Just East of Hollywood…

Ashgrove hosts a special event, Pete Seeger: A Tribute to His Legacy, Music and Mission will be held from 2-5pm.

No reservations are being taken. It’s first come, first choice of seating, so get there early.

Admission: $20 suggested donation (net proceeds to benefit First Unitarian Church programs); Free parking is available across the street.

What: Performance
Where: First Unitarian Church, Fritchman Hall, 2936 W. 8th St. (2 blocks E. of Vermont Ave) Los Angeles
When: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Phone: 213-389-1356
Website: http://edpearl-ashgrove.org/

In Santa Monica…Bergamot Station hosts a couple openings…

Lora Schlesinger Gallery celebrates Roberto Gil de Montes’ first solo-exhibition with the gallery. “Hecho en México” features a new painterly body of work that is a montage of images referencing personal experience and cultural identity testing the plasticity of paint.

The East Gallery presents “The Listening Stillness” a series of small-scaled paintings by Laurel Bustamante. Influenced by Persian miniatures, Laurel sees her paintings as mini dioramas of dreams inhabited by little creatures and imaginative birds that drift in and out of her field of vision.

There will be an artist talk with Roberto Gil de Montes from 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm with a reception to follow.

On view: April 5th – May 10th

What: Opening reception
Where: Lora Schlesinger Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave. (T3) Santa Monica, CA 90404
When: 4:30 – 5:00 art talk, 5:00 pm- 7:00 pm – reception
Phone: 310-828-1133
Website: http://www.loraschlesinger.com/

Also EarthWE Gallery, (Space D5) holds an opening from 5:30pm – 9:30pm.

One more at Bergamot…

The ROBERT BERMAN GALLERY offers an art party for  ‘Golden Bough.” The exhibition features the sculpture and photography by British artist Sarah Danays.

It’s presented in conjunction with Month of Photography Los Angeles and BritWeek.

On view: March 29 – May 3, 2014

What: Opening reception
Where: The Robert Berman Gallery, Bergamot Station, (B-7) 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, 90404
When: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Phone: 310.315.1937
Website: http://www.robertbermangallery.com/

Another one in Santa Monica…

Gallery 169 is excited to announce drawings and paintings by Charles Arnoldi.

Chuck is an American painter, sculptor and printmaker who came to Los Angeles from Dayton Ohio.

Producing art since the 1970’s Chuck continues to be one of the most productive abstract painters in America, pushing himself to create, consummately blending meaning with beauty. When Chuck walks into the room you can’t help but notice.

His enthusiasm and optimistic approach to life permeates his art. Taken from an essay written by Dave Hickey in 2008 Chuck is quoted and described eloquently.

On view: April 5th – June 1

What: Opening Reception
Where: Gallery 169, 169 West Channel Road, Santa Monica, CA 90402
When: 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Phone: 310-963-3891
Website: www.gallery169.com

Or in West LA…Jaus (11851 La Grange Ave., LA 90025), is holding a reception from 6:30 pm -9:00 pm. www.jausart.com

There are a couple more in Venice…

Silent Gallery presents Black on White, an exhibition by Los Angeles based artist Gary Palmer. This series of work features contemporary interpretations of traditional landscapes and figures in Japanese Sumi ink.

Palmer invites a dialogue between Eastern and Western traditions by distilling interpretations of form. The abstract line reveals a horizon in a landscape. Fluid gestures reduce form to speak between pictorial language and movement.

Gary Henry Palmer is a painter from Belfast, Northern Ireland, currently living in Venice, California. With MA in Architecture from the University of Edinburgh, he traveled around the world as a street-painter.

Gary’s work is held in the collection at the Ulster Museum, Belfast, and private collectors. Last year he was invited to participate in the Biennial del Sur in Panama, and an international 3D street art festival in Atlantic City. His current works are abstract paintings intended for meditation and contemplation on nature.

On view: April 5th – April 24th

What: Opening reception
Where: Silent Gallery, 236 Main St. from
When: 6:00 pm -9:00 pm
Website: http://silent-gallery.com/

Also in Venice…

Shulamit Gallery presents a solo exhibition by emerging artist Pouya Afshar.

This series of drawings and sculptures is a nostalgic flashback to Afshar’s memories of growing up in an environment heavily influenced by war, violence and complicated socio-political hegemony.

Featured in the Shulamit Gallery Project Space is a new installation by Galia Linn entitled Vessels. Galia Linn (b. 1963 in Israel; lives and works in Los Angeles) is a mixed-media conceptual sculptor who works with clay, steel and other materials.

On view: April 5th – May 31st

What: Artist reception
Where: Shulamit Gallery 17 N. Venice Blvd., Venice
When: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Phone: 310.281.0961
Website: http://shulamitgallery.com/

Culver City has a bunch…you can either start here on Washington…(there are a couple of early ones on this end) and head to Venice or reverse it.

On Washington…

Hinge Modern hosts a group show entitled “MURMURATION.”

