Autry Museum of the American West Partners with Universal TV’s ‘Rutherford Falls’ to Celebrate Native Storytelling

Peacock and Universal TV have contributed to Los Angeles’ Autry Museum to help underwrite a robust, year-round programming that develops Native talent and provides more access to Native communities, including the Museum’s Native Voices program, which is the only Equity theater company dedicated to presenting stories from Native American playwrights with an entirely Native American ensemble.

As a part of the announcement, the Peacock series “Rutherford Falls” offered complimentary admission on Saturday to the Autry.

The comedy, which represents a breakthrough in Native representation in comedy television, stars Jana Schmieding (Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux) and Michael Greyeyes ([Nêhiyaw (Plains Cree) from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation – Treaty Six Territory in Saskatchewan]), alongside “The Office’s” Ed Helms. There are five Native writers staffed on “Rutherford Falls,” one of the largest Indigenous writer’s rooms on television, including co-creator and executive producer Sierra Teller Ornelas (Navajo).

Above, members of cast and crew at the Autry included (from left) Dustin Milligan (“Josh Carter”), Ed Helms (co-creator, executive producer and “Nathan Rutherford”), Sierra Teller Ornelas (co-creator, executive producer and showrunner; Navajo), Jesse Leigh (“Bobbie Yang”), Tai Leclaire (writer; Kanien’kehá:ka [Mohawk Nation]/Mi’kmaq) and Kimberly Guerrero (“Renée Thomas”; Colville (Enrolled) and Salish-Kootenai).

FREE LA: 'The Elevated Eye' Photography Exhibit at Forest Lawn

Glendale's Forest Lawn Museum is back with a new exhibit that is definitely worth checking out: "The Elevated Eye" features photography of cityscapes, landmarks, the earth and more as taken by planes, drones, spaceships and other aerial means. The photos span centuries, and include some classic overhead shots of Los Angeles.

As always, the Forest Lawn Museum is free, and a unique stop, located high up on a hill, allowing for great views of downtown Glendale.



More info:

The exhibition examines the history of aerial photography, from its origins in the nineteenth century to the boundary-pushing technologies of the twenty-first century. It assembles nearly 150 images and 14 minutes of video, as well as satellite models and drones. The exhibition includes photographs from Forest Lawn Museum’s permanent collection that have never been displayed as well as works from the Getty Research Institute; Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens; and the Special Collections of Los Angeles Public Library. The Elevated Eye: Aerial Photography Past and Present also features the work of David Maisel, a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow in the Creative Arts; Jenny Odell, a multi-disciplinary artist and writer; and photographer Lane Barden, whose work traces major corridors of Los Angeles from above. The exhibition includes more than twenty images and mesmerizing video footage by the drone pilot and photographer Chen Ming. Moving beyond the stratosphere, The Elevated Eye features historical images from NASA as well as the work of Erwan Rivault (@earthfromsatellites), a French geographer who uses data from European Space Agency satellites to create stunning images of natural wonders on the Earth’s surface.

"The Elevated Eye: Aerial Photography Past and Present" will be open to the public from October 10, 2019 through March 8, 2020 at Forest Lawn Museum, Forest Lawn-Glendale, 1712 S. Glendale Avenue.

Free L.A.: National Geographic Women of Vision Exhibit at Forest Lawn Glendale

I've written before about how the Forest Lawn Glendale museum is one of the city's great secrets: A free museum exhibit that rotates a few times of year, always offering something unique. The best part: It's free. And even beyond the exhibit inside the museum, the views from the top of Forest Lawn Glendale are great as well.

The latest exhibit, "National Geographic Women of Vision," features stunning photography from around the world, as shot by some of the magazine's most celebrated female photographers.

Here are some details from the site: "Featuring nearly 100 photographs, Women of Vision includes moving depictions of far-flung cultures; compelling illustrations of conceptual topics, such as memory and teenage brain chemistry; and arresting images of social issues, such as child marriage and twenty-first-century slavery. In addition, the exhibition demonstrates how National Geographic magazine picture editors work closely with the photographers to select images and tell stories. Video vignettes present first-person accounts that reveal the photographers’ individual styles, passions, and approaches to their craft."

