L.A. County officially creates the Grand Avenue Cultural District
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to create a Grand Avenue Cultural District to boost the visibility of the arts scene in a corridor of downtown that includes the Broad museum, Center Theatre Group, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, REDCAT and the Colburn School.
The Music Center spearheaded the effort, and L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis was an early champion.
'We're envisioning having an app and a website, so it's one-stop shopping for somebody coming to town,' said Music Center President and Chief Executive Rachel Moore, adding that the cultural district will be a nonprofit with its own office and executive director. The group plans to offer packages for hotels, restaurants, shows and museums.
'I am hoping that by the time the Olympics come around, people will know who we are, and that we're friendly and welcoming,' said Solis, in whose district the Grand Avenue venues lie. 'It will be an easy way to experience the arts in L.A. without having to cobble it together by yourself.'
The Grand Avenue Cultural District was 'designed to promote greater public participation in the arts, stimulate economic growth, increase tourism, create workforce development opportunities, support the revitalization of DTLA and position the area as a global arts destination,' a news release said.
For almost two decades, supporters have pushed to transform Grand Avenue into an arts district. In 2007, the city and county approved the Grand Avenue Project, which aimed to revitalize the area beginning with a massive upgrade of Grand Park. It also envisioned a mixed-use residential complex designed by Frank Gehry. The park, which connects the Music Center to City Hall, debuted in 2012, but the Grand by Gehry wasn't completed until 2022, by which time the pandemic and the employer shift toward remote work had cut foot traffic in the area.
One bright spot came last year, when the artist Refik Anadol announced he would open the world's first museum of AI arts in the Grand complex, which sits across the street from Walt Disney Concert Hall. Also announced last year: an expansion of the Broad museum, next to Disney Hall, with groundbreaking scheduled for next week. Eli and Edythe Broad, who opened their contemporary art museum in 2015, were longtime proponents of a formal arts corridor.
The Grand Avenue Cultural District will stretch between the Los Angeles Central Library in the south and Los Angeles Unified School District's Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts to the north.
'Once we get our footing and the infrastructure in place, we can see expanding it further,' said Moore, citing organizations not on Grand such as La Plaza de Cultura y Artes and the Japanese American National Museum. 'We want it to be a destination not rigidly defined just by a street, but we need to walk before we run.'
A year ago the Colburn School began work on the Gehry-designed Colburn Center — a 100,000-square-foot expansion expected to be completed by 2027. The Olympics will arrive in summer 2028, and with it, the Cultural Olympiad, with its mission of highlighting the city's wealth of arts offerings. If the new Grand Avenue Cultural District has anything to say about it, visitors from around the world will be dropped off by the busload in the heart of downtown L.A.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
MOCA gala honors Frank Gehry, others, raises $3.1 million: L.A. arts and culture this weekend
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles threw a glitzy bash at the institution's Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo Saturday, raising $3.1 million and honoring architect Frank Gehry, artist Theaster Gates and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi — a surprise guest — showed up to pay tribute to Gehry, while Ava DuVernay celebrated Gates and Jane Fonda honored Schmidt. The special program honoring 'visionaries' who helped shaped the museum's trajectory is part of a new gala tradition called MOCA Legends, which will continue with new honorees next year. The night began with cocktails in the plaza and private access to the Olafur Eliasson exhibition, 'OPEN.' The Japanese American drumming group TAIKOPROJECT played while guests found their seats for dinner. MOCA director Johanna Burton welcomed attendees with a speech about the power of art and its ability to bring communities together. 'As we celebrate our annual gala, we are not just honoring individual achievements, but reaffirming our collective belief in the power of art to connect and challenge; uplift and endure,' Burton said, according to a news release about the event. After Pelosi's introduction of Gehry, which included mention of his 1983 renovation of the Geffen Contemporary, the 96-year-old legend noted how much the museum has meant to him over the years. 'Artists brought me into their club — it's where I wanted to be, and they opened my eyes to another world,' Gehry said. I'm arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, and I'm here for all the celebrations of art and artists — the more the better. Here's your weekend rundown of arts news. Noah DavisA collection of more than 50 figurative paintings made by the late Los Angeles artist, who died at 32 in 2015, just as Davis' career was beginning to attract wide attention, arrives after stops in Potsdam, Germany, and London. Davis' paintings, often built around found photographs, regularly balance on a knife-edge between daily life and dream. The exhibition represents the first institutional survey of Davis' 31. UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. Seoul FestivalThe L.A. Phil turns to the South Korean capital this week for a follow-up to its revelatory Reykjavik and Mexico City festivals. Unsuk Chin, today's best-known Korean composer, is the curator. Despite a seeming wealth of renowned performers, Korea remains a musically mysterious land. The mostly youngish composers and performers in the first festival event, an exceptional concert of new music on Tuesday night, were all discoveries. The festival continues with weekend orchestra concerts featuring different mixes of four more new Korean scores commissioned by the L.A. Phil, Chin's 2014 Clarinet Concerto and a pair of Brahms concertos. A chamber music concert with works by Schumann and Brahms played by Korean musicians is the closing event Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. 