Author: Mona Day

LA Art Show Opening Night Party

Mona Day Awards, celebration, See

The LA Art Show  kicked off the 2024 Los Angeles art season with its Opening Night party February 14th. Guests got a special VIP preview of the LA Art Show’s 2024 expansive cultural programming featuring over 100 galleries, museums and nonprofits exhibiting that included an  international lineup of galleries and museums from countries from the Philippines, Italy, Israel, Peru and South Korea. 

The gala was hosted by celebrated actress Lucy Hale. Reality TV star Francesca Farago (Too Hot To Handle, Perfect Match) and fiancé Jesse Sulli of Tik Tok fame also took to the carpet.

The evening’s charity partner was the  American Heart Association, which is celebrating its 100th birthday this year.  As the evening’s host and friend of AHA, Lucy took to the stage and spoke about the important work the American Heart Association’s work with its Life is Why campaign which is inspiring people to honor their reasons for living longer healthier lives. LA Art Show producer and director Kassandra Voyagis, American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown and AHA survivor family Danielle and Chandler Armstead also spoke during the presentation. NFL player Damar Hamlin (Buffalo Bills Defensive Back), who suffered cardiac arrest on the field last year joined Lucy on stage during the American Heart Association presentation. 

LA Art Show will donate 15% of all ticket proceeds to the American Heart Association’s Life Is Why™ Campaign. 

Other LA Art Show 2024 highlights included:

·      A musical performance by Korean artist Choi Sori who through drumming and manipulation of metal surfaces, Choi creates an abstract interplay of light, color, and sound.

·      Iconic LA artist Robert Vargas was onsite live painting his powerful mural – inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s “The World House” – which honored Black History Month and conveyed a message of peace and unity.

·      The Tanya Weddemire Gallery exhibited “Give Us Our Flowers” by acclaimed Haitian American artist, Guy Stanley Philoche, who found art as his refuge at an early age.

·      Fremin Gallery from New York showcased inspiring works including female Turkish artist Ardan Özmenoğlu’s “Blue” a stunning sculpture of a tree on a wooden stump, created from layers of glass panels and nail polish.

·      LP Gallery from South Korea featured renowned artist Dain Yoon known for painting on her skin to create surreal self-portraits.

·      Licht Feld Gallery presented photography from award-winning celebrity photographer, Markus Klinko, including his iconic image of Mariah Carey, recently projected on stage at the 2024 Grammy Awards.

·      Fabrik Projects Gallery showcased ‘The Soul of Your City” exhibition, the culmination of a global photography competition capturing the hidden spirit and true identity of cities through the lenses of local photographers.

·      DIVERSEartLA presented the second Museum Acquisition Award for Emerging Artists participating at the fair. The award-winning artist was Barcelona-based Juan Escudero on behalf of Pigment Gallery selected by Ana Maria Matthei, AAL museum director & AAL Magazine founder, along with DIVERSEartLA curator, Marisa Caichiolo.

For more information, please visit https://www.laartshow.com

 Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival

Mona Day Chefs, Dine, Food & Wine Events, Restaurants

The inaugural Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival will land  on the Santa Monica Pier for three days of food and wine festivities March 1st – March 3rd during the art festival Frieze Week Los Angeles which takes place February 26th –  March 3rd.  

The festival will feature a mix of high-profile culinary and beverage talent, favorite local restaurants, and cultural initiatives with a lineup of 90 participating chefs.

Participating restaurants include award-winning Neapolitan pizza restaurant Pizzana from Daniele Uditi;  acclaimed Thai restaurant Jitlada; Holbox, recently ranked #5 on the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants list; Chef Sathia Sun of new Italian hotspot Donna’s; Bridgetown Roti from famed Caribbean pop-up from chef Rashida Holmes; Chinese-Peruvian restaurant Chifa from Humberto Leon, founder of Opening Ceremony fashion brand, and Ricardina Leon; Bé Ù viet-street food;  Koreatown smashburger spot Love Hour; Santa Monica seafood restaurants Crudo e Nudo and Isla; Michelin-starred Camphor; Xuntos tapas bar; French bistro Pasjoli; Guerilla Tacos, the popular street-taco restaurant that originated as a food truck from Chef Wes Avila. 

Newest additions to the line up include chefs Justin Pichetrungsi of acclaimed Anajak Thai, BBQ master Adam Perry Lang, Alvin Cailan, Food Network Star Duff Goldman, award-winning Mexican-American chef Claudette Zepeda and Stephanie Izard of Girl & the Goat.  Each day’s session will feature over 30 chefs, and tickets include all you can eat and drink. 

