Culture and Art

Showing posts with label Culture and Art. Show all posts

LA Opera Off Grand Presents NOSFERATU: A Symphony of Horror

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My husband and I are two completely different people with different sensibilities when it comes to our personal interests.

Fortunately for us, we have a shared passion in classic films including those of the early 20th century like F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent classic horror film Nosferatu.

Nosferatu is a film that is studied in film schools throughout the world for being a classic example of German Expressionism, and for showing the silver screen’s first vampire—played by Max Schreck. In this role, Schreck's Vampire is a disfigured creature complete with claws and fangs completely unlike Bela Lugosi's representation of Dracula that we are all familiar with.

Another interesting tidbit about the film is that while Nosferatu is based on Bram Stroker's Dracula, names and other details from the novel were changed because the studio could not obtain the rights (for instance, "vampire" became "Nosferatu" and "Count Dracula" became "Count Orlok").

To add to the mystery of this film, a host of musicians have re-scored this classic because the original score was lost, now including LA Opera's Artist in Residence Matthew Aucoin.

The LA Opera screening will include the original silent film played alongside live orchesteral score conducted by Aucoin.

Aucoin who will conduct his new score for chamber orchestra will incorporate composers of Murnau's time such as Schoenberg and Zemlinsky, as well as Schubert, Wagner and Weber, which will add an eerie feel to the movie during its Halloween screening.

This unique experience of the Nosferatu screening and live performance of the new score by L.A. Opera's chamber orchestra is being held at the Ace Hotel's Spanish Gothic 1920’s movie palace.

Tickets range from $19 - $89

NOSFERATU: A Symphony of Horror at

The Theatre at ACE Hotel, Los Angeles

8 p.m. on Halloween Night

Avital Foodie Tour

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Los Angeles is very big.

From the Westside, where I live, to Downtown Los Angeles, it can take a good hour and half in the middle of rush-hour traffic to get there. That’s why I sometimes stay, play and dine within a few short miles of where we live.

Who wants to fight traffic?

Downtown LA has been booming!

New shops, new restaurants and watering holes; and, more and more people are moving to Downtown LA to experience what the city is now offering. This is truly an exciting time to live in Los Angeles!

And frankly, it’s hard not to want to experience at least some of that.

But for those of us not willing to move, but open to exploring, there's a unique way to experience the Downtown LA culture, learn a little about our history, and of course, enjoy some of the most celebrated and sometimes underground restaurants the LA dining scene has seen:

Avital Tours.

Avital Tours is a three-hour walk-and-dine experience that’s hosted several times a month in Downtown LA (also in Venice, CA and San Francisco, CA) for either Sunday Brunch or Lunch.

Not only did we get to try the perfect food portions during our four courses, we found that walking with perfect strangers gave us the opportunity to connect with a new part of the city while learning a little bit more about L.A.

We were told that each Avital Tour has a different theme and visits different restaurants, but when my hubby and I went we discovered a woman-owned Brazilian restaurant, an Italian pop-up restaurant, and tried ice cream that's made with Bicycles!

While each course was different and each restaurant added a unique element to our tasting experience, it was the Avital Tour guide that made our tour memorable and something that I wholeheartedly recommend for you to experience.

She made sure that each of us enjoyed our meals, walked at a comfortable pace for everyone, and ensured that we enjoyed each others company.

Excited to rediscover LA (or discover San Francisco on your next visit to Nor Cal)?

Get 10% off your own Avital Tour in Los Angeles or San Francisco by entering "cabezadecoco" at check-out.

Ana Lydia

This past summer I took an Aesthetics of Cinematography class and was assigned to shoot a unique color project. My inspiration for this project was one of my favorite surrealist painters, the great Frida Kahlo, because of the layers of color and textures that she used in her work.

Frida is also an artist that I have admired for many years, and I knew that at one point of my own life I would do something to celebrate my love of her and her work.

This assignment was the perfect opportunity.

Frida's work is also admired internationally by followers of feminist art, and also celebrated for her depiction of indigenous and Mexican life.

Her art has not only shows us the culture of Mexico, but also the beauty of her life in spite of her many physical and emotional hardships.

