Now normally I would write about an actual upcoming exhibit or maybe even a gallery I recently visited. This time, however, it’s about a party. The LACMA will be hosting a cocktail party on August 16th, from 8:15 PM until midnight.

The event celebrates Los Angeleno/Chicano culture with an after hours viewing of Los Angelenos/Chicano Painters of L.A.: Selections from the Cheech Marin Collection. In addition to the viewing there will also be a musical performance by East L.A. Chicano music legends Quetzal, live muralists and graffiti artists by Unification Theory, and complimentary cocktails and appetizers.

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Burlesque

• Lucky Devil Burlesque at Forty Deuce | Tuesday August 5th | Cost $10 | 9pm-1am | Forty Deuce - 5574 Melrose Ave Los Angeles (Map) | All male burlesque show… oh la la! “Lucky Devil” at Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce will consist of three different shows featuring cutting edge songs ranging from George Michael’s ‘Father Figure’ to Kylie Minogue’s ‘Slow’ and M.I.A.’s “Bamboo Banga.” In only the first few weeks, already celebrities such as Dita von Teese, Macy Gray, choreographer Jamie King, Amazing Race’s Reichen Lehmkuhl as well as members of the Pussycat Dolls have joined the packed crowd at Lucky Devil! Sexy.

Comedy

• Comedy Death Ray | Tuesday, August 5th | 8:30pm | Tickets $5 | Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater (Map) | Pretty good line-up for tonight. Bruce McCulloch, Dana Gould, Nick Kroll, Jessi Klein, TJ Miller and hosted by The Birthday Boys. Enjoy some good laughs, good beer, at a VERY reasonable price.

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Circle In The Square
The Brand Library Art Galleries
1601 West Mountain St, Glendale

August 2 - September 5, 2008
Opening Reception August 2, 5 - 8pm

This show brought to you by circles and squares. Actually, the theme of this group exhibit at the Brand Library Art Galleries in Glendale is Circle In The Square. Believe it or not, not more than one artist has works that speak to this spatial subject matter; the group show includes works by Yesung Kim, Barbara Kolo, Susan Sironi, Luke Van Hook, and Cheryl Walker, with a special dance performance by Liz Curtis and Martha Carrascosa.

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Move A Head

It’s that time again: a free weekend and you’re just browsing for something to do. This weekend’s art choices will not disappoint. Whether you’re looking for more variety in one go or a little devil-may-care attitude, there are some pretty hot exhibitions going on in LA. They’re free too. Feeling excited yet? Check out Cream of the Crop, It’s Hell Not Having A Hero, and Move A Head.

Cream of the Crop:

Six hand-picked up-and-coming artists will star in this exhibition: Jessica Cooper, Jennifer Jelenski, Caro Lozada, Mike Sosnowski, Star 27, Magda Trzaski. The comical and fantastical are on display as the six artists bring their own touches to the annual group show. Take a look at their individual work on-line and then head over to the gallery. It’s a show you shouldn’t miss.

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Move A Head

It’s that time again: a free weekend and you’re just browsing for something to do. This weekend’s art choices will not disappoint. Whether you’re looking for more variety in one go or a little devil-may-care attitude, there are some pretty hot exhibitions going on in LA. They’re free too. Feeling excited yet? Check out Cream of the Crop, It’s Hell Not Having A Hero, and Move A Head.

Cream of the Crop:

Six hand-picked up-and-coming artists will star in this exhibition: Jessica Cooper, Jennifer Jelenski, Caro Lozada, Mike Sosnowski, Star 27, Magda Trzaski. The comical and fantastical are on display as the six artists bring their own touches to the annual group show. Take a look at their individual work on-line and then head over to the gallery. It’s a show you shouldn’t miss.

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Get your art one! The Karen Lynne Gallery will be presenting it’s new solo exhibition by renowned artist Stephen Verona. Memories will be a collection of paintings inspired by Verona’s travels as he captures everyday life from quaint cafe’s in Paris to afternoon bike rides in Shanghai.

With a background ranging from motion pictures, to music videos, to photography, Verona has delved into many facets of art. His unique true-to-life style reflects one man’s travels and constant desire to render everyday emotion. With the use of wide brush strokes and subtle colors, his artwork emphasizes the truth and beauty found in the seemingly mundane.

The doors will open at 6pm – 9pm on August 9, 2008. This exhibition will encompass an array of fond memories that mirror the still life photos Verona wanted to capture on canvas.

