On the evening of Tuesday, September 26th, Santa Monica College hosted a screening of the documentary West Los. “I’m not Charlie from Culver City, I’m just Charlie.” Charlie Chacon, a first time filmmaker from Culver City, says this to highlight why he is making this documentary. He has spent the last three years trying to create a film about how the lowrider culture within West Los Angeles was a way to unite former rival neighborhoods.
Read MoreStepping off of the Expo Line to arrive at Santa Monica College's new Center for Media and Design, can be very unfamiliar and confusing for students this semester. It is highly likely that students unfamiliar to the area might confuse Bergamot Station with their new campus. Since the new campus is very close to the station, it is easy to confuse Southern California’s largest single collection of art galleries for yet another satellite campus.
Read MoreStrolling through the backstage corridor at Santa Monica College’s Studio Stage production of Voices of Hope, there was an almost etheric energy beaming from the cast. They cycled through pre-show rituals of bantering with each other over Ben Nye makeup kits and diction exercises.
Read MoreAmong all the art shows scattered all over Los Angeles, none give you a sense of vast of openness and wonder like The 14th Factory. Its artists have come all the way from Hong Kong, China to bring 14 large-scale and interactive installations. The gallery was conceived by Hong Kong-based British artist Simon Birch and built in a three-acre warehouse in Downtown Los Angeles.
Read More“We start off every week by asking: ‘Brutha Gimel, what did you do this weekend?’” It’s a loaded question that Shihan Van Clief, the host and co- founder of Da Poetry Lounge, asks in front of an audience of more than 250 people. Some are like family, loyal artists and listeners who have been attending for more than a decade. Others are essentially strangers, first-timers -- like voyagers in a foreign land.
Read MoreRevolver Gallery in Santa Monica wants you for Andy Warhol Revisited, a touring exhibition celebrating the iconic artists work and life in, this, the 30th anniversary of his untimely death in 1987. With over 200 artworks, this interactive retrospective is a once in a lifetime exhibit featuring Andy’s pop era works of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s; the soup cans, Maos and Marilyns… it’s all there.
Read MoreThe story begins with De Cervantes, played by James Scognamillo, along with his servant Sancho Panza, played by Jesse Tobar, being thrown in a dungeon by the Spanish Inquisition. In the face of threats from the other prisoners, Cervantes comes up with a plan to challenge quasi-leader of the prison gang, "The Governor," played by Levi Booker, and present his case for innocence in the form of a play.
Read MoreOn opening night of the SMC dance show Global Motion, an event meant to promote global awareness and the learning of other cultures, I witnessed some great dances that touched my heart, and some that felt more like tutorials than actual performances.
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