Happy Birthday Thomas Cole (b. Bolton, Lancashire, England, February 1, 1801 – d. Catskill, NY, February 11, 1848)

Thomas Cole, The Destruction of Empire from "The Course of the Empire" series, 1836, Oil on canvas, 39 ½ x 63 ½ in. Collection of The New-York Historical Society

Help Maintain Funding for the L.A. Dept. of Cultural Affairs!

With a nearly $200-million gap, City of Los Angeles budget officials are looking at large budgets cuts throughout L.A. The LA Times previously reported that the L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) could experience a loss of 30 employees. Arts for L.A. has begun a petition to halt the City Council from eliminating the Department of Cultural Affairs' sole dedicated revenue stream, the 1% allocation from the Transient Occupancy Tax that currently funds much of the Department's programming and operations.

Please visit the link below to send a letter and forward this information to friends, family and those who care about the quality of life in the city of L.A.

Take action Arts for LA


Jan. 23, 2009: LA Times: Plan to cut L.A. jobs would hurt neighborhood councils and art programs, report shows

Happy Birthday Barnett Newman (b. NYC, January 29 1905 – July 4 1970)

Barnett Newman, Broken Obelisk, 1963-69. Cor-Ten steel, 24' 10" x 10' 11" x 10' 11"
On View at the Museum of Modern Art, New York

Getty Foundation "Pacific Standard Time" initiative celebrates L.A. art

Just two days before our launch, the Getty Foundation announced $3.1 million in grants to 26 institutions in in L.A. and all across Southern California. Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980 is a joint initiative of the Getty Foundation and the Getty Research Institute which aims to document the history of art in LA in the post World War II period and to share it with a wider audience. The Getty Foundation grants will support exhibition planning and publication at SoCal institutions. What the Getty Foundation calls "the largest collaborative project ever undertaken by museums in the region" is scheduled to open “thematically linked” exhibits in Fall 2011.

The press conference was assisted by directors and curators from numerous Southern California museums as well as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. He commented on the importance of the arts in the city of LA. Villaraigosa praised the project stating "I commend the Getty for their leadership and investment in Los Angeles arts, and for bringing all these institutions together to share and celebrate an amazing history. The Getty, with its ongoing support, has demonstrated its commitment to arts in Los Angeles. This initiative will certainly drive cultural tourism to our city and show the world all we have to offer. Pacific Standard Time reinforces Los Angeles' reputation as a major cultural destination."

Among the 26 grantee organizations are LACMA, MOCA, the UCLA Hammer Museum, the Orange County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Museum of Latin American Art, LA Filmforum, and the Palm Springs Museum of Art. In addition to them are eight "programming partners," including the Skirball Cultural Center, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Norton Simon Museum, featuring self-funded events.

Rumbling about Pacific Standard Time has already begun in art circles and we honestly cannot wait for this string of fabulous exhibits to open!

Getty Press Release

LA Times report

Left-Right: Olga Garay, Executive Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs; Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Deborah Marrow, Director of the Getty Foundation; and Joan Weinstein Deputy Director of the Getty Foundation. Getty Foundation Pacific Standard Time press event, Chateau Marmont, West Hollywood, CA.

Image caption from above: Reenactment of Allan Kaprow's Fluids (1967) at LACMA, 2008.
Photos: © 2008 Museum Associates/LACMA