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.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the USSR’s demise in 1991, the Wende Museum and Archive of the Cold War, in collaboration with the Craft and Folk Art Museum, have produced an exhibition of poster art titled “Deconstructing Perestroika: Soviet Ideology and its Discontents.” Comprised of 24 political posters produced in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the exhibit seeks to shed light on the ways in which some Soviet artists responded to the dramatic changes and upheaval of their society, as well as to the new found freedom of expression and insistence on transparency that were the hallmarks of Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies of Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (re-structuring).
This weekend thousands of book lovers, 200 book dealers, and scholars from around the world will gather in Pasadena for the 45th edition of the California International Antiquarian Book Fair. Attendees to this prestigious event will find a wide assortment of printed materials spanning five centuries, including rare and out of print books, maps, graphics, photographs, prints, and autographs, among others. Original manuscripts that predate Gutenberg will also be on display and for sale.
Last week the Orange County Parks Commission voted unanimously to approve a reuse plan for one of the landmark blimp hangars at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station. The approved concept plan involves restoring the north hangar and transforming the surrounding 84.5 acres into a regional park that will feature playing fields, tree lined trails, playgrounds and picnic areas. Future uses may also include water polo and ice hockey facilities. Due to its poor condition, the southern hangar is slated for demolition.
The Los Angeles Public library (LAPL) is a wonderful resource that is underappreciated by many in the city. Take for example its 100 year old map collection, which consists of more than 100,000 items. According to the LAPL, “it is one of the largest collections owned by a public library in the U.S. and is noted for materials relating to Los Angeles and the West including historical topographical maps, road maps, street guides, and fire insurance atlases.”
During the course of his long and distinguished career, 19th century landscape photographer Carleton E. Watkins (1829-1916) produced an extraordinary body of work comprised of stereoviews and nearly thirteen hundred “mammoth” (18 x 22 inch) glass-plate negatives. Famous for his images of Yosemite, early San Francisco, New Almaden, Mendocino, and the Sierra Nevada mining regions, he also produced some of the earliest photographs of Los Angeles.
In an era of high budget 3D pictures and lavish special effects that so often immerse the audience in thundering sound and vivid color, the last thing you’d expect to see on screen during the lucrative holiday movie season is a black and white silent picture. And yet, that’s exactly what French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius, 44, has produced.
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