Tag: LAMurals

Discover LA’s Amazing Murals & Street Art

Los Angeles is renowned as one of the most exciting places in the world for street art. Incredible murals and art walls appear all around the city, and many have become permanent, treasured fixtures. Artists have found their canvas on buildings, walls, freeway barriers, and even LA River storm drains, enriching our public art scene and attracting street art fans from around the world. Many of the most significant artworks are in Downtown Los Angeles near Circa. Whether you’re an art lover looking for new neighborhoods to explore or just want to snap some fresh content for your social feed, get out there and discover LA’s amazing murals and street art.

Kobe Bryant Murals

The City of Los Angeles recently came out in droves to pay their respects to sports legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant on Kobe Bryant Day August 24, 2020. Figueroa St. between Olympic and MLK will soon be Kobe Bryant Blvd. In celebration of his life, there are dozens of amazing Kobe Bryant murals located in Downtown Los Angeles and the Arts District near Staples Center. You can view a MAP of all Kobe mural locations and follow along at Instagram.com/KobeMural Pictured: Mural by Los Angeles-based visual artist AISEBORN at 1348 Flower St. Los Angeles, CA 90015.

Kobe Mural by Jonas Never 1337 Lebanon St. Los Angeles, CA 90015

Nearby the Staples Center, Los Angeles sports muralist Jonas Never created a Kobe Bryant mural to honor the star’s NBA career in 2016. Following the news of the accident, fans gathered at the Downtown Los Angeles mural along the 1300 block of Lebanon Street. Hundreds of people have written down their tributes on post-its and hung them bellow the iconic mural. The artwork features Kobe doing his iconic Mamba yell along with “Los Angeles Culture” styled as the Lakers’ logo.

Kent Twitchell Ed Ruscha Monument American Hotel 303 S. Hewitt St. Los Angeles, CA 90013

A veritable legend in the L.A. mural scene is Kent Twitchell, who is internationally famous for his realistic multi-storied mural portraits. He’s been painting across the city for decades, although some of his most beloved pieces have been erased over the years, such as his original portrait of the artist Ed Ruscha. Fortunately, Twitchell had the chance to do an updated version of Ed Ruscha Monument on the side of the American Hotel in the Arts District. One of his moet iconic works, Harbor Freeway Overture, a depiction of three Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra musicians, is located on the Citiicorp Plaza parking structure at 8th St. and the Harbor Freeway.

Street Art @The Bloc 700 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Explore the street art at The Bloc while social distancing and rocking your masks. You’ll have plenty of great opportunities to perk up your social media feed as you pose with colorful murals featuring the work of WRDSMTH, Antigirl, Colette Miller, and more. Hashtag #bestofdtla to enter-to-win a $1,000 giveaway! Pictured is a dramatic 30-foot mural by Robert Vargas with photo by @vero.parga

Arts District Dog Park 1004 E 4th Street Los Angeles, CA 90013

Here’s the chance to see some amazing LA murals while taking your pooch on a well-deserved trip to the park. True to its creative surroundings, The Arts District Dog Park is punctuated with colorful murals by LA artist Septerhed. Featured on ABC7 LA, KTLA, WKBW Buffalo, and more, Septerhead is an LA-based artist specializing in murals, illustrations, paintings, live painting and other wave lengths. The park includes a dog water fountain, separate small dog area, shade trees, benches for humans, a community bulletin board, pooper-scoopers, and trash bins. Not run or supported by the City of Los Angeles, this volunteer-run park is a true example of community spirit.

Leo Limón LA River Catz

For 35 plus years East LA-born artist Leo Limón has been painting the Los Angeles River cat faces on the storm-drain covers in a beloved project known as the LA River Catz. In the 70s, Limón developed an interest in the arts and discovered a prime, neglected canvas in the L.A. River’s storm drains. His detailed paintings of cat faces represent his love for the unique flora and fauna of our urban river. With help from the city, Leo hired youth from different high schools, not only working with them to paint over 30 feline faces, but also working to reduce violence and other challenges facing his young assistants. Cats were chosen because the storm drains themselves look like a cat\’s face with the sealing hinges appearing as pointy ears and the doors themselves being a circular shape like a face. Limon is involved with groups whose efforts are to revive the Los Angeles River as a historic region, cultural art enclave and tourist destination.

