If 
you are an animal lover, and want to commit to a life-long commitment of adopting a pet….this is the weekend for you to do it.
I just adopted two kittens (orange boys) from Heaven on Earth Animal Shelter in Van Nuys. See pix of Rocky and Leo.
My two new babies are so sweet. Yes I take it very seriously. They will be my babies for their life time. Such cuties. Mama’s happy! to find our mor about Heave on Earth anicmal Shelter, visit http://www.heavenlypets.org
I highly recommend adopting any animal through a shelter, but you need to be ready to commit for a lifetime.
To find out more about the clear the shelters campaign, see
http://theshelterpetproject.org/
=====================================
We have a lot of early art events taking place today.
In Chinatown…
The 
seventh edition of L.A.’s premier performance art gathering will present over 40 performers, distributed across a host of Chinatown galleries and public spaces on the 15th of August between 1PM and 10 PM. This year Molly Jo Shea, Los Angeles native, performance artist and co-director of gallery and international artist residency ESXLA, is curating the festival with help from the Chinatown Galleries and venues. The title of the event is based off of Chinese Food restaurant Foo Chow’s infamous, tourist-trap sign that reads, A Best Seller Movie By Jackie Chan Rush Hour Was Shot Here.
Perform Chinatown 2015: RUSH HOUR is free, day-long festival celebrating live performance work. It will feature endurance-based pieces, public engagement work, dance and movement pieces, stand-up comedy, karaoke, micro-parades, derives, spoken word, noise, and experimental music.
Artist include: Patrick Rees, Alice Lang, Conceptual Art Consultants, Miggie Wong, Atom-r, Omar Lopex, Evans Vestal Ward, Tod Moellenberg, Liz Nurenberg, Alex LeGolvan, Patient Experience, Elizabeth Folk, Jeff Zilla, Luke Forsyth + Cornell Reed, Amy Day, Jose Perez, Erin Schneider, Everything Is Terrible!, Matt Doyle + Emily Jane Rosen, Caitlin Adams + Chelsea Rector, Parris Patton, Samplista, Elle Mehrmand , Angie Jennings, Margie Schnibbe ,ITSWOLF, Jung Money, Earth Like Planets, Period Bomb, Elena Rosa, Living Room and so many more!
What: Perform Chinatown 2015: RUSH HOUR
Where start off at Coagula Curatorial, 974 Chung King Rd, LA 90012 and move on down the line.
When: 1:00 pm – 1:00 am
Info: Facebook Event Page
=====================================
Or Head out for an early art party in Culver City…
Jibade-Khalil Huffman gives a live presentation of his new work MANTRA, three 25-minute performances which explore memory, community, misogyny, identity, police brutality, coded language, reportage, Nicki Minaj and Drake, rap videos, adolescence, and death. MANTRA is presented in the context of A.L. Steiner’s current exhibition at Blum & Poe, Come & Go, which is a survey of her archives from 1995 to the present, and runs until August 22. Come & Go performance: Jibade-Khalil Huffman at Blum & Poe (Culver City) 1–3pm at 2727 La Cienega http://www.blumandpoe.com
=====================================
Also in Culver City…
Luis de Jesus hosts a closing reception for “HA HA! BUSINESS!”
Th
e event will feature a special screening of LEX BROWN’s incredible opening night performance
DEJA VU.
*Plus refreshments
Artists include: Valerie Blass, Lex Brown, Keren Cytter, Zackary Drucker, Juan Pablo Echeverri, Ramiro Gomez, Josh Reames, Joseph Scanlan, Deb Sokolow, Federico Solmi.
What: Reception
Where: Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, 2685 S. La Cienega Blvd., LA 90034
When: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Phone: 310-838-6000
Website: http://www.luisdejesus.com/
=====================================
Downtown…
Its
75th Annual Nissei Week at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC). Enjoy a day of FREE Music. JACCC celebrates Nisei Week with Taiko (drum), Japanese classical folk dancers, martial arts, musical performances and DJ’s throughout the day. View Japanese prefectural displays as well as artisans skilled in Ikebana, Bonsai, Japanese Dolls, Calligraphy, Tea Ceremony and more. Japanese fusion food and beverages provided by Far Bar of Little Tokyo.