The festival is dedicated to highlighting female-owned restaurants in LA.  As such, its official nonprofit partner is Regarding Her (RE:Her), a national nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the growth of women entrepreneurs and leaders in food and beverage and advocate gender parity in  restaurants.

The festival is presented by IMG, the company behind global events that include The Taste of London, Frieze, and New York Fashion Week: The Shows.

Hours are 7:30pm – 10pm on Friday and Saturday; 12:30pm-3pm on Sunday, and ticket options include daily pricing as well as packages.

For more information and tickets, please visit  lawineandfood.com and @lawinefoodfest on Instagram.

A DOUBLE FEATURE OF ONE-ACT GEMS

Mona Day Opera, See, stage, Theater

LA Opera will present two one-act rarities – William Grant Still’s Highway 1, USA and Alexander Zemlinsky’s The Dwarf  conducted by Music Director James Conlon  February 24 through March 17.

Unifying the operas is the theme of unrequited love told through powerful, emotional music.  The story of Highway 1  USA follows a hardworking Black couple Bob and Mary, who have scrimped and saved to put Bob’s younger brother through college. After the ne’er-do-well Nate attacks Mary for refusing his advances, the couple come together to focus on building a better life for themselves.

Based on Oscar Wilde’s The Birthday of the Infanta  The Dwarf  involves a birthday celebration for a young Spanish princess, who along with other gifts is presented with a Dwarf, who falls in love with her. She toys with his affections before callously rejecting him;  devastated, he dies of a broken heart.  A gothic tale of an impossible one-sided romance in a decadent Spanish court, the story is animated by a lush and romantic score.  The production was last staged at LA Opera to critical acclaim in 2008. 

A second theme unifying the double bill is that they are both works by major composers lauded in their time but who fell into obscurity as a result of oppression.  Hailed as ‘the dean of African-American composers’,  trailblazing composer William Grant Still wrote more than 150 works ranging from operas, ballets, symphonies and chamber pieces and was the first Black conductor to conduct a major American symphony orchestra when he led the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a 1936 concert of his own compositions at the Hollywood Bowl.  However, he fell into obscurity despite his early successes as well as the quality of his compositions, especially his operas.  As such, Highway 1, USA composed in the 1940s didn’t have a major professional production until one by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 2021.

Similarly, The Dwarf was composed by Zemlinsky during his conducting tenure  at the Deutsches Landestheater, but he was forced to resign when the Nazis seized power, and after Hitler’s invasion forced to flee with his family to New York where he died in 1942, a broken man.  He then fell into obscurity till his rediscovery in the 1970s.

Both operas are part of LA Opera’s groundbreaking Recovered Voices initiative  launched by LA Opera in 2007. 

There will be six performances of the double bill at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Highway 1, USA is sung in English,  The Dwarf  in German, and both will feature projected subtitles in English.  The running time is approximately two hours and 50 minutes, including one intermission.  For more information and tickets, please visit  LAOpera.org

LA ART SHOW

Mona Day Design, Fashion, See, Style

The LA Art Show will return to the Los Angeles Convention Center from February 14-18, kicking off the city’s 2024 art season.  As one of the most comprehensive contemporary art events, it brings over 180,000 square feet of space to house over 120 galleries, museums, and non-profit arts organizations from around the world exhibiting painting, sculpture, works on paper, installations, photography, design, video, performance art and more.

Prominent domestic and international galleries will showcase contemporary trends with offerings for sale.  They will also spill out beyond their booth spaces for immersive experiences through thought-provoking artworks, performances that will engage audience  and create conversations to outlive the show.  Major international exhibitor lineup includes the Philippines, Italy, Israel, Peru and South Korea. 

The largest section of programming at the LA Art Show, Modern + Contemporary will exhibit the spectrum of contemporary painting, illustration, sculpture and more from galleries in Los Angeles, the Pacific Rim, and beyond.

A European Pavilion will house galleries from Spain, Italy, and France to showcase contemporary European movements and stylistic developments.

Project Space showcases a broad array of ideas and talents in solo exhibitions by international galleries.

Works on Paper will display photographs and other artwork not on traditional canvas.

