L.A. WeeklyFrom an art week dedicated to female artists featuring themed movie nights to The Sikh Project, here are the seven best things to do in Los Angeles this (work) week.
ART
Women on the Verge
Back for its second year, Art Women Art Week is an interdisciplinary serialized conference at which creative women from across entertainment, music, art, publishing, food, fashion, beauty, and independent entrepreneurial systems conversations converge on the multilevel Melrose Rooftop Theater complex for a week of curated programs and intimate conversations. Each evening takes full advantage of the unique location with art installations throughout, as well E.P. Restaurant whose presence can turn an evening talk and screening into a proper dinner and a movie. Each night is dedicated to a topic explored in leadership conversations followed by topical short and featured film screenings. For example, First Wives Club on independent business night, Frida on arts journalism night, Chocolat on chef night, A Star is Born on music and entertainment night, and The Devil Wears Prada on fashion and beauty night. Melrose Rooftop Theater, 603 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood; Sun. Sept. 15, 7:30 p.m., through Sept. 21; $15-$55. melroserooftoptheatre.com. —Shana Nys Dambrot
Amit and Naroop (Courtesy of The Sikh Project)
ART
Every Picture Tells a Story
Sometimes to really get the impact of a story across, you’ve got to put a face on it. Feeling the truth of this axiom, in 2016 the civil liberties and human rights-focused Sikh Coalition partnered with acclaimed U.K. photographer duo Amit and Naroop to found The Sikh Project. This eclectic portraiture portfolio has continued to grow, presenting engaging and expressive photographs in storytelling empowered to spark a positive, optimistic and inspirational discourse regarding the Sikh experience in America. A new installation of the project opens this week at the Museum of Tolerance, celebrated with a reception and panel discussion. All are welcome. Museum of Tolerance, 9786 W. Pico Blvd., Pico-Roberson; exhibition: through Nov. 3; free. sikhcoalition.org. —Shana Nys Dambrot
mon 9/16
BOOKS
A Peak into the Creative Process
Singer-pianist Ben Folds has long been a clever performer who draws his ardent fans into his performances, including arranging his set lists with the help of his audiences, who sail their song suggestions toward the stage via paper airplanes. Folds attempts to draw his followers in further in his new memoir, A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons, in which he recounts how he fell in love with music at an early age and how it shaped his life. “I was completely lost in my own world, where I remained for most of my childhood,” Folds reveals. At times, the singer’s constant self-awareness overshadows his ability to portray his family and other characters with much depth, but his breezy asides and anecdotes about his career offer glimpses into his precocious beginnings and creative process. The Regent Theater, 448 S. Main St., downtown; Mon., Sept. 16, 8 p.m.; $35. (323) 284-5727, spacelandpresents.com. —Falling James
tue 9/17
CULTURE
Oogie Boogie Takes Over
Disney is embracing its villains more than ever before at its brand new Oogie Boogie Bash: A Disney Halloween Party, beginning today and running on 20 select nights through Halloween. A new World of Color spectacular called Villainous!, an interactive dance party inspired by its popular Descendants movies, a stage show with Mickey Mouse, and a walk-through experience, are just a few of the amusements helmed by Oogie, the popular character from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Disney California Adventure has been Halloweenified with music, character meet-ups and treats, but this special after-hours event takes the seasonal fun to another level. A “Frightfully Fun Parade,” will be led by the Headless Horseman on his ghostly black horse followed by Mickey and Minnie Mouse and a slew Disney of faves from the dark side including Jack Skellington, Ursula the Sea Witch, the Evil Queen, the Cheshire Cat and more. Tickets at disneyland.com/HalloweenParty. Entry to Disney California Adventure Park before the party is included with an Oogie Boogie Bash ticket.Disney California Adventure, 1313 Disneyland Drive, Anaheim; Tue., Sept. 17, 6 p.m.; $110. disneyland.com/HalloweenParty. —Lina Lecaro
wed 9/18
FILM
Remembering a Literary Icon
The world lost a major voice when Toni Morrison died last month in New York. With such powerful novels as Song of Solomon, Tar Baby and the Beloved trilogy, she did as much as any African-American writer to dismantle the virtual state of apartheid that was promulgated by the white, male literary establishment, revealing her heart and soul in works that were complex, humanistic and socially inspiring. In director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ new documentary, The Pieces That I Am, Angela Davis, Walter Mosely, Oprah Winfrey and others testify to the impact that Morrison had with her words and how her stories paralleled and inspired some of the changes in our still-divided society. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood; Wed., Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.; free. (310) 443-7000, hammer.ucla.edu. —Falling James
thu 9/19
ART
Slick Art
Following August’s photography exhibit on the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, Mr. Musichead Gallery fittingly hosts Grace Slick Original Art. The former Jefferson Airplane singer and counterculture icon, who lives in Malibu, has been painting since the ’90s. In 2015, the gallery displayed her paintings and prints, also marking the 50th anniversary of her legendary band. The gallery once again exhibits Slick’s canvases and works on paper, whose themes will be familiar to fans, whether it’s portraits of rock-star contemporaries like John Lennon and Keith Richards or characters from Alice in Wonderland, both a nod to Lewis Carroll’s story and Slick’s 1967 hallucinogenic classic, “White Rabbit.” Mr. Musichead Gallery, 7420 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood.; Thu., Sept. 19, 7 p.m.; through Oct. 5; free. (323) 876-0042, mrmusichead.com. —Siran Babayan
FILM
Historical Venice
There once was a wonderful, earthy world existing as a boon to freedom that came before the satanic stupidity of the machines transforming Venice into a psychic sewer — but fuck all that! Come see Venice how it really was — not just how you remember it was — in the History of Venice: A Night of Film. The third night in the History of Venice series (through September 30), it’s a rare chance to watch scarce films shot in and around Venice. Surfers, skaters, Krishas, poets, Dogtown — they’re all here, sure to blow your mind and/or tear at your heart, depending. Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice; Thu., Sept. 19, 8 p.m; $10 general/free for members. (310) 822-3006, eventbrite.com/e/a-history-of-
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