#chic lit

via Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA): 

“Celebrate Latin American and Latino art in Los Angeles with more than a dozen DJs both inside and outside the galleries from 8 pm ’til midnight, curated by ArtDontSleep and drawing inspiration from Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA” on Saturday, August 19th, 2017. 

(Muse ‘til Midnight 90′s House Party style flyers with DJ set times.)

CAM: 

There was a link in my inbox with a particularly subject line of  “lacma Save the date! Get your tickets and come party […]” that left me very enticed. When I clicked to find out more, I read about the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) was hosting a backyard house party with art, music, and drink thrown into the mix. When payday came around, I used my hard earned money to purchase entrances into this VIP-style event with access to exhibits after hours, first drink on the house, and different DJs spinning on the ones and twos.

Once at LACMA, we drove up to our courtesy parking space and made our way to the check-in table. Just like a backyard party, there was a line to get in. All the while, we survied the fashion styles of the night that included people dressed to the nines and others who made L.A. chic stand out. Our first mission at LACMA that night was to view the Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage exhibit because just like a magnificent art performance, we wanted to attend before all the rave reviews came out and impacted space available to future shows.

One interesting fact of Marc Chagall was that for the ballet production titled Aleko, he had to create all the costumes and stage backdrops in México due to labor disputes in New York. The country of México inspired and influenced Chagall to incorporate the unique and specific details of dress styles and textiles used in México as well as adding elements from his native homeland. Also, México City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes hosted the official debut of Aleko in September 1942.

The costume design of Daphins and Chole (1958) by Chagall was alluring. His use of light fabric to allow each dancer to have a wide range of mobility and his hand painted details brought life to the love of the young couple who were the protagonists of this Greek influenced work.

(Costumes from “Daphnis and Chloe” ballet featured in Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage at LACMA.)

After the Chagall, we went the BCAM building, floor 3 to visit a show we first heard about from Dr. Chon A. Noriega (Director of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center) during our conversation at Pacific Standard Time: Latin American & Latino Art in LA (PST: LA/LA) Countdown Celebration 2017.


 A work entitled “Transparent Migrations (Migraciones transparentes)” by Amalia Mesa-Bains and her use of mirrors and glass incorporated each viewer to be part of her unique piece. In my observations of the piece, I interpreted her incorporation of mirrors as a window for the eye of the beholder to self reflect on their own personal histories of migration. I came to find her use of mirrors in the home setting and in the altar to be reflective of the different ways and experiences of building a home after migrating to a new country. Her altar inside the dresser is a homage to the small keepsakes and the cultural capital the one brings from the homeland to the new place of living.

The broken glass and crystal plants of aloe vera reminded me of the fragile sense of life and home that at any time can change, through monumental to torrential times. This is similar to what aloe vera plant can do: as a succulent, it can survive through the harshest heat with little water & with its healing properties, it can sooth burns and extract negative bacteria from bites and cuts.

(View of “Transparent Migrations (Migraciones transparentes)” at LACMA.)

After a walkthrough, the works in Playing with Fire: Paintings by Carlos Almaraz were of vibrant colors and of amazing subject matter. In one setting, I viewed patrons paused for a moment and took in the serenity depicted in the four panel rendition of Echo Park. While others, like Robert, took in the details and imagined the circumstances that lead up to the horrific car accidents in “Perpendicular Crash” & “West Coast Crash.” The car crash series were inspired by true events that occurred on Southern California highways.

I was captivated and intrigued by the Almaraz ephemera collection that was also included in the exhibit. A piece that I focused attention to was Almaraz’s hand written notes of thought provoking questions that are still applicable with Chicanas and Chicanos of today, in academia and in the community.

(Detailed gallery view of “Playing with Fire: Paintings by Carlos Almaraz” exhibition.)

At our last stop of the night, we studied A Universal History of Infamy. A piece of interest was the mini-museum by Vincent Ramos. He displayed various images and items that reflected the trajectory and impact of Chicanas and Chicanos within media, literature, and local history. I gravitated towards the books on display which titles I wrote down for future reading. Also pictured were the trailblazers of Linda Jean Córdova Carter, Baldemar Garza Huerta aka Freddy Fender, and Reis Lopez Tijerina, respectively.

(Detailed view “Ruins Over Visions or Searchin’ For My Lost Shaker of Salt [Ante Drawing Room].”)

We enjoyed LACMA’s Muse ’til Midnight after hours party. From the complimentary drinks and delicious elote con extra queso to leisurely walking through the exhibits featured in this year’s Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA programming.

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As it’s the first day of October I have officially moved into my winter wardrobe (Its small and dark and full of woolly jumpers) And this is the PERFECT time to start reading Christmas romance... as it happens I wrote one a couple of years ago now... One of its main characters may or may not be influenced loosely by a certain tall, handsome, English actor.... you should all definitely check it out!

An Unexpected Christmas