Surrealist Women In Wonderland at LACMA

Like many young art history students  I went through a period of being enamored of the Surrealists.  All that automatic writing and manifestos and ants crawling on hands! At a time when I was growing up and ever more out of sync with the world around me - at once chaotic (at home) and dull (in the uniform-clad, private school world of Philadelphia) - those melting clocks and pipes that weren't pipes were a ticket out, for my mind at least.  How your imagination can soar on the wings of one of Magritte's birds -

Rene Magritte, La Grande Famille, 1963




How one's world can turn on first encountering a teacup covered in fur-

Meret Oppenheim, Object, 1936


 For many of the women of In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States, now open at LACMA,  the symbolic, self-referential vocabulary of surrealism, together with the feeling of "freedom" the artists found in North America, which had no fixed, male-dominated, European surrealist tradition,  fostered the possibility of authentic artistic expression.  Seen together, the works both excite and forge a new link in the history of art in the 20th century. 

Remedios Varo, Harmony



Not everything excites me...

Louise Bourgeois, Persistent Antagonism, 1947 - 1949
An appropriate title because this is what I feel when I see a lot of her work (do I get to keep my feminist credentials?)  Seriously, could someone please explain this woman to me? Yes I see the phallus, the tribal, the black and white. Is that it?


But overall In Wonderland is full of great work - personal, intense, beautifully executed and powerful.

Dorothea Tanning, Birthday, 1942


And while it must be recognized that Freud, with his obsession for dream analysis, as well as the work of the earlier male surrealists was perhaps an inevitable influence on these women, in turn the influence of these surrealist women on later feminist art is undeniable. And thrilling.  I had been taught that the feminist art movement of the late 60s and 70s came straight out of political upheaval and rested squarely on the competent shoulders of  Georgia O'Keefe but in seeing In Wonderland, by seeing these artists collected together, the impact of female surrealists on their feminist daughters became clear, a new link in the history.

Helen Lundberg, self portrait with landscape, 1944



47 women are represented in the fantastic exhibition space, itself a surrealist reference, with its rope demarcations that are not really demarcations.  The exhibit is laid out roughly by theme; dual figures, alchemical or scientific imagery, animal avatar, and sometimes by medium; photography, sculpture.   You will know some of the artists - Freda Kahlo, Dorothea Tanning, Remedios Varo, Louise Bourgeois, and some will probably be new to you.

 Juanita Guccione, Europa, 1939



For Kahlo fans, directly viewing some of her best known work, which I, at least, had never seen other than in reproduction, is a pleasure-

Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas, 1939

Frida Kahlo, Autorretrato con collar de espinas y colibri ( Self Portrait with Torn Necklace and Hummingbird), 1940

Though she famously said, "They thought I was a surrealist but I wasn't. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality" her work shines beautifully here. 

The exhibit is large, 175 works, and deeply engaging.  I had an hour to spend and it wasn't nearly enough (I'll be going back.) Click through the links above for more information on some of the featured artists and plan to spend a wonderful afternoon In Wonderland.

In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and North America is at the LosAngeles County Museum of Art through May 6th.  Recommended for those 13 and up.

The Weekend Feast For January 27thth - 29th

The big fun this weekend will be happening in Chinatown as the community welcomes the Year of the Dragon -

The 113th annual Golden Dragon Parade takes place Saturday from 1pm - 4pm and there are all kinds of fun activities going on all weekend; dancing, arts and crafts, storytelling, traditional artisan demonstrations, a cupcake giveaway. The complete schedule and everything you need to know about parking (including street closures) and public transportation can be found here.  


Opening at LACMA is In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States. 

Remedios Varo, Woman departing from the psychoanalyst's office, 1960.



According to Unframed, the LACMA blog,  In Wonderland presents more than 175 works by nearly 50 women and "is the first exhibition to present a view of surrealist art based on this body of work and to depart from canonical histories of surrealism that privilege its male practitioners and European origins."  I'm excited about going to the opening tonight so I'll share more about the show next week.   In Wonderland opens Sunday, January 26 and runs through May 6th.

Pacific Standard Time's Performance and Public Art Festival continues this weekend. Click here for the schedule. 

If you've been on the PCH lately you have seen the blue and yellow big top, indicating that Cirque du Soleil is back in town.

