In Santa Monica…

Stop by Tongva Park for and Native American Story-telling and Ccaft workshop.

Photo by Tim Street Porter

The morning will include story-telling and songs handed down through generations from Chumash, Gabrieleno and Tongva, the original inhabitants of the Los Angeles region for whom the park is named. Julia Bonagy, a member of the Tongva Nation/Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians, will also lead hands-on workshops in soapstone and wood carving and the ancient art of using plants to create toys and games.

Parking is available in the Civic Center Parking Structure.

What: Tongva Park: Native American Story-telling & Craft Workshops
Where: Tongva Park, 1615 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90401
When: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Phone: 310-458-8350
Website: http://tongvapark.squarespace.com/

Also in Venice…Summer Fest takes place today and tomorrow at Windward Ave and the beach.   See http://www.fx3events.com/

In Chinatown…

The sixth edition of Perform Chinatown 2014, L.A.’s premier performance art gathering, will present over 40 performers, distributed across a host of Chinatown galleries and public spaces on the 26th of July between 12 Noon and 10 PM.

This year’s rendition pools the complementary curatorial talents of Doug Harvey, Lee Lynch, and Paige Wery.

Perform Chinatown 2014: CHAOS REIGNS! stretches the boundaries of Performance Art to include live experimental music, historical reenactments, survivalist workshops, guided meditation rituals, chess tournaments, poetry, dance, video, and food – as well as the cutting edge New Genre happenings that define the field.

Participating venues include The Good Luck Gallery, Melody Lounge, Human Resources, Jancar Gallery, The Public School, Formerly Fong’s, KK Gallery, Outpist, Actual Size, Coagula Curatorial, Cause Gallery, The Grand Star, Smaller Form Space, Skunkworks, and more! The main stage on Chung King Road will feature live bands and karaoke.

Be sure to check the website for a full listing of venues and performers. 

What: Perform Chinatown 2014
Where: Chung King Rd., Los Angeles, California 90012
When: 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Website: http://performchinatown.com/

Also in Chinatown…

Stay for an evening reception at Charlie James Gallery to celebrate the opening of two new exhibitions, “Carol Selter: Outdoor World,” and “Cartographer.”

See Image: Carol Selter, Indian Paintbrush, edition of 3, pigment print, 30 x 43 inches, 2014

Drawing upon her background in biological science, Carol Selter makes photo-based work that explores the natural world and our relationships to that environment. In Outdoor World, she constructs slightly altered versions of reality by photographing pages from Blurb photo books she made for an earlier project.

Cartographer, curated by Los Angeles-based artist Alise Spinella, features a diverse selection of works in media ranging from painting to collage. Artists include: Charles Gaines, Steve Roden, Joshua Segura, Alise Spinella, Clarissa Tossin, Cody Trepte, and Samira Yamin.

On view: July 26th – August 30th

What: Opening reception
Where: Charlie James Gallery, 969 Chung King Road, Los Angeles CA 90012
When: 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Phone: 213.687.0844
Website http://www.cjamesgallery.com/

In Santa Monica…

Enjoy a pop up show…located on the hilltop between 4th Street and 5th Street in Santa Monica, CA (Alley access off of Marine Street)

Curated by Jessica Dillon and Kelly Wall, the group exhibit includes the work of artists: Max Boersma, Kristy Campbell, Andy Chau, Jessica Dillon, Mark Mx Farina, Miles Gracey, Ricardo Bloodsport Ibarra, Natalie Jones, Julia Marasa, Mabel Moore, Paul Ulukpo, Josh Villalobos, and  Kelly Wall Laddymaddonna Cat.

Writings by Max Boersma.

What: Pop up exhibiton
Where: Hilltop, between 4th Street and 5th Street in Santa Monica, CA (Alley access off of Marine Street)
When: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Website: http://losangelesnativesites.tumblr.com/

Also in Santa Monica….

Bergamot Station (2525 Michigan Ave., in Santa Monica), has some fun art parties taking place….with some incredible work…I’d like to add!

Ruth Bachofner Gallery offers two new exhbitions….

Seismic Light, an exhibition of paintings by Douglas C. Bloom. The exhibition features Bloom’s new series of idealized landscape paintings.

See image: “Naturalist” Oil on Canvas, 36″x48″ – 2014 Douglas C. Bloom

Also opening tonight is New Work, an exhibition by Los Angeles-based artist Soojung Park.

On view: July 26th – August 30, 2014

What: Opening reception
Where: Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Bergamot Station, (G-2) 2525 Michigan Ave, SM, 90404
When: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Phone: (310) 829-3300
Website: www.ruthbachofnergallery.com

ROBERT BERMAN GALLERY is pleased to announce the solo exhibition, “Murray Garrett: Hollywood Redux.” A selection of black and white photographs including never before seen vintage silver gelatin prints from the artist’s archive.