Vocalist/teacher/producer Cathy Segal-Garcia & pianist/teacher/composer Phillip Strange present Japanese Jazz singers of L.A. 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm featuring Yuriko Kodama, Takako Uemura, Yuka Akai, May Oita, Mika Yamamoto. Supported by pianist Phillip Strange.
From 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, catch a special set by the 6 voice creative vocal improv group: FISH to BIRDS.
Fish to Birds includes : Cathy Segal-Garcia, Mon David, Ashley Maher, Adrianne Duncan, Cecily Gardner. Emile Hassan Dyer, swim deep/fly high.
Also taking place today, Japanese American authors come together in cooperation with Heritage Source and Kinokuniya bookstores. Todd Shimoda, Amy Uyematsu, Stan Sakai, Marsha Aizumi, Naomi Hirahara, Kerry Yo, Nakagawa, Sunny Seki and Lora Nakamura comprise a partial list of participating authors who will be signing books and discussing their works.
What: Festival
Where: JACC Plaza, 244 S. San Pedro St LA, 90012
When: 11:00 am – 6:00 pm – August 15
Website: http://www.jaccc.org/
=====================================
Topanga Canyon Gallery (120 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. , Suite 109, Topanga, CA 90290) hosts an artist reception from 4-7pm. http://www.topangacanyongallery.com
=====================================
A
t Bergamot Station ….there are a couple early event, then a couple that start after 8 pm. (those are listed at the bottom of this page). TAG Gallery presents its tenth annual California Open Juried Exhibition. On view from August 12 to August 28, 2015. The reception and awards ceremony takes place tonight from 5-8 p.m. http://www.taggallery.net/
=====================================
Celebrate the art of Roger Lerner at Sulkin / Secant Gallery (T-6) from 5-9pm. http://www.sulkinsecantgallery.com/
=====================================
Patrick Painter presents “Jagged Negotiations” featuring works by Megan Flanders, Chet Glaze, and Julie Shafer.
See image: Chet Glaze, Shaking Fists Playwright, 2015, Acrylic on canvas over panel, engineering cord, wood, 30 3/4 x 41 inches (78.1 x 104.1 cm)
“Jagged Negotiations” enters into the deep inquiries of three artists whose imagery and mark making disclose fraught, and sometimes disorderly deliberations.
Confidently accepting uncomfortable territories and unwieldy dialogues, the artists embrace the resulting cacophony with works that are strident smash-ups that aim to unsettle, just as much as they seduce.
On view: August 15th – September 12th
What: Opening reception
Where: Patrick Painter, Inc., 2525 Michigan Ave., Suite B2, Santa Monica, CA 90404
When: August 15, 2015 from 6pm to 9pm
Phone: 310.264.2532
Website: http://patrickpainter.com/
=====================================
One more at Bergmot Station…
Enjoy an opening reception of “Boarding 535p” a solo exhibition of JUDSON DEAN LACAPRA @ Building Bridges Art Exchange.
“Boarding 535p” is a 
series of sequences manifesting the transformative soul of a traveler. Large in scale, “Boarding 535p” embraces the ever-changing world around us. In the exhibit, Judson Dean LaCapra offers a view into the moment concept moves into execution. A mixture of objects and media, which include momentous detritus such as ticket stubs, journal entries, and stamped passports are digitally montaged, resulting in a collective narrative. LaCapra stitches together fragments of a personal voyage spanning over a decade, navigating us through remnants of life-altering global events. In his unconscious pursuit of Mark Twain’s spirit, LaCapra laces together poignant material documenting the shifts in air travel, the costs of airline tickets, and expended passports acquired under reigns of multiple governments.
What: Opening Reception
Where: BUILDING BRIDGES Art Exchange, Bergamot Station, F-2, 2525 Michigan Ave., SM 90404
When: 7:00
Phone: 323-839-5786
Website: http://www.buildingbridgesartexchange.org/
=====================================
In Santa Monica…
Enjoy a summer group show at the Daniel Rolnik Gallery with beer, music, art, and smiles!
“Girl Scouts & Adventure Guides” represents a multitude of new Americana, featuring artists from various states and adventures relating to the topics of wilderness, childhood, campfires, and all around fun!
