California Pride

This Pacific Standard Time art collaboration that I mentioned in yesterday’s blog is really something else.  http://www.pacificstandardtime.org/

I am really proud + excited to be Californian + be surrounded by art + design that really personifies the West Coast + Californian ideals.  I think these exhibits come at a perfect time, considering that soon I will become a permanent resident of Canada.  It’s like a bittersweet goodbye to my beloved state + the artistic environment that I may have taken for granted, now that I realize all the art + culture that was surrounding me growing up.

Yesterday, we visited the JF Chen antiques + furniture gallery/showroom that was showcasing their huge vintage Eames collection for Pacific Standard Time. 

 

I really thought Jeff was going to pee his pants when we stepped inside.  It was like a museum.  Everything was for sale, but the deal was that if an item was purchased, the paid for item was to be on display as if on loan until the exhibit was to come to a close.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to the ladies’ room + this is what I wanted!!!!  Danish modern mirror!!!!  Drooooooool!!!!!  Dreamy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The old department for Superman was super (haha!) close by, so I wanted to take Jeff there to say hello to everyone + debut myself as Mrs. Nishino-Fayle.  Yes, I’m a hyphen!!!!  Oh, explanation – this is where I was working before I left to go pack a 40 foot shipping container + get married. 

 

 

The gang!!!!  Cacey, Annie (The White Duchess), Ninska (Nina) + Kurt!!!!!  I missed everyone like loco!!!  We chatted, ate a bunch of their potato chips + headed down to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  Better known as LACMA for all those who are savvy.

 

 

On exhibit is the “California Design, 1930–1965: “Living in a Modern Way”, going on until March 25th – so everyone, vite, vite!!!!  Go now!!!  Go!!!!!  Go nooooooow!!!!!  So well curated + displayed!!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The exhibits showed how Californian design evolved over time through the influence of German + Austrian emigres post WW II, the materials that were used in a post war era, the population explosion of Los Angeles suburbs + the needs of the growing atomic families, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

The contents of the Eames House living room was on display in painstaking historical detail.  But alas, we weren’t allowed to take pictures.  But it was really fun to see after being at the house yesterday. 

The best part is a conversation I overheard between two toothpick baby hipsters chatting in their respective bathroom stalls.  Hipster #1 was not excited about celebrating her birthday + was just going to do a quiet Sunday brunch (which is the female Angelenos most beloved past time, by the way).  Hipster #2 asked, “Why aren’t you excited???”.  Hipster #1: “I’m really not that excited to turn 26.”.  Hipster #2 replied, “Well, it could be worse!  You could be turning 27!”.  Hipster #1: “Omigod, you’re totally right, I know!!!”.  This whole conversation is even more ridiculous to me because I just had a conversation with a friend about how she was turning 37.  When the hipsters came out of the bathroom stalls + saw me washing my hands + realized they weren’t alone in the bathroom whilst they were conducting their flippant conversation they bowed their heads sheepishly.  That’s right!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

At the permanent exhibit was “The Centaur” by Pablo Picasso.  Jeff sneaked a picture for me because when I was 4 years old LACMA had a huge Picasso exhibit that my dad took me to.  I remember this piece + how blown away, confused + mesmerized I was by it.  This piece is really symbolic to me.  I thank my parents so much for exposing me to the arts for my whole life. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff + I were really excited to stumble upon the temporary exhibit of Ed Kienholz’s “Five Car Stud”.  It’s a huge installation piece that was crazy controversial in it’s day during the civil rights movement in America.  A huge statement on the race wars in America, it was only showed in Germany + was subsequently placed in storage for almost 40 years in Japan.  Keinholz’s more famous “Back Seat Dodge” installation almost caused LACMA to lose it’s funding in 1966.  His depictions of reality, violence + sexuality gets the good old US of A up in a tizzy. 

 

 

This is not my picture, but from the LACMA website because you were not allowed to take pictures.  But what the amazing thing was that  we were allowed to walk into the installation + really get a really close look at all the details.  I’m not going to describe “Five Car Stud” to all of you, because you should go + see it, or educate yourselves about it.  This is a teaser!

I haven’t been to that many museums in such a short time in a really long while.  I thank Jeff + Pacific Standard Time for being such a patron of the arts + for Jeff being my best friend!!!!  I LOVE CALIFORNIA!!!!!!!