See image: Marilyn Monroe at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (signature, hand and foot print in wet cement) prior to the premiere of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953/Printed Later
Archival pigment print  14 x 14 inches | 34 x 34 inches

From the 1940s until he hung up his cameras in the 1960s New York native, Murray Garrett, was one of the most sought after event and celebrity photographers in the country. With his medium format cameras, like the Speed Graphic and Rollieflex, he deftly captured the lives of the entertainment industry’s elite and other popular figures of American culture and high society. Garrett was consistently welcomed into the innermost circles of Hollywood during its golden age, and produced many iconic, revealing and memorable black and white photographs of an industry where image is everything.

On View: July 26th – August 23rd

What: Opening reception
Where: THE ROBERT BERMAN GALLERY, Bergamot Station, (B-7) 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, 90404
When: 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Phone: 310.586.9128
Website: http://www.robertbermangallery.com/

The William Turner Gallery is pleased to present Call of Duty, an exhibition of new paintings by Greg Miller. The exhibition will be accompanied by a short film by the artist, entitled “The Pool.”

First Kiss, 2014, Acrylic, Collage, Resin on Panel, 60″x 48″

Hollywood Film Noir references abound in this newest body of work from neo-pop painter, Greg Miller – and beautiful women are the heroes of this visual narrative. Whether lounging in a pool, diving into the sea or caught mid-kiss, these women maintain a cool distance from the viewer – they are mysterious and untouchable, encased in resin and paint, frozen in time like celluloid dreams.

What: Opening reception
Where: William Turner Gallery, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave, E1, SM
When: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Phone: 310 453 0909
Website: http://www.williamturnergallery.com/

Also in Santa Monica…

bG Gallery is pleased to present “Ultimate Beach.” Daniel Rolnik traveled the entire perimeter of the USA to bring together the perfect group of artists for the ultimate beach exhibit.

Artists: Airom Bleicher, Alison Tharp, Casey Gray, Camilla Taylor, Daniel Rolnik, Gabriel Shaffer, Gay Summer Rick, Jack Reilly, Malcolm Stuart, Ryan McIntosh, Tim Kerr, Trace Mendoza, David Schonhoff, Patrick Hammerlain and Jason Hill.

Be aware this is the Ocean Ave location (not the Bergamot one)

What: Reception
Where: Bleicher/Golightly Gallery, 1431 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, Ca 90401
When: 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Phone: 310.451.9983
Website: http://caporalebleicher.com

In Beverly HIlls…

GARBOUSHIAN GALLERY welcomes the artwork of Mitsuko Ikeno and Kim Tucker in a two-person exhibition entitled Beautiful Ugly Things.

Artists Mitsuko Ikeno and Kim Tucker both dive deep into the beauty that can be found in the grotesque. Not everything in our world is aesthetically pleasing; in fact, many of the most beautiful things in this world are not visually alluring.

On view: June 26th  – August 29th

To RSVP for the opening reception, contact lori@garboushian.com

What: Opening reception
Where: 427 North Camden Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210
When: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Phone: 310-480-9215
Website: http://www.garboushian.com/

Manny Silverman Gallery hosts an opening reception for “Not The Usual Suspects 2: Inside/Outside: Images of Los Angeles.”

See image: Todd Squires, Ghost Bike, 2014, Type C digital print mounted on aluminum, 15 x 15 inches

In Echo Park…

Subliminal Projects offers an opening reception for Vita E Morte, the first solo show of new work by multimedia art collective Cross My Heart Hope To Die (CMHHTD).

The collective consists of Sean Bonner, Brevi, Andrew Kline (Strife), and DJ Muggs (Cypress Hill). The idea for forming CMHHTD was the result of casual discussions about the excitement that at one time came with discovering new music.

Tonight’s event will feature multi-media installations and a first ever live performance.

On view: July 26 – August 23

What: Opening
Where: Subliminal Projects, 1331 W Sunset Blvd., LA 90026
When: 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Phone: (213) 213-0078
Website: http://subliminalprojects.com/

In the Valley…

11:11 A Creative Collective and Cannibal Flower hosts an opening recepton for “The Bridge Between Us.”

Artists include: Robert Nelson, Seitaku “Tak” Aoyama, Ana Medina, Spenser Little, Matthew Grabelsky, Kohshin Finley, Lola Mitchell, Liz Peterson, Eric Almanza L.Croskey, Tina St. Claire , Haunted Euth. Zach Schoenbaum, Jared Yamahata, John Park, Erin Stone, Macsorro, Jenna Gibson, Sean Norvet Sean Ghobad, Poppy Lawman, Candace Mckay, Edith Waddell, Lena Sayadian, Charlie Park, MIchael Flechtner, Linda Price, Telopa, Kristi Bockrath Delfin Finley, Lauren Mendelsohn.

On view: July 26th – August 30th

What: Opening reception
Where: 11:11 ACC Gallery, 18640 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana
When: 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Website: http://www.1111acc.org