Share Your Love of Art With Others - Become a LACMA Docent

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art Docent Council is seeking volunteers to lead tours of the museum's diverse collections. An art background is not required; however prospective docents should have an interest in learning about art, working with students and facilitating positive museum experiences. 

 Photo via LACMA web site

How to apply: Request an application either via email at Admissions@lacmadocent.org or by phone at 323.857.6119.

Application deadline: March 12, 2011

More information: Visit the LACMA web site. 

L.A. Scavenger Hunt: A Good Time - A Good Cause

During this past Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I spent time surrounded by family and friends. We shared a delicious meal, gave thanks for all that we have in our lives, took in a couple of movies and even disconnected from our plugged in, online existence for a while.

Tragically, many in our community were not able to enjoy the holiday in that manner. Perhaps they are out of work, in poor health, suffering from malnutrition and/or homeless. Whatever the case may be, there is tremendous suffering in our midst.

While there are many ways to help those in our community who are in need, one activity that you can participate in with your entire family takes place this coming weekend. It's called the L.A. Scavenger Hunt and the goal of this event is to raise $100,000 in material goods for the Union Rescue Mission, the L.A. Food Bank and the L.A. Burrito Project.

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A Good Food Thanksgiving

One of the many things I love about public radio station KCRW is the wonderful holiday related programming that it airs each year. Whether you’re looking for interesting recipes that can add new tastes to your table, ideas to enliven your celebration and/or deepen your understanding and practice of a tradition, or ways in which other people and communities celebrate a particular holiday, you can always count on KCRW to inform and educate in an engaging manner.

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Come See New 16mm Experimental & Animation Films from Around the World

If you enjoy going to the movies but want something other than the typical Hollywood fare, this is an event for you. Los Angeles Filmforum presents a selection of independent films from the 48th Ann Arbor Film Festival in 2010.

The program will include two films by local filmmakers Alexandra Cuesta and Laida Lertxundi. Both plan to attend.

When: November 21, 2010 7:30 pm

Where: The Spielberg Theater at The Egyptian. 6712 Hollywood Blvd. (at Las Palmas), Los Angeles

Tickets: General $10, Students/seniors $6; free for Filmforum members
Advance ticket purchase available through Brown Paper Tickets.

Info Line: 213-386-8482
Website: http://www.lafilmforum.org

Demon Hill Tour for Kids at the Hammer

The Hammer Museum runs an excellent children's program called Hammer Kids, which includes films, art installations and various participatory experiences. This program sounds particularly interesting.

Francis W. Hoeber—early collaborator with Brian De Palma, historian of American social and cultural behavior, tour guide, and amateur magician—will give a tour of the Demon Hill mystery house, an installation by his son Julian Hoeber. Francis W. Hoeber will present illusions and tricks within the Demon Hill installation.

When: Sunday November 21, 12:00 pm

Where: Hammer Museum  10899 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles

Cost: Free of Charge

Parking: Available under the museum at a cost of $3 for 3 hours. Parking for people with disabilities is provided on levels P1 and P3.

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Neon Noir - Flashy and electrifying boilers from the 1980s

This weekend you can watch two more movies in the Neon Noir film series, which Cinefamily co-presents with the Museum of Neon Art (MONA) and L.A. Record.

MONA is spicing up the event with installations of neon art to transform the Silent Movie Theater's vintage decor with 80s funk.

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Discovering The William Andrews Clark Library – A Genuine LA Treasure

In early October, I attended a SurveyLA presentation at The William Andrews Clark Library and wrote about the event. In that October 12th post, I promised to write a follow-up piece about the library itself because it made such an impression on me. As you’ll learn below, the Clark is not just any library. Rather, it’s a cultural resource that deserves a more prominent place in the city’s consciousness because it houses a world renowned rare book collection, hosts a variety of lectures and musical programs that are open to the public and because its founder generously contributed to the city’s early cultural development. I hope you'll want to make time for a visit after reading this post.

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Joe Frank - Consummate Storyteller

Updated on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 10:21PM by Jim Gilbert

Yesterday afternoon I had the privilege of seeing one of Joe Frank’s rare live performances. The event, which was sponsored by KCRW and benefited the station, took place at The Village in West LA, a renowned recording studio that in and of itself was a highlight of the show – but more on that later.

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