Urban designers will share their thinking and creative ideas in Los Angeles, Long Beach and other areas this weekend for the three-day LA Design Festival that will focus on “futurism” and what cities could look like in the years to come.
In Long Beach, an effort has been underway to create a more welcoming, communal and inspiring Downtown. A group that includes Studio One Eleven, the Downtown Long Beach Alliance, the CSULB Immersive Design Research Lab and others has been working to create a hub that is community-focused, pedestrian-friendly and supports local businesses.
Part of this effort is enticing people Downtown with events and activities around the LA Design Festival, which begins today (Friday) with a free block party from 6 to 9 p.m. on the Mosaic Promenade. This open-studio event includes music by Zikomo, local vendors, interactive installations and more.
Other events today include a guided architectural tour connecting two of Downtown Long Beach’s most storied landmarks, Farmers & Merchants Bank, which has been operating since 1910 by the same family, and The Altar Society, established in 1903, a restaurant and event space housed in a former Masonic Temple.
Visitors can also tour a number of exhibits all weekend, including an exploration of how transit infrastructure can be reimagined to advance food equity and urban resilience. Featuring drawings, models, maps, and immersive media, the show invites viewers to rethink movement through the city. This exhibit is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the former Acres of Books,
Saturday includes a talk moderated by curator Paul Loya with artists including Greg Ito about his first animated work, “Ascend,” at Long Beach Museum of Art Downtown (356 East Third St.), from 2 to 4 p.m.
A number of other events are planned through Sunday, June 29.
To RSVP for any of the events happening throughout the LA region, visit here.