Capitalizing on the city’s leading position on the Pacific Rim, DIVERSEartLA curated by Marisa Caichiolo and others will connect seven international art institutions, representing collectors, artists, curators, museums and non-profits  to LA audiences in 50,000 square feet of donated exhibition space to display not for sale objects  for civic engagement only.  DIVERSEartLA is partnering with seven international art institutions to explore the intersection of memory, humanity, and AI. Amongst the participants, the Nevada Museum of Art will present The Journey by contemporary artist Guillermo Bert and The Museum of Contemporary Art in Bogotá will present Mythstories by multimedia artist Carlos Castro Arias.

LP Gallery from South Korea will feature artist Dain Yoon renowned for painting on her skin to create surreal self-portraits that can trick the eye with their 3D shading. Dain Yoon’s pieces are both playful and profound, reflecting her emotional states and the complexity of identity. Now living in the U.S., her work showcases a creative evolution from processing the challenges she faced as a young woman in South Korea to a stable, confident person in her new environment.

To time with Black History Month, the Tanya Weddemire Gallery will feature the talents of four pioneering black artists, exploring a range of themes, including identity, culture and resilience: Guy Stanley Philoche “Give Us Our Flowers”, Serron Green “Invisible”, Gregory Saint Amand “Play Time” and O’Neil Scott “Distant Memories”.


Fabrik Projects Gallery in Los Angeles welcomes ‘The Soul of Your City’ exhibition featuring the winning works of a global photography competition aimed at capturing the hidden spirit and identity of cities through the eyes of local photographers and their desire to explore and reveal often overlooked aspects of urban life. 

The upcoming exhibition of Young Masters Art Prize, presented by Cynthia Corbett Gallery, London represents an international initiative to support emerging talent from diverse backgrounds. Select artists from six editions will be featured at this year’s LA Art Show to showcase cultural diversity and female-identifying artists. 

In a new collaboration, the LA Art Show, Expanded Learning and Athletes for Life Foundation will launch the Southern California Art n the Schools Art Contest inviting SoCal students to submit their artwork. Founded by former NFL running back Greg Bell, Athletes for Life has  served youth programs since 1989. Winning artwork will be featured in a  sponsors’ lounge along with works from Greg Bell’s art collection.

The fair debuts with an opening night premiere party on Valentine’s Day hosted by award-winning actress Lucy Hale and LA Art Show’s new charity partner, American Heart Association celebrating its centennial. The LA Art Show will donate 15% of proceeds from every ticket to the American Heart Association’s Life is Why ™ campaign.

For more information and tickets, please visit www.LAArtShow.com.

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE RELOCATES ITS WOODLAND HILLS RESTAURANT

Mona Day Dine, Restaurants

Ruth’s Chris Steak House, having earned its reputation in Los Angeles  for its fine dining experience and steaks served on 500-degree sizzling plates  for over  ten years,  has officially relocated its Woodland Hills restaurant to 5919 Canoga Avenue, just in time for the holiday celebrations.

The 10,000+ square-foot Woodland Hills space features one main dining room, one casual dining room, a luxurious bar and bar dining area, a patio with ample seating with heaters for this time of the year, as well as a board room and two private dining rooms that can be reserved for special occasions. The space is elegantly appointed and thoughtfully designed to provide signature  dining experience. 

The bar at the new location opened with two new seasonal  menu offerings – the Filet & Cabernet Pairing available at the bar for $38,  includes a 6 oz. Filet topped with three large shrimp alongside a refreshing glass of DAOU Cabernet Sauvignon, and the the Fireside Old-Fashioned Cocktail handcrafted with Elijah Craig small batch bourbon, Demerara syrup, Amaro Averna, Angostura and chocolate bitters for $17. The restaurant also boasts an unbeatable  Happy Hour of full-size appetizers, hand-crafted cocktails and wine starting at $9 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm every Sunday through Friday.   Seating is on a first come, first served basis, with no reservations needed.

Since its first restaurant opened in New Orleans in 1965, the company has perfected its broiling method and seasoning techniques to ensure each cut of USDA Prime is well marbled and hand-selected for thickness and tenderness before being cooked to perfection and served sizzling on a 500-degree plate. The restaurant also offers fresh seafood, made from scratch side dishes and desserts, along with craft cocktails and choice wines.

As part of the pre-opening celebration for the new location, Ruth’s Chris hosted a special VIP dinner with community leaders, business owners and Ruth’s Chris executives where 100% of the proceeds from the evening were donated to Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

For more information, hours of operation or to make a reservation, please visit https://ruthschris.com/woodland-hills/ or call (818) 227-9505.

