Golden Hour At Norton Simon Museum Is Summer Bliss: L.a. Arts And Culture This Weekend

As summertime heats up alongside nan exhausting news cycle, it’s important to find ways to unplug and upwind down. Golden Hour successful nan recently renovated sculpture plot astatine nan Norton Simon Museum is conscionable nan thing. Taking spot coming (Friday), and connected 2 much Fridays this play (July 31 and Aug. 28), nan arena lasts from 4:30-6:30 p.m. and features a different philharmonic group each time.

Tonight is nan Verbena Quartet; a North Indian ensemble and a jazz trio are upcoming.

The nosy is free pinch depository admission, and guests are encouraged to bring blankets to relax successful nan grass. I took my family of 4 to a caller arena and it proved to beryllium nan uncommon occurrence erstwhile some nan 10-year-old and nan 17-year-old were happy. The depository provides each kinds of awesome creation supplies connected a large array by nan entrance, including sketch paper, clipboards, colored pencils and charcoal drafting utensils.

There are besides sheets of insubstantial encouraging imaginative ways to attack drafting various sculptures successful nan garden, alongside a family-friendly Golden Hour bingo paper pinch squares including “Spot thing framed by character branches” and “Look astatine nan abstraction betwixt 2 objects.”

I did immoderate drafting pinch my toes successful nan writer while my kiddos curved their necks complete their ain mini masterpieces. My hubby publication a book. The sun slanted debased arsenic nan day melted into early evening, casting beautiful shadows connected nan families, couples, friend groups and solitary artists scattered astir nan plot sipping vino and snacking connected food and crackers from nan adjacent cafe.

When we had our capable of relaxing, we ambled into nan museum. My girl wanted to regard astatine nan Picassos and nan Van Goghs. As did I. I ne'er don’t outcry erstwhile I look astatine “The Mulberry Tree.”

“Can you ideate what he was thinking?” I asked my 10-year-old arsenic we regarded nan painting. “The symptom and nan beauty of it?”

She nodded sagely, mildly smoothing her thumb against her ain caller drawing, her heavy soul world a enigma to me. The beauty and nan symptom of it. I was gladsome we had cuddled together successful nan precocious day sunshine.

I’m arts editor Jessica Gelt, wishing you and your loved ones peace. This is your arts and civilization news for nan week.

The week ahead: A curated calendar

FRIDAY

Antigone
The Bebelos Players coming a back-to-basics accumulation of Sophocles’ classical play astir a young female who defies a king to grant her dormant brother.
7 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Theosophy Hall, 245 W. 33rd St. eventbrite.com

“Horse,” by Rick Bartow, 2014, wood, tar, wax, mendacious teeth, nails. 56 x 42 x 12 in.


(Yubo Dong, ofstudio)

Rick Bartow
Last chance to drawback “All of these things person happened,” an accumulation of useful connected insubstantial by nan precocious Native American creator that touch connected tragedies from passim his life, arsenic good arsenic “Horse,” a 2014 sculpture covered successful tar, wax, mendacious teeth and nails that is “a study of sustained resilience.”
Noon-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday (last day). Timothy Hawkinson Gallery, 7424 Beverly Blvd. timothyhawkinsongallery.com

Spencer Finch
“Balboa of House and Garden,” composed wholly of caller work, is nan artist’s first accumulation successful Los Angeles. The show includes much than 50 unsocial useful connected paper, a site-specific skylight installation and a monumental outdoor sculpture. Finch’s “Memory Landscape (Nairobi, Chicago, Honolulu, Jakarta),” 2025, a commissioned tile wall mural inspired by places from President Barack Obama’s formative years, was precocious installed astatine nan Obama Presidential Center successful Chicago.
Opening, 6-8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, done Aug. 22. Lisson, 1037 N. Sycamore Ave. lissongallery.com

Bodo Mato
The pseudonymous multidisciplinary creator uses a subconscious dreamworld to entree a legendary mislaid metropolis to find real-world parallels successful nan accumulation “Atlantis: Echoes of Hubris.”
Opening reception, 6-10 p.m. Friday. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Tuesday. 7811 Gallery (West), 7813 Melrose Ave. 7811gallery.com

Raymond Saunders, “Layers of Being,” 1985. Mixed media connected canvas, 81 x 59 15/16 x 1 in.

(Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh / Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Block / © 2025 Estate of Raymond Saunders)

Raymond Saunders
“Flowers From a Black Garden” is simply a career-spanning look astatine nan creator (1934-2025) arsenic he moved from Dada, expressionism and assemblage to Fluxus, Pop and postmodernism, opening successful nan 1960s.
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, done Jan. 3. UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art, Segerstrom Center for nan Arts, 3333 Avenue of nan Arts, Costa Mesa. langson.uci.edu

SATURDAY

Chrysalis prototypes deployed successful Joshua Tree, 1970, reproduction.

(Chrysalis Corporation)

Alternative Palm Springs: Other Desert Architectures
In immoderate parallel reality location whitethorn beryllium a Coachella Valley dissimilar thing you’ve ever imagined. In lieu of that, this accumulation shares nan unbuilt visions of salient architects, off-grid designs of nan counterculture, and backstage and nationalist worlds created by nan LGBTQ+ during nan 20th century, yielding an expanded position of nan area’s architectural ambitions.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday; noon-8 p.m. Thursday; done Jan. 4; closed June 26 and July 4. Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion, 300 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. psmuseum.org

Declarations of Independence
Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles and impermanent creator Justin Tranter observe nationalist and individual state and pridefulness for America’s 250th anniversary.
7 p.m. Saturday; 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Saban Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. gmcla.org/declarations

A Great Night successful Hip-Hop
The Roots return for their 3rd twelvemonth astatine nan Bowl, joined by Nas, pinch appearances from T.I., Bun B, De La Soul and more.
7:30 p.m. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave. hollywoodbowl.com

Rota Fortunae
A one-night-only experimental opera featuring Jordan Slaffey reimagines nan 4 women of nan 1996 crime thriller “Set It Off” utilizing movement, unrecorded euphony and fashion. Directed by Chris Emile, euphony by composer and DJ Cody Perkins and designs by James Flemons.
7:30 p.m. Indoor Swap Meet, 128 S. La Brea Ave., Inglewood. eventbrite.com

Peter Stampfel
An innovator of anti-folk, freak-folk and psych-folk, nan 87-year-old co-founder of nan Holy Modal Rounders makes a uncommon West Coast appearance.
8 p.m. McCabe’s Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. mccabes.com

THURSDAY

Ojai Film Society Summer Screening Series
Annual position of independent, foreign, documentary, critically acclaimed and classical films kicks disconnected Thursday pinch Taika Waititi’s 2016 escapade drama “Hunt for nan Wilderpeople,” starring Sam Neill. Other screenings: “Selena Y Los Dinos” (July 10); “Cookie Queens” (July 17); “Best successful Show” (July 24); “Arrival” (Aug. 20); and “Jurassic Park” (Aug. 27).
7:30 p.m. Thursday; various dates done Aug. 27. Libbey Bowl, 210 S. Signal St., Ojai. ojaifilmsociety.org

Tank and nan Bangas
The Grammy-winning New Orleans euphony group shares its signature blend of funk, soul, hip-hop, stone and spoken word. Featuring an opening group by Butter Funk Family and DJ sets by Tosstones.
7 p.m. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. skirball.org

Arts anywhere

Meryl Streep, from left, and Amanda Seyfried, Rachel McDowall and Ashley Lilley successful nan 2008 movie type of “Mamma Mia!”

(Peter Mountain / Universal Pictures)

Broadway unbound

Two of nan biggest deed musicals ever are successful municipality simultaneously starting this week — “Mamma Mia!” is astatine nan Ahmanson done July 19 and “Phantom of nan Opera” plays nan Hollywood Pantages done Aug. 9. If you want to bony up beforehand aliases relive nan hits aft you’ve been to nan theater, nan cinematic adaptations of some are wide available. The 2008 movie type of “Mamma Mia!” starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried streams connected Prime done nan extremity of June and nan 2004 “Phantom” pinch Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum is streaming connected Prime and Apple TV. Both films are disposable to rent aliases bargain connected various platforms and, if you’re into beingness media, comparatively inexpensive Blu-ray and DVD versions tin beryllium had online. Public libraries are besides awesome resources for arts-related content.

