Calendar

Feb
26
Sat
PROMISING SKIES A solo exhibition by Walter Erra Hubert @ Building Bridges Art Exchange
Feb 26 – Apr 9 all-day
PROMISING SKIES
Curated by Marisa Caichiolo
On display at Building Bridges Art Exchange February 26 – April 9, 2022
Opening Reception February 26, 3:30 – 8pm
Walter Erra Hubert is a Pasadena-born, internationally-recognized artist working in the mediums of acrylic paintings, mono prints, resin and mixed media. Walter chose to self-isolate in 2018, two years before the international lockdown, resulting in his latest striking body of work Promising Skies, which reflects a world moving towards a new reality. The large-scale art works are realized in acrylic while the show will also feature his works that incorporate resin and mixed media. All of the art will be showcased at Building Bridges Art Exchange’s Santa Monica Gallery.
Born to Italian immigrant parents, Walter is heavily influenced by his U.S. and Italian roots and straddles both worlds. His Pasadena studio provides space for exploration inspired by the expanse of the metropolis while his home and studio in the Italian countryside allow for a sense of separation associated with nature and introspection. Walter’s Italian heritage and 30 years of experience using varied artistic mediums appealed to Argentinean Curator Marisa Caichiolo who actively seeks to showcase a diverse range of artists from around the world. “Walter’s eerily-timed decision to self-isolate inadvertently became emblematic of a universal experience and, during that time, his quest to connect with the core of his being ended up producing his strongest and most significant body of work, which we’re thrilled to showcase in Los Angeles”.
Walter’s self-imposed lockdown began at his Pasadena studio and continued at his studio in his home in rural Italy. His isolation resulted in these multi-dimensional, multi-layered works . The magnificent large canvases invite the viewer to embark on a journey of discovery through Walter’s impressive brush work, dripping paint and penetrating energy.
Walter’s expression is deeply influenced by the subconscious, a comparison that can be drawn to current events of the pandemic and post-pandemic era. The magic of nature and journeys of the spirit are at the core of Walter’s work. Promising Skies encapsulates Walter’s vision with imaginary and mystical elements. He creates paintings by merging a multitude of tools, including everyday items such as spatulas, wood carving tools and hair dryers and the fluidity of the materials captures the artist’s strokes and movements. Walter muses, “I am in constant exploration of the tension we perceive between the realms of matter and spirit. I hope that the viewer senses that language and is drawn into the relevance of the journey.”
Although the current global outlook may be seen as bleak and unpredictable, Promising Skies reflects a world moving towards a new reality with a sense of hope. In each translucent piece, an ocean of opportunities, portals and evocative lights can be seen beckoning toward the future, representing the promise of new beginnings. Connecting to the past and creating a bridge to the future is the ideal path for Walter to engage with today’s collective consciousness. Explosions of light, volcanic eruptions, deep water currents and sensual feeling inspired by connections between the elements are among the bounty of natural phenomena that nourish his perspective and vision of the universal forces of Mother Earth.
Walter’s relationship with art began at an early age and painting became an important form of self-expression. At age fifteen, he enrolled in an art class that changed his life as he was introduced to complicated design and compositional analysis that turned his practice to the most current and global visions of artistic expression. On gaining acceptance to Otis Art Institute, he embraced an education in contrasts, learning classical approaches alongside the relatively untapped world of the merging conceptual art of the late sixties and early seventies. As the founder and CEO of Silver Birches in Pasadena, Walter has worked alongside visionaries like Bruce Weber and Ralph Lauren as well as taught painting and design at the College of Art in High Wycombe, England and Pasadena City College.
Walter was recently selected as an American artist to show at the 2022 9th Beijing International Art Biennale in China. The exhibition is currently being held at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing through March 2022. The curatorial theme is The Light of Life and the piece selected by the curatorial committee is “The Light Portal”. This piece was completed in 2021 by the artist as part of the series, “The Era of Solitude”. He has had several solo shows in Europe and his paintings can be found in the permanent collections of the M.A.C.I.S.T contemporary art museum in Italy, and venerable institutions including the L.A. Times Mirror Building. Walter was also recently chosen as a featured artist for a special Miami ART BASEL publication. For more information on this and our other programs, please visit our website.
Mar
24
Thu
Vellum LA and Artsy Present Artists Who Code: Generative Art NFTs by Women and Non-Binary Artists @ Vellum LA Melrose Gallery
Mar 24 – Apr 10 all-day

Thurs, March 24 – April 10, 2022, Melrose Ave, Los Angeles CA 90046. 1pm – 6pm, Thurs – Sun. 

