WOMEN ON THE VERGE

There’s nothing “standard” about the Hammer’s next big show.

On point with the current polemical political times, this September the Hammer Museum kicks off the season with a typically hot offering: “Radical Women: Latin American Art, 19601985.” Part of “Pacific Standard Time: LA/ LA,” “Radical Women” (September 15 through December 31) is the first comprehensive survey of the international influence of experimental art by women in Latin America. Comprised of 260 works by 116 artists from 15 countries, including the US, the edgy mega exhibition will fill the museum’s just-renovated third-floor galleries, which in turn are part of a recently announced Michael Maltzan-designed master plan that, when completed by 2020, will yield the Hammer an additional 40,000 square feet and a block-long presence along Wilshire Boulevard. Director Ann Philbin, whose forward-thinking art savvy is matched by her obsession to build out the Hammer, says: “We’ve been at the forefront of LA’s phenomenal cultural growth. Now, we are overdue for a physical upgrade, which includes 60 percent more gallery space!”

As the expansion heats up, gallery-goers can take succor in the knowledge that political and social turmoil serves as a catalyst for artistic creativity.

That’s something, right? 10899 Wilshire Blvd., LA, 310-443-7000; hammer .ucla.edu

“THE HAMMER HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF L.A.’S CULTURAL GROWTH. NOW, WE ARE OVERDUE FOR AN UPGRADE!” —ann philbin

How the Westwood was won: As it expands its art empire along Wilshire Boulevard, the Hammer Museum (bottom) kicks off “Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA” with a compelling show of work by leading-edge Latina women, including photos from Martha Araujo’s 1985...