The Museum of African American Art is truly a must-visit. While the collection is small, it's…read moreabsolutely worth seeing. The pieces are powerful, thoughtful, and beautifully done--proof that impact isn't about size, it's about substance. I just wish there were brochures available and an art store to take a little piece of the experience home.

A nice free museum located on the second floor of the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw mall. I'd love to see…read moremore people come and appreciate the local art!

*** Annex showing at Cooper Design Space. ***…read more It features the abstractionist work of Linda Touby. Since I'm a big fan of clean lines and bold colors I stopped to take a leisurely gaze at these works. Actually I was astonished that they were in CDS, spaced along the entryway walls between pillars. Such a casual environment but oddly it works well. Her 48"x48" contemporary stylings are somewhat akin to faux landscape (colors, horizon, depth, etc). The extremely high ceiling here complements them. *** At least the stroll into ThreadShow was cool. ***

Love this gallery. Love the focus on contemporary art by people of African descent in the African…read morediaspora. The gallery features local as well as international artists. Group shows and well as solo-shows happen here. The space is run by the actress CC H Pounder. She and her husband also has a Contemporary African Art Museum in Senegal (I think). Great art and warm people at the openings.

Mr. Iradj is a master when it comes to art, fine furniture and paintings. He has a small quaint…read moreshop on Robertson Blvd. I have lived in the area 10 years and sadly I just found him a month ago. If you need some art or frames or paintings or vintage and antique furniture repaired you will need Mr. Iradj!! He is the BEST!

This place is amazing if you are on the hunt for unique art pieces ranging from Bauhaus collages…read more(original too!), objets, assemblage, lighting fixtures, jewelry, sculpture - dang you name it. All circa 20's - 60's and probably some current. The owners have a great eye for amazing works.

Los Angeles is an extremely important region when it comes to the history of the Gay Leather…read moreCommunity in the United States. Many people know all about NYC and the seminal Stonewall Rebellion. And "Gay Ghettos" like the Castro district in San Francisco. They are much less likely, however, to be aware that Los Angeles is the home to the longest continually existing gay organization in the world: the Satyr's Motorcycle Club, celebrating its 70th year. In fact, when you do a little research, you will find that Gay and Leather culture has an embarrassment of riches in Los Angeles. Tom of Finland (born Touko Valio Laaksonen) is an artist whose forty-plus years of work portrayed sexy, masculine Gay men. His depictions of such men has had an enormous impact on how Gay Men across the globe have presented themselves to the world. It is damn near impossible to go to a Gay Men's bar (Leather or not) and not find his imagery somewhere in the decor. The Tom of Finland Foundation, celebrating its 40th year in 2024, is dedicated to the work of Tom of Finland and promoting erotic art, including hosting up-and-coming artists. It was founded by Tom and former partner and muse, Durk Dehner in 1984. The ToFF is located is located in the former home of Tom, who died in 1991. The home is a 1912 Craftsmen style house in the Echo Park/Silverlake neighborhood. Besides for being kept in beautiful condition, every possible space is utilized to feature the work of Tom or other erotic artists. As Betty Wood put it, is the "phallus-filled former home of artist Tom of Finland." And at the summit of this grand estate is the former bedroom of Tom, lovingly kept as it was prior to his death. As an organization, the ToFF hosts an array of events. These include such things as salons for drawing live nudes (in various levels of eroticism), hosting dinner parties for Gay Men who enjoy uniforms and leather formal wear and tours of the house's enormous art collection. As the ToFF serves as a museum and cultural center AND the living quarters of the co-founder Mr. Dehner, his partner and the various artists-in-residence, it is not open for regular hours. Luckily, the online calendar is frequently updated, so you can determine when a particular event or tour is available. The Tom of Finland Foundation is a non-profit organization. They rely on donations from various groups and individuals to keep the house and foundation afloat. For most events, the entrance fee is about 25 dollars. This was all I payed for a single evening, which included dinner, at a Yule-tide themed party. Again, know that this money is going directly to supporting this organization and the artists-in-residence. If you have any interest in Gay and/or Leather history, this place is absolutely not-to-be-missed. This is the home of easily the most famous Gay erotic artist, the house is beautifully maintained and the art collection is always in flux and I have been to dozens of events here and have always thoroughly enjoyed myself. Highly recommended.

