Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! LACMA is free all day, thanks to Target. We’ve also got a few special events scheduled for the holiday.
Edward Biberman, I Had a Dream, 1968, purchased with funds provided by the American Art Council, © Edward Biberman Estate. On view in the Ahmanson Building, Level 2
The Peruvian ensemble Inca will perform Andean music, accompanied by dancers, in the Los Angeles Times Central Court at 12:30 and 2:45 pm.
There will also be some family art-making activities on the LATCC as well as in the Boone Children’s Gallery. Note that for the Boone Gallery we will be offering (free) timed tickets on a first-come, first-served basis, to ensure a safe and pleasant experience for all. Time in the gallery will be limited to 30 minutes.
If you’re here with kids (or if you're not!), be sure to stop in to see the newest addition to our galleries, Chris Burden’s Metropolis II, in BCAM. The massive sculpture features 1,100 toy cars zipping through eighteen winding tracks, as well as electric trains and fantastical buildings made from Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets, and more. The artwork will be operating at 12:30–2 pm; 3–4:30 pm; 5–6:30 pm; and 7–8 pm. (Want more tips for things to see with kids at the museum?)
We have six special exhibitions on view, including Contested Visions in the Spanish Colonial World, which closes at the end of this month. Today, educators will be in the Contested Visions galleries to answer questions and offer tours, between 1:30 and 3 pm.
Installation view, Contested Visions in the Spanish Colonial World
Also closing soon—next week, in fact—is Glenn Ligon: AMERICA, a mid-career retrospective of the artist’s incredible body of work, which explores issues of race, sexuality, and identity.
Glenn Ligon, Untitled (I Am a Man), 1988, collection of the artist, courtesy of the artist and Regen Projects, Los Angeles, © Glenn Ligon, photograph by Ronald Amstutz
You can also catch California Design, 1935–1960, Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, and much more. And don't forget, you can make a day of it by enjoying lunch, dinner, or drinks at Ray's and Stark Bar while you're on campus.
Scott Tennent