'Lear Redux'While Center Theatre Group reworks Shakepeare's 'Hamlet' at the Mark Taper Forum (see item below), across town, Odyssey Theatre renews its collaboration with theater artist John Farmanesh-Bocca for a madcap adaptation of the Bard's 'King Lear,' another entry in the director-playwright's Redux series. Veteran stage actor Jack Stehlin stars as the titular monarch in the production, which Stage Raw's Deborah Klugman described as 'wildly idiosyncratic.' In 2016, Times' contributor Philip Brandes made Farmanesh-Bocca's 'Tempest Redux' at the Odyssey (also starring Stehlin) a Critic's Choice, writing that the work 'boldly transposes Shakespeare's play to a darker, more unsettling key, but the inventive staging and solid command of source text make for a memorable re-imagining.'Wednesday-Sunday, through July 13. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. When CNN broadcasts a live performance of 'Good Night, and Good Luck' from the Winter Garden in New York City on Saturday (4 p.m. PDT), it's apparently the first time a Broadway play will be shown live on television, and the timing could not be better. An adaptation of George Clooney and Grant Heslov's 2005 film, which chronicled CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow's heroic crusade against Sen. Joseph McCarthy's communist witch hunts, the broodingly elegant production, sharply directed by David Cromer and starring a quietly committed Clooney in the role of Murrow (played in the film by David Strathairn), was not only one of the most stirring offerings of the Broadway season but also one of the most necessary. As media companies face a campaign of intimidation from the Trump administration, the figure of Murrow, standing tall in the face of demagogic adversity, is the courageous example we need right now. I don't know how different the experience will be watching at home, but 'Good Night, and Good Luck' made me reflect on what theatergoing might have been like in ancient Greece. Athenian citizens would gather at an open-air theater as a democratic privilege and responsibility. Playwrights addressed the polis not by dramatizing current events but by recasting tales from the mythological and historic past to sharpen critical thinking on contemporary concerns. Clooney and Heslov aren't writing dramatic poetry. Their more straightforward approach is closer to documentary drama, but the effect is not so disparate. We are affirmed in the knowledge that we are the body politic. — Charles McNulty Director and playwright Robert O'Hara's world premiere adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' opened Wednesday at the Mark Taper Forum starring Patrick Ball from 'The Pitt' and Gina Torres from 'Suits.' The Times sat down with the trio of creatives for an interview about how the show came together — as well as the many novel ways it diverges from the traditional script. O'Hara presents a modern-day vision that questions whether Hamlet is a tragic hero or a murderous psychopath. The mystery is solved 'CSI'-style and the tone is very L.A. noir. For his part, Ball can't believe any of this is really happening, having been a relative unknown before 'The Pitt' premiered in January. L.A. Opera announced Domingo Hindoyan as its new music director. Hindoyan — chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic — will replace outgoing music director James Conlon when he steps down at the end of the 2026 season. When Hindoyan, a native of Venezuela, made his L.A. Opera debut last November with 'Roméo et Juliette,' Times classical music critic Mark Swed speculated he might be in the running for the coveted position. Turns out he was right. Times contributor Nick Owchar talks with architectural historian Nathan Marsak about the Angel City Press reissue of photographer Arnold Hylen's book of mid-20th century photos, 'Los Angeles Before the Freeways: Images of an Era 1850-1950.' Marsak curated and expanded the new edition, which details a fascinating world of lost streets, civic buildings, shops and restaurants. Orange County Museum of Art executive director Heidi Zuckerman — who announced she will step down in December — has launched a new online platform called 'About Art.' It's home to her 'Why Art Matters' newsletter and 'About Art' podcast, as well as a number of lifestyle offerings including an entry on Zuckerman's love of matcha and how to prepare the perfect cup. In a news release about the venture, Zuckerman notes that her work has gathered a community of 40,000 art enthusiasts. The summer Hollywood Bowl season is upon us, and with it comes the complimentary Market Tasting Series with wine picks by chef Caroline Styne. The fun begins with the Roots Picnic this Sunday in the Plaza Marketplace near the box office. Tastings start an hour before doors open, and you can meet with vintners and reps from Habit Wines, Skurnik Wines, Grapevine Wine Company, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Elevage Wines and more. The final tasting will take place before the John Legend concert on Sunday, Sept. 28. Speaking of wine, Barnsdall Art Park Foundation is back — beginning tonight at 5:30 p.m. — with its 16th annual Barnsdall Fridays wine tasting fundraiser (the first two Fridays are already sold out). Proceeds from the events, scheduled to run through Sept. 26, support cultural programming at the park. The popular summer series comes as proposed city budget cuts imperil the park's finances. Guests are invited to relax on Olive Hill, as well as the west lawn of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House — the only existing UNESCO World Heritage site in the city of Los Angeles. Wines come courtesy of Silverlake Wine, and there are always a variety of local food trucks onsite, as well as a DJ. While there, visitors can check out exhibitions and artist-led presentations at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and Barnsdall Junior Arts Center Gallery. — Jessica Gelt I'm happy to report that I've been to 14 of the 17 eateries on The Times Food section's list of L.A.'s oldest restaurants. Some, like Musso & Frank Grill, I've ambled into many times (that martini!), and others, like Mijares Mexican Restaurant, I've stumbled upon while walking around town. I'll spend this weekend visiting the remaining three.
