DCA Arts and Cultural Calendar
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January 2019
Gary Simmons: Fade to Black
Artist Gary Simmons references film, architecture, and American popular culture in paintings and drawings that address race, class, and memory. Much of Simmons’s work centers on his signature erasure techniques. Hours: Tuesdays – Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Sundays 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
February 2019
Life Model: Charles White and his Students
Presented at the original Otis Art Institute campus where Charles White was the first African American faculty member, this exhibition illuminates the artist’s impact as a teacher. The show features artwork in diverse media and modes of expression, alongside sketchbooks, photographs, and archival footage that illuminate his pedagogy. The gallery is open to the public every Saturday afternoon from 1–4 pm
March 2019
Plumb Line: Charles White and the Contemporary
A prolific painter, printmaker, muralist, draftsman, and photographer whose career spanned more than half a century, Charles White’s artistic portrayals of black subjects, life, and history were extensive and far-reaching. Plumb Line features contemporary artists whose work in the realm of black individual and collective life resonates with White’s profound and continuing influence. Tuesdays – Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Sundays 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Liberator: Chronicling Black Los Angeles, 1900–1914
The Liberator: Chronicling Black Los Angeles, 1900–1914 sheds light on the expansion of the city’s African American community, its challenges in a post-Reconstruction era, and its hopes and accomplishments, as captured in the newspaper’s pages. More than a century since The Liberator’s final issue, this exhibition includes rare ephemera, photographs, and artifacts that offer a unique study of the narrative of black Los Angeles. Tuesdays – Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Sundays 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power 1963-1983
Soul of a Nation celebrates the work of Black artists made over two decades beginning in 1963, at the height of the civil rights movement. The exhibition devotes individual galleries either to groups of artists working in a particular city — with three galleries dedicated to artists living and working in Los Angeles – or to a different kind of art production. The exhibition showcases communities engaged in robust artistic dialogues, while also revealing disagreements about what it meant to…
April 2019
Hammer Projects: Yunhee Min
Min adapts the vibrant abstract imagery of her paintings on canvas to the steps of the Hammer’s lobby staircase, in the first Project to be oriented on the floor rather than the walls. Her examination of the impact of the Light and Space movement on generations of artists in Los Angeles is evident in her newest washy, layered, and brightly colored paintings. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Fridays 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., Saturdays & Sundays 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.…
Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop
Celebrating the photographers who have played a critical role in bringing hip-hop’s visual culture to the global stage, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop is an inside look at the work of hip-hop photographers, as told through their most intimate diaries: their unedited contact sheets. Wednesday – Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
May 2019
Chinatown After Dark
This First Thursday monthly event features innovative chefs who test out new menu items and pop-up concepts. Chinatown’s regulars promote specials and other incentives. Each month’s event features talented musical acts from vocalists to DJs to instrumentals. Good vibes under clear skies in the breezy Southern California evening, join us next time and see what’s new in the neighborhood. 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.
India’s Subterranean Stepwells: Photographs by Victoria Lautman
Since the 5th century, stepwells have served as water-harvesting systems that descend into the earth and enable communities to access the water table or rainwater gathered below. A selection of 46 photographs by journalist Victoria Lautman captures the diversity and sublime beauty of these architectural marvels. Wednesdays 12:00 noon – 8:00 p.m. Thursdays – Sundays 12:00 noon – 5:00 p.m.
Where Love is Illegal
Being LGBTQ is still illegal in 70 countries, and our communities face discrimination, persecution, and violence around the world. Award-winning photographer Robin Hammond’s Where Love is Illegal project has documented the stories and images of many individuals from these countries. Robin Hammond has dedicated his career to documenting human rights and development issues through long-term photographic projects. He has won numerous awards for his work, including four Amnesty International Awards and several other prestigious prizes.