A mysterious egg appears in the midst of a sparkling insect ecosystem and various emotions play out showcasing the amazing skill and grace of the Cirque du Soleil players.  For information on the show click here and to listen to a great interview with the costume designer click over to KPCC.




At The Broad Stage in Santa Monica


Saturday morning at 11 am kids 3 and up will love hearing actress and writer Jamie Lee Curtis as she narrates her stories Where Do Balloons Go? and When I was Little.  Members of  the SOL-LA music academy children's chorus will also perform. Broad Stage, Santa Monica. General Admission is $15.
Details here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Will you see the lights tonight?

 Click this link  Will you see the lights tonight? to Discover Magazine's Bad Astronomy blog for an interesting look at the current solar activity. Because of today's events there is a real chance of seeing auroral activity at lower than average latitudes.  Not likely in LA but heads up (literally!) Seattle readers.

And check out this video from The Washington Post of the lights over Norway

Rain in LA Means Snow in the Mountains

Having not learned to ski until I was 40, when, unable to bear more than 50 minutes of my first "3-hour first timer lesson special" I left the bunny slope in tears and disgrace, determined to take all my humiliation out on the person who had foisted it upon me (my ski loving husband, somewhere up there on a double black diamond, out of reach and earshot)  I have since become a convert.  It's true that I still stick to the beginners slopes but that's just fine with me, it's cheaper to stay low and the only pressure I feel is to keep out of the way of an out of control 7 year old.  I'm not good - too timid, too cautious, too prone to shrieking when I feel like I'm going too fast and I can't stop properly so I just sit down and look for someone to blame - but I'm happy.

And I'm happy today because it's a - 

I love that - Dump Alert! Mammoth Mountain sends an e-mail when it snows. They have had a tough beginning to the season up there, all over the west in fact as it's been so dry.  There are deals to be had if you are able to go (like $30 kid lift tickets all season.) Click here for the Mammoth Mountain site.  I'm not going anytime soon but I like to think about it up there, peaceful, snow softly falling, waiting for good skiers to make fresh tracks and people like me to leave happy little tush prints all the way down the hill.

The Weekend Feast For January 20th - 22nd

Thursday - Sunday

Beginning today (Thursday)  Pacific Standard Time presents the Performance and Public Art Festival.   11 days, over 25 performances and large-scale outdoor art works and sculptural spectacles, this is the weekend to become a part of Pacific Standard Time.  I promise you that in the years to come the months long,  multi-venue,  mulit-media extravaganza (whew!) called Pacific Standard Time will be seen as a seminal event in L A Art history. Be a part of it.

Spine of the Earth, 1980, Lita Albuquerque. Ephemeral installation at El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, CA

One especially interesting and kid-friendly event takes place Sunday Afternoon as Lita Albuquerque performs Spine of the earth, 2012 at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in the hills above Culver City. You will all enjoy watching as the spiral is created and, when your kids get bored, you can let them run around a little bit.   

Click here for details on the Performance and Public Art Festival and here for all the great ways to enjoy Pacific Standard Time with your family.

 More art can be found throughout the weekend at The Affordable Art Fair at the Event Deck at L A Live.

Mona Lisa, Larry Moss


Galleries from all around North America and Europe, workshops, seminars  plus a children's "little collector's lounge" Saturday and Sunday afternoons featuring a shadow puppet workshop and a self-portrait photography event.  Tickets are available on-line for $20 each.  Go here for all you need to know.


Also starting today is the NAMM ( National Association of Music Merchants) trade show at the Anaheim Convention Center.  Nearly 1500 different companies will be exhibiting - everything from accordions to apps to, hum, let's see..... people who make music for Zumba classes! ( I don't know if that's true, I am just trying to get from A - Z. )   It's an opportunity to learn about new products and have fun trying them out. Whatever your music interest you will find something cool to play with at the show plus there are workshops, concerts and the In-N-Out truck.  Click here for complete information.

 Her back is amazing but also it scares me a little...

 Get back on track with those fitness resolutions and work out with some of the city's best at Fred Segal Santa Monica Fitist event, Sunday morning from 9:30 - 11:30. Take 5 20 minute mini-classes and get a 1-1 nutrition consultation. You must RSVP to rsvp@fitist.com and be sure to wear your cutest sweats. 

