Catch zodiac-inspired ball gowns at A+D Museum; watch a long overdue film about John Parkinson; hear from Black Panther graphic designer Emory Douglas and see his work at LACE; check out structural visions by SOM at MAK Center; and find out how people in Inglewood feel about the changes coming their way.
1) Cycle & Pattern
The lively A+D Museum has surpassed itself with the opening of four simultaneous shows, among them Patrick Tighe’s Doppelgängers, UCLA Suprastudio’s Gridlock: A Master Plan for the Sunset Strip Circa 2050; and a display of gowns and designs designed by juniors and seniors in the Fashion Design department at Otis College of Art and Design.
The students were mentored by Jose Fernandez of Ironhead Studio and costume designer Louise Mingenbach, both Marvel movie alumni, who charged the students with creating dresses inspired by the constellations of the horoscope, grouped accordingly by their respective elements: earth, wind, fire and air. Students had to incorporate 3D sculpted pieces designed by Fernandez. In Scorpio, above, designers Marcus Reynolds and Tommy Zhang “took inspiration from the exoskeleton of the Scorpion and turned that into a spinal piece on her back to match another head piece.”
When: Through August 19, open Wednesdays to Sundays, check website for daily opening hours.
Where: A + D Museum, 900 E 4th St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Tickets: Free; however the museum asks for a suggested donation of $10. More information here.
2) Iconic Vision: John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles
Between 1896 with the first Class “A” fireproof steel-frame structure — the Homer Laughlin Building at Third Street and Broadway — and 1939 when Union Station was completed, John Parkinson (1861-1935) designed over 50 buildings in Los Angeles, many of which still define the city today, including City Hall, Union Station, Memorial Stadium and the Bullocks Wilshire Building.
From his firm on Spring Street, Parkinson participated in the design of twenty-one buildings on downtown’s Spring Street alone, most which still stand today, including all four buildings at the intersection of Spring and Fifth Streets now known as John Parkinson Square. Despite this output, Parkinson was little known beyond architecture cognoscenti. Filmmaker Stephen Gee determined to change that and has spent eight years working on a film about Parkinson, to air Thursday on PBS SoCal KOCE, and nationally starting July 7. Hear DnA’s interview with Stephen Gee Tuesday, July 3.
When: Thursday, July 5, 8 pm
Where: Premiering on PBS, SoCal KOCE
Tickets: Free. See the trailer here.
3) Emory Douglas: Bold Visual Language
The activist, writer and educator Colette Gaiter wrote of Emory Douglas, “Douglas was the most prolific and persistent graphic agitator in the American Black Power movements. Douglas profoundly understood the power of images in communicating ideas.” After joining the Black Panthers in 1967, Douglas used bold and at times violent visual language to create the look of the movement, aligning his images with the organization’s messages against police brutality and in support of public services and decent housing.
Douglas drew a lot of inspiration from struggles in the developing world and used art as the primary method of propaganda and outreach. After working with the Black Panthers, Douglas worked at the black community-oriented San Francisco Sun Reporter for another 30 years.
This exhibition features historical Black Panther Party newspapers from Southern California Library, recent artwork of Emory Douglas (the remixed posters) and works by Sadie Barnette, Patrick Martinez, Juan Capistrán and Caleb Duarte, a collaboration with Zapatista community women in Chiapas, México and Douglas, creating a contemporary discourse amongst visual artists and current social movements.
When: Opening Saturday July 7, 2 – 4 pm Conversation with Emory Douglas, 4 – 6 pm Reception. Exhibition runs July 8 – August 26
Where: Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, 6522 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90028
Tickets: Free. More information here.
4) Small Talks LA: Development. Displacement. Community
When the new Inglewood NFL stadium is completed in 2020, it will attract not only sports fans to the neighborhood, but the $5 billion project will also feature 900,000 square feet of retail, 800,000 square feet of office and 2,500 new residential units. What is the likely impact of this huge new urban destination on the community?
Hosted in collaboration with the Free School of Architecture, the second installment of this pop-up series of Small Talks : LA will discuss Inglewood and the rapid changes and gentrification that are challenging Los Angeles County at large. The workshop style forum will focus on the effects that new development has on communities, with locally-based organizers sharing their knowledge and experiences.
When: Saturday, July 7, 6 pm
Where: (fer) studio, 1159 E Hyde Park Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90302
Tickets: Free. More information here.
5) Poetic Structure: Art + Engineering + Architecture
“Poetic Structure” showcases a series of intersections between art and engineering, conceived by SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) in collaboration with various artists and architects, including: Janet Echelman’s Dream Catcher, James Carpenter’s Hope Tower, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle’s Weatherfield, Jaume Plensa’s World Voices, and additional work by Pablo Picasso and Peter Zumthor.
The Scale and Form Pavilion, measuring at 8′ tall by 12′ wide by 27′ long, is “a doubly curved kinematic structure with stiffened wood panels hinged together. Inspired by the mathematical relationships between force and motion, the hovering pavilion will be suspended off aluminum trusses and braced with steel wires, and morphed into an expanded or contracted version of the original geometry with minimal effort.”
When: Through Sunday, Sep 2, 2018. Wed – Sun, 11 am – 6 pm
Where: MAK Center – Schindler House: 835 N Kings Road, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Tickets: $10 admission, $7 for students and seniors. Free for supporters of the MAK Center and children under 12.