What an experience at the historic Tom House of the Tom of Finland Foundation…read more A collection of wonderful and exotic art highlighting sexuality, culture, gender, and creativity over the last four (since 1984) decades that is literally in, on and/or apart of every crevice, patched crack, updated fixture, beam, pillar and inch of the entire property... From front to back. Came for a Saturday tour with my friend Andrew for his extended birthday weekend. They have a few slots, the first at 2PM, we got there a few minutes after due to high volume traffic for St Patty's weekend, but thankfully there's a little relaxing portions on the porch with a cool mix match assortment of furniture and fixtures. Durk Dehner, one of the co-founding members and a former partner of Tom himself, was our guide... He talks about the story of how it all came about as well as Tom House eventually becoming a historical and cultural landmark for the City of Los Angeles. The tour is two hours so where good shoes and bring a water, though they do have bottles as well. It goes by super fast and taking pictures is allowed as well as encouraged. During our tour we got to meet some artist staying at the house, a lot of volunteers and staff archiving and planning away. Everyone was incredibly warm, just like this estate. I haven't been lucky enough to attend an event, just yet, but hopefully in the very not to distance future as they have some fun stuff on their event calendar. They have the coolest multi-level backyard and landscaping you'll ever find in LA... Lush with plant life, paths an actual full bar, multiple lounge areas, more art (of course) including along the driveway and on the sides of the house. The gift shop is pretty cool (I got a few fun things, including a pin for under ten and a complimentary Tom of Finland dog tag). We got to meet the home kitty, Durks pretty snowy mixed, cool cat waking from an afternoon nap at the end of our tour... A purrfect highlight. As a not for profit, ToFF aka Tom of Finland Foundation is beyond dedicated to preserving as well as protecting art and artists, being an advocate for the lgbtq+ community and highlighting queer creatives, erotic art, sexuality and freedom of expression. All are welcome and celebrated at ToFF. All are encouraged to enjoy! Q-Tip: They do have memberships which include cool club cards, a member patch, invitations to special events as well as discounted tickets for selected ToFF events. Tom's Kale ensures the above, but if that's a bit steep supporting them with the Tom's Friend membership is more than okay. If you're an artist you reap some cool rewards and a great value.

The Conejo Valley Art Museum, previously located in the Janss Mall in Thousand Oaks, is a gem of a…read moremuseum! Past exhibits were well curated, interesting, and very enjoyable. Unfortunately the lease at the Mall was terminated so the Museum is currently searching for a new permanent location. They will be hosting events and collaborations with other organizations in the very near future and I very much look forward to attending!

From my recollection, the Conejo Valley Art Museum has been in several different locations over the…read morepast 30 years. It's a boon to the area to support visual arts, so this scrappy nonprofit helps promote the arts scene locally. Their present locale in the Janss Marketplace is a modest space, blessed with natural light on two sides. Dear Hubby and I stopped in over a month ago, while walking the Marketplace for exercise, plus running a couple errands. Stepping inside, we were greeted by the staff member watching the facility. She offered assistance / information on the works on display. Later she offered information on upcoming events. We also discussed the status of the Thousand Oaks Art Walk, a signature event that the museum had sponsored for many years. It has sadly gone by the wayside, leaving a hole In the local events scene. I suppose that had it survived, it would have been canceled this year, due to Coronavirus. Once general life starts to return to a new normal, I hope that this organization will be able to continue their mission to celebrate local artists.

AALA Gallery is a cool art gallery on Melrose, near Pink's Hot Dogs. They just had a fantastic…read moregroup exhibition called It's Snowing in LA, featuring work by several Korean and Korean-American artists who have all lived in Los Angeles. I went for the closing reception, where I was asked to do a reading, along with three other Korean-American writers. I've done a lot of readings over the years, but this one was special, rooted as it was in the art of Korean-American Los Angeles. The space was great, clean and simple, built to highlight all the fantastic art on display. There was a wonderful multimedia installation in one corner, and an eclectic mix of sculpture and painting and other artwork spread out through the gallery. I particularly loved some pieces by an artist named Kang Seung Lee, charcoal images of the '92 Uprising. He'd left posters for people to take for free, and I'm going to frame one and put it up at home. The event was fun and really well organized. There was even makgeolli--perfect for the occasion. I don't spend a lot of time hanging at galleries, but I could get used to drinking while looking at beautiful, thought-provoking artwork. I definitely like what AALA is doing.