May 2
Daybreak Designs Annual Spring Sale, crafted gifts made by Daybreak residents, Friday 11am-7pm/Saturday 11am-5pm, free, Cloverfield Services Center, 1751 Cloverfield Blvd, 310.450.0650. Also May 3.
The Father, by August Strindberg, 8pm, $10, Theatre Arts Building Studio Stage, SMC, 1900 Pico Blvd., 310.434.3000. Also May 3 and 4, call for times.
First Fridays on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, shops open until 10pm, Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310.392.2525.
The International Year of Astronomy 2009, 8pm, preceded by The Night Sky Show, 7pm, $5 or $9 for both shows, John Drescher Planetarium, SMC, 1900 Pico Blvd., 310.434.4223.
Intimate Apparel, play by Lynn Nottage, 8pm Fridays-Saturdays/2pm Sundays, through May 31, $15-$18, presented by Santa Monica Theatre Guild, Morgan-Wixson Theatre, 2627 Pico Blvd., 310.828.7519.
LA Mode 2008, Santa Monica College’s annual fashion show, 7pm, $10, Concert Hall, SMC, 1900 Pico Blvd., 310.434.3000.
Poetry Reading: A Poetic Convergence, with Jim Natal, Susan Terris, Lynne Thompson, and David St. John, 8pm, free, Barnes & Noble, 1201 Third Street Promenade, 310.260.9110.
Santa Monica College Annual Student Art Exhibit, opening reception 6-8pm, through May 29, Pete and Susan Barrett Art Gallery, SMC Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St., 310.434.3414.
Ultima Vez, Spiegel (Mirror), dance program, 8pm, $15-$42, Royce Hall, UCLA, WW, 310.825.2101. Also May 3.
May 3
Basket Weaving Workshop, 10am-3pm, $49 plus $27 for materials, SMC Bundy, Room 428, 3171 S. Bundy Dr., LA, 310.434.3400.
The Basics 1: Soil, Soil Amendments, and Fertilizers, first in a series of “Gardenerd” workshops with Christy Wilhelmi, 9:30am, $40, gardenerd.com.
Catamaran Community Art Show, featuring art and live music, presented by Creative Chakra Spa, 1-6pm, free, 3401 Pacific Ave., MDR, creativechakra.com.
Compost Giveaway, compost bins will be given for discounted price of $25 plus tax, 8am-noon, City Yards, 2500 Michigan Ave., 310.458.8546.
Irene Coray, “screwed paintings,” opening reception 6-8pm, through May 17, Kulturas, 1700 Ocean Park Blvd., 310.454.8707.
John Coulter, The New Mythology, opening reception 5-8pm, through May 31, Deborah Page Gallery, 1028 Montana Ave., 310.458.4400.
Exhibit and Art Sale, to benefit the Santa Monica Museum of Art, reception 7-9:30pm, $125, Santa Monica Museum of Art, Bergamot Station, 310.586.6488.
Gotta Serve Somebody, film featuring gospel singers interpreting Bob Dylan songs, 2:30pm, free, Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., LA, 310.440.4500.
How to Find a Job, with Marcia Lewis from SMC Career Center, 10am-noon, free, Fairview Branch Library, 2101 Ocean Park Blvd., 310.450.0443.
Mardi Gras at the Playboy Mansion, with Playboy models, music, and DJ Casey Connor, attire can be casual, swim, or costume, proceeds to benefit the rebuilding of New Orleans, 7pm-midnight, benefitatthemansion.com/conscience.
May Faire at Westside Waldorf School, featuring Maypole dancing, fairies, silent auction, face painting, and tea room, 11am-4pm, free, Westside Waldorf School, 17310 Sunset Blvd., PP, 310.454.7064.
Ann Whitford Paul, storytelling and autographing, ages 4-up, 10:30-11am, free, Children’s Book World, 10580 1/2 Pico Blvd., WLA, 310.559.2665.
Gustav Perez: New Work, Cheryl Ann Thomas: Relics, opening reception 5-7pm, through May 31, Frank Lloyd Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.264.3866.
Public Forum with candidates for Yvonne Brathwaite-Burke’s County Supervisor seat, 1-3pm, free, Beethoven Elementary School, 3711 Beethoven St., MV, 310.206.4136.
Queso Blanco Cheese Making, with Ben Fitch, noon, free, Surfas, 8777 Washington Blvd., CC, 310.559.4770.
Racial Stereotypes and Artistic Resistance: The Work of Kara Walker, class with Paul von Blum, in conjunction with Walker’s Hammer museum exhibit, 10am-1pm, $85-$95, Room 415, 1010 Westwood Blvd., WW, 310.206.1422.