Or - sit on your tush, drink another cup of coffee and make some reservations for DineLA restaurant week(s) which begins Monday.   Lunches $16, $22, or $28 - dinners $26, $34, or $44 not including alcohol, tax and tip.  The list is long and the prices are good so do try to treat yourself at least once. And you know if you work out and make dinner reservations you'll be getting the best of both worlds.

Enjoy your weekend!

Camp Fair and Summer Opportunity Showcase

The Weekend Feast For January 13th - 15th

Do you finally have all your Christmas stuff put away? We just did it yesterday. It's always stressful. Besides that melancholy, post holiday feeling, you, like me, may be dealing with a lack of storage space. My husband and I have an on-going argument - my Pennsylvania Protestant-bred need to keep things (empty boxes in various sizes just in case I need them, clothing from high school [this is to see if it still fits. It doesn't. But it might again, someday...] old hair dryers and toasters in case one of my boys wants to take them apart to make discoveries, and many different kinds of light bulbs) and his desire to "throw all this crap out."  His thinking is "if you need a box, buy one." This is, obviously,  ridiculous.  I am going to pay money for a box when I could just grab one from my free box pile in the garage?  Well, this weekend you can ease some of your own "crap vs. might need it someday" tension by visiting the Paul Revere Middle School electronic waste recycling event.  Saturday the 14th  from 9am - 3pm at the front entrance of the school, 1450 Allenford Ave. (between San Vicente and Sunset) Los Angeles.  Allenford Ave. is pretty much the border of Santa Monica and Brentwood.   Any electronic device in any condition will be accepted and proceeds from the event will go to the school. That means that the recycling people who make money by doing whatever they do with the old stuff will give some back to the school, it doesn't cost you anything to get rid of your electronics. Click here for details.

After you drop off your electronic waste, continue west to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and Photo l.a. showcasing hundreds of pictures from galleries around the globe.  11am - 7pm Saturday, Sunday and Monday tickets are $20 on-line, $25 at the door.  Seniors and students can get in fro $5 bucks less, a weekend pass is available for $25. It's here for tickets and directions.


The fabulous Royal T in Culver City (coffee, tea, art and an over-all great feeling) opens a fun new show Saturday afternoon -

 And when they say "all ages welcome" they mean it - I hear the art work is all hung at kid eye level.  Opening party from 4p.m. to 8p.m. Royal T, 8910 Washington Blvd. details here.


The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena has  a family-friendly weekend planned beginning Friday night. Family Art Night: Colorful Trees offers you and your kids, age 4-10, a special opportunity to spend time with Georges Lacombe's lovely painting  Autumn: Chestnut Gatherers ( below) and then make your own tree with multi-colored leaves.

The program runs from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.

On Saturday afternoon from 2:00pm to 3:30pm artist and educator Carol Barton presents Family Festival: Pop-Up Stories.  Learn to make several different pop-ups, from animals to fantasy structures, in this fun workshop designed for kids 8 - 13.  The workshop is free but on-line registration is required.  Psst - this is a great opportunity to drop your kids off and enjoy some time in the wonderful Norton Simon, one of my favorite museums.  It's warm and intimate, the perfect size to enjoy in a few hours and the outdoor sculpture garden is a delight.  It's here for details and a link to register.  On your way home don't miss 21 Choices, the fun, delicious frozen yogurt & mix-ins shop just up the street to get a treat for the car.

Do you know about the Star Wars where science meets imagination exhibit at the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana? We haven't been yet but we are going (soon, my son, soon, so stop asking already!)  Saturday it's Clone Wars Takeover Day. In case you don't know, The Clone Wars is the most popular show on Cartoon Network.  Saturday your little Jedi will get the chance to do all kinds of Clone Wars focused things; pose in front of a green screen for a cool picture, meet Clone Troopers.  I have to say this whole exhibit looks great and I am looking forward to going myself. The museum is a bit of a haul from LA but it really is worth it. You can check the whole thing out here.

Disney's Beauty and The Beast in 3D opens this weekend.  I am over headache inducing 3D but this is a fantastic movie. You can see it at the El Capitan and several other venues throughout the city.  

