This week you can: party at a new art-inspired DTLA apartment building; immerse yourself in over 700,000 square feet of modern design; experience contemporary artists activating iconic architecture from the 1930’s; shop for Japanese animation merchandise; and mix music with architecture at the Rose Bowl.
1) OLiVE DTLA AiR Show and Art Exhibit
What started as a marketing campaign to help developer, The Wolff Company, lease their new building at Olive and Pico in DTLA, has become a living art phenomenon in its own right. Conceived by Flux Branding in Downtown LA, the goal “was to create not just a campaign, but a “thing” that would make the [building] better and more interesting,” says Peter Abraham of Content Marketing Studio, a collaborator on the project.
They created a six month, free rent, artist-in-residence program with a competition to pick the artist to receive the commission. Local art mavens Justin McCormack and Street Art House helped build bridges to the art community and the response was strong, with 185 entries and submissions from several countries. Because the initiative was all about art, there was plenty of content to post on social media, and word spread quickly, attracting potential renters to the cool new “art-inspired apartment community,” with rents for between $2,000 and $3,700 per month.
Four finalists were selected earlier this spring and the winner will be announced this week at a party and art show. Party attendees will have an opportunity to see and purchase pieces from the four finalists’ collections, explore OLiVE’s communal spaces and engage with the artists. The lively event will feature light bites, street tacos, complimentary drinks and a live DJ set. You can learn about the finalists (Lindsey Nobel, Kelcey Fisher, Joseph Lee and Italian muralist, Millo) and see their work here. In addition to work by the winning artist, the building will display commissioned pieces by several local artists, including David Flores and Dave Kinsey.
Make sure to catch our feature on OLiVE DTLA on this week’s show, Tuesday at 2:30 pm.
When: Thursday, June 22, 6 – 10 pm
Where: 1243 S. Olive Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Tickets: Free. RSVP here (required)
2) Dwell on Design
There’s always something new to see in modern design, and this weekend the bold, the brilliant and the beautiful are all on display under one roof. Curated in partnership with the editors of Dwell magazine, Dwell on Design 2017 returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center June 23-25, 2017. The event includes three full days of dynamic exhibitions, instructional presentations by leading design experts, cutting-edge technologies, 30 onstage programs, over 60 speakers, and 2,000+ innovative modern furnishings and products. This year’s big attraction is keynote speaker Sir David Adjaye, the architect who won acclaim for his design of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
When: Friday June 23 – Sunday June 25
Where: Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Tickets: Advance registration through June 21. $30-$250. Register here.
3) Paul Davies at The Fitzpatrick-Leland House
The MAK Center for Art and Architecture and THIS X THAT present a site-specific installation by artist Paul Davies at The Fitzpatrick-Leland House (1936) in Los Angeles. On view by appointment from June 7–25, 2017, the installation features recently completed paintings, sculptures, and photograms that activate the Rudolph Schindler-designed house in the Hollywood Hills. To conclude the installation on June 25, the artist will be in conversation with Aaron Betsky, dean of Taliesin West at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and Priscilla Fraser, Executive Director of the MAK Center for Art and Architecture. A portion of proceeds from sales of the work will be donated to the MAK Center towards the restoration of the historic home.
When: Sunday, June 25, 5 – 7 pm
Where: The Fitzpatrick-Leland House. 8078 Woodrow Wilson Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Tickets: Free.
On Saturday, June 24, 2017 from 3 – 7 pm, the MAK Center will host a pool party at The Fitzpatrick-Leland House to celebrate its supporters and the installation at the Fitzpatrick-Leland House. You must be a MAK member to attend. Click here to join.
4) Studio Ghibli Pop-Up Shop
Fans of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, rejoice! Japanese director and animator Hayao Miyazaki’s famed Studio Ghibli is opening an official pop-up shop at JapanLA. This is the first event of its kind in the U.S., with opening day limited edition goodies like a JapanLA x My Neighbor Totoro jacket, free Totoro photobooth from noon – 4 pm and a free exclusive JapanLA x My Neighbor Totoro enamel pin with a $30 or more Studio Ghibli purchase. Arrive early to get exclusive JapanLA products, and to meet tons of other Ghibli fans!
When: Opening party Saturday, June 24, 11 am – 5 pm. Pop-up shop runs through July 24.
Where: 7320 1/2 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, 90046
Tickets: Free. *Due to high response, tickets will be given to the first 800 people in line, between 9:30-10:30 am, the morning of June 24. If you are not in line at this time, you will not receive a ticket. One ticket per person. No exceptions.
5) Arroyo Seco Weekend
Goldenvoice, the music promoter behind Coachella and Stagecoach, had a new music festival called Arroyo Seco Weekend. The line-up includes Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Alabama Shakes and Mumford & Sons, with art direction by Raffi Lehrer, son of architect Michael and landscape architect Mia Lehrer. There’ll be an architecture talk hosted by Pasadena-based architecture and design website Archinect’s Paul Petrunia in a pavilion designed by UCLA faculty member Jimenez Lai, a pavillion made of dunnage bags designed by local architect Peter Tolkin and housing a scent lab by Andre Barnwell, and a Red Line installation inside the Arroyo Seco channel by Doron Gazit, among other attractions.
When: Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25
Where: The Rose Bowl 1001 Rose Bowl Dr, Pasadena, CA 91103
Tickets: $125-$225. Get passes here.
Also this weekend… don’t forget this weekend’s opening of Wallis Annenberg PetSpace in Playa Vista, a new public space celebrating the relationship between people and their pets. More information here. You can hear more about PetSpace on this week’s DnA, airing Tuesday at 2:30 pm.
Looking ahead to next week……mark your calendars for Monday and Tuesday, June 26 and 27, for the MXLA 2017 Creative Economy Forum, a two-day symposium exploring the substance and economic impact of the cultural trade across the U.S.-Mexico border. A distinguished roster of artists and cultural leaders from both Mexico and the U.S. will come together to explore cross-border influences in film, publishing, visual art, music, youth culture, design and architecture. Free. Register here.