See image by Lizzi Kresteller.
Tuesday Bassen, Jamie Polancic, Sara M Lyons, Dinosaurus Complex, Little Friends of Printmaking, Michelle Devereux, Robin VanValkenburgh, Susan Feldman, PooJazzle, Lizzi Kresteller, Catherine Kaleel, Megan LeMaster, Hailee Wokman, Camille Bachand, Mashanda Lazarus, Lighters by Amy Goldfarb.
What: Opening reception
Where: Daniel Rolnik Gallery, 1431 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, 90401
When: 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm – August 15
Website: http://www.danielrolnikgallery.com/
=====================================
Tonight the Venice Art Crawl celebrates its 5th anniversary by hosting its first fundraising dinner at the stunning home of art collector Ray Markow, adjacent to the Venice Canals. It will be a time to celebrate those who have worked so hard to keep Venice art vibrant and to get to know each other in the community that has supported art in Venice through the years.
The event will acknowledging the founders of the Venice Art Crawl, restaurateur Daniel Samakow, Venice Paparazzi’s Edizen Stowell and Venice Nei
ghborhood Council President Mike Newhouse, with a presentation by Councilman Mike Bonin.
Guests will enjoy a dinner carefully curated by Andrea Tan with dishes inspired by Chef Alice Waters and local favorite restaurants. Art, music, performances will fill the evening as we celebrate local artists and avant garde fashion. Guests will also be able to bid on art from local artists at the silent auction and take a piece of Venice home with them.
Limited tickets are available for $100.00 by visiting the following link: The AvantGarde 5th Anniversary Venice Art Crawl Fundraiser Aug 15, 2015 Venice Chamber of Commerce | Venice Chamber of Commerce.
See LA Art Party’s Upcoming Event Page for additional info on this event. To purchase tickets CLICK HERE.
What: VAC Fundraiser
Where: Address will be revealed once tickets are purchased.
When: 6:30 PM – 11:00 PM
Website: http://www.veniceartcrawl.com/
=====================================
Manny Silverman Gallery (619 North Almont Drive, LA 90069), hosts its final exhibition from noon to 5 pm. http://www.mannysilvermangallery.com/
======================================
Head to La Cienega…
Gallery 825 hosts an opening reception for “On the Traces of Jazz” featuring the art of Roma Fausto. The exhibit is curated by Alfio Borghese and will debut twenty paintings, twenty drawings, twenty sketch-studies and seven pieces of pottery. Many of the artworks will be on display with a set of headphones offering the viewer the chance to listen to the very music that inspired the particular piece…offering a multi-sensory experience.
See image: SD 14 (2015); Acrylic on Printed Canvas; 39” x 39” – Photo courtesy of the artist
This is a rare opportunity to enjoy the work of the Itlaian artist. Roma said he was looking forward to showing in Los Angeles. “I think that LA is one of the most important place for arts in this century. The art scene is evolving every day and many artists are coming from other countries.” He has had the chance to visit Gallery 825. “It is an incredible place for an exhibition,” said Roma. Director of 825 Gallery, Peter Mays remarked, “Fausto Roma’s work is dense in the best sense – visually potent while remaining challenging.”
For the past forty years, Italian artist Fausto Roma has consistently made art an integral part of his life. Living in his studio he creates every single day. His latest series was inspired by music. He explained, “The music, the rhythm, the sounds and the lyrics of some of the most important tracks of jazz history inspired this series.”
Experience the music of Fausto Roma’s art via his solo exhibition “On the Traces of Jazz” opening on Saturday, August 15 and running through August 28.
For more info, visit http://laaa.org/ http://www.faustoroma.it/
See my Huffington Post article about Fausto Roma and this exhibition.
What: Opening reception
Where: Gallery 825 – 825 N. La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90069
When: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Phone: 310.652.8272
Website: http://laaa.org
======================================
The G2 Gallery celebrates new exhibitions…”Diversity of California Wetlands,” “Nature LA: Mandalac Gardens,” and Andrei Duman.
