10:00am | Long Beach is, as always, brimming with an exciting and abundant set of choices when it comes to arts and culture. This weekend is no exception.
Tonight, for example, ¡DUENDE! co-founder June Kaewsith will oversee a special installment of Break The Silence. In addition to maintaining a safe and supportive open mic environment, she’s also presenting a special performance, excerpts from Refugee Nation, a play written by Leilani Chan and Ova Saopeng, based on the stories of Laotian refugees as they escaped the Secret War, and struggled to assimilate into American culture.
The evening will also include a public service announcement from Khmer Girls in Action, and the Tiyya Foundation will share stories about their work with refugee communities in Southern California. Break the Silence takes place on the last Thursday of every month, and is held at the Manazar Gamboa Community Theater, part of the Homeland Cultural Center, located on the North West corner of Anaheim and Gundry, which is just East of Orange.
On Friday there’s a great music show at MADHaus Long Beach, presented by Garth’s Jelly Donut in partnership with the Long Beach Cinematheque. I can’t say for sure, but I suspect that The Potential Lunatics, the brother/sister duo that’s won the hearts of the First Fridays crowd in Bixby Knolls with their style and charm, got this gig because they attended the first official CALB Meeting a few weeks back. Also on the bill are The Dollyrots (the actual headliners), The Electra, and Tigerlily. The MADHaus is located at 624 Pacific Avenue. This is an all-ages show. Tickets are $10, and doors open at 7.
On Saturday from 5 – 10 PM, Long Beach FLOOD, best known for their annual SoundWalk events, is presenting MERGE: Art in Public Spaces. The event is taking place between 1st and 4th Streets, and Linden and Elm Avenues. Local businesses will present artists and art works that they select, and work will also be presented by artists FLOOD selects. According to a statement by FLOOD, visitors “will find themselves within an expressive city space, shifting with fluid aesthetic interactions and energized by creative tension.” This is the first of three planned MERGE events, the next in June, and the last in December. [Note: You can also read a preview about MERGE, penned by fellow columnist Greggory Moore.]
One of the MERGE-connected events is an art opening at Fingerprints Music. Album Cover Remix finds a collection of local artists recreating and broadly reinterpreting album cover art. According to Rand Foster, owner of Fingerprints, the quality of work has blown his mind. Local songstress and good egg Jenny Stockdale, Chris Berens, and special guests will be performing throughout the evening. Fingerprints is located at 420 East 4th Street between Linden and Elm.
Participating artists include Mike Baker, Leslie Caldera, Jake Crawley, Carissa Garcia, John Glaister, Daniel Ho, Robert Lebsack, Lance Morris, Jared Pittack, Rhonda Reeves, and Jason Weinlein. Album covers featured include Bjork, Nat King Cole, Elvis Costello, Miles Davis, Devo, Flesheaters, The Mothers of Invention, Rage Against the Machine, Roxy Music, Santana, The Smiths, Tyler the Creator, and White Stripes. The only down-side to this new art show is that the wonderful paintings by Joseph Arthur will no longer available for viewing or purchase. If you’ve not seen these works, check them out before they’re gone.
Also on Saturday, Millworks Long Beach is hosting Kindness, a fundraising concert presented by a new grassroots organization called GROW. The concert runs from 5 to 9 PM, and benefits BKindLB, a project that arose from this year’s Leadership Long Beach program that will encourage the sharing of good news in the City. Tickets are $5 but, if you donate $10 or more, you can score a cool t-shirt.
According to promotional materials, scheduled performers include The Gromble, Hailey’s Comet, Cathy-Anne McClintock, who will be singing with Chad from Shiny Toy Guns and The Gromble for the premier of the PeaceBuilders video release, “No Matter What,” and Jenny Stockdale! You could, it seems, do a Jenny Stockdale two-fer if you’re spry. Millworks is located at 604 Pine Avenue.
On Sunday, the Museum of Latin American Art is hosting a conceptual remix of its own. In an effort to raise funds for The Collaborative, a gallery space co-curated by MOLAA and the Arts Council for Long Beach, they’re presenting Long Beach Bike for Art, a Bike Scavenger Hunt and party with 12 stops for hard core cyclists, and a smaller 4 stop route for families with kids. The hunt runs from 10 AM to 12 PM, and starts and ends at MOLAA. Registration is at 9 AM.
On site, the party will include music, face painting, awards, and a raffle. For adults, tickets for the hunt are $35. Student riders pay $20. Younger kids, 5 – 12 years old, are free. For those who don’t want to ride, tickets to the party are $20.
These, and many other events, can be found by visiting LimeLightLB.com.