I never thought that after experiencing two big building openings, I could ever say there would be a crazier time at the museum, but this is surely it. With 17 exhibitions on the schedule for the year — including the ever popular Tim Burton — a new film series, and major outdoor art installation all opening this fall, LACMA is definitely keeping me on my toes.

There’s something even bigger and broader happening all across Southern California this fall though, and that’s PST — Pacific Standard Time — a Getty-spearheaded initiative that has 60 cultural institutions, spanning from Santa Barbara to Palm Springs, collaborating to tell the birth of the LA art scene. And as someone who has witnessed the incredible momentum LA’s had these last few years, it is exciting to celebrate the history of a now internationally-recognized cultural capital. 

For the coming out party, we at LACMA are presenting 5 exhibitions, ranging from Ed Kienholz’s powerful and haunting work, Five Car Stud, to the soon-to-open, sweeping midcentury design exhibition, California Design 1930-1965: “Living in a Modern Way”. California Design has been in the making for five years by our Decorative Arts and Design team and brings together more than 350 works of all kinds of media — think furniture, architecture, graphic design, jewelry, bathing suits, and even Barbie! 

The LAT did a fantastic job with a comprehensive package on PST. And this weekend’s Home section featured an awesome time lapse showing a very special part of the show — a re-creation of the living room from the home of seminal designers Charles and Ray Eames. The house is conserved by their foundation but not open to the public, and provides a rare revelatory look into the designers’ inspirational environment. So come by and get on board PST with us this fall!