C
alifornia’s coastal wetland habitats are one of the most threatened coastal habitats on the planet, decreasing over 90% in some regions due to rapid population growth and development during the past 150 years. Brenton Spies is a photographer and marine biologist based in Los Angeles, California. As a photographer, Brenton has been working as a photographer since 2005, with a special focus on wetlands and marine life.
Michael Jones is a photographer, image-maker, and master printer based in the Sierra foothills of California. Michael has excelled in his 15 years at the fine art photographic printing studio West Coast Imaging, where he crafts prints for some of the most celebrated contemporary American photographers including Robert Glenn Ketchum, Michael Forsberg and C.C. Lockwood.
For over 40 years, Robert Glenn Ketchum’s photography and writing have focused public attention on complex issues of environmental politics, while at the same time helping to define contemporary color photography.
Andrei Duman is an L.A.-based photographer specializing in landscape, aerial and travel.
Please RSVP if you plan to attend – $10 admission at door benefits environmental charities.
On view: August 11 – September 13
What: Opening reception
Where: The G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice,90291
When: 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Phone: 310 452-2842
Website: http://www.theg2gallery.com
=====================================
Some more events take place later in Culver City…
Thinkspace hosts several exhibititions. Enjoy new works by Brazilian designer, illustrator and artist Fernando Chamarelli in Secret Code, the artist’s second solo exhibition with the gallery.
Chamarelli combines diverse graphic and cultural references to produce stunningly dense acrylic paintings. His distinctive use of line work and color reflect an eclectic graphic sensibility informed by everything from design, tattoos, street art and ancient history. Schooled in graphic design, Chamarelli creates complex mosaic like surfaces, filled with hybrid imagery and symbolism he has drawn from the varied aggregate of aesthetics, visual cultures and philosophies that inspire him. Recurring references in his works include Brazilian culture and music, astrology, occultism, and ancient pre-Columbian cultures. He creates an immersive and storied visual world that with each revisitation offers a new discovery. By merging contemporary influences with ancient and historical elements, Chamarelli creates a visual language that suspends past and present.
Also opening in the project room: Concurrently on view in the Thinkspace project room are new works by UK-based artist Carl Cashman in An Edited Version of Life. Cashman creates vibrant neon colored op-art, a genre he has coined “neometry,” or neon geometry.
On display in the office: Drew Leshko is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based artist. By carving, cutting, and layering varieties of paper and wood, Leshko creates documentary studies of architecture from his neighborhood in an attempt to create a three dimensional archive of buildings that are in transitional periods.
What: Opening Reception
Where: Thinkspace, 6009 Washington Blvd. Culver City, 90232
When: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Phone: 310 403.8549
Website: http://www.thinkspacegallery.com
=====================================
Head east towards Arlington…
Big Pictures LA celebrates the photography of Steve Gladstone.
The late Steve Gladst
one was a fixture throughout Santa Cruz and the San Francisco Bay Area from 1973 to 1989. Known for his passion to freeze time, he developed a Gonzo style which helped him capture emotional moments from everyday life and shoot some of the most famous musicians of the day, including: B.B. King, John Lennon, Bob Marley and The Rolling Stones.
Gladstone never owned a digital camera; to him they marked the death of photography. The End of Pictures is the phrase he repeatedly scribed on a collection of his favorite photographs. These images were often hand-colored with markers, scrawled on with stories, and redacted with sharpies, transforming them into narrative paintings.
On view: June 27 – September 8
What: Opening reception
Where: Big Pictures LA, 2424 W. Washington Blvd., LA 90018
When: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Phone: 323-800-7670
Website: www.bigpictures.la
=====================================
In the Mid Wilshire area…
CAAM hosts reception and walk thru. “Hard Edged” illustrates the rich interplay of tradition, innovation, and individual talent among a group of forty-six visual artists of African descent for whom geometrical abstraction is their choice of expression. Through their abstractions, these artists address such important issues as feminism, identity, colonialism, stereotypes, family relations, and social justice. The group exhibit includes paintings, sculptures, collages, photographs, videos, and installations with very different approaches — from perceptual to conceptual, from formal to boundary-crossing. Yet, the works in this exhibition share a unity of form, a clear sense of composition, bold shapes and, often, intense contrast or solid color choices.
