Kennedy Center slashes social impact team, and why it matters
Last week, the Kennedy Center’s new leadership, recently appointed by President Trump, laid off at least five employees working on its social impact team, including…
Alvin Ailey dance company performing ‘Sacred Songs’ in Los Angeles
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s “Sacred Songs” is a homecoming of sorts. It was initially conceived to celebrate the 60th anniversary of “Revelations,” the seminal…
Arcangelo Corelli and Atomic Café: L.A. arts events this weekend
Another reason to visit the Beverly Hills Public Library: As of this month, the Rexford Drive destination is the new home of the Paley Archive,…
Museums Free-for-All on Sunday: L.A. arts and culture this weekend
Sunday is this year’s SoCal Museums Free-for-All, an annual tradition in which more than 30 museums and cultural institutions across the region offer free admission…
Trump’s attack on the arts continues: L.A. arts and culture this week
Since President Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, I’ve been glued to arts reporting out of Washington, D.C. The nation’s capital is proving to be…
Amalia Mesa-Bains art exhibit and talk at the Cheech
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…
‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’: L.A. arts and culture this week
About halfway through opening night of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” at the Pantages, I had an unsettling revelation: I had totally lost the…
Will Trump cut Kennedy Center shows? L.A. arts and culture this week
Today is Presidents Day, so I figure it’s a good opportunity to take a look at how President Trump’s hostile takeover of the John F.…
Lauren Yee’s ‘Cambodian Rock Band’: L.A. arts and culture this weekend
Lauren Yee’s play “Cambodian Rock Band,” about a Khmer Rouge survivor who returns home after 30 years as his daughter prepares to prosecute one of…
Executive orders impacting the arts: L.A. arts and culture this week
President Donald Trump sent shock waves through the world of arts and culture on Friday when he announced on Truth Social that he intends to…
Lakers’ free art exhibit, and more L.A. arts and culture this weekend
Attention, fellow Los Angeles Lakers fans: While we’re all understandably focused on the huge news of the team’s latest addition, let’s also celebrate the local…
The Industry’s opera party at the Bradbury Building
The avant-garde opera company the Industry threw a feel-good bash at downtown L.A.’s historic Bradbury Building last week. Called the “Decade Party,” the evening was…
How Pasadena Playhouse is helping kids affected by the L.A. fires
On the first day Pasadena Unified School District reopened campuses after a two-week closure caused by the Eaton fire, I brought my daughter to her…
Free concert tickets for people affected by L.A. fires, firefighters
“Art opens the closets, airs out the cellars and attics. It brings healing.”Julia Cameron shared this truth in her 1992 book “The Artist’s Way.” And…
David Lynch was a painter before he brought his art to film
David Lynch lived and worked beyond all definition. He was best known as a filmmaker — using his lens to unearth the tawdry, decayed and…
Artists are mobilizing for fire victims and first responders
As thousands of firefighters continue to battle the Palisades and Eaton fires and the unfathomable damage is assessed, the arts communities are mobilizing. Actors, musicians…
Cultural gems threatened, and the race to save Getty Villa
As fires spread throughout areas of Los Angeles this week, my colleague Jessica Gelt has diligently kept track of the region’s treasured cultural institutions and…
Los Angeles’ best classical music, art and theater in 2025
Happy New Year, Essential Arts readers! 2025 is already shaping up to be a feast of a year in terms of arts and culture in…
L.A. County’s annual holiday celebration and a Velázquez masterpiece
Dear Essential Arts Readers,This has been a tough year for many of us. I don’t need to list the challenges we have faced as a…
Los Angeles welcomes New Year’s Eve at Disney Hall and Grand Park
If you’re reading this, thank you. Taking over the Essential Arts newsletter from our wonderful former colleague Carolina A. Miranda remains a daunting task, and…