And speaking of Disney let me put a little bug, or fairy, in your ear. Have you made a New Year's resolution to get in shape? Do you want to set a good example for your kids and maybe even get them going towards fitness themselves?  Well in 2 weeks, on January 27th, a really fun fitness event is taking place at Disneyland.  It's the Neverland Family 5K Fun Run, part of the Tinkerbell Half Marathon Weekend.  The 5K is a nighttime (10:30pm) run through the resort.  It's not cheap - $99 per person - but the price includes admission to the park, a tee shirt, a medallion, a goodie bag and a big, big smile. As of now the event is %87 percent full so there's still time for you to sign up and to get in decent shape to finish the 5K in style.  Click here for details. And stand by for a report on my own progress as I prepare (supposedly) for the Disney World Princess Half Marathon which I am registered and paid for and committed to my friends to do the last weekend of February. Things are not going well as I began this week by nearly falling across the track with the agonizing foot pain distinguishing ( I soon found out)  peroneal tendonitis.  But that's okay because it means that I could spend the time I was supposed to be training Thursday at the dentist fixing a broken tooth!  I need a little Bippidy Boppidy Boo or something...

Monday is Dr. Martin Luther King Day, a national day of service. The Huffington Post has a list of volunteer opportunities.  Feel free to post your own here.

Monday is also a FREE family day (thank you Target) at LACMA. FREE admission and fun events all day long.

Finally, do your self a service and take a look at this -


Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.


it's great.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Heads Up For Sunset Bridge Closure

The Sunset Blvd Bridge, which runs over the 405 at Sunset Blvd,  closes tonight as crews begin demolition of the westerly abutment of the northern half of the bridge ( take a moment to get that picture in your mind.)  Work is scheduled to take place from 10pm until 5am tonight and Wednesday and be completed by Thursday. The bridge will be open during the day but closed during construction hours. Sunset Blvd ramps will also be closed during construction hours, with closure possibly beginning as early as 7pm according to Metro officials.  Here is the link to Metro's detour page and here is the place to get all you want and more about this portion of the 405 improvement project which, I am predicting right here, will be in the Guiness Book Of World Records as the world's second longest construction project after the building of the Great Wall Of China.

The Weekend Feast For January 6th - 8th

It's the first Friday of the first month of 2012 and a lovely one it promises to be (so says the weatherman.) I suggest you go for a hike. It's free (except for parking) it's healthy, you can go with your kids or your friends and it's fun ( yes it is!)  Click here for Modern Hiker a terrific locally focused hiking blog to help pick your trail.



The first "First Friday" on Abott Kinney looks like fun -

Click here for details on whats going on along the hippest street in Venice.


First Fridays at The Natural History Museum mean a fascinating tour, an illuminating discussion and the chance to dance among the dioramas in the African Mammal Hall (this would be a great date.)

The Atom, Mel Ramos 1962 part of Artistic Evolution: Southern California Artists at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles 1945- 1963 in conjunction with Pacific Standard Time, through January 15th.

 This Friday,  January 6th the museum presents "Understanding the Nature of Science: Prospects and Problems" with Dr. Kirk Fitzhugh. Tours run at 5:30, 6 and 6:30. Then, at 6:30, well know professional skeptic Dr. Micheal Shermer "upends traditional thinking" with his discussion "The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies - How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths."

Live performances from Mariachi El Bronx and El-Haru Karoi and music from 2 of KCRW's finest DJs, all from 5:30 to 10.  It's here for all First Friday details.

 a scene from Angeli Cafe

There have been some real shakups in the LA food world over the last few weeks but the one that knocked the wind out of me was the announcement that Evan Kelinman will close Angeli Cafe. I am devastated.   Wonderful, warm, delicious, unpretentious, neighborhood Angeli Cafe has been open nearly 30 years. Ms. Kleinman is a force for good in the L A food world and Angeli, oh beloved Angeli, has been the kitchen away from kitchen for so many.  The last meal will be served next Friday, January 13th. Open Table says there are no more reservations available but you could still try (at an off hour) to go and eat, and say goodbye to Evan and Kim and Mark and the rest of the fantastic staff.

For more on food check out Eater LAs newly updated Essential 38 Restaurants.

MOCA's Engagement Party series, which commissions new works from Southern CA based artist collectives and collaborators, welcomes Winter 2012 participants, CamLab.  The group's stay kicks off tonight (January 5th) with a transformative, interactive instillation in the Grand Avenue lobby. Check them out here.

Keep up those resolutions dears and be good to each other.  Have a great weekend.

Orca Whales Off Rancho Palos Verdes

 A group of 10 to 12 Orca whales, thought to be members of 2 families, has been playing and feeding around Rancho Palos Verdes for several days now. Whale researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger speculates that they are here for a "family vacation." Must have heard about our high quality sea lions. 