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
David Beckham to be knighted next week as part of King Charles' honors list
Lionel Messi might soon have a member of royalty as his boss. Inter Miami co-owner and Manchester United legend David Beckham will be granted knighthood as part of King Charles' birthday honors list, according to multiple British media reports. And his former Spice girl wife, Victoria, will be known as Lady Beckham. Beckham, who turned 50 last month, was the longtime captain of England's national team, has been involved with many global charities and was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003. BBC Sport and The Times reported that Beckham will be rewarded for his soccer career and his contributions to British society next week, when the list of knighthood recipients is announced. He reportedly was first nominated for knighthood in 2011. Beckham played a key role in London landing the 2012 Olympics and has been an ambassador for Unicef since 2005. He appeared in 115 games for the English national team, and helped lead Manchester United to six Premier League titles, including the treble in 1999. After leaving Manchester United, he played for Real Madrid, L.A. Galaxy, Paris St-Germain and AC Milan. He is only English player to score at three World Cups. He retired in 2013 and announced a year later that he was launching an MLS team in Miami. He partnered with brothers Jorge and Jose Mas to form Inter Miami, which played its inaugural season in 2020 and in 2023 signed former FC Barcelona stars Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, and later added Luis Suarez. After a long search for a stadium site, Beckham and the Mas brothers are now constructing the 25,000-seat Miami Freedom Park stadium adjacent to Miami International Airport. It is scheduled to open for the 2026 MLS season.
Business Insider
3 hours ago
- Business Insider
Meet Steve Jobs' youngest daughter, Eve Jobs, an equestrian and model making a name for herself outside Silicon Valley
Eve Jobs, the youngest child of Steve Jobs and Laurene Powell-Jobs, was born in 1998. Jobs, 26, has three older siblings named Reed, Erin, and Lisa. She was 13 when their father died in October 2011. In high school, Jobs balanced equestrian sports in Florida with applying to colleges and attending high school in California. Jobs said her school allowed her to make up for missed classes through Upper Echelon Academy, a tutoring program based in Wellington, Florida. "It took me a long time to figure out how to balance friends, school, and riding, but through the years I figured out the best way to make it all work is to prioritize what is most important to you," Jobs said in a 2016 interview with Upper Echelon Academy. The interview has since been removed from Upper Echelon Academy's website, but an archived version is still available online. Jobs graduated from Stanford University in 2021, the same school where her parents met. Jobs is an accomplished equestrian who once hoped to compete in the Olympics. In 2016, Jobs' mother bought a $15 million ranch in Wellington, Florida, where she frequently competed and trained with Missy Clark. The Daily Mail reported that the ranch included a barn big enough for 20 horses and a show-jumping training rink. Jobs also bought a stallion named Chill RZ in 2016. Jobs told World of Showjumping in 2020 that competing in the Olympics and the World Equestrian Games "would be a dream." After the Tokyo Olympics were postponed due to COVID-19, she decided to pursue other avenues. "I had done everything I wanted to achieve in the sport, and I just felt at peace," she told Vanity Fair in 2022. In May, she returned to the sport to compete in the Royal Windsor Horse Show. "So grateful to be back jumping at this level," she wrote on Instagram. Jobs isn't the only famous heiress to take up equestrian sports. Other famous show jumpers include Michael Bloomberg's daughter Georgina, Bill Gates' daughter Jennifer, Bruce Springsteen's daughter Jessica, and Steven Spielberg's daughter Destry. Jobs now works as a model represented by DNA Model Management. Jobs made her modeling debut in 2020 in a Glossier ad campaign alongside "Euphoria" star Sydney Sweeney and "RuPaul's Drag Race" finalist Naomi Smalls. She signed with DNA Model Management in 2022, which also represents stars such as Kaia Gerber and Emily Ratajkowski. She has also been a regular guest at Paris Fashion Week since 2022. She makes occasional appearances at red-carpet events such as the Met Gala and the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Jobs walked the Met Gala 's red carpet in 2022 wearing a Louis Vuitton gown and posed for photos at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2022 and 2023. She also attended the WSJ Magazine 2023 Innovator Awards and the 2023 TIME100 Gala. Jobs is reportedly engaged to Harry Charles, a British equestrian who won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. While Jobs has pursued career paths outside tech, she has occasionally weighed in on Apple product launches. In the biography "Steve Jobs," Walter Isaacson describes Eve Jobs as growing up to become "a strong-willed, funny firecracker" who knew how to take on her famous father. Isaacson wrote in the 2011 biography that Jobs would even call her father's assistant at work to ensure that she was "put on his calendar." When it comes to the future, Isaacson wrote that Steve Jobs joked that he could envision her running Apple or becoming president of the United States. "She's a pistol and has the strongest will of any kid I've ever met," her father told Isaacson.
