Go Metro Weekends, the Art of the Holidays

by ,
Bottom left corner of Pieter Bruegel’s “Hunters in the Snow.”
Stained glass by Marc Chagall.
From the Los Angeles Ballet Facebook page. Performing the Nutcracker this holiday season at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

The holiday season is ostensibly the time when we have the most time. If we’re lucky, work slows down a bit, we get a vacation day or two; we have more hours to spend catching up with friends and family, or even see that art exhibit that’s been on the calendar since September…

You’re doubtful, but this is the season of hope! Which is why in this iteration of Go Metro Weekends, we present you with artful events throughout the city that you can Go Metro to. Some are holiday-related, others not, but all will remind you of the rich cultural life we enjoy here in L.A. — truly a gift from the city to us all. Speaking of gifts, cross some off your list at the museum store while you’re at it! Many offer discounts this time of year.

First, we have our festive art happenings:

  1. Holiday Open House at Bergamot Station. This Sat, Dec. 12 from noon to 4 p.m. Over 30 galleries, live music, free portrait painting, food/drink and more. (Big Blue Bus 5 to Colorado/26th Street…and by next year, the Expo Line!)
  2. Illuminate Your Holidays at the Getty Center. Now through Jan. 2, enjoy the Getty Center’s light display and complimentary hot cider, every Saturday evening. (Metro Bus 234 to Sepulveda/Getty Center, then connect with free Getty Center Tram.)
  3. Tour the Heritage Square Museum. Harken back to those “golden days of yore” with a weekend visit and/or tour of the museum’s 19th-century California Victorians. (Metro Gold Line to Heritage Square/Arroyo Station, then walk 20 minutes east on Avenue 35 and Griffin Avenue or Bus 252 to Avenue 43/Mosher.)
  4. Hannukah Family Festival at the Skirball Cultural Center. This Sun, Dec. 13 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Storytelling, arts and crafts, dance, music (including a performance by Lisa Loeb), plus a host of great exhibits. (Metro Bus 234 to Sepulveda/Skirball Center.)
  5. Nutcracker Ballet at the Cal State L.A. Luckman Fine Arts Complex this Sun at 2 and 7 p.m. or at the Dolby Theatre this Sat and Sun at 1 and 5 p.m. (Metro Silver Line to Cal State L.A. or Metro Red Line to Hollywood/Highland Station.) Metro riders save 20% on tickets at the Luckman with valid TAP card.
  6. 56th-Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration at the Music Center. Mark this beloved, multi-cultural tradition on your calendar for Dec. 24, 3 to 6 p.m.! Show is free and open to the public, but best to get in line at least an hour before hand to ensure you get seats. (Metro Red/Purple Line to Civic Center/Grand Park Station.)

Conversely, if escaping the holiday madness is your aim:

  1. With exhibits on Vuillard, Fragonard, and the first synthetic blues in French painting, the Norton Simon Museum is all about France this winter. (Metro Gold Line to Memorial Park Station, then walk 10 minutes south on Raymond Street and west on Colorado Boulevard.)
  2. Paperworks at the Craft and Folk Art Museum. (Metro Bus 20 to Wilshire/Curson.)
  3. Frank Gehry and Noah Purifoy retrospectives are still on at LACMA, + the Rain Room and German art from the Weimar Republic. (Metro Bus 20 to Wilshire/Curson.)
  4. Somewhere Over El Arco Iris: Chicano Landscapes; 1971 – 2015 at the Museum of Latin American Art. (Metro Blue Line to 5th Street Station, then walk 12 minutes east on 6th Street and north on Alamitos Avenue, or various Long Beach Transit buses to 7th/Alamitos.)
  5. Francis Stark midcareer survey at the Hammer Museum. (Metro Bus 20 to Wilshire/Westwood.)
  6. Disguise: Masks and Global African Art at the Fowler Museum. (Metro Bus 2 to Hilgard/Wyton or various Santa Monica Big Blue Bus lines to UCLA Terminal at Hilgard/Strathmore.)
  7. Awesome 70s feminist art by Faith Wilding at the Armory Center for the Arts (Metro Gold Line to Memorial Park Station.)

Finally, a few resources for navigating Metro:

Categories: Go Metro

Tagged as: ,

1 reply ›

  1. Yes, it is fien with us…Ssee u at 12 30 p.m. Meet us on the front sidewalk….Thanks!