See image: Ann Diener, Entangled Grid, 50″ x 60″, 2013, graphite, Prismacolor, gouache, ink, oil, archival images and cut paper and Yupo on paper

The group show features works by Saul Alfaro, Brian Blackham, Charley Brown, Dorit Cypis, Ann Diener, Jason Engelund, Mitra Fabian, Joshu Lucas, Beverly Rayner, Rena Small and more.

On view: April 5th – May 17th

What: Opening reception
Where: HINGE Modern, 8558 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 90232
When: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Phone: 310-893-9194
Website:  http://HINGEMODERN.COM/

Then right nearby…at H I N G E P A R A L L E L located at 8545 Washington Blvd., another opening for Luc Bernard takes place from 6-8pm. http://HINGEMODERN.COM/

Mark Moore Gallery presents “GRFALWKV,” a solo exhibition of altered photographs and a handcrafted book by gallery artist Christopher Russell.

See image: Christopher Russell, Explosion #3, 2014, folded photograph scratched with a razor, 14 x 18 inches

The central focus of Russell’s show is a large-scale cloth-bound manuscript under the same title. Broken into five distinct chapters, the volume investigates the general territory of “endings” as the author explores various types of calamity pulled from art theory, history, and pop culture.

Also on view in the Project Room, “Hunting Trophies,” an immersive installation and exhibition of new work by interdisciplinary artist Jeremy Fish. Marking the artist’s first solo exhibition with the gallery, this body of work showcases Fish’s adept capacity to translate sociopolitical and autobiographical topics into allegorical narratives and imaginative spaces.

On view: April 5th – May 3rd

What: Opening reception
Where: Mark Moore Gallery, 5790 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232
When: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Phone: 310 453-3031
Website: http://www.markmooregallery.com

George Billis Gallery celebrates the work of three artists…Sarah Coleman, Matt Condron, and Kurt Solmssen.

A mixed-media artist, Sarah Coleman most recent work addresses Illusion. Using layers of mirrors and glass, she creates three dimensional paintings with ink that allow the viewer to look out into a cosmic scene.

Matt Condron, realist painter, brings out the richness and delicacy of the mundane through identifying how objects ‘hold’ space and are imbued with temperature, texture and orientation.

And finally American painter, Kurt Solmssen uses wide, generously loaded brushes and rich, bright colors to bring life to his subject matter in the Pacific Northwest.

What: Opening reception
Where: George Billis Gallery, 2716 S. La Cienega Blvd., LA, 90029
When: 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Phone: (310) 838-3685
Website: www.georgebillis.com

Cross La Cienega, and head North towards Venice Blvd…

Luis De Jesus Los Angeles presents the work of Chris Engman and Antonia Wright.

See image: Chris Engman, Double Skew, 2014, digital pigment print, framed, 55 x 52.25 x 47 x 37.5 in, edition of 6

Chris Wright’s exhibition “Ink on Paper” represents a temporary shift in Engman’s artistic practice from photographic documentation of environmental installation phenomena – records of processes and the passage of time – to a consideration of photographs themselves as an inherently false, mediated and distancing way to experience the world. By focusing not on outer constructions but on the photograph as a constructed challenge to perception, this new body of work continues Engman’s inquiry into the illusive and unknowable nature of reality.

Also opening tonight….enjoy the work of Miami-based artist Antonia Wright in her second solo project with the Gallery, titled “Suddenly We Jumped.”

What: Reception
Where: Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, 2685 S. La Cienega Blvd., LA 90034
When: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Phone: 310-838-6000
Website: http://www.luisdejesus.com/

Bustamante Gill Gallery holds an opening reception for a new two person exhibition entitled “Two Sides of a Coin.” The show will feature the work of artists Anyes Galleani and Alice Case.

Italian-born, Los Angeles based artist Anyes Galleani is drawn to beauty but fascinated by urban and industrial decay so she uses her own cityscapes and women images, combined with industrial elements and textures, to create her “beautifully broken” art. Her new work is inspired by her surroundings in downtown LA .

Galleani will be showing 10 mixed media pieces in sizes between 12×12 to 40×60 on the subject of cityscapes and women in industrial settings. The art is created by collaging silk and parchment prints collaged on aluminum on wood panels.

On view: April 5th – April 26th

What: Reception
Where: Bustamante Gill Gallery, 2675 S La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90034
When: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Website: http://www.bustamantegill.com/

At P A U L L O Y A G A L L E R Y, enjoy a group show. This photo survey features four celebrated photographers, Joseph Sterling, Joe Szabo, Nolan Hall and Scott Pommier.

Each photographer covers a different generation of adolescence starting in 1959 with Joseph Sterling, then moving to the late 70’s with Joe Szabo and picking up with Scott Pommier and Nolan Hall in contemporary times. Style, behavior, and rebellious angst carries through out each photographer’s work, creating a bridge between the different generations and bringing a cohesive aesthetic to the term “teenager”.  

We are very excited to host these four photographers under one roof and to see this show come to life. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the gallery at anytime.

