Things to Do This Week in L.A. [4-25-2022 to 4-29-2022]

Kickstart your week with a contemplation of human consciousness and end with with some free art. And if you want to get dollar oysters in between, that works too.

This April 25-29 in Los Angeles, attend a free filmmaker discussion with Riley Stearns, catch a comedy show via Netflix is a Joke, enjoy live Mariachi at the Fowler Museum, and check out Pasadena ArtNight. So what will you be doing this week? Start planning below.

Things To Do

Lost & Found at the Movies: How to Survive Your Own Death -> This Monday at the Mark Taper Auditorium, the Library Foundation’s ALOUD series present an in-person event featuring an in depth conversation with director Riley Stearns (The Art of Self Defense) on the depiction of immortality, cloning, and consciousness in science fiction filmmaking, including his latest work, Dual. The program is free to attend with RSVP. More info here.

Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse -> The first west coast display of the iconic fashion designer’s works is now in exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art . Mind, Mythos, Muse examines McQueen’s artistic legacy through a display of garments from the Collection of Regina J. Drucker alongside artworks from LACMA’s permanent collection. Runs through Oct. 9. LACMA is open Thursday to Tuesday. More info here.

Your (Un)natural Garden -> A new installation experience created by artist Adam Schwerner is now open daily at Descanso Gardens. Your (Un)Natural Garden offers colorful, interactive pop-up works and installations located inside the Sturt Haaga Gallery, Boddy House. Touching the art is definitely encouraged. Runs through Jan. 8, 2023. Included with garden admission. More info here.

New at Skirball –> Two new exhibitions are now open at the Skirball Cultural Center, both firmly rooted in the immigrant experience. “I’ll Have What She’s Having”: The Jewish Deli traces the Jewish immigrant experience in America through the lens of the delicatessen, while Talking Back to Power: Projects by Aram Han Sifuentes centers on stories of immigrant garment workers in the United States. Skirball is open Tuesday through Sunday. General admission is $12, and free on Thursdays. You can find a photo preview of the new exhibitions here.

Venice Family Clinic Art Walk + Auction -> Now through May 1, check out (and bid on) over 200 artworks at the Venice Art Walk Gallery (395 Santa Monica Place) as part of the benefit auction for Venice Family Clinic. The gallery is open daily from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is free. More info here.

Pan African Film & Arts Festival –> The 30th annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival runs from April 19 to May 1, with a lineup featuring more than 190 films originating from over 40 countries, with tickets for individual screenings starting at $12. Get more info on the entire schedule here.

Lunch Time Yoga –> Every Wednesday at Grand Park, Lunch À La Park Yoga reTREAT offers a free 45-minute session starting at noon. Get more info here.

Small Island Big Song -> This Wednesday, the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro hosts a live music and multimedia concert celebrating celebrates 5,000 years of Pacific Islander culture, connecting indigenous musicians. Tickets start as low as $35. Get more info here.

Netflix is a Joke: The Festival -> Netflix’s first-ever live comedy festival kicks off this Thursday with a slate of 11 shows across Los Angeles. In total, Netflix is a Joke will include over 100 live shows to 25 L.A. venues from April 28 to May 8. Some of the headline shows for this weekend include Pete Davidson at The Fonda, Tom Pappas at The Regent, and Dave Chapelle at the Hollywood Bowl. More info here.

LA Phil Gen X Festival -> The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Gen X Festival continues this week with Dudamel Leads Adès’ Dante (April 28-30), a night of music at Walt Disney Concert Hall led by Gustavo Dudamel and the premiere of composer Thomas Adès’ score Dante. The Gen X Festival takes place April 22 through May 14 with a genre-spanning line-up of artists and programming both ticketed and free. Highlights include a Liz Phair concert with special guests Ben Gibbard, Bethany Cosentino and more; a queer dance party at Zebulon; an LA 80’s through 90’s food discussion at Second Home; and a 1980’s Horror Film Marathon at the Aero Theatre. More info here. 

Fowler Out Loud: Mariachi de UCLAtlán -> This Thursday at the Fowler Museum’s Outloud series, catch a free concert featuring Mariachi de Uclatlán, a student group dedicated to traditional Mexican music, as guided by the Grammy-winning musical director of Mariachi Los Camperos, Jesús “Chuy” Guzmán. The performance starts at 6 p.m., and galleries will be open to 8 p.m. More info here.

ArtNight Pasadena  -> This Friday, ArtNight Pasadena bands together a group of local institutions and historic locations for an evening of free admissions, and arts and culture programming. Participants include the Gamble House, Kidspace Museum, the Pasadena History Museum, Norton Simon Museum, USC Pacific Asia Museum, and the Armory Center for the Arts. More info here.

Dining

Mama Shelter $1 Oyster Happy Hour -> Every Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. Mama Shelter’s downstairs lobby bar is offering $1 oysters and $2 martinis in addition to their daily drink happy hour menu. 

Smoke City Char Bar Reverse Happy Hour -> Smoke City Char Bar in the DTLA Arts District just launched a Sundown Happy Hour from 9 p.m. to close, Thursday through Saturday. Score $1 wings, $3 sliders, $5 nachos, $5 chili cheese fries, $10 smokey sangria and $1 off all local drafts and wine during slated hours.  

XENiA Modern Mediterranean Grill -> XENIA is the newest addition to the growing community of cloud kitchens we have in Los Angeles. Operating out of Culver City, XENIA offers a tight knit menu of grilled steak and chicken skewer plates, pita wraps and salads. A vegetarian option of roasted white sweet potatoes can also take the place of meat entrees. Highlights include the steak pita, crunchy fries and a carrot hummus dip packed with intense flavor.

Spring Menu at Brooklyn Ave. Pizza Co. -> Brooklyn Ave. Pizza Co. recently introduced a few Spring specials to their Boyle Heights restaurant including a Primavera Pizza inspired by the flavors of a chicken pot pie. The pizza starts with a five day fermented dough topped with bechamel sauce, baked in a wood fired oven and topped off with sautéed mirepoix, shredded chicken confit, fontina cheese and sugar snap peas. The pie is finished with a fresh pea tendril salad.

Employees Only Golden Hour -> Employees Only is offering a ‘Golden Hour’ Tuesday through Sunday from 6 to 7 p.m. The happy hour menu is made up of classic bar snacks reinvented by Chef Josh Buckwald. Bites include fried Potatoes & Pickles, Stuffed Burrata, Prosciutto Grissini and Market Crudo. A number of apértifs are also be on the menu during this time. 

Melenie Talks Wine -> On Friday, April 29, Melanie Wine Bar will host a wine talk and tasting class focused on Bordeaux. The one-hour talk will help guests learn about the region’s over 2000 year-old wine history and how to fully savor Bordeaux wine. Tickets cost $55 per person.

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Any notes or corrections? Want to suggest an event we should add to an upcoming list? Hit us up at [email protected].