James Richards, Re-Sequenced, reception 5-7pm, through June 14, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.453.1595.
Safety Harbor Kids 2nd Annual Meeting, Picnic and Polo, 1-4pm, free, Will Rogers Park Polo Field, Will Rogers Park, PP, safetyharborkids.org.
SMC Jazz Vocal Ensemble, 8pm, $12, Concert Hall, SMC, 1900 Pico Blvd., 310.434.3000.
SMC 28th Annual Photography Show, works by students and faculty, reception 6-8pm at both locations, through May 31, SMC Photography Gallery, 2nd Floor Drescher Hall, SMC, 1900 Pico Blvd., and La Foto Gallery, 806 Pico Blvd., (by appointment only), 310.434.4289.
Uncork a Wish Wine Tasting and Auction, benefit for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with wine tastings and accompanying dishes, 6:30pm, $150, 21 and older, Barker Hangar, Santa Monica Airport, 310.788.9474.
Venice Arts 15th Anniversary Art Show, celebrating the move to their new space, noon-2pm, free, Venice Arts, 1702 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, venice-arts.org.
Carole Ann Wilson, reception for “Transfer(ence)s,” mixed-media show based on her therapy experiences, 3:30-6pm, free, New Center for Psychoanalysis, 2014 Sawtelle Blvd., WLA, 310.478.6541 x10.
May 4
Asha’s Baba Presents West African Fables, storytelling, 11:30am, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30pm, free, Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr., LA, 310.440.7360.
Big Sunday ‘08, volunteer citywide weekend event helps St. Anne’s School, gifts for sale, bake sale, car wash, 10am-2pm, free, Crossroads School, 1715 Olympic Blvd., bigsunday.org.
Brentwood Garden Tour, self-guided tour of gardens in some of the most beautiful homes in LA, 1-5pm, $25, tour will be held rain or shine, brentwoodgardentour.com.
Cinco de Mayo and Classic Car Show, arts and crafts, music, mariachis, food, and more, 1-5:30pm, free, Virginia Avenue Park, 310.458.8688.
Extreme Klezmer Makeover, klezmer brunch, 11am-1pm, no cover, Vinoteque (formerly Synergy Cafe), 4437 Sepulveda Blvd., CC, 310.482.3490.
Rhythm Child Live: In the Studio, DVD release party, 11am, $8, McCabe’s Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Blvd., 310.828.4497.
Santa Monica Conservancy Tour of Rare Santa Monica Homes, features homes on Adelaide Drive, 1-5pm, $35-$40, shuttle bus will pick up participants at Roosevelt School, northeast corner of Montana and Lincoln, reservations required, 310.496.3146 or smconservancy.org.
Gaytino! one-man show with Dan Guerrero, 7pm, free, Second Space, Santa Monica Performing Arts Center, Madison Campus, 1310 11th St., 310.434.3414.
Open Reading with featured poets Charles Claymore, Stephany Prodromides, and Jack Cooper, sign-up 4:45pm, reading 5pm, free, Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, 310.822.3006.
To Touch the Soul, screening of film about AIDS in Cambodia, followed by Q&A, 2pm, free, Fowler Museum at UCLA, WW, 310. 825.4361.
Views from the Top, Spring 2008 AIA/LA Home Tour, self-guided tour of hilltop homes, 11am-4pm, $65-$75, 213.639.0777.
Walk 4 Kids with FD (Familial Dysautonomia), walk, raffle, silent auction, bake sale, 1:30-4pm, free, $18 fee for walkers, Athletic Field, Marquez Charter School, 16821 Marquez Ave., PP, 310.459.1056.
World Laughter Day, a laughing contest presented by the Laugh Angeles Foundation, with contests for best laughing man, woman, child, and senior, 11am-2pm, free, Ocean Park Beach, 2600 Barnard Way, worldlaughterday.com.
May 5
Cinco de Mayo Party for Bill Rosendahl, launching his re-election, with sangria, tapas, and tequila, 6-7:30pm, donations of $100-$500 accepted, James Beach, 60 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, RSVP to 310.264.9200.
Mexican Calendar Girls, The Golden Age of Mexican Calendar Art, reception 6-8pm at the Victorian adjacent to the Museum, exhibit runs May 7 through February 1, 2009, California Heritage Museum, 2612 Main St., 310.392.8537.
Silent Witness, exhibit of Holocaust-related art by Fae Horowitz, Robyn Feely, and John Smith, reception May 10, 4-7pm, through June 1, Topanga Canyon Gallery, 120 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, 310.455.7909.
