The best L.A. and O.C. museum shows for June: 28 exhibitions to see now
What are your best bets at Southern California museums for June? Jonathan Michael Castillo’s photographic exploration of Los Angeles car culture has opened, and you can catch a celebration of all things Disney before it closes June 20. Here’s what’s on view at the Broad, La Brea Tar Pits, California Science Center, Grammy Museum, Norton Simon and beyond. Check back here for weekly updates, and before you go, remember to call or check online for reservation requirements and other COVID-19 protocols.
The shows that have our attention:
“Jonathan Michael Castillo: Car Culture”
Candid photographs examine Angelenos’ relationships with their automobiles. California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks at the Oaks, 350 W. Hillcrest Drive. Open Friday-Sunday. Free. (805) 405-5240. cmato.org
“When I Remember I See Red: American Indian Art and Activism in California”
On view through Nov. 14. Also on view: “What’s Her Story: Women in the Archives” (through Aug. 28)Autry Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park, L.A. Closed Mondays. $6-$14; children younger than 3 are free; reservations available online; walk-ups allowed at box office. (323) 667-2000. theautry.org
“Invisible Sun”
Works by Julie Mehretu, Keith Haring and others from the Broad’s collection explore social justice; on view through Oct. 3. The Broad, 221 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Open Wednesday-Sunday. Free; advance timed-entry tickets required; no on-site standby line. (213) 232-6200. thebroad.org
“Enunciated Life”
Contemporary works exploring Black spirituality; on view through Aug. 15. California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, L.A. Closed Mondays. Free; reservations required. (213) 744-7432. caamuseum.org
“Mammoths and Mastodons”
Fossils and exhibits recall the prehistoric mammals that once called Southern California home. La Brea Tar Pits and Page Museum, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Open Wednesday through Sunday. $7-$15; California teachers and EBT cardholders, active and retired military, and kids 2 and younger are free; advance timed-entry tickets required. (213) 763-3499. tarpits.org
“Cudra Clover: Hysteria”
Biologically inspired silk paintings; on view through Sept. 5. Museum of Art & History, 665 W. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster. Closed Mondays. Free; reservations required. (661) 723-6250. lancastermoah.org
“The Art of the Brick”
Artworks made from Legos. Also on view: “All in This Together,” the science behind COVID-19 and its effect on communities; “Dogs! A Science Tail”; “Mission 26: The Big Endeavour,” on the relocation of the space shuttle to Southern California. California Science Center, 700 Exposition Park Drive, L.A. Open daily. Permanent exhibits are free; special exhibits (including “The Art of the Brick”) and IMAX films vary in price. Advance reservations required. (323) 724-3623. californiasciencecenter.org
“Inside the Walt Disney Archives: 50 Years of Preserving the Magic”
On view through June 20. Bowers Museum, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana. Closed Mondays. $10-$15; children younger than 12 free; advance purchase recommended. (714) 567-3600. bowers.org. | TIMES FEATURE
Disney’s Spider-Man ride continues the park’s shift toward interactive, game-like experiences. Black Panther warriors inspire.
“Making Time”
Works by L.A.-based artists that explore the concept of time; on view through Sept. 12. Craft Contemporary, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Open Thursday-Sunday. $7, $9; Sundays are pay what you can; reservations required. craftcontemporary.org
“Free State”
Exploration of human rights, democracy, the environment; on view through Sept. 18. ESMoA (El Segundo Museum of Art), 208 Main St., El Segundo. Open Fridays and Saturdays. Free; advance timed-entry tickets required. (424) 277-1020. esmoa.org
“Photo Flux: Unshuttering L.A.”
Photographs by 35 L.A.-based artists interrogate concepts such as culture, objectivity and representation; on view through Oct. 10. Getty Center, Sepulveda Boulevard and Getty Center Drive, L.A. Closed Mondays. Free; advance timed-entry tickets required. (310) 440-7300. getty.edu
The Getty Center, which has been closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reopens to the public.
“Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins”
Statuary, pottery, wall paintings and other antiquities from the Louvre; on view through Aug. 16. Also on view: “Assyria: Palace Art of Ancient Iraq.” Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades. Closed Tuesdays. Free; advance tickets required. (310) 440-7300. getty.edu | TIMES REVIEW
“Motown: The Sound of Young America”
The storied record label is celebrated through stage costumes, musical instruments and more; on view though January. Also on view: “This Is Nat King Cole” and “Dave Matthews Band: Inside and Out”; “Y Para Siempre ... Marco Antonio Solís”. Grammy Museum, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., L.A. Open Friday-Sunday. $13, $15; ages 5 and under are free; advance timed-entry tickets required. (213) 765-6800. grammymuseum.org
“Made in L.A. 2020: a version”
The Hammer Museum’s pandemic-delayed fifth biennial is presented this year with the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens; on view through Aug. 1. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. Closed Mondays. Free; reservations required. (310) 443-7000. hammer.ucla.edu. Also at the Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. Closed Tuesdays. $13-$29; children younger than 4, free; advance purchase required. (626) 405-2100. huntington.org | TIMES FEATURE | REVIEW
“Carlos Almaraz: Evolution of Form”
Times columnist Carolina A. Miranda called the work of this late painter, subject of a 2017 LACMA retrospective, “vital to the ways in which Los Angeles sees itself.” This exhibition explores the Chicano artist’s early life to reveal influences on his style and form. LA Plaza de Cultural y Artes, 501 N. Main St., downtown L.A. Thursday-Sundays. Free; reservations suggested. (213) 542-6200. lapca.org
“Wayne Thiebaud: Clowns”
Paintings, drawings and etchings on view through Oct. 24. Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach. Closed Wednesdays. $5, $7; 17 and younger are free. (949) 494-8971. lagunaartmuseum.org.