What: Opening reception
Where: P A U L L O Y A G A L L E R Y, 2677 S. La Cienega Blvd., Blvd.LA 90034
When: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Phone: 310 876 1410
Website: WWW.PAULLOYAGALLERY.COM

Keep heading towards Venice Blvd.,

Samuel Freeman hosts an opening reception for a group exhbition entitled “Apollo TBD.”

Always a fun art party here.

From the gallery: In space exploration we find tendencies of escapism and transcendence. The production of alternative definitions of “space” become necessary, as traditionally accepted ideas and actualities of physical space have been quickly diminishing. The inherent chaos in a space will eventually preside; in seeing this chaos visible, audible, and with a physical presence, we become aware of the intangible phenomena occurring in space at any given moment.

Artists include: Deanna Erdmann, Lisa Madonna, Becca Mann, Ryan Perez, Rimas Simaitis, Daniel Small, Brendan Threadgill, Calvin Tresize, Clarissa Tossin, and Matthew Waller.

On view: April 5 – May 10, 2014

What: Opening reception
Where: Samuel Freeman, 2639 South La Cienega Blvd., LA 90034
When: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Phone: 310.449.1479
Website: http://www.samuelfreeman.com

One more opening takes place on North side of La Cienega…OHWOW Los Angeles (937 N. La Cienega) hosts an art party from 6-8pm. http://oh-wow.com/

Or head West…to another art party back on Washington Blvd. The Analogue Portrait Project will be celebrated in Partnership with MOPLA and Genlux Magazine with a rooftop party at Aesthesia Studio.

Enjoy a rooftop art party featuring art, music and networking.

The group show will include the work of twenty of the finalists of The Analogue Portrait Project, a competition to celebrate the beauty of film-based portraits in a digital age.

The top three winners will be announced at 8 p.m.

Jurors for the competition included Kwaku Alston (Photographer + Educator), Marc Baptiste (Celebrity Photographer, Director and Philanthropist), Deborah Burch (Executive Producer/Snog Productions), Cat Jimenez (MOPLA Co-Founder) and Stephen Kamifuji (Creative Director and Photo Editor, Genlux).

YOU MUST RSVP for this FREE event… RSVP HERE

What: Opening reception
Where: Aesthesia Studio, 12130 Washington Place, LA 90066
When: 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Phone: (310) 390-1950
Website: http://aesthesiastudios.com

In the Miracle Mile area…

Couturier Gallery presents Alexis Lago: Possible Moves, the first West Coast exhibition for the Cuban artist.

See image: Game Piece 2014, 24″ x 18″ oil on canvas

The show includes large format watercolors and paintings of Lago’s fantastical worlds of animals, humans and heavens depicting psychological moments in various stages of universal life.

On view: April 5th – May 10th

What: Opening reception
Where: Couturier Gallery, 166 N. La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
When: 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Phone: 323-933-5557
Website: www.couturiergallery.com

Also in the Miracle Mile….a bit later…

Merry Karnowsky hosts an art party, celebrating two solo shows featuring artists Mark Whalen.

Mark Whalen gives us new windows on alternate universes, complex cultures in full swing of impenetrable, mysterious rituals; disassembling, assembling, worshipping or being warped by an unsteady flow of dimensional time and space.

See image: MARK WHALEN, Secure Download

Julian Meagher pairs still-lifes of reclaimed bottles with intergenerational male figure studies that underlie the subtle shades of masculine strength and fragility.

Don’t forget to RSVP as there will be a guest list at the door rsvp@mkgallery.com

On view: April 5th – May 3rd

What: Opening reception
Where: Merry Karnowsky Gallery 170 S. La Brea Ave. (In the Art 170 Building), LA 90036
When: 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm 
Phone: 323.933.4408
Website: http://www.mkgallery.com

In Pasadena…Flower Pepper Gallery, 121 E Union St., Pasadena, CA 91103, hosts a reception from 6:30pm – 9:30pm. https://www.flower-pepper.com/

The Hive Gallery & Studios (729 South Spring St.) offers a later art party from 8-11:30 pm. http://hivegallery.com/  Also downtown, Think Tank Gallery, (939 Maple Ave, Suite #200, LA 90015) holds an art party from 5-11pm. http://www.thinktankgallery.org/

In Laguna Beach…

Artists Republic 4 Tomorrow is proud to announce a landmark exhibition, the first ever two-man show from renowned artists Russ Pope and Neil Blender. On view April 5 through 27, 2014, this will be the first time this well-known duo will show art together in California.
 
Viewers taking part in this exclusive and rare exhibition will get to see two of skateboarding’s most influential artists side-by-side, with their the seedy characters, loose, conservative lines and social themes. “Baggage Claim” explores social concepts in the two artists’ complementary character-based themes and color palettes – which Pope says will come across as “darker” to those familiar with his work.

Opening Reception beverages provided by Pizza Port Brewing Company; Special guest DJ : Lance Cyril Mountain

What: Opening Reception
When: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Where: Artists Republic 4 Tomorrow- 1175 S. Coast Hwy. Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Phone: (949) 988-0603
Website: htt://www.ar4t.com