May 6
Bernd and Hilla Becher: Basic Forms, through September 14, Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr., LA, 310.440.7360.
Chamber Music Palisades presents a program of works by Schoenfield, Bridge, and Elgar, plus a quartet by Los Angeles composer Adrienne Albert, 8pm, $25, St. Matthew’s Parish, 1031 Bienvenida, PP, 310.459.2070.
Cuban Films: Voices of the Orishas and Los Munequitos de Matanzas, films about Cuban music, 8pm, live music at 7pm, free, 7 Dudley Cinema, Sponto Gallery, 7 Dudley Ave., Venice, 310.306.7330.
Janet Fitch, author, talks about her latest novel, Paint it Black, 11:15am, free, Art Lecture Hall 214, SMC, 1900 Pico Blvd., 310.434.4303.
Jewish Women’s Circle of Discovery, with Tova Hinda Seigel, a former assistant professor at USC School of Medicine, 8-9:30pm, $10, Chabad JCC of Pacific Palisades, 15207 Sunset Blvd., PP, 310.454.7783.
Don Felder, member of the Eagles, reads from and signs Heaven and Hell, a memoir about the band, 7pm, free, Barnes & Noble, 1201 Third Street Promenade, 310.260.9110.
Flora the Red Menace, early Kander and Ebb musical, through May 18, 8pm Tuesdays-Fridays/2pm and 8pm Saturdays/2pm and 7pm Sundays, $70-$75, Freud Playhouse at UCLA, WW, 310.825.2101.
May Mischief, children’s program with puppet show and storytelling, 3:30pm and 4:30pm, ages 3-7, free, Ocean Park Library, 2601 Main St., 310.392.3804.
My Kid Could Paint That, documentary about four year old girl who has sold her paintings, 7pm, free, Fairview Branch Library, 2101 Ocean Park Blvd., 310.450.0443.
Pioneering Visions/Important Exhibitions, lecture with Suzanne Ghez and Beatrix Ruf, 7pm, free, Santa Monica Museum of Art, Bergamot Station, RSVP to 310.586.6488.
Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association, annual meeting, 7pm, free, Rustic Canyon Recreation Center, 601 Latimer Rd., smcca.org.
August Sander: People of the 20th Century, photographs of the German people before WW II, through September 14, Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr., LA, 310.440.7360.
Westside Extension Update Meetings, information about transit, 6-8pm, Westwood Presbyterian Church, 10822 Wilshire Blvd., WW. Also in Santa Monica May 8, 6-8pm, Santa Monica Main Library, 602 Santa Monica Blvd., both events free, 213.922.6934.
May 7
Dedication Ceremony for the Anne and Kirk Douglas Playground at Beethoven Elementary School, guests include the Douglases and Los Angeles Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, 10am, Beethoven Street Elementary School, 3711 Beethoven St., LA, RSVP to Donna Ayers at donna_ayers@ca.rr.com.
Event: Net(not)working, Networking Research Class, with Daisy Swan, 6-8:30pm, $40, Jobing.com, Ste. 320, 12100 Wilshire Blvd., WLA, 310.820.8877.
Green Living Workshop, Wednesdays through May 28, 7pm, free, Multipurpose Room, Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., 310.458.8600.
3 Feet Under: Digging for the Geoduck Clam, film by Justin Bookey, followed by discussion, 7:30pm, free, MLK Jr. Auditorium, Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., 310.458.8600.
May 8
Common Cause Celebration, with Common Cause President Bob Edgar, Board Chairman Jim Leach, and NBA star Adonal Foyle, hosted by Bob Jimenez and Bree Walker, 6:30pm, $35, Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., LA, 213.252.4552.
Job Fair, 10am-2pm, free, Library Walkway, SMC, 1900 Pico Blvd., 310.434.4337.
Jessye Norman: The Five Seasons: Summer, Winter, Spring, Fall and the Eternal Season of Love! with Mark Markham, pianist, 8pm, $25-$125, Royce Hall, UCLA, WW, 310.825.2101.
Subjects That Matter, SMC Emeritus College Juried Art Show, opening reception 5-6:30pm, through June 27, Emeritus College, 1227 2nd St., 310.434.4306.
Venice Art Walk Happening, preview party with Venice Art Walk artists, featuring the film Unable to Fly by Elizabeth Paige Smith, music with KCRW DJ Tom Schnabel, and a dance-painting performance by Method Dance Company and Jean Edelstein, 6:30pm, $50, Studio of Laddie John Dill, 1625 Electric Ave., Venice, 310.392.WALK.
