It’s Oscars weekend here in Los Angeles, and your Essential Arts scribes will be contributing to the paper’s expansive coverage. I’ll be watching the event on Sunday from home while my fellow Times staff writer Jessica Gelt will be attending in person.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale will perform at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday. Hosted by Conan O’Brien at at the Dolby Theatre, the show will also feature performances by Doja Cat, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Lisa from Blackpink, Queen Latifah and Raye. The festivities will air live on ABC and be streamed on Hulu.

Until then, your Friday edition of arts headlines and happenings:

Best bets: On our radar this week

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Amalia Mesa-Bains, “Circle of Ancestors,” 1995. “Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory” is on view at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture.

(Daria Lugina)

‘Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory’
The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture is presenting a major retrospective on the pioneering Chicana artist, curator and theorist. Mesa-Bains “has used her art to create a rich archive of Chicano life that goes far beyond what you’ll ever find in mass media,” wrote former Times columnist Carolina A. Miranda. The exhibition brings together more than 40 works, including her renowned altar-installations and her lesser-studied handmade books and palimpsest prints characterized by a signature archaeological aesthetic of layering and excavation. It is on view from Saturday through Aug. 3; Mesa-Bains will be in conversation with Judy Baca on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, 3581 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside. riversideartmuseum.org

‘Mujeres on the Verge’
Boyle Heights theater CASA 0101 kicks off its 25th anniversary season with the premiere of four one-act plays by L.A.-based Chicana playwrights — Lindsey Haley, Mariana Herrera, Maria G. Martinez and Raquel Salinas. Performances begin tonight and run through March 23. The theater’s lobby is also housing “Abstract to Concrete: Barrio Expressions,” an art exhibit examining the relationship between abstract and concrete contemporary barrio art, and featuring works by Richard Valdes, Arturo Urista, Carlos Rojas, Fernando Barragan and Jimmy Centeno. CASA 0101, 2102 E. 1st St., Boyle Heights. casa0101.org

A pop-up art book fair from Printed Matter will be part of the “PST ART Open House: A Day-to-Night Exploration of Art and Science” event this weekend.

(Cindy Trinh)

‘PST ART Open House: A Day-to-Night Exploration of Art & Science’
Presented by Getty, one of the final PST Art events includes the taping of a new game show pilot from Radiolab, a pop-up art book fair from Printed Matter, artists and scientists in conversation, hands-on workshops and live performances from AfroRithm Futures Group, Massima Bell and Julianna Barwick. The event, which begins at 1 p.m., is free to attend with online RSVP; LaSorted’s Pizza, Kogi BBQ and Noun Coffee will be on site. The Ebell of Los Angeles, 743 S. Lucerne Blvd. pst.art

— Ashley Lee

The week ahead: A curated calendar

Mary J. Blige plays the Intuit Dome on Saturday.

(Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP)

FRIDAY
44 The smart, satirical R&B musical spoofs the rise and presidency of Barack Obama.
Through March 23. Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City. centertheatregroup.org

I Love You Because Chromolume Theatre presents a musical riff on Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice” with book and lyrics by Ryan Cunningham and music by Joshua Salzman.
Through March 16. Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Ave. chrtheatre.com

Such Small Hands Bruce Goodrich and Juliet Fischer star in Chance Theater’s world premiere of playwright Adam Szymkowicz’s drama about memory, love and loss.
Through March 23. Bette Aitken Theater Arts Center, 5522 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim. chancetheater.com

SATURDAY
Bat Boy: The Musical Pat Towne directs Open Fist Theatre Company’s production of the rock horror musical with a book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming and music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe.
Through April 6. Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave. openfist.org

Mary J. Blige The hip-hop and R&B superstar is joined by Ne-Yo and Mario on the For My Fans tour.
7 p.m. Intuit Dome, 3930 W. Century Blvd., Inglewood. intuitdome.com

SUNDAY
Daphne’s Wardrobe — Metamorphosis into Nature An interdisciplinary exhibition of artworks by women who examine mythology and folklore to affirm humanity’s primal connection to its environment.
10 a.m.-4 p.m., through June 1. Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge. descansogardens.org

Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group The Texas troubadour and company take an unplugged swing through Southern California.
7 p.m. Sunday. McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert; 7 p.m. Monday. Fred Kavli Theatre at Bank of America Performing Arts Center, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks; 8 p.m. Wednesday. The Sound, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar; 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos. tour.lylelovett.com

Mahlerthon Two programs devoted to all things Gustav: Part 1 features musicians from Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles and Santa Monica High School; Part 2 includes UCLA Philharmonia, USC and Colburn Orchestra.
Part 1, 12:30-3:30 p.m.; Part 2, 5-9:30 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com

Culture news and the SoCal scene

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” North American Tour – (l-r) Ebony Blake as Hermione Granger, Naiya Vanessa McCalla as Rose Granger-Weasley, Matt Mueller as Ron Weasley, Caleb Hafen as James Potter Jr., John Skelley as Harry Potter, Trish Lindstrom as Ginny Potter, Emmet Smith as Albus Potter

(Matthew Murphy)

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” finally arrived at the Hollywood Pantages, and Times theater critic Charles McNulty was impressed. The production, he writes, creates, “authentic stage magic of a timeless variety,” adding that the show isn’t old-fashioned, “but much of it would be right at home on the 19th century London stage.” Audience members new to the show will be treated to a condensed version of what was originally a two-part play (albeit still three hours long). The pace can be frenetic, McNulty notes, but the journey is well worth it.

Kennedy Center watchers got a jolt late last week when word spread that longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon told a crowd at CPAC in Washington, D.C., that the J6 Prison Choir — composed of men jailed after the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — would perform at the country’s national cultural institution. Not so fast, said a rep for the center, “We do not have any information on this as a Kennedy Center confirmed event.”

Artists who lost homes, work or studios to the L.A. fires last month received a bit of relief earlier this week when the Getty-led L.A. Arts Community Fire Relief Fund gave $14.3 million to more than 1,700 artists and arts workers affected by the disasters. The effort was organized in the week after fires decimated large swaths of Altadena and Pacific Palisades, and many local and international arts organizations, along with philanthropists and individual donors contributed to the fund, including Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Gusmano Cesaretti, Street Writers [Chaz Bojórquez running through a back street near Whittier Boul evard, East Los Angeles], 1973, gelatin silver print, 5 7/8 x 8 3/4 in. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Purchased with funds provided by Philip D. Nathanson.

(Gusmano Cesaretti)

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens announced it has acquired the archive of Gusmano Cesaretti, an Italian-born photographer best known for his images of Southern California’s Mexican American community, as well as for his compelling photos of the L.A. urban landscape, including pictures from the sets of Hollywood movies. Cesaretti’s archive includes about 238 boxes of photographic prints, negatives, contact sheets, artist books, mixed-media works and personal ephemera. These will be added to the Huntington’s existing collection of more than 800,000 historical and contemporary photographs.

Concerts by Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under Music Director Jaime Martín are scheduled for weekly broadcast on Classical California (KUSC). The shows will air on March 9, 16, 23, and 30 at 7 p.m. Hosted by Brisa Siegel, the broadcasts are part of Classical California’s “SoCal Sunday Night” program. They can also be heard online at www.kusc.com.

Remember that giant “Forever Marilyn” sculpture on Museum Way in Palm Springs? The one that was — depending on whom you talked to — either a “grotesque” eyesore, or a fun-filled piece of public sculpture? It’s being moved 100 feet from its current location to a new spot in Downtown Park. The move will reportedly cost the city $500,000.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

Lots of applause for “The Price Is Right,” which aired its landmark 10,000th episode.