3 Design Things to Do This Weekend

Here’s what DnA recommends you check out this weekend.

1. Sam Francis: Five Decades of Abstract Expressionism from California Collections

Check out the work of one of California’s most historically significant artists at the Pasadena Museum of California Art, where their exhibition on abstract expressionist Sam Francis is having its final run this weekend. The exhibition features the California native’s earlier work in the 1940’s as well as his most extensive body of work from 1950-1990.

When: Saturday January 4 and Sunday January 5

Where:Pasadena Museum of California Art

Tickets: Included with Museum Admission-$7 for Adults $5 for Seniors and Students

2. Traveling the Silk Road

Centuries before there were farmers’ markets, swap meets, and antique fairs, there was the Silk Road, the vast 4,600 mile trade route that connected Asia to the Middle East. The newly remodeled Natural History Museum promises to make the Silk Road’s old cities “come alive” as “smells of spice and music from ancient Chinese instruments fill the air “where “vistors explore bazaars filled with gems and crafts; a silk-making workshop with live silkworms; ancient scrolls filled with the secrets of technology and religion beliefs; the inside of a long-ago cargo ship; and astronomy tools that helped mariners navigate the seas.”

When: Ongoing exhibit until April 22, 2014

Where:Natural History Museum Los Angeles County

Tickets: $20 for adults $17 for seniors $10 for children Click here for tickets.

3. Huell Howser Marathon

Huell Howser’s passing last year was sore news for fans of his renowned television program that celebrated California history and architecture, California’s Gold. On Sunday night, KCET will kick off a marathon of the best of California’s Gold, determined by 6,000 voters who selected their favorite episodes of Howser’s show. The marathon will continue through the following week and end on Sunday January 12. Click here for more information.

When: Sunday January 5 7:00 PM- 1:00 AM

Where: At a TV near you

Sunday night’s schedule:

7 p.m. — “In-N-Out Burger”

8 p.m. — “Galco’s”

9 p.m. — “Life in Death Valley”

10 p.m. — “Half Dome”

11 p.m. — “Hollywood Sign”

Midnight — “Classic Arts Showcase” (This episode, the last Huell ever made, is being added to the schedule as a producer’s pick.)