VRA LA 2019: Tour LA Like a Local and Elevate Your Conference Experience
With so much to see and do in the LA area, the SoCal local planners have organized several tours so you can see the best highlights while attending the VRA conference. The tours are scheduled on every day of the conference (mint chip green in SCHED) and are a great value-- costs kept at a minimum, bang-for-your-buck at the maximum! By location, they range from just down the block to the city center and further afield--the local planners will help to coordinate any necessary ride sharing or walking groups. So, make sure to find the tours that fit your interests and schedule, including some great ones before and after the conference--there is something for everybody! For more information, see SCHED
ART TOURS
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Behind the Scenes Tour
Tuesday, March 26th, 9:00am-1:00pm - We’re headed to LACMA, for a Behind the Scenes Tour of the museum’s Balch Art Research Library & Archives. Then we’ll be treated to a curator led tour of the 3D: Double Vision exhibition and some free-range gallery time. LACMA is about a 30 minute drive from the hotel, a tour organizer will help coordinate ride shares to and from the museum.
Hauser & Wirth, Exhibitions Tour
Tuesday, March 26th, 12:30pm-1:45pm – Hauser & Wirth is a gallery specializing in contemporary and modern art. Residing in a former flour mill, the architecture is designed for communal gathering space and community arts programming throughout the year. We’ll get a guided tour of current exhibitions and be back in time for the afternoon sessions. A tour organizer will lead the 12 minute walk from the hotel, down Little Tokyo’s vibrant 2nd street, to the gallery.
Huntington Library, Art Collection, and Botanical Gardens Tour
Friday, March 29th, 10:00 am-12:00 pm – A guided tour of the Huntington Library, a world class art collection also known for rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and maps. A visit to the Imaging Lab will give a behind the scenes look at historic equipment and new technologies. Attendees can linger to see the botanical gardens and other exhibitions, or return to the hotel. The Huntington is about a 30 minute drive from the hotel, a tour organizer will help coordinate ride shares to and from the museum.
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
Thursday, March 28th, 12:00 pm-2:30 pm & Friday, March 29th, 9:30 am-12:00 pm –
If your artistic interests lean toward the performing arts and fashion, don’t miss out on one of these FIDM tours, the first of which is a curatorial led tour of one of the nation’s finest costume collections and the annual exhibit of the “Art of Motion Picture Costume Design.” The second tour, led by the library director and her staff, provides a broader view of the campus, its innovative materials collection, and the library with one of the country’s largest specialized fashion collections. There will be time at the end to also view the exhibit of movie costumes. Local planners will provide guidance on walking (30 minutes) or transport options (Metro or ride share) for those who want to cross town together.
Broad Museum Facade with Oculus (Burns photo 2018)
PRE-BOOK SELF-GUIDED ART OPTIONS
If you plan to visit contemporary art museum The Broad, a 12 minute walk from the hotel, you’ll need to reserve your free tickets in advance. Tickets for the month of March are released on February 1st: https://ticketing.thebroad.org/events/84185978-8137-44a7-9774-356133b9997d
Advance tickets are also required for the Marciano Art Foundation. A 30 minute drive from the hotel, this private collection showcases contemporary art in a renovated Masonic temple. Tickets for the month of March are released on February 1st: https://tickets.marcianoartfoundation.org/events/88fc459a-0839-ff18-ac02-2eb72aed5788
Stay tuned for more information on self-guided museum information & gallery hopping!
HISTORY & CULTURAL TOURS
Japanese American National Museum
When in Little Tokyo, visiting JANM is a must! That is why we scheduled tours midday for every day of the conference. A 7 minute walk from the conference hotel, you have a choice of a behind-the-scenes tour with the curator or a tour of the permanent & special photography exhibitions that tell the story of Japanese immigration to the U.S., incarceration during WWII, and the Redress Movement. No shepherd required, you can’t miss the contemporary JANM building just down the block.
Spiritual Journey by Nancy Uyemura, 1996 (Burns photo 2018)
Los Angeles Conservancy
The best architectural tours in town are provided by the LAC, the organization that works to preserve the architectural heritage of Los Angeles. Avoid being jet-lagged at the conference and come a day early to experience the docent-led “Art Deco” or “Historic Downtown” tours on Monday afternoon. This is a great way to get your bearings and see some of LA’s oldest buildings, like the famous Bradbury. Or, stay through Friday to experience the 1939 Spanish Colonial Union Station (Amtrak & Metro) and learn how the “Past Meets Present” by exploring the ways that historic buildings are being revitalized to meet the changing downtown demographic, like in the Last Bookstore. Tuesday morning provides the only other opportunity to enjoy guided architectural tours, when there is a repeat of “Historic Downtown” (it’s that good!) and add the “Modern Skyline.” These tours are in-depth and comprehensive, each taking 2 ½ hours. A minimum of 12 people is needed for each tour to take place, if tours don’t fill, cancellations may be necessary. Tours have different starting locations, so the local planners will provide options for traveling as a group to the starting point. The tours also involve walking a few miles, with varying degrees of difficulty, lots of standing, and no breaks, but they are so worth it (they are wheelchair accessible, if needed, please notify a conference planner).
Stay tuned for more information about self-guided walking tours.
Downtown LA Skyline (Burns photo 2015)
COMPLETE LIST OF TOURS
Registration for tours is made in the order they are received. Early registration is strongly recommended as tours fill quickly. Detailed descriptions of tours can be found in the conference program:https://vra2019.sched.com/overview/type/Tour. Tickets for paid tours will be included in registration packets.
Contributors:
Krystal Boehlert
Local Planning Coordinator, VRA LA 2019
Visual Resources Specialist, University of California Riverside
Maureen Burns
Development and Tour Coordinator, VRA LA 2019
IMAGinED Consulting and Archivision