While I couldn't possibly replicate her work, I knew that on an emotional level I could relate to her and would be able to honor her.

Shortly after making it public that I would be creating a Frida-inspired photo project, I realized that I had gone a little bit over my head because there were so many details to consider and I only had one week to get it all done.

From casting the models, to finding a location, to securing wardrobe, props, and flowers; I had no idea how much the planning of this shoot would change me and connect me further into the artists that I am.

But while I was shooting? Everything seemed to fall right into place.

We reached a place of emotional oneness.

With nature.

With art.

With us.

It was Beautiful.

I knew that something magical was happening - even before I saw the photos.

But how much so was entirely a surprise until I was told, time and time again, that I should "submit these photos for them to be potentially exhibited or published."

Normally, as you probably know by now, I just shoot and forward photos and my work to the models and clients. Maybe because I suffer from imposter syndrome, but I never feel that my work is at that level. But then I did.

I submitted.

And what I found out that happens when you press beyond your comfort point is that you might surprise yourself...

So here it is:

One of my photos from my Frida Kahlo project will be exhibited at the 16th Annual Frida Kahlo Exhibit during the month of September at Picture This Gallery in Long Beach and kicked off with an artist exhibit on Saturday, September 10 from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m!!

Besides exhibiting work from more than 40 artists, the Artists Reception will also feature live music, entertainment, a look-alike contest and all of the work exhibited will also be available for purchase!

Location:
Picture This Gallery
4130 Norse Way Long Beach, CA
Long Beach, CA 90808
562-425-4861

I hope that you join me to celebrate the wonderful work of a woman that has inspired me so much - and see one of my framed photos.

My picture, hung in an exhibit wall, honoring an artist that I love!

Ana Lydia

NOTE: The photo selected for this exhibit will be available for sale, as is any of the above photos of my work. Contact me to see the rest of my Frida Kahlo-inspired photo series.

Visiting the Hammer Museum in Westwood Village

September is a huge month in the Los Angeles Art world.

Many exhibits are closing this month, new exhibits have been announced, and this year a new museum is opening in Downtown Los Angeles.

But unlike everyone else that is going to be recommending the obvious, or simply ra-ra over a new museum opening, I want to tell you about a museum that you have probably never been too - even if you live or work in the area:

The Hammer Museum located in Westwood Village.

Let's get the most pressing doubt out of the way: But it's Westwood....

Yes it is.

So yes, you will be stuck in unbearable traffic on the 405 or Wilshire Blvd. to get to the Hammer Museum.

BUT, then you can just park in the museums own parking lot ($3 parking with validation) and not pay a dollar to get into the museum. You visit the museum 12 times? You earn a Participate level membership.

The Hammer Museum also has a beautiful courtyard and restaurant, which means that even if you don't dine at Ammo, you can bring your coffee or lunch and sit in one of the awesome swinging chairs (that you can also buy if you feel so inclined to do so).

But let's talk about the various collections in Hammer Museum, both permanent and special exhibits: The Hammer Museum offers the most stylistically eclectic art collection in Los Angeles. Period.

From its curated Classical Art collection, to Avant Garde media abstractions, each floor at the Hammer Museum allows us to see how artists from different backgrounds and periods in time, and how they see the world around them.

A few of my favorite exhibits that are ending soon are: Perfect Likeness: Photography and Composition, which ends today (9/13): Mark Bradford: Scorched Earth, ending on 9/26; and, the Afghan Carpet Project, ending on 9/27.

Of course you can't miss the Armand Hammer Collection of classical Art pieces ranging from European paintings from such renowned artists such as Paul Cezanne and Gustave Moreau, to early American works from artists such as George Bellows; and the largest collection of Honoré Daumier pieces.

Besides exhibits, the Hammer Museum also schedules special events and movie screenings; sometimes free, but other times fee-based. One of my favorite is the Art Talk, which is a 15-minute art discussion every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.

Check-out their calendar for event dates and more information.

Ana Lydia

Coloring Books for Adults

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post that also includes affiliate links.

Have you heard about adults getting together to have a glass a wine, nosh, dish, and color?

Well, now you have....

