The Skirball Cultural Center presents Common Ground, a community-activated artwork by Los Angeles-based artist Adam Silverman, celebrating American pluralism while also fostering human connection through shared meals and collaborative installations. The exhibit opened this week, is free to the public and runs through Jan. 5, 2025. 

With the participation of about one hundred people from across the country, Silverman collected clay, water, and wood ash from all fifty American states, Washington D.C., and the five inhabited U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and Northern Mariana Islands) and combined the materials to make a single, fully integrated, new material, erasing the borders of statehood and reimagining the country as a single, unified place. Silverman used this new combined material to make the Common Ground glazes, including a tableware set of 56 plates, bowls,  cups and ceremonial pots. The 224 objects are similar to one another in form, size and composition. and are intended as tools to facilitate conversation and build community.  

Common Ground

Bongo ByTheWay (Courtesy Mama Shelter)

Starting on Sunday, Feb. 11, award-winning local winery Fuil Wines will host a regular pop-up wine-tasting room from noon to 3 p.m., the second Sunday of every month at Buvette Wine Bar in Sherman Oaks. Tastings will offer a rotating menu of the winery’s current releases all poured by owner/winemaker Matt Espiro Jaeger. Tickets are 21+ although the venue is family-friendly. Walk-ins are welcome and reservations can be made ahead of time. Guests are welcome to bring food and snacks to pair with their tastings. Tastings are $15 ($1 at the door with a valid union card). Kindred Fuil Wine Club members get two free tastings per visit.

Michelin chefs Max and Lijo of Camphor are teaming up with Chef Seigo of 715 Sushi for a one-night French Japanese seven-course collaboration dinner set to take place on Monday, Jan. 29, at Camphor restaurant. Resy link here.  

Bouillabaisse and Sancerre are back at Lunetta through Friday, Jan. 26, with a prix fixe menu of mushroom and aged gouda quiche, a garden salad with soft marinated feta and a steaming bowl of local halibut, ahi tuna, Scottish salmon, wild Mexican shrimp, black mussels, squid, littleneck clams and New Zealand red crab saffron couscous.  Lemon pudding cake is for dessert.

Grammy Award-winning Producer Bongo ByTheWay and Columbia Records’ VP of A&R Sterling Simms are bringing a monthly R&B Showcase to Mama’s Rooftop at Mama Shelter Hotel in Hollywood starting Wednesday, Jan. 31, in celebration of Grammy week. “Wednesdays, ByTheWay at MAMA” will feature both up-and-coming and established R&B acts performing alongside a live band, with views of Los Angeles in the background. Nigerian-born singer-songwriter Lekan will headline the event alongside Alex Vaughn and a few surprise guests. DJ Aktive, a frequent musical director for Janet Jackson and Patti Labelle, will kick off the event as MC and the house DJ. 

Admission is free with RSVP and guests can enjoy specialty cocktails, and food and hit the dance floor. The monthly event will take place one Wednesday each month from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. RSVP for the Jan. 31 showcase here.

What’s Popping Up is a weekly column in the L.A. Weekly that explores all that’s new in food and drink.