"Women of Vision: National Geographic Photographers on Assignment" will be open to the public from December 11, 2018 through April 7, 2019 at the Forest Lawn Museum, Forest Lawn-Glendale, 1712 S. Glendale Avenue, Glendale.

Broad Museum: A Visit to See the Jasper Johns Exhibit and New Infinity Mirror Room

There are always plenty of reasons to visit downtown's Broad museum — I'd put that Michael Jackson/Bubbles sculpture toward the top. But right now, there are two new reasons: The Broad is the official U.S. venue of the Jasper Johns exhibit 'something resembling truth,' while the museum also just launched its second infinity room, Yayoi Kusama’s "Longing for Eternity." According to the Broad, "Jasper Johns: ‘Something Resembling Truth’" features more than 120 paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings from Johns. "Featuring signature works from the Broad collection with loans from more than 50 international public and private collections, The Broad's presentation marks the first comprehensive survey of Jasper Johns in Southern California in more than 50 years. A collaboration with the Royal Academy in London, Jasper Johns: 'Something Resembling Truth' traces the evolution of the artist’s six-decade career through a series of thematic chapters, encompassing the full range of Johns’ materials, motifs and techniques." The Jasper Johns exhibit normally costs extra, but the Broad will offer free admission on "First Thursdays" April 5 and May 3 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

"Longing for Eternity," like Kusama's other infinity mirror room, is so popular that a staggered ticket time is required for the audience. This time, instead of walking completely into a room, this is a large box with porthole-like windows that are used to look into a mirrored chamber filled with dazzling LED lights.

Inside Kusama's other Broad infinity mirror room, "Infinity Mirrored Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away" (2013)

Escalators up through a Gaudi-like ceiling,

More from "Longing for Eternity."

Jasper Johns exhibit.

"The Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter" (Jasper Johns, 1987)

"Michael Jackson and Bubbles" (Jeff Koons, 1988)

"Under the Table" (Robert Therrien, 1994)

"Raymond and Toby" (John Ahearn, 1989)

"Tulips" (Jeff Koons, 1995-2004)

Andy Warhol pieces

"Norm's, La Cienega, on Fire" (Ed Ruscha, 1964)

"John" (Chuck Close, 1971-72)

General admission to The Broad is free and includes access to The Broad's collection galleries on the third floor, which display a robust and changing selection of works.

Forest Lawn Museum Celebrates the Football Legacy of Charlie Brown and 'Peanuts'

Good grief! Timed to the Super Bowl earlier this month, the Forest Lawn museum in Glendale has entered the funny pages. The short term exhibit Pigskin: Peanuts takes a look at the football legacy of the long-running "Peanuts" comic strip. Between 1950 and 2000 (when creator Charles Schulz died), sports was a big part of the lives of Charlie Brown and the gang. Perhaps better known for its focus on baseball, nonetheless football also made an annual appearance in the strip — most memorably, of course, when Lucy would promise not to lift the ball before he had the chance to kick it.

Of course, much like the futility of some things in life, Lucy would always pull it, and Charlie would always end up flying through the air and landing on his back.

Per the museum: "The 50 Sunday and daily strips in this exhibition demonstrate the fun Charles Schulz had with the sport of football and explore his wonderful world of Pigskin Peanuts. Visitors will also enjoy viewing football themed Peanuts objects and ephemera; dressing up in the team locker room; taking a photo-op on a football trading card; and trying their own hand at “pulling the football” from Charlie Brown."

Hurry — the exhibit ends on March 15. As always, admission and parking are free. Some pics from our recent visit:

FREE L.A.: "David Bowie: Among the Mexican Masters" at the Forest Lawn Museum

Forest Lawn's free museum in Glendale seems to always be showcasing some interesting exhibits, from Lego creations to stylized motorcycles to Tiki culture.