Guide to LA Arts District Murals

Discover Los Angeles has a great guide to the Downtown LA Arts District Murals. Please note that the walls are in a constant state of flux and some artworks are more permanent than others. Murals give way to the elements, their colors fading with time. Some are obliterated as walls are taken over by new artists. The Arts District you see when you visit one summer may not be the one you see the following year. The lesson here is to always take photos! Pictured is Bloom by Hueman, an Oakland based painter and street artist.

The Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles

The Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles (MCLA) was created by a coalition of artists, public art advocates, city of Los Angeles and state of California public officials, and restoration specialists. MCLA built long-term programs to retain mural arts as a part of Los Angeles’ cultural legacy and establish murals as a significant part of our city’s cultural heritage. MCLA maintains a free database of Los Angeles’ Mural History linking artists, murals and neighborhoods. The MCLA website allows submissions of murals created recently in Los Angeles, forming an ever growing archive joining the historic with the new. Pictured is a mural by Vyal at The Container Yard arts center 800 East 4th St, Los Angeles, CA 90013. Vyal is one of the most identifiable graffiti artists on the West Coast. 

Photo credits: 

Photo #1: Harbor Freeway Overture/Kent Twitchell

Photo #2: Kobe Mural/AISEBORN

Photo #3: Kobe Mural/Jonas Never

Photo #4: Kent Twitchell/Ed Ruscha Monument

Photo #5: The Bloc/Photo cred: @vero.parga Mural by: @therobertvargas

Photo #6: Arts District Dog Park/Septerhed

Photo #7: Leo Limón LA River Catz

Photo #8: Bloom by Hueman/Discover Los Angeles

Photo #9: MCLA/Vyal/The Container Yard

Get Your Culture Fix! DTLA’s Best Exhibitions, Theatre, Music & More!

Did you know that a trip to the theater, museum or art gallery could help you live longer? And the more often you get that culture fix the better, according to a new study from University College London. If LA’s extraordinary cultural amenities are any indication, Circa residents are destined to live long and prosper! From world-class museums to award-winning theatre, immersive performances, and inspiring art shows, it’s time to get your culture fix with DTLA’s best exhibitions, theatre, music & more!

Museums Annual Free For All Various venues

Jan 25 Over 40 museums, presenting art, cultural heritage, natural history, and science, will open their doors and invite visitors to attend free of charge. This offer is for general museum admission only and does not apply to specially ticketed exhibitions. Regular parking fees apply at each museum. Consult individual museum websites for hours, directions, and other visitor information. Pictured is Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Rooms at The Broad. List of participating museums HERE

Los Angeles Central Library 630 W 5th St, Los Angeles, CA 90071

One of LA’s best kept secrets, your LA Library card gives you access to lots more than books! Perks include free or discounted admission to L.A. cultural institutions like The Broad; free access to The New York Times and The WaPo’s digital sites; Octavia Lab, a new 3000 square foot space at the DTLA Central Library that’s full of full of all kinds of technology and gadgets to help users create, including a 3D printing machine, virtual reality gear, a laser cutter, and DIY digitation for your old photos, videos, and recordings. You also have access to 26,000 independent, documentary, classic and international films streamed free through Kanopy. You can even get free income tax preparation and filing!

The Last Ship Ahmanson Theatre 135 N Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Inspired by Sting’s 1991 album “The Soul Cages,” The Last Ship tells the story of Gideon, a prodigal son returning home after 17 years at sea to find that the local shipyard his town was built around is closing and Meg, the love he left behind, has moved on. Tensions flare and picket lines are drawn as foreman Jackie White (Sting) rallies the workers to take over the shipyard and build one last ship in the face of the gathering storm. A passionate homage to the shipbuilding community Sting grew up in, The Last Ship features a Tony-nominated original score by Sting including some of his best-loved songs “Island of Souls,” “All This Time,” and “When We Dance.”