— Kevin Crust

Culture news and nan SoCal scene

Passengers hold to committee nan first train to get astatine nan Metro D Line astatine nan Wilshire/Fairfax Station successful Los Angeles connected May 8, 2026.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

With nan caller Metro D Line subway hold up-and-running pinch caller stations astatine Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega, we asked architecture writer Sam Lubell to return an artistic look astatine these caller displays of nationalist art. “Suddenly nan metropolis feels different. Not transformed, exactly. But much connected,” wrote Lubell. “The fracturing grip of nan city’s incomprehensible expanses, clogged arteries and stagnant governance — each intimidating barriers to patient civic life — feels a small looser. … The stations, too, consciousness much connected, pinch art, architecture and infrastructure blending seamlessly into a cohesive acquisition … But supra ground, it’s a communicative of 2 (transit) cities. Outdoor plazas deficiency nan benignant of textured civic beingness that’s been created below.”

The Hollywood Bowl opened its summertime play pinch a lavish production, “The Best of Broadway,” starring Lea Salonga, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Darren Criss, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Halle Bailey, and hosted by Billy Crystal. The programme including a action of Broadway tunes aged and new, was delivered pinch flair to an appreciative audience. “I had a beautiful time,” reports Times theatre professional Charles McNulty, “but I can’t opportunity nan performance lived up to its title. Not that awesome virtuosity wasn’t connected display, but Broadway is genuinely astatine its champion erstwhile philharmonic numbers are embedded successful a story, allowing nan performers to provender disconnected each different and scope heights that they mightiness not beryllium capable to scope connected their own. Too overmuch of nan measure required nan actors to guidelines and deliver, ‘American Idol’-style. It was a small unfair to spot specified a dense load connected them.”

McNulty besides reviewed nan Geffen Playhouse’s Los Angeles premiere of Pearl Cleage’s “Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous,” about an American expat character angling for her large comeback. The play, wrote McNulty, “is hamstrung pinch exposition. More clip is devoted to mounting up nan melodramatic business than to activating it. … The intentions are noble and nan themes are handled pinch admirable complexity, but nan penning is sluggish. The crippled is for illustration an aged car whose motor conscionable refuses to commencement connected a acold wintertime morning.”

After 20 years arsenic LA Opera Music Director James Conlon will measurement down.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The last show of L.A. Opera’s accumulation “Marriage of Figaro” past Sunday besides marked nan extremity of James Conlon’s tenure astatine nan podium arsenic nan organization’s euphony director. Stepping down aft 20 years, Conlon spoke to Times classical euphony professional Mark Swed. “I emotion L.A. and I’m not going to leave,” said Conlon. “I americium perfectly happy astatine this constituent successful my life. You cognize my property is 76. It is not a secret. I deterioration it proudly. But I’ve been a euphony head for 47 years, and I don’t want to beryllium a euphony head immoderate longer. I will still conduct.” Will he return regularly to L.A. Opera? “That’s nan theory,” he said

Another maestro who can’t discontinue L.A. is Esa-Pekka Salonen. Last weekend, nan beloved composer and conductor, who is backmost pinch nan L.A. Phil arsenic imaginative director, returned to nan Ojai Music Festival aft a quarter-century absence. “Salonen recovered renewal not from nan desperation of rethinking but from freshening, illuminating nan cognition of exceptional young musicians first encountering greatness,” wrote Swed successful his reappraisal of nan 4 days. “In these uncertain times, that whitethorn beryllium nan astir singular enactment of creator optimism.”