Most recently, there's a reason why Blogger Kid 2.0 has been suddenly asking me about David Bowie, and requesting that I play some Bowie tunes in the car. We visited the opening party a few weeks ago for "David Bowie: Among the Mexican Masters," a display of photos, taken by Fernando Aceves, during Bowie’s only visit to Mexico City 20 years ago.

"David Bowie: Among the Mexican Masters" continues until June 15. It's a nice tribute to Bowie, who died last year, and a good reason to make the trip to the top of the Forest Lawn hill in Glendale. Great views of the city also awaits. Some pics from the exhibit launch:

Forest Lawn Museum - Glendale
Open every day except Mondays
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission and parking are free

Petersen Auto Museum: A Disappointingly Sterile Makeover

They destroyed the soul of the Petersen Automotive Museum.

The completely redesigned museum re-opened at the end of 2015, but I finally got a chance to check it out last week. The exhibits are smart, crisp, pristine and interesting. But museum is no longer fun.

Ironically, the outside of the Petersen used to be sterile, short-changing the personality inside. Now, it's just the opposite: The museum's new facade is ambitious and bold... while the inside is surprisingly sterile.

The anal/Virgo in me loved the new, clean setup. It's well-organized, pristine and doesn't distract from the cars.

But the Angeleno enthusiast in me misses the old museum, with its re-creation of early 20th Century L.A. streetscapes. The old museum was also much more kid-friendly, and the new one is truly for the car enthusiast. It was perfect for my dad, who was visiting, but I imagine my kids would get antsy after awhile.

David Ulin shared my disappointment in the L.A. Times:

When my son Noah was little, the Petersen Automotive Museum — the car museum, we used to call it — was one of the touchstones of his world. In many ways, they grew up together; the Petersen opened on June 11, 1994, only a few months before Noah was born. Beginning when he was 1, we went to the museum around once a week, and we quickly developed a routine that lasted for a decade or so: Start with the immersive streetscape on the ground floor, with its trolley homage to Laurel and Hardy (Noah always spent time in the driver's seat), its Helms Bakery bread truck, its grocery store and auto showroom, then move on to the second floor, where there was a fully detailed hot rod shop and all those movie cars. Our visits would generally wrap up in the third floor playroom.

The new museum no longer plays by such irreverent rules. We visited, finally, a Sunday or so ago. As per the advice of the docent, we took the elevator to the third floor and worked our way down — exactly the opposite of how we used to navigate the space.

The new museum is themed by floor: History, Industry, Artistry. Cars and motorcycles are arrayed like, yes, museum pieces: static, sterile, separated from environment. This has long been my issue with museums, the notion that they strip art of context — or more accurately, impose a “museum” context of their own.

This new museum was efficient, even comprehensive, in its way, but it wasn’t much fun. It didn’t stir us to do much except keep moving, one display to the next. We stopped and admired the motorcycles (Noah is a rider), and the theme cars. We glanced at the production galleries and the performance vehicles. Yet there were few points of intersection, little for us to do but look.

Not only that, but the personality of the place, its connection to the city, was no longer clear. “It used to be a museum about Los Angeles,” Noah said once we reached the ground floor. “Now it’s just a museum.”

Exactly my thoughts. The Petersen used to be alive. Now it just feels like... a museum. (As for the outside, well, LA Times architectural critic Christopher Hawthorne notes that the museum "has embraced its inner Michael Bay."

That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I'm always a sucker for history and the past, and checking out classic and historic automobiles is always interesting. Some shots from our afternoon at the new Petersen:



This 1900 Smith is the oldest surviving gasoline powered vehicle built in Los Angeles.



"Entourage" car



Batman!



OK, the kids would absolutely get a kick out of seeing the "Back to the Future" DeLorean



Outatime!



The infamous "Breaking Bad" Pontiac Aztec



Lightning McQueen





Art car





Low riders



Replica of the first practical car



David Hockney art car



Keith Haring art car



Silver cars



Original electric cars