SO LET’S SHOP

Mona Day celebration, Dine, Food & Wine Events, PRODUCTS, See

Modern Day Wife hosted its annual luxe holiday and  gift giving soiree  So Let’s Shop 5 – 9pm Friday, December 1.  Just named the #1 Los Angeles Hotel by Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, the hotel made it a double feature by hosting a VIP  pre-event party 3 – 5 pm featuring  small bites, drinks and dessert and an IT Box of swag. Partner Glamsquad jumped in on the action as well with a promo code offer for hair and makeup for the evening. For those who wanted to match the color scheme for the event, the organizers provided a mood board and color theme, declaring it ‘the year of silver’ to up the glam, glitter and style. 

Indoors there were signature panels across beauty, wellness, fashion, lifestyle, business and entrepreneurship, a  fireside celebrity chat with actress  Jennie Garth along with photo ops with the actress, a holiday beauty lounge, and Instagrammable holiday moments for personalized holiday cards. 

Outside there were brands on display:  lots of beauty experiences including hair frosting with Innersense Organic Beauty, brow fills and eye makeup touch-ups with Chella, Botox lip flips, Skinvive, Kybella and mini consults with Enhanced by Nadia, and Cassandra McClure. There was also a fashion show, a live performance by Classic Noir and Cirque de Soleil circus acts.

Anna Kara Loans welcomed you to her luxury lounge for more networking opportunities to inspire conversations about holiday, cruise wear, brands and know-how on beauty, career and fashion, and power couple tips, discuss the latest shopping trends and what’s in store for 2024,  to help you up your game professionally and personally, learn how to balance it all, along with opportunities to shop the looks of the fashion show.

Meagan & Meghan, Founders, Modern Day Wife wanted to make sure to had plenty of holiday fun, festivities and cheer to make it  the most memorable night of your holiday season.

For more information and tickets, please visit https://themoderndaywife.com/pages/so-lets-shop-dec-2023

Heritage Fire

Mona Day Chefs, Dine, Food & Wine Events, Restaurants

Heritage Fire Los Angeles, the festival celebrating pasture diversity and family farming, is back this year after the pandemic hiatus at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel 4pm – 7pm Sunday December 3.

The live-fire nationwide food and wine festival  focuses on  heirloom produce and  heritage breeds of the past before industrial agriculture, when breeds were selected and bred to develop traits that made them adapt to the local environment and thrive under the simpler, more natural farming practices and cultural conditions of those times.  

The festival’s national tour stops in 14 cities showcasing an array of sustainably sourced food from the region’s top family farms and local purveyors, and prepared by some of the region’s best chefs. Each destination attracts over 20 local chefs at a three-hour live-fire event, with each chef preparing a signature dish for an all-inclusive walk-around reception feast with products from locally sourced farms and sponsors.  Guests vote for the ‘Best Bite of the Day’, and the chef who accumulates the highest number of votes earns the title of Heritage Hero. 

The festival also makes a point of going strawless, offering napkins upon request, water use protocols in prep kitchens, digitizing handbooks and documents, using eco-friendly cleaning materials without pesticides,  and other efforts for reducing its carbon footprint, all facilitated with a dedicated festival app. With this educational messaging directed at the 10,000 guests, 250-plus chefs, and 150-plus family farms and numerous culinary schools each year, the festival hopes to make a long-term impact. 

The Los Angeles stop features an all-star cast of top chefs that includes  Ian Mafnas, owner, Qiana Mafnas, chef Axiom Kitchen; Eduardo Osorio, chef Yardbird; Françoise Claquin, owner Brulee LA; Justin Escobedo, owner El Gueero y La Flaca; Carlo Guardado, chef Herb & Sea; Kim Prince, owner Hotville Chicken; Alan Cruz, chef owner A’S BBQ; Elisha Ben-Haim, chef and culinary director American Beauty; Daniel Castillo, pitmaster, Nicholas Echaore, executive chef Heritage BBQ; Francisco Aguilar, chef owner  Simon. 

Beverages will include premium wines, spirits, beer, and cider, along with craft cocktails like infused smoked old fashion spirits, signature punches, Manhattan Project style cocktails, tiki bar concoctions, heritage rum carts, mezcal bars, and other premium spirits.  Live entertainment will round out the festivities. 

All tickets are all-inclusive food and beverage, with a  VIP Access  ticket offering early entry.  Attendees must be 21+ to attend.For more information and tickets, please visit https://heritagefiretour.com/los-angeles.