See image: by Doug Pearsal, Eye entered the room yelling
Artist Doug Pearsal is part of the exhibition. “My work represents a literal and figurative interpretation of the “Hard Edge” theme. The goal in creating the piece, ‘Eye entered the room yelling,’ was to loosely overlay angular shapes into a ‘face’ that feels modular, robotic and humanoid but that creates energy and a sense of being uncomfortable. The piece’s title is inspired by a conversation I had with my daughter and a video in which Kara Walker, the artist, addresses the (perceived) issue of the Eurocentric focus of (postmodern) art. Based upon Walker’s video conversation and what I believe to be an emphasis on social justice in today’s art, I said to my daughter that ‘I could enter the room yelling with my art but I don’t have to.’ Afterwards, I realized that speaking softly doesn’t have the impact that speaking loudly does.”
The show draws widely from local sources, including CAAM’s permanent collection, private collectors, galleries, and the artists themselves, and includes works by Chelle Barbour, Sharon Louise Barnes, April Bey, Joseph Beckles, Ronda Brown, Mark Broyard, Lavialle Campbell, Elizabeth Carroll, Castillo, Edward Clark, Charles Dickson, June Edmonds, Melvin Edwards, Kathie Foley-Meyer, Bre Gipson, David Hammons, Hillary Jaynes, Daniel LaRue Johnson, Rashid Johnson, Samuel Levi Jones, Doyle Lane, Jacob Lawrence, Isabelle Lutterodt, Enoch Mack, Eric Mack, Senga Nengudi, Nzuji de Magalhaes, Kori Newkirk, Duane Paul, Doug Pearsall, Karl Petion, Greg Pitts, Noah Purifoy, Charla Puryear, Miles Regis, John T. Riddle Jr., Michelle Robinson, Charles Rosenberg, Lisa C Soto, Devin Troy Strother, Holly Tempo, Matthew Thomas, Richard Turner, Tim Washington, Lisa Diane Wedgeworth, and Brenna Youngblood.
On View: Aug 13 2015 – April 24, 2016
What: “Hard Edge” (Group Show) Reception & Walk thru
Where: California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, L.A., CA 90037
When: August 15th 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Website: http://www.caamuseum.org
=====================================
In Santa Monica….Later in the evening, at Bergamot Station…
Copro presents an opening reception for Alexandra Manukyan, ‘Oracle of Extinction’ which explores the damaging factors of human behavior on our environment and the grim future of our planet.
Se
e image: Alexandra Manukyan, Wastelands of Lament, 30″ x 40″_oil on Belgian linen $9,000
This will be Alexandra’s first solo show with the gallery and an incredible body of work. Alexandra will be present at the reception and we’ll have some special prints available free for the first 20 collectors and a special price for the rest of the edition. The entire preview is now available online and read the press release for more information.
What: Opening reception
Where: Copro Gallery (T-5), Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave, SM
When: 8:00 pm – 11:30 pm
Phone: 310.829.2156
Website: Copronason.com/
=====================================
Also at Bergamot Station…Sloan Projects and Craig Krull Gallery presents a screening of “Anita O’Day, the Life of a Jazz Singer.” There will be a Q & A after the screening.
Anita O’Day was one of the greatest of American jazz singers and this is her astonishing story—a journey of survival, and above all the endurance of her talent, told in a number of frank interviews with the artist and with those who knew her. Her career was long and eventful, spanning seven decades, her last album recorded when she was 84.
The film showcases performances that date back to the 50s with such artists as Gene Krupa, Roy Eldridge, Stan Kenton, Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael. O’Day was commonly regarded as one of the top female artists of her time, together with Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday and the film portrays her as a woman who lived her life the way she wanted without ever looking back. She speaks openly about how she overcame great adversities, including a 20-year addiction to heroin and alcohol and her often lonely life that was sustained only by her passion for music. Personalities talk about her quirky personality, while jazz critics and her few still living contemporaries speak of her extraordinary talent.
You were supposed to RSVP by Wednesday August 12, at mail
What: Opening reception
Where: Sloan Projects, Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Ave., (B-5) Santa Monica CA 90404
When: 8:30 pm
Phone: (424) 744-8265
Website: http://www.sloanprojects.com
=====================================
