When in LA, I always make it a point to see art either in a small gallery or large museum. Having my own bucket list, I finally got to experience the newly opened David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), designed by Peter Zumthor, and the brand-new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art founded by filmmaker George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson.
It was my first time visiting LACMA. I specifically wanted to go to visit the exhibit “Fashioning Chinese Women: Empire to Modernity” which honors a century of transformation through more than 70 beautifully crafted clothing from Shanghai, Hong Kong, and America.
Both spaces offered completely different ways of experiencing art… from scale and architecture of the spaces to the stories, histories, and imagination held within them. I was very excited to attend the opening week of The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. This place reminded me of how powerful visual storytelling can be through fine art such as paintings, sculptures, illustration to comics, film, and murals. People often associate George Lucas with Star Wars (and many other notable films) but don’t realize he and his wife, Mellody, are prominent art collectors.
The Museum’s collection ranges from illustrators such as Norman Rockwell to N. C. Wyeth to comic artists like Frank Frazetta to Robert Crumb. Then there are the modern and contemporary artists, from Frida Kahlo to Kaws, and muralists such as Judith F. Baca to Diego Rivera. Nonetheless, I was VERY overly stimulated. I took only a small number of photos/videos. I just wanted to put my phone away and take in all the work without the distraction. I definitely saw the entire art collection, but my brain was only able to process a fraction of what I actually saw. Next time I am in LA, I will definitely be going back!
I had the opportunity to visit the Hospital of Emotions; a completely different kind of experience that invited me to enter the emotional side of being human. I am always telling people “It’s okay to feel all the emotions. That is what makes us human.” Over 70 artists transformed various rooms across four floors of the historic hospital. Each room acts as a symbolic department focused on a specific human feeling, such as joy, love, fear, anger, hope, sadness, compassion, and resilience.
Visiting these places reminds me why I love being surrounded by art… how much architecture, an image, an object, or a story can make you stop, look closer, and see something differently. Sometimes a little change of scenery is all you need to get inspired, curious, and reminded of why creativity matters so much. If you open yourself to wander, you will never know what you’ll discover …out there or within yourself.
Until next time! Keep exploring!
Jen