“Yoshitomo Nara”
A three-decade survey of works by the Japanese artist; on view through July 5. Also on view: “Cauleen Smith: Give It or Leave It,” multimedia works by the L.A.-based artist. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Closed Wednesdays. $10-$25; ages 12 and younger are free; advance timed-entry tickets required. (323) 857-6010. lacma.org| TIMES REVIEW | REVIEW
“L’Epoque des Carrossiers: The Art and Times of the French Coach Builders”
Mullin Automotive Museum, 1421 Emerson Ave., Oxnard. Open Fridays-Sundays. $10-$16; ages 2 and younger and active-duty military are free; advance purchase required. (805) 385-5400. mullinautomotivemuseum.com
“Our House: Selections From MOCA’s Collection”
Works by Mark Rothko and others, from the 1950s to the present. Museum of Contemporary Art, 250 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Open daily. Also reopened: Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo. (213) 626-6222. moca.org Free; special exhibitions, $10, $18.
“HERland: Women Artists in the MOLAA Collection”
Works by Latina and Latin American artists including Leonora Carrington, Ofelia Rodriguez, Verónica Riedel and Carmen Argote; on view to members now, reopening to the public in July. Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach. Open Tuesdays-Fridays. (562) 437-1689. molaa.org
Butterfly Pavilion
Open through Sept. 6. Also on view: “Rise Up L.A.: A Century of Votes for Women”; “Spiky, Hairy, Shiny: Insects of L.A.” Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd., L.A. Open Thursdays-Sundays. $8-$17; 2 and younger are free; advance timed-entry tickets required. (213) 763-DINO. nhm.org| TIMES FEATURE
“The Swineherd”
This 1888 painting by Paul Gauguin on loan from LACMA is exhibited with related post-Impressionist works in the museum’s 19th century art gallery; on view through Nov. 18. Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Closed Tuesday-Wednesday. $12, $15; students, active military and ages 18 and younger are free. (626) 449-6840. nortonsimon.org
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“Supercars: A Century of Spectacle and Speed”
Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Closed Mondays-Tuesdays. $11-$16; active-duty military and children younger than 4 are free; advance purchase required. (323) 930-2277. petersen.org
“Ai Weiwei: Trace”
This installation created by the Chinese artist features portraits, crafted from Lego bricks, of dissidents, prisoners of conscience and free-speech advocates; on view through Aug. 1. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A. Open Tuesday-Sunday. $7-$12; kids under 2 are free; advance timed-entry tickets required. Partial reopening does not include the Noah’s Ark children’s area. skirball.org
“Analogues: Travon Free”
Photographs by the comedian and Oscar-winning filmmaker capture last summer’s street demonstrations in L.A. in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis; on view through Jan. 16. UCR Arts (California Museum of Photography, Culver Center of the Arts), 3824 Main St., Riverside. Open Thursday-Sunday. Free; advance timed-entry tickets required. ucrarts.ucr.edu
“See Thy Neighbor: Stern Photographers Thomas Hoepker and Harald Schmitt in the GDR”
Two photographers with very different points of view on East German life in the 1970s and ’80s; on view through Oct. 24. Wende Museum, 10808 Culver Blvd., Culver City. Open Friday-Sunday. Free; advance reservations required. (310) 216-1600. wendemuseum.org
“Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives”
Exhibit explores the role art has played in the lives of the peoples of Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Americas from the distant past to the present day; on long-term view. UCLA Fowler Museum, 308 Charles E. Young Drive North, Westwood. Closed Mon.-Tue. Free. (310) 825-4361. fowler.ucla.edu
“Fragmentation and Harmony”
Paintings by L.A.-based artists Joshua Elias and Soheila Siadate; on view through June 26. Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, 117 N. Sycamore St., Santa Ana. Open Friday-Saturday; Thursday-Sunday by appointment. Free. (714) 667-1517. occca.org
Incidents of Asian hate push the museum to review its collections and move exhibitions away from stereotypes toward a more complex view of Asian culture.
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