Highland Gallery Hop > September 25 > Hollywood

Photo by Joshua White, Courtesy of Perry Rubenstein 

The intersection of Highland Ave and Santa Monica Blvd is better known for post-production studios and prostitutes than as the next nexus of contemporary art in LA. Yet with three major galleries recently opened there (and rumored moves by Tom Solomon and Michael Kohn), this shabby street is poised to become the next Culver City.

Join de LaB on Tuesday, Sept 25th for a very special tour of two of these galleries: Chinatown transfer Redling Fine Art and New York transplant Perry Rubenstein.

Liz Glynn's GREATER LA, Hammer Museum

Open after hours only to de LaBbers, we'll start at Redling Fine Art for a tour with Erica Redling of Liz Glynn's HOARD, Glynn's work was recently seen in the Hammer's Made in L.A. biennial, for which she was a finalist for the Mohn Award. She will also be included in Lost Line: Selectio from the Permanent Collection at LACMA this November, as well as upcoming projects with LACMA, Los Angeles Sculpture Center, New York in 2013.  Situated in a mini-mall on Santa Monica Boulevard, this exhibition marks the gallery's second season of remarkable programming in Hollywood.  

From there, we'll walk over to Perry Rubenstein, for a walkthrough with architect Kulapat Yantrasast, partner at wHYArchitecture.  Yantrasast and co have renovated a former film supply warehouse, creating an airy 8,500 square foot gallery with a strong indoor/outdoor flow. Yantrasast will talk about the renovation project and we'll hear why Highland is an up-and-coming hotspot for art. We'll also have a chance to check out artist Zoe Crosher's inaugural exhibit at the gallery (yes, the same Zoe Crosher whose studio we visited on our design-n-dim sum tour in June).

Afterwards, please join us for drinks at the cash bar at Next Door Lounge, a 1920's inspired-speakeasy just a short walk from the galleries on Highland.

Tuesday, September 25th
6:00 pm Meet at Redling Fine Art, 6757 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90038
6:30 pm Tour of the gallery with director Lucy Campana
7:15 pm Tour of Perry Rubenstein with architect Kulapat Yantrasast of wHY Architecture, 1215 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles CA 90038
8:00 pm Drinks at Next Door Lounge, 1154 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles CA 90038 (Psst. Password is "WRIGHT").

Space is limited, so please RSVP here.




View de LaB Highland Gallery Tour in a larger map

September 21 > Park(ing) Day LA @ LOCAL

Park(ing) Day LA is back! And not only does it represent our favorite excuse to hang out - literally - on the streets of Los Angeles, but it takes place mere weeks after the City of LA's recent announcement to develop three permanent parklets as part of a new pilot program to add green space in unlikely areas of the city. Read more on that here. 

Join us on Friday, September 21st as we head back to our favorite Silver Lake spot just outside of LOCAL. This year we're thrilled to be working with new design firm The Rare Studio, run by recent Art Center College of Design grads Mike Manalo, Ricardo R. Bojorquez and Salvador Orara. Their design takes it cue from the very essence of Park(ing) Day and ties into the themes of the movement, including lack of dedicated green spaces and accessibility to parks, while adding a focus on locally sourced organic ingredients and fresh eating. 

Through a series of terraced structures made out of industrial ceiling panels, The Rare Studio's neon-colored Soft Publics mobile partition system will be layered into a series of rippling pockets to look like a temporary construction site. Upon closer inspection, however, it will reveal itself to be a pop-up green museum with plants - everything from lemon balm, basil and organic hierloom wormwood - overflowing from each individual pocket. Yum!

Fabricated felt pockets will be attached to the openings. Each pocket will contain one variety of organic herbs or plants. 

So, come out and join us for a fun-filled afternoon of civic engagement, vertical gardens, locally sourced food

at LOCAL, and sun. Honestly, we can't think of a better reason to play hookie!

For a full map of all the pop-up parks, click here.

What: Soft Publics Park by The Rare Studio for Park(ing) Day LA
Where: LOCAL Restaurant, 2943 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026
When: Friday, September 21st, 11am-ish to 4pm-ish

August Recap > EaCa Alley and Greenbar Collective

Last month we had two fantastic events that showed how designers can turn forgotten spaces into smart, sustainable, economically viable real estate in very different corners of the city. First we visited East Cahuenga Alley, a reclaimed alleyway that runs behind several restaurants and businesses in Hollywood.



We were welcomed to the beautiful back lounge at Saint Felix by Hollywood BID's Sarah MacPherson, property owner Jose Malagon, and Saint Felix owner Johnny Arakaki, who told us about the alley's transformation.



Sarah showed some pretty amazing "before" photos!



Then we headed out for a tour of the alley, including a peek at the brand new landscaping by Troy Silva of Urban Nature.

   

It was a great night and a pretty inspiring example of how businesses and the city can work together to create a brand new public space in the most surprising of places.



Check out more awesome photos of the evening from Andy Hurvitz. Thanks to everyone who made it out and a big thanks to Saint Felix for hosting us!



Our next event headed to the new downtown headquarters of Greenbar Collective, the maker of organic, craft spirits, and the first distillery in the city since Prohibition!



We got a great tour of the space with founder Melkon Khosrovian and architect Sanjiv Bajaj, learning not only about the green design of the space, but the green methods that Greenbar uses to produce their exceptional vodkas, gins, rums and more.



And of course we also got to taste the fruits of their labor, including a "bitters bar" where we could add a bit of herbal and floral seasonings to our drinks. But you don't have to take our word for it: Read this awesome recap by Sandi Hemmerlein of the event. Thanks Sandi!