Shibori is hand dyed and twisted silk, which is then used to make gorgeous items like this brooch. That of course is an oversimplification. There is a lot of experimenting and tradition. It is a fascinating process which you can learn more about at the Shibori Girl site. This Saturday, right here in our own neighborhood…Shibori Girl will be featured in a trunk show at Pudgy Beads! Please stop in and pick up something for your Mother, her day is coming right up! Shibori Girl is a local artist and Pudgy Beads is a local shop, they both deserve our support…you can stop by in the late afternoon and walk over to Trattoria Limone for dinner!

Pudgy Beads is on Wardlow and Cerritos Avenue
Trattoria Limone is on Orange at Wardlow Road

We arrived a little late…Here is a link from the Angels Gate web site to their flickr gallery. I would have liked to have been there when it collapsed. That would have made watching ice melt fun. Learn more about Fluids and other Allan Kaprow: Art as Life happenings at MOCA -there is a pretty cool youtube video of one being built at MOCA on Friday night…

Did you know the Los Cerritos School Garden is an official Monarch Butterfly Waystation? The migration of hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies starts in Canada each fall and they travel all the way down to California and Mexico to spend the winter. Monarch waystations are places that provide the necessary resources for monarch to produce successive generations and sustain their migration. So if I understand this correctly, the monarchs are in Canada in the fall, they fly down to California, have some babies. The babies get the baton, keep flying down to Mexico. They hang out there for the winter, baton, California, baton, back up to Canada, baton…

Anyone, please tell me if I got the gist of this natural wonder - the monarch migration. You can visit Monarch Watch to learn more about the monarchs and how you can create an official monarch waystation in your own backyard! In addition to being good for the environment, the butterfly gardens are incredibly beautiful. Download the waystation application form and on it you will find lists of the milkweeds needed for the larvae, nectar flowers for the adults and the sustainable management practices to keep your monarch habitat healthy and happy!

The Seal Beach Car Show. Here is a local field trip and it features the Los Cerritos’ own favorite Irish Band, the Sligo Rags! They will take the stage at 12:30pm…it looks like it’s going to be a hot one today (90º), so a field trip near the ocean goes to the top of the list! You can just scoot over there after the baseball game, have a look, have a listen and have a great time! The book fair might have to wait until tomorrow…

The LA Times, Festival of Books. There is something truly magical about walking around the campus of UCLA when it is filled with hundreds of authors and millions of books. One year, I had a baby in a stroller, a toddler dancing to Barney and Grandma watching over so I could take a moment away from the purple t-rex on the children’s stage… I turn the corner and see an amphitheater of rapt faces looking in my direction. I keep walking around to get a look at the stage and see Maya Angelou. I took a seat and had my moment. The drive, the parking, the walking is all worth it. If you’re taking the kids, a tag team works very nicely. Today you could install grandma and the kids to hang with Aly & AJ, one of those Suite Life boys, and you head over to catch a minute of Richard Price the author of “Lush Life” at 3pm. Go check on the family and at 4pm Sherman Alexie author, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” will be there. Festival of Books schedule lays it all out for you.

“During three days, rectangular enclosures of ice blocks (measuring about 30 feet long, 10 wide and 8 high) are built throughout the city. Their walls are unbroken. They are left to melt.” Alan Kaprow, 1967

Watching ice melt. Oddly, this sounds like fun! 18 Happenings in 6 Parts. Originally presented in 1959 this 2008 vision of the work is based on Kaprow’s original notes and writings.

I love this picture! The clothing tells us 1959. Strangely strong, Sandy in the black sweater front and center looks to be hauling two ice blocks on her shoulder. The rickety scaffolding, two ladders and a board, is hilarious! Don’t try his at home…oh wait…this would be a fun school art project, really fun! More research is needed…the only site I found so far, was in German…I think.

At several locations this weekend, the closest being the Angels Gate Cultural Center at 3601 South Gaffey in San Pedro. It says 12-5pm, I think they start building at 12 noon. Coordinated by LACMA, there is an information page here, with a list of all locations and times.

There is quite a bit of local and youthful music available to dip our toe in the great pool of symphonic entertainment. In other words, expose your kids to some low key concert going before throwing down for the Season tickets at Disney Concert Hall. The closing season for Esa Pekka Salonen and the opening season for Dudamel are going to be worth some concert etiquette training right now!

Hughes, Poly and Cal Sate all have ongoing concert series and performance schedules. We were recently treated to the intriguing performance of a modern composition featuring actual whale accompaniment at the aquarium. The Poly musicians were so talented! It was wonderful to see my children so impressed by these young students…and how proud their parents must be! The upcoming Spring Concerts are listed at the LB Poly Instrumental Music Site.

CSULB has several events taking place at various locations for their Spring 08 events calendar. Scroll to the bottom to decipher the location code…The CSULB students and faculty perform at venues like the Museum of Latin American Art and diPiazza’s… The high school and college campus is also a great place to look for talented young musicians for your next event!

Interesting reading in yesterdays LA Times…it’s on all of our minds these days…

Los Angeles Times, Sunday April 20th.

By Seema Mehta Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
California public schools seek private money just to cover the basics Foundations are nothing new, but they’re multiplying as huge budgets cuts loom. And beyond enrichment, their goals now are saving teacher positions and keeping class sizes down. South Orange County families are being urged to donate $400 per student to save the jobs of 266 teachers in the Capistrano Unified School District. Parents at Long Beach’s Longfellow Elementary are among countless statewide who are launching fundraising foundations. Bay Area parents launched a campaign featuring children standing in trash cans; the theme is “Public Education Is Too Valuable to Waste.” Continue reading →

I have been espousing on the subject of the semi-local (depending on time and day) LACMA. There are so many reasons to throw the kids in the minivan, grab a friend and strap on the chat bag for the drive to Mid Wilshire. It’s not that bad! Once you finally locate the parking lot off 6th street (think Park La Brea), it’s totally worth it!

Tips: Sign up all the kids for their Next Gen memberships (they will now be members until they are 18 and can get in an adult for free), don’t bother trying to download and fill out application. It’s just too fast and easy to do it there.

Pay for your parking at the ticket window only $7

Start at the new BCAM - the kids enjoyed the modern art…Warhol, Koons…they were fascinated.

Then take them to LACMA West (the old May Co building) at the Boone Children’s Gallery, for Construct. Closes in June, so get in there!

Head back over to the main campus for whatever show might be taking place. You have to check out the BP Grand Entrance…reproduction street lights on Wilshire…This routine worked well for two 6 year old boys and two 9 year old girls. No melt, no whine, no problem! Oh, and Patina runs the cafe, great salad bar, great grill.

The Friday night free jazz series is just getting started back up…so, that my friends is the perfect excuse to go. Throw them in the car right after school, enjoy the museum and all it has to offer, and drive back home via Korea Town and downtown for a little extra added culture and maybe a quick stop at pink berry…they might even be asleep by the time you get home.

Free Rice. “For each word you get right, we donate 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger” It’s completely addicting. It feels like there should be bonus grains for speed…but that’s just me.