Lisa Beebe

Art Share L.A. exterior; Credit: Courtesy of Mikael B.

As It Turns 21, Art Share L.A. Is Keeping Art — and Artists — in the Arts District

Lisa Beebe
The old factory building on the corner of E. 4th Place and S. Hewitt Street in the Arts District is covered in a dynamic angular mural by Danish artist Mikael B. that resembles neon-colored crystals. The Arts District is home to plenty of vibrant street art, but in this case, the building’s exterior reflects the creative people and programming found inside. The 21st Anniversary Gala takes place on May 30....
"Real Is Irreplaceable" by Alexis Hunley; Credit: Courtesy of Art Share L.A.

Bask in the Glow of the Female Gaze at Art Share L.A.

Lisa Beebe
Battles for respect and equal pay aren’t over — and having to fight for basic human rights can get exhausting. Art Share L.A.’s "Female Gaze" exhibition is a welcome respite from that battle. It features work by femme-identifying, nonbinary and allied artists, exploring the female experience in art. The show responds to, and questions, the concept of the “male gaze,” as conceived by feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey....
Shizu Saldamando

At Hotel Figueroa, Shizu Saldamando’s Portraits Offer a Peek at Her Life in East L.A.

Lisa Beebe
Earlier this year, Hotel Figueroa launched its Featured Artist Series to showcase the work of female artists and culture makers in Los Angeles, and the first selection was painter Shizu Saldamando. Saldamando was born in San Francisco’s Mission District and grew up immersed in the Chicano art scene there before moving to Los Angeles to study art at UCLA. She says, “I’ve been in L.A. for a very long time, but always on the east side. Always on the real east side — East L.A. proper.”...
Thomas Fernandez

Chaotic Good: “Dark Dungeons” at Secret Headquarters Attracts a Crowd

Lisa Beebe
Above the comic racks, the walls of the store are hung with drawings of such fearsome beasts as the “Midnight Croaker,” “Your Mom Inside Out,” and “Slagatha the Worm Queen.” The monsters are the work of 48 local artists including Mark Ingram, Grady Gordon, Charlie Immer, Devin Flynn, Lizz Hickey, Rob Goodin and Jon Vermilyea, who curated the exhibition....
Credit: Brian To/The Paley Center for Media

The Museum of Drunk History Is Loaded With Learning and Laughs

Lisa Beebe
The Comedy Central series Drunk History knows how to make history fun — and a new exhibit at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills proves they can do it even when the only alcohol involved is in teeny-tiny bottles. In advance of the show’s sixth season (which premieres Tuesday, Jan. 15, at 10 p.m.), a team of artists created detailed dioramas depicting the locations featured in upcoming episodes. The miniature scenes are on view at the pop-up Museum of Drunk History at the Paley until Jan. 20....
J.K. Simmons in Counterpart; Credit: Courtesy Starz Network

J.K. Simmons Talks About His Complex Counterpart, Returning to Starz

Lisa Beebe
In advance of the acclaimed Starz series Counterpart returning for a second season on Sunday, Dec. 9, its Academy Award-winning star J.K. Simmons talks about his complex dual role as Howard Silk, a low-level worker in a high-security government office in Berlin whose life takes a disturbing turn after he learns the building’s real purpose....
Stephanie Miller at her Sexy Liberal Blue Wave Tour comedy show at the Saban Theatre; Credit: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Sexy Liberal Blue Wave

Riding the Sexy Liberal Blue Wave With Stephanie Miller

Lisa Beebe
On Election Day it remains to be seen if the much-touted "blue wave" will actually wash away the ugliness and lies of Trumpian politics, but either way, Stephanie Miller has been riding it and taking liberals along with her via her popular radio program and live comedy shows. On Saturday, Nov. 3, a sold-out audience gave Miller a raucous standing ovation at the Saban Theatre, the third and final show in the progressive radio host and comedian’s Sexy Liberal Blue Wave Tour....
Merion Estes

At the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Three Artists Use Their Work to Call for Change

Lisa Beebe
In the Craft & Folk Art Museum's slate of new fall exhibitions, three L.A.-based women put their talents to work to draw attention to larger issues. The concurrent solo shows — Merion Estes' "Unnatural Disasters," Sherin Guirguis' "Of Thorns and Love" and Uzumaki Cepeda's "Daydreaming" — opened to the public on Sept. 30, with all three artists working with traditional craft-based materials in utterly unconventional ways, the better to tell their stories of human experience and our relationship to the planet, and each other....