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Books

• Used Book Sale | Wednesday, July 30, 2008 | 12:00 pm | Fairfax Branch Library - Map | I can easily recall the one of the best feelings in the world: when I found out that a “book sale” at the library really meant that the books were free. Whether or not that’s the case here, it’s still probably worth a look for your budding personal library. For more info, call (323) 936-6191.

Amoeba

• Amoeba Charity Auction hosted by Brently Heilbron | Wednesday, July 30, 2008 | 4pm | Amoeba Record - 6400 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood - Map | Amoeba will be hosting their weekly Charity Auction to benefit gulf relief efforts! Brently (voted Austin’s Best Comic and Creator of Richard Simmons Mysteries & Star of Trapped in the Closet Live!) will be auctioning off a bevy of cool items - from Hollywood Bowl tickets to Slayer underwear.

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Lisa Lapinski sculptures

The Fret And Its Variant

Lisa Lapinski’s installations utilize wood, wallpaper, and various found objects, in addition to other, more sturdy, materials. She approaches the traditional methods and boundaries of space and volume and shatters these practices while incorporating questions of language, association, and pattern. In essence, Lapinski’s imaginative sculptures incorporate staples of their genre such as wood and wire, cement and clay, as well as more conventional forms of photography, painting, and drawing. Her unique combination of contrasting materials helps her work resonate with with narrative meaning that often derives from psychological, historical, and philosophical meaning.

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Comedy

• Comedy Death Ray- Sarah Silverman, Janeane Garofalo and more | Tuesday, July 29th | 8:30pm | Tickets $5 | Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater (Map) | They’re really going all out tonight. Sarah Silverman, Bob Odenkirk, Janeane Garofalo, Arj Barker, Rob O’Reilly and hosted by Brett Gelman. Wow. Tonight is really a night worth getting your sorry ass out of bed and over to the Comedy Death-Ray.

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La Tinta Grita/The Ink Shouts:
The Art of Social Resistance in Oaxaca, Mexico
The Fowler Museum’s Goldenberg Galleria
July 20 - December 7, 2008

In an act of political expression during duress, artists from Oaxaca made city walls their voice during social conflict in Mexico in 2006. The result is the new exhibit at the Fowler Museum, over thirty wood block prints and stencils created by a group who call themselves the Assembly of Revolutionary Artists of Oaxaca.

La Tinta Grita/The Ink Shouts: The Art of Social Resistance in Oaxaca, Mexico is a deeply rooted in the politics of Mexico, especially since its art was created under the confines of a state that restricted public demonstrations. Mexico has a long history of politically motivated artistry. Diego Rivera is given credit for the “Mexican Mural Renaissance,” along with Jose David Alfaro Siqueiros and Francisco Toledo. One thing that separates these wood cuts from a Rivera mural is that the presence of the master artist is intentionally absent, as Assembly artists remain anonymous. Obviously, this is a safety precaution to avoid persecution, but also because Assembly artists wanted the works to fully speak for themselves, and for the voiceless people of Oaxaca, and not have the message complicated by concerns of what a particular artist “intended.”

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Circus

• Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus | Wed July 23rd - August 3rd | 7:30PM | Honda Center - 2695 E. Katella Anaheim (Map) | Tickets $15-$90 -Buy Now | Probably the only circus that still has elephants, horses, tigers, and of course people flying through the air and bending in ways that you never thought possible. Come enjoy the…so cliched…greatest show on earth!

Club

• Club HELL | Wednesday July 23rd | 9PM | Ivar - 6356 Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles (Map) | $10 or free before 11am with Flyer | Want to go to hell? Well here’s your chance, well knows you chance (although I’m sure you’ll have other ) With a multi-media dark show, a ton of live music and performances, a free vodka bar from 9pm-10pm, and of course a lot of leather and scantly clad ladies.

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Comedy

• Comedy Death Ray- Patton Oswalt | Tuesday, July 22nd | 8:30pm | Tickets $5 | Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater (Map) | They’re really going all out tonight. You can get a latte for $5 or see Patton Oswalt! Tonight at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, will be Patton Oswalt, Greg Behrendt, The Sklar Brothers, Tripod and hosted by Chris Fairbanks. So come, grab a beer an enjoy some laughs.

Film

• Enjoy the Dark Knight with Booze! | Tuesday, July 22nd | Cost $12 | Starts at 4:50pm | Landmark Theater - 10850 W Pico Blvd Los Angeles (Map) | Come and enjoy the Dark Knight with a nice cold drink. On the menu are a bunch of clever drink names including a Two Face (Black and Tan with Storm King Stout and Stone IPA), Bat-ini, Joker’s Poison, Rachel’s Kiss, and a Cape Crusader.

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