As Spring roars in, the number of interesting cultural activities in Long Beach increases and, to be honest, covering all of them in any depth becomes a rather daunting task. Failing that, here’s a list of interesting events happening this weekend, in no particular order. Note: most of the information included here was gleaned from Facebook and LimeLightLB.com.
On Saturday, the long-running 2nd Saturday Art Walk occupies the block of Linden Avenue between 1st St. and Broadway. While this is of no particular interest to me, a number of other nearby events have cropped up of late. For example, the lovely Victoria Bryan is hosting an opening of a photography exhibition featuring work by Carol Bliss, Patricia Defibaugh, Any Kayden, Judith Loniak, and Carrie Williams. Her in-home pop-up gallery will be open from 6PM to 9PM, and is located at 211 Linden Avenue. Sales will benefit Inspiration4Girls, a Long Beach nonprofit organization working to inspire and empower middle school girls.
Over on 3rd and Elm, Catalyst Network of Communities has partnered with The Long Beach Free Store, Khmer Arts Academy, Khmer Girls In Action and many others to present spoken word artist Anida Yoeu Ali in Generation Return: Art + Justice Post-Genocide and Post- 9/11. Ali, a Cambodian native who grew up in Chicago, is part of a larger returning diaspora of artists and thinkers creating narratives of Cambodia beyond war and poverty. The event is taking place from 5PM to 10 PM at 365 East Third Street.
Just next door at 340 East 3rd, Leah C. Dixon is hosting a reception for an exhibition of work by local luminary (and sometimes Post comic artist) Dave Van Patten. Her space, known as Illuminoidal Arts, is also a neighbor to Margie Darrow, who is hosting her Monthly Open Studio. I’m a fan of Margie’s work, which is amazingly diverse. She’ll be exhibiting selections from her Hobo Symbols series, wood cut art, and the growing Black and White Wall.
The Center Long Beach is presenting QSpeak tonight at MADhaus Long Beach, with the legendary, raucous, and rowdy performance gang, Sister Spit. The show, hosted by Michelle Tea, includes award winning author Ali Liebegott, novelist Daniel Levesque, genderqueer costume-designing accordion-wielding performance artist DaveEnd, Austrilian Sharpie TextaQueen, and local legends Myriam Gurba and Griselda Suarez.
The Cultural Alliance of Long Beach is hosting a Grant Writing Support Group on Friday, and their weekly drumming circle on Sunday. Also, the Arts Council’s Artist of the Year, Paul Hogue, and Jennifer Gutierrez are exhibiting works through April 26th in a show titled The Magical Worlds Within Nature. All events are taking place in the Bungalow Art Center.
Of course, there are some ongoing exhibitions. Significant Ordinaries and Chockablock at CSULB’s University Art Museum are in their final days. If you’ve not seen these exhibitions, I strongly encourage you to do so before they close. Sunday is the last day.
The Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum, located just west of MOLAA, is presenting ‘Aikona, which features the work of Tongan-born artist Amelia Niumeitolu, whose dramatic portrayals of the human experience are captured in a nostalgic display of photography and film. The exhibition continues through June 2, and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11AM to 5PM.
On Saturday, the Museum of Latin American Art is hosting Buen Provecho, a cooking workshop with celebrated chef, and owner of Lola’s, Luis Navarro. On Sunday, MOLAA is hosting their annual Education Brunch Fundraiser. In addition to food and margaritas, the amazing Mariachi Divas will provide entertainment. Of course, the museum’s current exhibitions are on display from 11AM to 5PM this weekend.
This weekend sees the end of the International City Theatre’s production of the Tony Award-winning play, Master Class, about celebrated opera soprano Maria Callas. They also have a Free Saturday Family Theatre show, Stories of the Family, about Latin Folklore this Saturday, April 13 at the theatre, at 11 am. This Saturday, on the Main Stage of the Long Beach Playhouse, they’re opening Georges Feydeau’s romantic farce, A Flea In Her Ear, which runs through May 11. At 8PM on both Friday and Saturday, The Garage Theater is presenting a staged reading of Sofya Weitz’ Children of the East, a family drama which examines the challenges of discovering, and coming to terms with, the past.
You can get your laugh on with Rainbow Promotions at the Terrace Theater tonight. They’re presenting Comedy Explosion, starring D.L. Hughley, Bruce Bruce, Aries Spears, and Gary Owen. If you like your comedy a bit more home grown, hit the Art Theatre this Sunday for Darren Held’s long form comedy show, Red Carpet Catfight.
This is in no way intended to be a comprehensive list of this weekend’s goings on. Instead, I hope you’ll use it as a jumping off point, and explore the truly amazing cultural landscape that exists in our city.