Grand Ave Arts Presents Free Community Exhibits

Grand Ave Arts: All Access, the annual, one-day, free community event, returns on Saturday, October 29, 2016 with a diverse program of free, family-friendly activities, interactive workshops and tours that highlight and give access to the world-class arts and cultural organizations lining Grand Avenue between Temple and 6th Streets. Grand Ave Arts: All Access is a collaborative, community-inspired endeavor initiated by participating institutions to celebrate their commitment to the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and spotlight the world-class architecture and programming that define this corridor and this city.

"Los Angeles is one of the creative capitals of the world, and Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles is at the center of it all," said Rachel Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. "With its remarkable collection of cultural landmarks, museums and performing arts organizations, Grand Avenue offers Angelenos the unique opportunity to experience the artistic excellence of local, national and International Artists in one centralized location. With Grand Ave Arts: All Access, some of Los Angeles' finest arts and cultural institutions have joined together to provide entree to some of the most powerful arts programming in the world and to share content we hope will inspire and excite people of all ages," Moore explained.

On Saturday, October 29, Grand Avenue will be adorned with colorful banners, balloons and signage to help guide visitors as they enjoy Grand Ave Arts: All Access programming at each institution:

The Broad will host pop-up art talks throughout the day in the galleries, and family-friendly art activities led by Community Art Resources (CARS) will take place on the plaza from 11am-4pm. The museum hours are 10am-8pm. First-come, first-served free general admission access to the museum will be available via the onsite standby line.

Center Theatre Group partners with Art2Go to offer family crafts and activities based on Amélie, A New Musical in front of The Music Center's Mark Taper Forum. Visitors are invited to spin the "prize wheel" for a chance to win tickets and other prizes from the Center Theatre Group.

Colburn School is presenting Grand Ave guests with a daylong schedule of interactive demonstrations and behind-the-scenes access to rehearsals:

• On Colburn's South Plaza Steps from 11:30am-12:30pm, guests have the opportunity to step up to the podium and lead a small chamber orchestra as the maestro.

• From 1-2pm in the South Plaza, visitors can drop some coins or bills into a jar to give Colburn's two Conservatory musicians instructions on how or what to play. All funds received will support need-based scholarships for the Community School of Performing Arts.

• Visitors can learn to dance from 2-3pm at Zipper Hall with faculty from the Community School of Performing Arts dance department. No dance experience is necessary, and children and adults are welcome to participate.

• In Mayman Hall, members of the Community School's public performance choir share their weekly rehearsal time with Grand Avenue guests from 3-4pm.

• Guests can hear the promising young artists of the Coburn School's Jumpstart Young Musicians Band from 4-5pm in Zipper Hall as they take the stage for rehearsal with Director Huei-Yu Pan. These fifth, sixth, and seventh grade students take classes at Coburn School through a partnership with 15 Los Angeles Unified School District schools.

Grand Park provides a behind-the-scenes look into the creation of its Downtown Día de los Muertos altars and art, developed in partnership with Self-Help Graphics & Art and Lore Productions. Thirty-five local artists will construct altars that share personal stories, ranging from celebration of families or lost loved ones, to more contemporary expressions of current affairs and community challenges, such as gang violence, immigration reform and education. The altars will be in display in Grand Park through November 6.

Los Angeles Central Library will host a pop-up booth in Grand Park to provide outreach to visitors, issuing library cards, talking about library services, demonstrating the library's E-media offerings and facilitating all-ages craft projects that focus on William Shakespeare, the subject of the Library's upcoming exhibition. Visitors to the library will find free docent-led tours of the building at 11am and 2pm and a Garden Tour at 12:30 pm. Programming highlights of the day include: Financial Planning Day from 10am-2pm and a Sugar Skulls Craft Program at 3pm.

LA Opera will present two free recitals featuring members of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, singers and pianists who are part of a multi-year residency at LA Opera during their transition from academic training to professional careers. The program will feature a selection of favorite arias and duets as well as selections from the 2016/17 LA Opera season. Recitals will take place at 11am and 2:15pm in the Eva and Marc Stern Grand Hall at The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

LA Phil kicks off a three-year residency for director Yuval Sharon with Nimbus, an installation that transforms a transitional space - the escalators from the parking structure - into a performance site. This installation acts as a timepiece for The Music Center's Walt Disney Concert Hall as Rand Steiger's commissioned music changes over the course of the day, alternating between computer-generated musical atmospheres and compositions built from material recorded by soloists from the orchestra. These pieces, spatially distributed over 32 speakers, alternate with periods of silence interrupted by brief, related sounds triggered by motion sensors.

Nimbus is presented in partnership with Meyer Sound. In addition, the LA Phil education department will host art-making activities designed for kids ages 5-11 to take place in BP Hall. The 30-minute sessions will begin at 10am, 10:45am, noon, 12:45pm, 2pm and 2:30pm. Tickets are free, but early arrival is recommended. Visitors are also invited to walk through the Blue Ribbon Garden on the west side of Walt Disney Concert Hall and get to know some instruments from the orchestra. Open admission will run from noon-3pm.

Los Angeles Master Chorale is featuring singer/composer Moira Smiley as she leads an immersive a cappella experience inside the incredible acoustics of The Music Center's Walt Disney Concert Hall that will involve the entire audience. No musical background is necessary. Smiley, whose voice and music have been heard on feature films, BBC and PBS television programs, NPR and TED talks, will teach the audience a selection of folk songs alongside members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale for a fun, shared concert experience. The first performance will run from 12:00-12:20pm, and the second performance will run from 1:30-1:50pm.

MOCA The Grand Avenue location of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles will provide free admission to the galleries all day, and gallery tours of the museum's permanent collection devoted exclusively to contemporary art. MOCA also welcomes Curate LA who will present Here, a generative digital installation by Alex Benzer and Shelley Holcomb (Curate LA) that conflates participants' own bodies with Los Angeles geography, icons, and symbols. The piece, housed in the MOCA's Ahmanson Auditorium, interacts with viewers to express our collective role in defining our cultural identity. On view from 10am to 5pm. Additionally, NTS Radio will live broadcast and feature three live DJ sets with special performances throughout the day on MOCA's outdoor plaza.

The Music Center presents a family stage on The Music Center Plaza from 11am- 2pm, featuring Music Center on Tour performances that highlight the music of Peru and Japan; the dance of Korea and Spain; and mime, mythology, storytelling and poetry. Visitors to The Music Center Plaza will also experience an exhibition of visual art inspired by Día de los Muertos from Los Angeles-based female artists.

The Music Center will offer a day of free tours featuring its four venues: Walt Disney Concert Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre. Visitors will see and experience backstage areas and auditoriums (schedule permitting) of The Music Center's performing arts campus. Tours of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theater and Mark Taper Forum run from 10am-2pm and depart every 30 minutes with check-in for timed tickets in front of each venue. Tours of Walt Disney Concert Hall run from 10am-4 pm with check-in for timed tickets in front of the venue.

REDCAT, CalArts' downtown center for the contemporary arts, located inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex, will screen selections from the 2016 International Children's Film Festival, featuring animated and live action short films from around the world for the entire family. Films screen from 12-4pm. On view in the gallery will be an exhibition of Tamara Henderson's writings, sculptures, 16mm films and paintings that often refer to dreamscapes that the artist reconstructs in the exhibition space. The REDCAT lounge and gallery will be open 12-6pm.

All events are free and first come, first served. For event schedule and programming information, visit grandavearts.tumblr.com or (213) 972-8500.

Photo Credit: Jamie Pham

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