Culture for the whole family
You can get to know the downtown Los Angeles arts and culture scene better Saturday at Grand Ave Arts: All Access, a daylong soiree presented by institutions clustered between Temple and 6th streets.
Free, family-friendly events have been planned within walking distance of one another by the Broad museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Center Theatre Group, the Music Center, Grand Park, the Colburn School, L.A. Opera, the L.A. Philharmonic, the L.A. Master Chorale, REDCAT and the L.A. Central Library.
Here’s a sampling of six ways to spend the day:
Get a dance lesson. Faculty from Colburn’s Community School of Performing Arts are welcoming children and adults. No dance experience is necessary. Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave. 2 to 3 p.m.
See Day of the Dead altars. Sneak a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the making of Grand Park’s 35 Día de los Muertos altars and art, which were created by local artists and will be on display through Nov. 6. The altars share the artists’ personal stories of grief, triumph and more. Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hear music. Audience members can chime in on beloved folk songs sung a cappella by composer Moira Smiley and members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Disney Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave. The first performance runs from noon to 12:20 p.m., the second from 1:30 to 1:50 p.m.
Browse art. See a magnificent contemporary art by Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko, Jean-Michel Basquiat and more at MOCA, where admission is free for the day. The museum will offer tours of its permanent collection, and NTS Radio will feature DJ sets and broadcast live from MOCA’s outdoor plaza. 250 S. Grand Ave. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Go backstage. The Music Center is leading free 30minute guided tours backstage at Disney Hall, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre. Tours of Disney Hall run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; get a timed ticket in front of the hall. Tours of the other venues run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; get a timed ticket in front of each venue.
Take the kids to a movie. Treat the little ones to a screening of selections from the 2016 International Children’s Film Festival. These include animated and liveaction short films from around the world.