Vellum LA, Los Angeles’s premier art gallery for NFT-backed digital art, has done a remarkable job bringing together a traditionally digital community in-person, uniting collectors and NFT-enthusiasts at their space on Melrose. Now, in pursuit of furthering their outreach and expanding their impact, the gallery has partnered with Artsy, the leading global online art marketplace, to present a truly unique collection of works that benefits Girls Who Code. Curated by Artist and Writer Mieke Marple and Vellum LA’s Sinziana Velicescu, Artists Who Code is a selection of NFT backed generative artworks by women and non-binary artists. Responding to the public perception of the NFT world as a male-dominated space, the exhibition foregrounds the central role and major impact women and nonbinary creators have in digital art and technology. In pursuit of true community building and in honor of Women’s History Month, a portion of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the non-profit Girls Who Code, in line with Artsy’s mission to empower women and non-binary creators during women’s history month. 

Artists Who Code will be on view in person from March 24th to April 10th at Vellum LA’s Melrose Gallery. The works will be available for auction on Artsy’s site from March 22nd to April 5th.

 

Apr
6
Wed
Learn to square dance @ Veterans Memorial Building
Apr 6 @ 7:00 PM – 8:45 PM

Square dancing is a wonderful opportunity to move aerobically to music, while having a lot of fun and making new friends.  A new square dance class with a live caller/instructor will begin on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at the Veterans Memorial Building in Culver City, and run until June 29.

Square dancing does not require any special musical or athletic talent.  If you can walk and shake hands, you can square dance.  Dress casually and wear comfortable shoes.  Come as a single person or as a couple. We have experienced partners for you if you don’t have one.

The class will meet every Wednesday from 7:00 to 8:45 pm at the Veterans Memorial Building (SW corner of Culver Blvd. and Overland Ave.) in the Multipurpose Room, which is at the southern end of the building.  The first class is free; thereafter classes are $10 per person.  The class is open to new students on April 6 and April 13.   After that the class will be closed to new students until the next session begin.  Masks and proof of vaccination are required at all class meetings.   Please bring water.

The class, which is sponsored by the Ribbons & Souls Square Dance Club, will teach Social Square Dancing (SSD).  The SSD Program was developed in recent years in an effort to focus more on danceability and accessibility for a new dancer.  In this program, a specific set of calls has been selected that will allow a new dancer to go from “never danced before” to “Saturday Night Dances, Here I Come!” within about 13 weeks of instruction.

For more information please call 424-286-0680.

May
24
Tue
Asian American Storytelling event
May 24 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

The City of Culver City’s Equity and Human Relations Advisory Committee invites you to appreciate Asian Americans as a community. Tuesday, May 24, 2022, 7 – 9.00pm, Veterans Memorial Building – Garden Room, 4117 Overland Ave. Culver City, CA, 90230.

 

May
29
Sun
7th Annual MAINopoly: A Taste of Main Street Returns to Santa Monica on Sunday, May 29 for Memorial Day Weekend with Game Board-Inspired Fun
May 29 @ 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Main Street’s Finest Eateries Come Together to Offer Tastings & Specials in this Interactive Tasting Event to Help Raise Money for Main Street Business Improvement Association and Fund Free Community Programming. This all-ages event, pet-friendly tasting event is a take on the classic board game, where every participating location you visit allows you to use “MAINopoly dollars” for food or beverage tastings, and earns you credit to fill your game board map for a chance to win free prizes. Throw on your top hats and monocles, get your “dice” ready, and make your way down Main Street for a culinary walking tour of Main Street’s finest eateries! A portion of all proceeds benefits the Main Street Business Improvement District.