On a recent weekend I hosted a couple of friends for a relaxing evening at home that included every gals fave's: good wine, mixed fruity drinks, sweets...and coloring books!

My friends and I each picked our own page from one of the two books I received from the publisher: Paisleys: Coloring for Artists or Mandalas Coloring for Everyone.

Once we picked our page, we selected our colors from my stash of crayons, coloring pencils and markers. It was quite fun to see what colors we each gravitated to and whether or not we stuck to a color theme.

The Coloring for Everyone page, as you can imagine, was completed in a couple of hours, while the Coloring for Artists pages were a bit more challenging and more time consuming, albeit just as fun.

I also loved that the pages in these coloring books are perforated, one sided and thick enough to display in a frame once we completed our masterpieces.

My first masterpiece!

Two other coloring books are also available in this four-book series: Mandalas: Coloring for Artists Paisleys: Coloring for Everyone. Each coloring book includes eleven pages of full-color designs that illustrate the design and coloring of these motifs.

The act of coloring forced us to put aside our worries, reignited our imagination and got us back in touch with our creative soul...which is, in my book, a perfect evening that's worth repeating - SOON!

Ana Lydia

"Throughout history and across cultures, women have often been associated with a connection to the land, to "Mother Earth." As givers of life, this connection to nature is frequently perceived as being inherent to the female experience." - FROM HER

In honor of National Women's History Month, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument and El Pueblo Park Association present FROM HER: An Exhibition by Women about Women.

This years From Her exhibition explores womanhood through art by bringing together artists and photographers that attempt to answer How do women see themselves with relation to nature? Is it a connection women embrace, or is it one that has been thrust upon us? How has this relationship been interpreted historically and culturally? What is - or isn't - a woman's nature.

This exhibit is especially meaningful to me because my friend, Pauline Campos of Aspiring Mama fame, was selected to showcase one of her photographs.

While being a room filled with beautiful artwork is touching, being in a room with only female-created work that visually gives meaning to the female existence was awe-inspiring.

These are just a few of my favorite pieces...

Don't miss this incredible exhibit, now through March 22nd, 2015, at the Pico House Gallery
424 N Main St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Ana Lydia

Sunset in West Los Angeles

For most of us, Spring Break ends on Easter Weekend.

It's a bitter-sweet event as much of us have to go back to work
the Monday after Easter.

If you live in Los Angeles and need a weekend recharge before
you head back to work or school, may I recommend that you
plan a stay local and plan a Staycation.

A Staycation or mini-break, will recharge and add a 'lil culture
to your life when you participate in a special LA Tourism
promotion available until May 18.

During this time, L.A.'s best hotels and more than 30 leading
museums and performance groups invite us to Discover the
Arts and Culture of Los Angeles.

Spend a night, or the entire weekend, at a local hotel and get
an exclusive offer, including 50% museum gift stores and buy
one, get one free admission to places such as LACMA and
the Grammy Museum at the LA Live, and more.

Discover the Arts Participating Cultural Institutions:

Annenberg Space for Photography
Aquarium of the Pacific
Art Muse Los Angeles
Autry National Center of the American West
Battleship IOWA
California African American Museum
Craft & Folk Art Museum
Fowler Museum at UCLA
Getty Center
Getty Villa
Hammer Museum
Japanese American National Museum
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Los Angeles Master Chorale
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
Museum of Latin American Art
Museum of Tolerance
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
NoHoArts District.com/NoHo Communications Group, Inc.
Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits
Petersen Automotive Museum
Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater(REDCAT)
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
Skirball Cultural Center
The GRAMMY Museum
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
The Music Center
The Paley Center For Media
USC Pacific Asia Museum
Zimmer Children's Museum

Go to Discover Los Angeles or Hotels. com to book your stay
and receive special cultural discounts.

Happy Spring Break everyone!

Ana Lydia Monaco

SLIDER

LA Opera Off Grand Presents NOSFERATU: A Symphony of Horror

Avital Foodie Tour

16th Annual Frida Kahlo Artists Exhibit

Visiting the Hammer Museum in Westwood Village

Coloring Books for Adults

FROM HER, an Exhibition by Women about Women

Discover the Arts at Los Angeles' Leading Cultural Venues

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