Exploring the people, places & culture of greater LA
I am always on the lookout for new ways to see Los Angeles and learn about its rich history. While I love exploring the city on my own and do that as often as I can, I’ve found that taking a tour is an equally satisfying way to go – not to mention a good use of my time. With a knowledgeable guide, I can learn more about a particular place in a short period of time than would be possible if I just went out and wandered.
As I reported in an October 2010 post, the Los Angeles Planning Department’s Office of Historic Resources is undertaking an ambitious program called SurveyLA, which is the first comprehensive effort to identify historic resources throughout the city. Now the Office of Historic Resources has launched an innovative public engagement program called MyHistoricLA, which is intended to get the public directly involved in the survey process through the use of an online technology platform developed by MindMixer.
I’ve subscribed to Metropolis Magazine for years and always appreciate when it publishes an article on the Los Angeles design scene. So I was really excited earlier this week when I sat down with the December 2011 issue and found a profile of Koning Eizenberg Architecture titled The Right Touch, by Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne.
Tweet Ice Cube shares his love of Los Angeles and appreciation for good design in this video produced as part of Pacific Standard Time. His final thought: “Who are these people who got a problem with L.A.? Maybe they just mad they don’t live here.” Spoken like a true Angeleno. Check it out.
The legendary design team of Charles and Ray Eames is commonly associated with classic mid-century modern furniture produced using innovative production methods and materials such as molded plywood, fiberglass, plastic resin and wire mesh. What many don’t realize, however, is the breadth of their creative passions and the degree to which their personal lives and influence left an indelible mark on so many other design disciplines.
Once again USC will host the Archives Bazaar, a daylong event that offers Los Angeles history buffs, Californiana enthusiasts, and academics the opportunity to learn about new information sources and research methods, exchange ideas, share new findings, and celebrate their passion for the city’s local history. The event is presented by LA as Subject, an association “dedicated to preserving and improving access to archives and collections that document the history of Los Angeles’ diverse peoples, languages, cultures, and geography.”
In a September 24th post, I wrote about how a team from The Getty and LACMA has temporarily relocated the Eames House living room to LACMA for the exhibition ‘Living In a Modern Way: California Design 1930-1965.’ That exhibit is the first major study of California midcentury modern design and is part of Pacific Standard Time, a collaboration of more than sixty cultural institutions across Southern California that have come together to tell the story of the LA art scene’s birth.
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