5 design things to do this week: April 22 - 28, 2019

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This week, you can: hear authors talk about early 20th century LA architects; and talk about building and gentrification in LA now; go to a photo festival in repurposed shipping containers; hear Anna Silver talk about putting modernist paintings on ceramics; mingle at SCI-Arc's main event; and explore the Trousdale neighborhood of Beverly Hills and lunch at one of the estates.

1) Two architecture-related events at The Last Bookstore

Architects Who Built Southern California with Antonio Gonzalez

In the early 1900s, the population of Southern California exploded, and with the surge came a rapid need for buildings - and architects to design them. Architects Who Built Southern California by Antonio Gonzalez tells the stories of 10 architects who answered the call and made their marks on the landscape. Claud Beelman, a man who never received a college degree, would go on to design the Elks Lodge in Los Angeles. Albert C. Martin, architect of Grauman’s Million Dollar Theater, founded a company that is still going strong over a hundred years later, and Julia Morgan, the first woman architect licensed in California, was hired by William Randolph Hearst to design the Examiner Building.

Capital City: Gentrification and the Real Estate State with Samuel Stein

Building and politics have long been intertwined.  While planning commissions hold approval power over developments, impact reports and public forums often perform a side show to the main event of back room deals and hand shakes greased by capital. In his book Capital City: Gentrification and the Real Estate State, Samuel Stein puts the spotlight on this pernicious relationship that results in urban renovations that lead to higher real estate values and rising rents. Good for the landlord and the wealthy, bad for the average family renting their shelter.  Capital City identifies gentrification as a structurally contrived dispossession and explains the role of planners in this real estate state. 

When: Wednesday, April 24 and Thursday, April 25th, respectively, 7:30 - 9 pm

Where: The Last Bookstore, 453 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Tickets: Free

Large animals find safety on the Malibu beach during the Woolsey fire, 2018

2) Annenberg Space for Photography Presents: Photoville LA

Photoville - the largest annual photographic event in New York City - is heading to Los Angeles for the first time in its seven-year history.  Over 55 exhibitions and installations will be presented in repurposed shipping containers, photo cubes, light boxes, and other creative formats creating a multi-gallery festival environment complete with talks, workshops, screenings, nighttime projections, family-friendly activities, and a community beer garden. Presented over two weekends, Photoville LA invites photography enthusiasts of all stripes to celebrate a cross section of the world's photography.  You can learn more about the event here.

When: Friday - Sunday, April 26 - 28 (and May 2 - 5). Operating hours by day here. You can find a full schedule of events here.

Where: Annenberg Space for Photography (and surrounding grounds), 2000 Avenue of the StarsLos Angeles 90067. Parking can be accessed from Constellation Blvd for $1.50 flat rate after 4:30pm and all day weekends, $4.50 for three hours all other times. Validation required.

Tickets: Free

3) Artist Talk: Anna Silver

Anna Silver is a painter of a different sort of canvas. Her medium is one of functional forms: cups, bowls, teapots, vessels, oversized plates and platters, sculpture and even jewelry. Silver's work over four decades, both prodigious and varied, has been included in significant museum collections in the United States, Europe, and Asia, including the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and others. Gallerist Frank Lloyd commented that, "The striking part of her work [is] the way she integrate[s] modern and contemporary painting into her vessels.”

A current exhibition, Silver Splendor: The Art of Anna Silver  is now on view at AMOCA through August 25, 2019. The artist will be discussing her work this week in Los Angeles at the Craft in America Center.

When: Saturday, April 27, 4 - 5  pm

Where:  Craft in America Center, 8415 W 3rd St, Los Angeles 90048

Tickets: Free. You can RSVP by emailing rsvp@craftinamerica.org.

4) SCI-Arc Main Event Gala | Spring Show Preview

Join SCI-Arc for an eclectic evening of food, drink, music, and an exclusive preview of the 13th annual Spring Show, featuring work selected from every program.  The event brings together leading philanthropists, business people, and distinguished alumni with luminaries from the worlds of art, design, and architecture in celebration of SCI-Arc as a cutting edge laboratory for innovation. Net proceeds from Main Event directly benefit the SCI-Arc Scholarship Endowment, helping to ensure that the educational opportunities at SCI-Arc remain accessible to the most talented and committed students across the globe.

When: Saturday, April 27, 7 - 11 pm

Where: SCI-Arc, 960 E. 3rd Street, Los Angeles 90013

Tickets: General Admission $200. You can get tickets here.

5) Venice Design Series: Trousdale Estates Tour

The 5th Annual Venice Design Series features six curated events showcasing unique artistic visions found in eclectic neighborhoods around Los Angeles. Each of the events in the series combines architecture, art, food, landscape design, and performance for a unique and personal experience. All events benefit Venice Community Housing.

This weekend, you can visit the architecturally significant mid-century homes in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood above Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The 429-acre tract, once part of the famous Doheny Ranch, emerged as a luxury hub of modernist architecture during the '50s and '60s.

The tour includes the original Paul and Jean Trousdale residence; Elvis Presley’s former residence (architect, Rex Lotery, 1950; designer, Thomas Lane, 1964); and a newly renovated 1950 bachelor’s pad (architect, Robert L. Earl, 1958; interior designer, Miles Redd). Enjoy lunch on the expansive lawn of the Decter/Simon residence, designed by Howard Frank (1959), featuring Trousdale’s only known natural spring. You can see more about the Venice Design Series and future events here.

When: Sunday, April 28, 9:30 am

Where: Beverly Hills. Address provided after ticket purchase.

Tickets: $500+. You can purchase tickets here.