Ryan Morris fills in the answer to the question on the community mural project entitled, "Before I Die" at the Flying Saucers Cafe on Thursday, November 1, 2012. Before I Die is a global art project that encourages members of the public to share their most heartfelt hopes and deepest dreams, scrawling them in colored chalk as part of the public art installation.This project was started by Candy Chang on an abandoned house in New Orleans after she lost someone she loved.

Four sculptures entitled “Easter Island” by Alex Israel are being featured at the Venice Beach Biennial on Sunday, July 15, 2012. The Venice Beach Biennial is a weekend event that makes tongue-in-cheek reference to the “real” Venice Biennale in Italy. The show is curated by Ali Subtonick and is in conjunction with Made in L.A. 2012. The Venice Beach Biennial is made possible by the Teiger Foundation.

Check out this Sand Mandala at Santa Monica beach created by Santa Monica Beach Art on Tuesday, June 5, 2012. The group creates sand mandalas on the new and full moon during low tide. Mandala's are a concentric diagram having spiritual and ritual significance. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of aspirants and adepts, as a spiritual teaching tool, for establishing a sacred space, and as an aid to meditation and trance induction. In common use, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the Universe from the human perspective.

Elisa Gemme  adds her foot prints onto Animal Kingdom’s multi-species community art project during  the Pico de Mayo festival at the Santa Monica Civic parking lot on Sunday, May 27, 2012.

“Gotta Dance! The Art of the Dance Movie Poster” is a special exhibition of vintage, rarely seen movie posters from the collection of creative director/designer Mike Kaplan.

Comprised of over 80 distinct pieces, GOTTA DANCE! features predominantly lesser-known American films coupled with a handful of more prominent titles, re-imagined by foreign artists and designers.  Nearly 80% of the posters in this exhibition were designed for foreign audiences and most were created during the Golden Age of Movie Poster design (1930-1950). Examples from Australia, South American and Europe stand beside their American cousins, signifying each film’s finest poster regardless of country. This exhibition will mark the first time that many of these movie posters will be revealed to an American audience.

Nothing encompasses California heritage better than the film industry.  California—Hollywood in particular—was the home and birthplace of many of the film industry’s leading production studios: MGM, 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, RKO Radio Films and Republic Pictures being a few of the most notable. 

While the motion picture is recognized as the most influential art form of the 20th century, the movie poster has seldom received the recognition it deserves. Partially due to the commercial needs that must be considered in their conception—text in the form of slogans, title treatment and credits—movie posters have been viewed by many as nothing more than a sidebar of popular culture. This exhibition is an opportunity to focus on the movie poster as a unique and underappreciated art form.

The history of the movie poster runs in fascinating parallel to the history of film, not by merely reflecting the evolution of a new medium, but by expanding its visibility and captivating new audiences.  Design aesthetics and historic significance form the foundation of this dynamic exhibition.

The posters on view range from Singin’ In The Rain (1952) and Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954) to Funny Face (1957) and The Red Shoes (1948). Also showcased is West Side Story (1962)—the only poster to highlight Oscar-winners Rita Moreno and George Chakiris.  Additionally, Danny Kaye is represented as the neighboring Kid From Brooklyn (1946), depicted at the center of a colorful French lithograph, surrounded by a bevy of chorus girls inspired by Toulouse-Lautrec.

Signature pieces in the exhibition include: an original French-release poster for An American in Paris (1951), previously owned by Gene Kelly; a young, two dimensional James Stewart prominently dancing with three dimensional Eleanor Powell in Born to Dance (1936); an immaculate image of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in elegant evening attire for Carefree (1938); Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in caricaturist Al Hirschfeld’s design for the rare American 40x60 version of Strike Up the Band (1940); plus the only poster to spotlight the Nicholas Brothers executing a dazzling, acrobatic tap routine in The Great American Broadcast (1941).

From Clara Bow and Marilyn Monroe to James Cagney and Elvis Presley, scintillating graphic design highlights many of the screen’s most talented star dancers and performers.  Additionally, GOTTA DANCE! presents vibrant posters featuring Gene Autry, Leslie Caron, Joan Crawford, Lena Horne, Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth, Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Dick Van ****, Mickey & Minnie Mouse, and many others.


This exhibition is funded, in part, by grants from the Wells Fargo Foundation, the Ira M. Resnik Foundation, Inc., the LLWW Foundation, Dawson Design Los Angeles, Copyland Los Angeles, the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Department, the Fairfield County Foundation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Victorian/Calamigos Ranch, as well as generous corporate, foundation and private individual donations.

The exhibition runs through  September 30, 2012.

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UCLA volunteers LeeAnn Patrick (left) and Isabella Europa paint Janet Wallace’s ocean themed mural at the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday, January 28, 2012.

Artists install the Otis Portable Parks IV Project at Santa Monica Place on Friday, January 27, 20112.

The Portable Parks IV will temporarily transform the Center Plaza into a garden setting; raising awareness of environmental sustainability and unveiling different aspects of consumer culture to the diverse visitors to Santa Monica Place. 

The art project Is a collaborative partnership between Otis College of Art and Design, The Getty Foundation’s Research Institute and PST’s Public Art and Performance Festival.

The opening event is on Saturday January 28, from 11 am – 2 pm and will include a welcome and lecture by artist Bonnie Sherk, Green Tours, chess tournaments, and other performances to be announced.