013 and one of the first collaborative efforts is being screened this month at LACMA. The journalist Nonny de la Peña and filmmaker Alex Rivera came into the program in 2015 without much experience working together. De la Peña has used virtual reality to tell visceral stories about being homeless in L.A., fleeing U.S. border patrol, or facing a violent (and armed) domestic partner. Rivera is a filmmaker with an interest in science-fiction stories about drone warfare, border politics, and water shortages that come straight out of the headlines.

De la Peña and Rivera are presenting a work-in-progress, Reaching the Shore, “based on a sci-fi short story of the same name by Guillermo Lavin about economic disparity, deferred dreams, addictive pleasures, and the landscape of northern Mexico some time from now.”

When: Saturday, September 17, 11 am – 4:45 pm (exhibition closes at 5 pm)

Where: LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles 90036

Tickets: Free and open to the public.  Reservations for this 10 minute timed exhibit are required. More information here.

Orange Grove Avenue in Pasadena: THEN and NOW.

5) South Orange Grove Boulevard: From Millionaires’ Mansions to Contemporary Condos // Lecture and Walking Tour

Once a boulevard of robber barons and other elites of the early 20th century, Pasadena’s Orange Grove Boulevard transformed over the ensuing 100 years into a boulevard for the “every man,” with only a few remaining reminders of the grandeur that once was.  Along the way, the Condominium concept was born as shared-ownership of the mansions replaced the single family excesses of the by-gone era.  Join Preservation Director Jesse Lattig as she traces the origins and the outcomes of the neighborhood’s postwar evolution and the co-ownership concept and financing that made it possible.  A self-paced walking tour follows the lecture with docent-guided stops at multiple locations along South Orange Grove. This year’s route is between Colorado and California Boulevards and includes mansions, garden apartments, and contemporary condos.

When: Saturday, September 17, 10 am – 3 pm (Lecture at 10 am, Walking tour begins at 11 am)

Where: Maranatha High School, 169 South Saint John Avenue, Pasadena 91105.  Limited free parking available.

Tickets: $35 Members, $45 Non-Members.  Event details and tickets here.