Spanish creator Nieves Gonzalez stands adjacent to 1 of her paintings that is portion of her solo show astatine nan Richard Heller Gallery astatine Bergamot Station successful Santa Monica connected June 18, 2026.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Not yet 30, Spanish creator Nieves González is simply a burgeoning world creation prima pinch an accumulation astatine Richard Heller Gallery successful Santa Monica. “Fashion inspires me,” she told writer Jane Horowitz in a caller interview. “Just arsenic 17th period artists drew inspiration from nan manner of their time — often creating paintings that served arsenic catalogs of existent styles — I do nan same. The extremity is to not simply convey a circumstantial connection aliases ideology but to create a testament to a procreation and nan era successful which we live.”

“California Gothic: A Bus Tour,” an avant-garde sightseeing arena organized by nan New Theater Hollywood, turns Tinseltown “into a stage, drafting locals for a mash-up of authorities history, gothic storytelling and public-intellectual riffing connected nan surgery California dream,” wrote Times unit writer Eloise Rollins-Fife. The circuit ended its latest tally successful mid-June, but will reopen during nan past week of October for a typical “ghost tour” edition.

Times columnist Patt Morrison reported from nan City of Lights connected Paris-born thoroughfare creator JR’s “La Caverne du Pont Neuf,” which she describes arsenic “an tremendous creation installation, a trompe l’oeil inflatable snow-clad upland scope … an homage to nan innovative activity of groundbreaking biology artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.” The activity uses astir 200,000 quadrate feet of printed cloth connected nan city’s oldest span to create nan illusion and nan creator told Morrison, “Your oculus wants to judge it, and for a infinitesimal you fto yourself. That spread betwixt knowing and believing is wherever nan play happens, and group emotion being wrong that gap.”

Stewart McLaurin, president of nan White House Historical Assn., displays a newly-acquired suite of 4 interrelated paintings by Norman Rockwell titled, “So You Want to See nan President!” astatine nan association’s offices Wednesday, June 10, 2026, successful Washington.

(John McDonnell / Associated Press)

In nan 1940s, Norman Rockwell spent clip successful nan visitor’s lobby of nan White House sketching U.S. senators, members of nan military, nan property and a Miss America arsenic they awaited introduction into nan Oval Office to spot President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Eight decades later, 4 of nan sketches person been acquired by nan White House Historical Assn. for $7 million, according to nan Associated Press. Titled “So You Want to See nan President!” nan sketches will beryllium connected nationalist show done June 2027 astatine nan humanities association’s “The People’s House” acquisition halfway adjacent nan White House.

It was a engaged week for announcing immoderate of this autumn and winter’s Broadway openings. Lincoln Center Theater’s Vivian Beaumont will big a revival of Aaron Sorkin’s “A Few Good Men,” starring Bradley Whitford and Tom Blyth, directed by six-time Tony victor Michael Arlen, starting Oct. 8. In March 2027, LCT Artistic Director Lear deBessonet will helm a caller accumulation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music,” for its first Broadway tally successful astir 30 years. A revival of Richard Greenberg’s “Three Days of Rain” lands successful February 2027 astatine a Shubert Organization-owned theatre to beryllium announced pinch Anna D. Shapiro directing. The formed will see “Heated Rivalry’s” François Arnaud and David Corenswet of “Superman” successful their Broadway debuts, joined by Yvonne Strahovski of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The play was antecedently connected Broadway successful 2006 pinch Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd. Walter Hill’s 1979 pack saga “The Warriors” will make nan leap from surface to shape arsenic a musical, pinch a book, euphony and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis. Previews statesman astatine Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre successful March 2027 pinch an opening slated for April. Jenny Koons will direct.

— Kevin Crust

And past but not least

We screen a batch of awards successful this space, but coming we get to springiness a shout-out to 1 of our own. Times theatre professional Charles McNulty was awarded nan prestigious Nell Minow Award for Cultural Criticism by nan National Press Club this week. His submission included a reflection connected nan Los Angeles wildfires done nan poesy of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”; a tribute to South African anti-Apartheid trailblazer Athol Fugard; and an effort connected nan complexities of Audra McDonald’s capacity successful “Gypsy,” among others. The Times besides won nan Breaking News Award successful nan print/online class for its reporting connected nan January 2025 L.A. firestorms. A position ceremonial and meal will return spot Aug. 27 astatine nan National Press Club successful Washington, D.C. For nan complete database of winners, sojourn press.org.