Here's the link for National Geographic Kids so your pod can get more information on these amazing creatures. If you would like to see the whales you best bet (on land) would be a visit to the Point Vicente Interpretive Center.  Or you can get on a boat here or here.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! Now, what are your plans for death?  Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez has been writing recently on death; how we think about the end of life, how we want ours to go,  how we are preparing for it or not, how we do or do not talk about its inevitability.  As he said in an interview this morning on KPCC,  not exactly your typical holiday fair.  But Lopez's subject was chosen for him, as is often the case for writers, whose very nature it is to look hard and truthfully at a personal story and draw larger conclusions.  Something happens, here it is the declining health of Lopez's father, and in our personal story, in the pain and hard truth, lies something for you, too.  It's an excellent series. Click here to check it out.

My dear readers, I know that right now you are resolving to lose weight, watch less TV, be nicer to yourself and the people who drive you crazy, exercise regularly, give up sugar, wear sunscreen (more on this later) stop your sneaky party cigarettes, write that novel, and meditate.  All good and go for it!  But perhaps you, like me, with age and some wisdom have become aware that something more than the turn of the calendar lies behind the resolution ritual.  Something more than hope and good intentions whispers behind the desire for resolution making. My whispers sound something like this: I don't want to die and I'm never gonna' die.  Sure I'm 45 and they haven't figured it out yet like I thought they would when I was a kid but there's still time, especially if I starting jogging and meditating right away! For me, this year,  I still have my hope and I am a mass of good intentions but it's that whisper that needs some attention, that will be the focus of my resolutions.

  I have skin cancer.  It's the "good kind" - squamous cell carcinoma - and it's superficial because I caught it early.  It's mostly gone, cut out, not even too bad a scar, and I am able to treat it topically for a few weeks. So know that I am fine, I'm not going anywhere ( though you might wish I would when this becomes the year I constantly remind you to take care of your skin.)  But G-D! Merry Christmas, Amy, here's your skin cancer! And I was in Florida last week too, with my husband's family and my biopsy results, which I kept to myself, hidden, like my face, under the worlds biggest hat.  I am vigilant about my skin. I am the crazy lady in the big hats all the time.  And yet here I am, with my second (yup) skin cancer.  And it's the thing - metasticized - that killed my mom when she was years younger than I am now so, as you can imagine, it scares the shit out of me. It makes me panic, it makes me think about death. And when I think about death, well, I want to stop. I mean, don't you? Make a joke or have a drink or something just STOP thinking about it. But it's still there, whispering. And now with this diagnosis and the new year and just growing up or something, I am ready to listen, at least occasionally.

My wisest friend  (I don't want you to think I'm name dropping here, or that I'm cooler than I am so I'll let you know that he's not my actual friend, I mean,  I don't know him, but I think of him as my friend and I don't think he would mind) Buddhist monk, teacher and writer Thich Nhat Hanhn writes in his book Anger, "The Buddah said that all of us have the seed of fear but most of us suppress it and keep it locked in the dark.  To help us identify, embrace and look deeply at the seeds of fear, he offered us the practice of the Five Rememberances:

- I am of the nature to grow old. I cannot escape old age.
- I am of the nature to have ill health. I cannot escape ill health.
- I am of the nature to die. I cannot escape death.
- All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being seperated from them. I cannot keep anything. I come here empty-handed, and I go empty-handed.
- My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.

When we remember these 5 things, we are inviting in our deepest fears. We call them up so that we can face them. No more whispering behind the scenes. Come on out and let us meet each other. "We practice the Five Remembrances so that the seed of fear can circulate. We must invite it up to be recognized, to be embraced. And then when it goes back down again, it becomes smaller."

What do we all really want in our lives, the one big want? It's not actually weight loss or money or anything like that  (though all of these things are great, obviously, and I want them too.)  But what we all really want  - let's call it the want behind all wants - is something much larger and at the same time light as air.  What we all really want is to be at peace with ourselves, just as we are, right in this and every moment. We want our fear to become smaller until perhaps, one day, we are no longer afraid at all. That must begin with accepting the inevitability of our own death ( many, many, many years from now.)  In 2012 I resolve to get what I really want in my life. I really want peace so I have to start accepting death, a little bit at a time and with great compassion for myself.