Welcome to a new year! Er, a new month – that took forever, didn’t it? As we move into the first week of February, the old is becoming new again. At Blum & Poe art gallery, an exhibition that opened at the Museum of Modern Art over 60 years ago is revitalized; at the Actor’s Gang, a play written in the 1970s remarks on the high cost of living and the punishment of those in need.
This week, consider seeing Dael Orlandersmith’s new show at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Until the Flood, a startling and beautiful observation of a community divided and left confused by the loss of Michael Brown. Whatever you choose to do this week, it’s sure to make you consider your place in our shared human experience.
1. Art: New Images of Man, curated by Alison M. Gingeras – opening reception Feb. 1; see through March 14, 2020
Blum & Poe is expanding on an Museum of Modern Art exhibition from 1959. The show then dealt with the fall-out from the Second World War in featuring European neo avant-garde artists of the time. According to the press release, “the impetus behind the new New Images of Man is to continue our collective rumination on the human condition with renewed emotional and intellectual urgency.” This rendition corrects some of the sins of the previous show, for instance its overwhelming maleness, by adding female artists of the period. It also incorporates artists outside of Europe and the U.S., including artists from Cuba, Egypt, Haiti and India, to name a few.
Time: Opening reception on Feb. 1, 2020 from 5 p.m.-8 p.m.
Location: Blum & Poe, 2727 La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034
Price: Free
2. Film & Discussion: “She Did That” @ Blackbird House – Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020
“She Did That” explores the entrepreneurial pursuits of four Black women, namely Luvvie Ajayi (New York Times best-selling author, speaker and digital strategist), Lisa Price (founder, Carol’s Daughter), Melissa Butler (founder, The Lip Bar) and Tonya Rapley (founder, My Fab Finance). Following the film will be a discussion with director and executive producer, Renae Bluitt (also the founder of the popular blog, In Her Shoes), Rapley and Felicia Leatherwood, celebrity stylist and founder of Loving Your Hair With Natural Care.
Time: Sun. 12 p.m.-2 p.m.
Location: Blackbird House, 10600 Virginia Ave, Culver City, CA 90232
Price: $15-$20
3. Speaker Series: Addressing Homelessness – Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020
Homelessness is up all over the country, and cities are grappling to find solutions. With the homeless count just behind us, what better time for Culver City to host its second speaker series event on Addressing Homlessness? The event will feature Phil Ansell, Mark Lipman, Christine Mirasy-Glasco, and Robin Ricard to discuss both long and short term solutions for addressing homelessness. Two of the speakers will discuss their personal experience exiting homelessness. It’s sure to be a packed event, so make sure to arrive early. Light refreshments will be served.
Time: 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.
Location: Culver-Palms United Methodist Church, 4464 Sepulveda Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90230
Price: Free
4. Performance: Can’t Pay? Don’t Pay! by Dario Fo – Opening Thursday, Feb. 6, see through March 28, 2020
Nobel Leareate Dario Fo’s play will be staged at the Actor’s Gang through March 28, 2020. The story follows housewife Antonia, who revolts with other local women at a supermarket. Political backlash ensues, and we watch as Antonia and her friend hide stolen goods from their husbands and police. The play was written in 1974 as a farce and commentary on the high prices of goods, but resonates today for its central question: in a world where corporate greed is rewarded, why is theft by those truly in need punished?
Time: Find showtimes here.
Location: The Actor’s Gang, 9070 Venice Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Price: $25-$50
5. Performance: Until the Flood @ Kirk Douglas Theatre – Now through Feb. 23, 2020
In this moving one-woman show, Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith considers a community torn by the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Orlandersmith moves around the stage and transforms into different characters, all based on interviews she conducted with residents. The result is powerful, and weaves together rather than pulls apart. You can read the Crossroads’ review here.
Location: Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Price: $30-$75
Elizabeth Moss
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