Museums: Urban Light, continuing construction on the Row

| March 1, 2018 | 0 Comments

MAYOR GARCETTI, officials from the city and LACMA, donors and Nancy Rubins, widow of the late “Urban Light” artist, Chris Burden, point to the Wilshire Boulevard installation on its 10th anniversary.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., commemorated the 10th anniversary of Chris Burden’s “Urban Light” last month.

Its 202 vintage street lamps pay homage to the city, and they now are environmentally friendlier, thanks to a recent donation of 309 LED bulbs from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. (Some of the lamps have two globes.)

The Urban Light installation exhibit will be joined by a major new building planned for LACMA. The project is scheduled to begin demolition and construction in late 2019, with the new building and its galleries spanning Wilshire Blvd. slated to open in late 2023.

A Final Environmental Impact Report is expected to be completed this summer for architect Peter Zumthor’s expansive design.

The total amount committed to the Building LACMA Campaign thus far is approximately $450 million.

Another equally stunning project is already underway —the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Set in and behind the historic May Co. department store, the Academy Museum is primed for a 2019 opening. A spherical building with rooftop views of the Hollywood Hills will house the 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater, while restoration has begun on the gold mosaic tiles on the cylinder “perfume bottle” long gracing the corner of Fairfax Ave. and Wilshire Blvd.

A showpiece worthy of Le Mans, the racy-red exterior at the Petersen Automotive Museum, at 6060 Wilshire Blvd., adds drama to the opposite corner at Fairfax and Wilshire. Petersen exhibits include the newly opened “The Porsche Effect,” as well as displays of hot rods and low riders. Take a tour of the museum vault for a peek at cars that belonged to the famous and the infamous. Book ahead for the vault tour.

Art exhibits, crafts and a shop with wares from around the world are at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., a Miracle Mile institution since 1965.

The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., is a world-class Ice Age fossil site, with paleontologists digging deep into the gooey tar seeking remains of extinct plants and animals. See their finds in the Fossil Lab and watch the mammals’ plights come to life in the film, “Titans of the Ice Age 3D.”

Hear about the holocaust from survivors at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, 100 The Grove Drive. Tours and exhibits offered.

Learn Japanese at classes offered regularly or visit the first and third Wednesday of the month for yoga or other wellness lunchtime programs at The Japan Foundation Los Angeles, 5700 Wilshire Blvd. Visit the website for information on free movie screenings.

The 2018 Olympic Winter Games are featured in an exhibit, “Now, It’s PyeongChang” at the Korean Cultural Center, 5505 Wilshire Blvd., through March 18. Films, language classes and more are offered.

The Goethe Institut, Wilshire Blvd., 5750 Wilshire Blvd., offers films, books and more. Visit the website for updates.

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Category: Entertainment

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