The warm weather is back…so it’s a great time to hit the beach for some live music…with The Venice Street Legends who will be performing an early gig from 5:00 pm till 10:00 pm.

I can guarantee the Venice Boardwalk will be hoppin’ tonight….I may saunter over and sing a few tunes with these guys….they rock.

A wonderful band, that performs classic country rock. Greg Cruz is the ultimate Johnny Cash.

FREE

What: Live Music, The Venice Street Legends
Where: The Venice Bistro, 323 Ocean Front Walk 90291
When: 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/venicesreetlegends?ref=hl

Or head to Palos Verdes Art Center  (550 Deep Valeey Dr. # 261, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90275), for three exhibitions 5-8pm. http://www.pvartcenter.org

In Culver city….”The Assistants” explores the transitive potential of art, including how artworks can take on attendant guises and play assisting roles, serving as custodians of memory while also producing resistant gestures and deviant substitutions.

Artists include: Uri Aran, Laure Prouvost, Nairy Baghramian, Dieter Roth & Björn Roth, Andrea Büttner, Slavs and Tatars, Matthew Brannon, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Rosalind Nashashibi, Cathy Wilkes, Adrian Piper

See image: Rosalind Nashashibi, Carlo’s Vision,
2011 (still), 16mm color film with sound , 11’14” Edition of 3, 2 AP

On view: Jan 18th – Feb 23nd

What: Opening Reception,
Where: David Kordansky Gallery, 3143 S. La Cienega Blvd., LA, 90016
When: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Phone: 310-558-3030
Website: http://davidkordanskygallery.com/

Or in the Miracle Mile area….Martha Otero Gallery presents Vitruvius, a group exhibition featuring the work of Jonathan Brand, Gregory Euclide, Jacob Hashimoto, James Jean, Saelee Oh, Alexander Tarrant and Eric White.

See image: Eric White, The Köln Concert, 2011 Oil on panel, 12 x 12 inches

As an architect, engineer, historian and soldier, Vitruvius was an inspiration for artisans and inventors even centuries after his death. He served under Julius Caesar and was sponsored by Emperor Augustus for life.

January 18th – February 16th

What: Opening reception
Where: Martha Otero Gallery, 820 N Fairfax Ave., LA 90046
When: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Phone: 323 951 1068
Website: http://www.marthaotero.com

Also nearby, PRISM, 8746 West Sunset Blvd.,holds a reception from 5-9pm. http://www.prismla.com/

Or at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica….

Enjoy a fun art party at Santa Monica Museum of Art…several exhibitions are opening.

See image: Miriam Wosk, Bones of the Golden Serpent,  2008, paper collage, painted foils, and butterflies on canvas, 41 1/4 x 53 x 3 in.

“Abundance and Devotion: The Art of Miriam Wosk” is the first major survey exhibition of the work of this acclaimed local artist. in the Museum’s Main Gallery, Abundance and Devotion highlights the artist’s most significant works and traces the arc of Wosk’s life and career.
The exhibit presents a selection of the large-scale, intricate paintings and collages for which Wosk is best known.

“Peter Shire: Tea for Two Hundred” is an exhibition of giant teapots by the well-known Los Angeles artist Peter Shire, and showcases the artist’s career-long exploration with the teapot as form.

See image: Peter Shire, Cherry Blossom Pink,
2006, earthenware,glazes, stainless steel, 36 x 28 1/2 x 19 inches © Photo by Amy Stevenson

Tea for Two Hundred highlights eight large-scale teapots, ranging in height from two to six feet tall. These imaginative objects, made of clay, metal, wood, and found materials, are some of Shire’s most inventive works. They will be installed in a whimsical landscape – sparking the imagination with a playful dialog between the viewers’ bodies and the teapots.

Then in Project Room 2, the exhibition, “Samira Yamin: We Will Not Fail,” opens as well. Samira Yamin’s debut solo museum exhibition revolves around the October 1, 2001 issue of TIME magazine, the first instance of Osama Bin Laden on the magazine’s cover and the first issue dedicated entirely to the “war on terror.”

See image: Samira Yamin, Ocotber 1, 2001. Time Magazine, 2012

In this body of work, Yamin meticulously hand cuts Islamic geometric patterns into photographs of Middle Eastern subjects.

On view January 19th – April 20th

What: Opening reception
Where: SMMoA (B-4) Bergamot Station 2525 Michigan Ave. Santa Monica, 90404
When: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm (6-7 for members)
Phone: 310.586.6488
Website: http://smmoa.org/

In Santa Monica…

Suzy Williams performs with her band, Suzy & Her Solid Senders at the Moose Lodge.

Or in Venice..

The Del Monte Speakeasy which is located under the Townhouse presents a night of FREE jazz/swing with the Barry Zweig Trio featuring Katie Thiroux and Matt Witek

Barry Zweig- Guitar; Katie Thiroux- Bass/Voice; Matt Witek- Drums

The Townhouse has a rich history which includes a hidden speakeasy back in prohibition days. So cool that its back in full swing….a perfect place for this classic trio.

FREE

What: Performance
Where: Del Monte Speakeasy, 52 Windward Ave. Venice CA 90291
When: 8:00 pm (2 sets)
Phone: 310-392-4040
Website: townhousevenice.com  http://www.barryzweig-guitar.com