School’s out, but LACMA is open to bring you comfort and joy this winter while you visit some of your favorite artworks and new exhibitions. Start on the ground floor of BCAM and take in Chris Burden’s Metropolis II—it’s a toy city where trains and buses travel around and colorful cars whiz by super fast on tilted tracks. Even if you’ve seen it before, walk around this giant sculpture and see if you notice anything you've missed, like the fruit stickers. That's right: fruit stickers. See if you can find them!
Just steps away on BCAM, Level 1, is the exhibition Digital Witness: Revolutions in Design, Photography, and Film. There, you can watch some videos that use digital technology in artistic ways, and maybe even hear some music that your parents listen to. There's a lot to see, and the exhibition continues on BCAM, Level 2, but if you’ve had enough for now, don’t worry—it will be on view through July 2025.
Across the way in the Resnick Pavilion, you must see Magdalena Suarez Frimkess: The Finest Disregard. It’s a wonderfully enchanting show of painted ceramics that feature characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Popeye and Olive Oyl, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Don’t miss it!
In the middle of the Resnick Pavilion, you can walk around Josiah McElheny: Island Universe, a large installation of lighted sculptures hanging from the ceiling. They represent the multiverse, a concept you probably already know about that you can explain to your parents.
Speaking of the multiverse, if outer space is your thing, visit Mapping the Infinite: Cosmologies Across Cultures. This exhibition explores how people throughout history and from all parts of the world have used art to explain the universe. You will see paintings, sculptures, books, and more, from ancient times to this year, that are about the world above and beyond earth.
Another exhibition to visit in the Resnick Pavilion is We Live in Painting: The Nature of Color in Mesoamerican Art. It explores how Mesoamerican artists created colors for their art by using natural materials from their everyday lives. Their knowledge of nature allowed them to make formulas for paints and dyes, which meant that these artists were also scientists. Some of these traditions are still being carried out today, which you will see in the exhibition.
And don’t miss Simone Leigh. Her monumental sculptures in clay, ceramic, and bronze tell stories of Black women who have been misrepresented or ignored throughout history. Towards the back of the final gallery, you will find Last Garment, a large sculptural installation with a reflecting pool. This is a fine place to quietly contemplate where we are, where we came from, and where we are going.
Warm up this winter at LACMA, and don’t forget to keep your eyes on our full calendar of programs, with plenty of free activities for kids and families like Pop Up Art Workshops and Andell Family Sundays.