2011 LACE Benefit Art Auction

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Over the years I’ve seen some fantastic exhibits at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, better known as LACE. Now this internationally recognized non-profit arts organization, based in Hollywood and founded in 1978, is holding its annual Benefit Art Auction. Funds raised will help LACE continue nurturing new and emerging artists, foster dialogue among artists and between artists and the diverse community of Hollywood and greater Los Angeles, and develop programs that “…encourage the public to encounter art in their daily existence so that they are engaged by it and also participate in it.”

Nick Didkovsky’s electric guitar mashup

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If you’re into electric guitar and fascinated by the intersection of music and technology, there is a lot to love about this upcoming event. Tomorrow evening, Machine Project hosts Nick Didkovsky at their Echo Park gallery and performance space. Didkovsky is a New York based composer, guitarist, bandleader and principal author of the computer music language Java Music Specification Language who teaches computer music composition at NYU and Columbia. He’s also well known for his Black Sabbath guitar lessons on YouTube.

Art and Music Amidst the Dead

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For many people, cemeteries are places to visit occasionally, and then only to pay respects to dead friends or family members. The owners of Hollywood Forever Cemetery make a concerted effort to give people more reasons to spend time on their grounds and expand their visitor base by hosting a variety of events not typically associated with cemeteries. This Saturday is one such happening.

Brewery ArtWalk – Spring 2011

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I always look forward to the Brewery ArtWalk, a twice annual open studio weekend held at what the organizers bill as the worlds largest art complex. Each time I’ve attended I have been exposed to new artists I was previously unfamiliar with, as well as had the opportunity to see the latest work by artists I was exposed to at previous open studio events.

Los Angeles Times | Framework Pop-Up Gallery @ Downtown Art Walk

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As a self-described news junkie, I spend many hours each week reading a wide range of articles from numerous print and online publications – both domestic and international. I also see many images that accompany these stories and am reminded every day how powerfully photographs can tell a story. As the Annenberg Space for Photography so aptly states, the best images produced by photojournalists “…create a visual representation of the challenges of modern civilization, with themes such as human conflict and interaction, our relationship with the environment, how we appraise our economic status and the range of human emotions from intense joy to sorrow.”

Heath Ceramics – Preserving Craft Traditions / Revitalizing Designs / Breaking New Ground

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I’ve long admired mid-century modern design. While I’m more knowledgeable about, and familiar with, the architecture and furniture from that period than with other forms of artistic expression, I know that a number of innovative potteries came on the scene at that time and left a lasting legacy.

L.A. Day/L.A. Night – Aerial Photographs of Los Angeles

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I had an opportunity to preview a very special photography book at Photo LA several months back called “L.A. Day/L.A. Night,” by photographer Michael Light. As familiar as I am with the landscape and built environment of the greater LA region, this unique collection of black and white aerial photos exposed the city in a new light, both dreamlike and ethereal, that I found truly captivating. Indeed, I was so drawn to these images that I put the book on my short list of “birthday gifts for myself”.