Where; Main Street (10 blocks between Navy St. & Bay St.), Check-in location: Ashland Hill (2807 Main St.), When: Sunday, May 29, 12-5 pm

 

Jun
3
Fri
Santa Monica Place Partners with Streetlet to host Made with PRIDE Marketplace Each Weekend in June Month-long pop-up marketplace featuring LGBTQIA+ artisans and makers
Jun 3 – Jun 26 all-day

Santa Monica Place is partnering with Streetlet, an opportunity-matching and growth engine for small business owners and makers, to bring a pop-up Made with PRIDE Marketplace to the center each Friday, Saturday and Sunday in June. This unique retail marketplace is part of the annual SaMo PRIDE, a month-long citywide celebration focused on family-friendly displays and activities that safely celebrate the City of Santa Monica’s inclusive and diverse spirit. Once again PRIDE events will be anchored by “Miles of Pride,” a vibrant light installation that spans the Promenade and Santa Monica Place, illuminating the sky with a rainbow of colors to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, individuality, inclusivity and acceptance.

Made with PRIDE will showcase over 15 LGBTQIA+ business owners, highlighting their stories, unique products, and services. Each business features local goods and services made, conceived, and curated in Southern California and all vendors are provided with a free space to activate and retain 100% of the sales.The Made with PRIDE Marketplace takes place every Friday-Saturday in June. 

  • June 3-5, June 10-12, June 17-19, and June 24-26
  • Santa Monica Place is located at 395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica, at Broadway and Third Street Promenade. The Made With PRIDE Marketplace is located on level one in Nordstrom Cour
Jun
18
Sat
Creative Community Center Groundbreaking Ceremony @ Wende Museum
Jun 18 @ 4:00 PM

Culver City, CA (June 8, 2022) – The Wende Museum is pleased to announce that a special groundbreaking ceremony for the Creative Community Center will take place on Saturday, June 18th at 4:00 p.m. at 10858 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230.

Jun
19
Sun
Culver City’s Village Well Books to host Local LA authors @ Village Well Bookstore
Jun 19 @ 3:00 PM

Both published by Pasadena based Red Hen Press, Charles Harper Webb and Carlos Allende’s novels Ursula Lake and Coffee, Shopping, Murder, Love are page-turners with refreshingly new takes on issues of masculinity and male friendships.

A creative writing professor at Cal State Long Beach, and long time resident of greater LA, Charles Harper Webb is also an award winning poet and has been described as one of Southern California’s “most inventive and accessible poets.” Webb also worked as a psychotherapist for over a decade and has a Ph.D. from USC in Counseling Psychology. It was partly his work as a psychotherapist that allows him to delve into the darker areas of the human psyche that he explores in Ursula Lake, a literary thriller set in the wilds of British Columbia. Ivy Pochoda has described it as “a rare novel that is equal parts lyrical and suspenseful.”

Carlos Allende lives in Santa Monica with his husband and is a media psychology scholar and a teacher in the Writer’s Program at UCLA Extension. Coffee, Shopping, Murder, Love is a darkly comic novel for the angry and disenchanted. David Caplan, Executive Producer of The Conners has described it as “The most irredeemable and meticulously fashioned ne’er-do-wells I’ve ever rooted for. Murder in LA has never been such lurid, frothy fun.”

Together Carlos and Charles will discuss different aspects of the darker sides of masculinity, read from their works and sign books. If you are looking for something different to do this father’s day, come to the Village Well!

Jun
25
Sat
Women’s March Action Headquarters
Jun 25 @ 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Opening the doors to a new feminist future, the new Women’s March Action Headquarters will be a hub for feminist politics. Activists and organizers can stop in any time for phone banking, text banking, postcard writing, and retail shopping that supports vital issues. In addition, Womens March Action with be partnering with candidates, elected officials, and community-based organizations to build power and make change.

On Saturday, June 25th, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, the public is invited to join the grand opening celebration of the Women’s March Action Headquarters, 1852 East 1st Street, Boyle Heights, California for Mariachi music, food, art, and LA’s progressive feminist community! We will welcome our partners and volunteers to the space and kick-off our new home base for political actions!

Culver City Symphony Orchestra is Back! Beethoven’s Fifth and Emperor Concerto. @ Robert Frost Auditorium
Jun 25 @ 7:30 PM

We celebrate our return to the concert stage with a special free concert in memory of our late Music Director and Conductor, Frank Fetta. It will also be a belated celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday which fell in December 2020 and was overshadowed by national and global events. We are delighted to feature Principal Guest Conductor Andrew Shulman and pianist Rufus Choi in a program of major “middle period” works: Overture to Fidelio, Op. 72, Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, “Emperor”, and Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67. Saturday June 25, 7.30pm at Robert Frost Auditorium in Culver City, free entry.