Article and Photos By: Scott S. Smith and Sandra Wells
“Dogtown and the Legendary Z-Boys From the Inside Looking Out” is the featured exhibition Jun. 30-Oct. 27, 2024 at the California Heritage Museum https://californiaheritagemuseum.org/ in Santa Monica about the godfathers of skateboarding, a group of teen surfers from the wrong side of the beach in the 1970s who popularized an aggressive and rebellious style that has been the subject of award-winning documentaries. Some memorabilia (see photo) has never seen before, much of it on loan from the Boys or the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.
bG Gallery
https://santamonica.bgartdealings.com/ in Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station Art Center (near Olympic Blvd. and 26th St.) cultivates “accomplished artists who have crossed traditionally contentious art ideologies, insider-outsider,” it says. Its annual Spectrum Gestalt show this year July 20-August 3 (noon-6 except Sun. and Mon.) is a good time to see some of their adventurous work (see photo), including the resin sculptures by Joyce Arad and the colored yarn hangings by Jeremy Rise.
Cinefile Video
https://www.cinefilevideo.com/ in West L.A. is the last movie store in SoCal where you can buy, sell, trade, rent, or donate your DVD, Bluray, Vinyl, VHS, and Laserdiscs, located next to the NuArt Theater (see photo of its storefront that makes it seem like a reincarnation of Blockbuster). It has over 47,000 titles in its inventory, so that you can enjoy virtually every film or TV series ever made, categorized into everything from conspiracies and cults to Blaxpolitation and vintage adult. Check out the enthusiastic reviews from members. It also serves as a location for shooting flicks, podcasts, and documentaries, as well as holding fun events for film and TV buffs. It is essentially the storage basem*nt of historic Hollywood, while the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures celebrates its first century, just as the pandemic, streaming, and social media bring into question whether the industry can thrive again.
Automobile Driving Museum
https://automobiledrivingmuseum.org/ in El Segundo is full of pristine examples of cars and other vehicles, along with signs and exhibits that tell the history of driving. In the early period, 1900-1929 before Ford’s Model T (on display) were priced for the masses, cars were made for the rich, who could afford to have the necessary full-time mechanics and drivers. Next to the Model T is the Saxon Golden Flyer, which two suffragettes drove 10,700 miles to 125 cities in 1916 to preach the gospel of giving women the vote, despite the lack of good roads, snowstorms, and even bullets.
Another exhibit discusses the relationship of unions with car makers at the height of labor power 1935-55. Impressive examples of the Darrin Packard are on display, with half the production bought by celebrities like Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, and Rosalind Russell. An Army jeep with a machine gun has its painted-on ID as carrying a War Photographer. There are lots of other spectacular examples, from the bright red 1956 Morgan Convertible to the 2008 ASVE Arez Super Coupe Roadster, which is opened up to show the engine (see photo). The museum is a popular place to hold
special events.
Adamm’s Stained Glass & Art Glass Gallery https://www.adammsgallery.com/ represents nearly 200 of America’s best glass artists whose museum-quality work ranges from hand-blown vases and lighting to sculptures and windows (see photo). Prices are reasonable and they can also do expert restorations.
Record Surplus
https://www.recordsurplusla.com/ in West L.A. calls itself “the last record store” (see photo) because of its legendary inventory of almost anything you want, no matter how old, offbeat, popular, or in a hard-to-get format (including video and laserdiscs). Yes, its Latin section has almost everything from Gloria Stefan and a Shakira Limited Editon, but also the Salsa Machine and a section on music from Spain. There is Herb Alpert and Switched on Bach, rockabilly and reggae, movie tracks and poetry.
Getty Villa
https://www.getty.edu/visit/villa in Malibu just north of Pacific Palisades showcases the most fabulous artifacts from ancient history in a recreation of the country palace of Julius Caesar’s father-in-law in Herculaneum, which was destroyed (along with Pompeii) by Mt. Vesuvius’ volcanic eruption in 79 A.D. Entry is free, but requires a timed reservation. Be sure to take a guided tour of some aspect, such as the tropical garden, the architecture, or some of the exhibits. These range from Etruscan and Persian art to Greek and Roman glass objects, but some works are dated as far back as 4,000 years. Through January 2027 a special exhibition on loan from the British Museum is of sculpted portraits and statues from Egypt (see photo). A gift shop, restaurant, and theater can easily make a visit a wonderful half-day experience.
Be sure you understand the parking options or other ways to get there.