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans Walt Disney Concert Hall 111 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012

JAN 26 Critics and historians consider F. W. Murnau’s Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, which won three awards at the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929, to be one of the best films ever. For this world premiere presentation, Emmy Award–winning composer Jeff Beal (House of Cards, Pollock, The Biggest Little Farm) has created a brand-new score for choir and chamber orchestra, updating this silent film classic for the 21st century. Featuring the 40-voice LA Master Chorale, chamber orchestra, and silent film screening.

Mono to Immersive Grammy Museum 800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Ever wonder what Cardi B would sound like on a gramophone? Just in time for the Grammy Awards, the Grammy Museum’s flagship experience room, Mono to Immersive, presented by Harman, takes you on a visual and audible journey of recorded sound from the dusty cylinders of the 19th century to the surround sound of the present as you engross yourself in your favorite GRAMMY performances. In Mono to Immersive, you will hear how recorded sound has changed and journey from the acoustic era to the digital world of today.

L.A. Murals Walt Disney Concert Hall 111 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012

“L.A. Murals,” a new photography exhibition from the Library of Congress, documents murals painted on the streets of Los Angeles, an epicenter of the world’s street art scene. “L.A. Murals” features 30 photographs curated from the archives of photographers Carol M. Highsmith and Camilo José Vergara, which are part of the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division of more than 14 million photographs documenting America. The focus of the exhibition was inspired by the vitality of the visual arts and creativity of LA. Library curators organized the exhibit. The photographs are now on view at Walt Disney Concert Hall in the Library of Congress Ira Gershwin Gallery. The exhibition, which is free and open to visitors of the Concert Hall, will close in September 2020.

Cirque de Soleil Volta Dodger Stadium1000 Vin Scully Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Energetic, urban and contemporary, VOLTA is a captivating voyage of discovery that showcases never-before-seen under the Big Top acrobatics in a visually striking world. Driven by a stirring melodic score and inspired in part by the adventurous spirit that fuels the culture of street sports, VOLTA is about finding yourself and unveiling your personal powers. VOLTA is a story of transformation. It is about being true to oneself, fulfilling one’s true potential, and recognizing one’s own power to make it possible. Ultimate freedom comes with self-acceptance, and with the liberation of the judgement of others.

Curating the City: The ’70s Turn 50Curating the City: The ’70s Turn 50

The 50-year mark is significant when it comes to preserving buildings! The Los Angeles Conservancy is excited to present The ’70s Turn 50, an initiative exploring the 1970s’ lasting imprint on L.A. County’s built environment. In the Southland, the ’70s marked a time of unprecedented architectural exploration, and the structures left in its wake are some of the finest examples of that creative spirit. On the social and cultural front, the ’70s were a period known for strong civic engagement and activism. Frank Gehry’s use of cheap and accessible materials seen in his Santa Monica residence, from 1978, catapulted the Los Angeles Postmodernism movement onto the national stage. Throughout 2020, The LA Conservancy will tell the story of the ’70s and the decade’s lasting legacy. 

LA Art Show LA Convention Center South Hall 1201 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Feb 5-9 Need some inspiration to pimp your pad? The LA Art Show is the most most comprehensive international contemporary art expo in America. Los Angeles has emerged as a global epicenter of art & culture, with a distinct, interwoven multi-cultural influence unique to the city. As LA rises as the world-class destination for art, LA Art Show continues to lead the way with innovative programming and one-of-a-kind experiences for an expanding collecting audience. More than 200,000 square feet of exhibition space are committed to today’s prominent galleries. Beyond the booth, these domestic and international galleries are curating special exhibits that are at the forefront of the burgeoning contemporary art movement.