A day on Wilshire Boulevard: The Ackermans, Anarchy and Fry Bread

Photo copyright Craft and Folk Art Museum 

For months now an article in the Los Angeles Times about an exhibit at the Craft and Folk Art Museum has been popping up in my email. And for months I have been promising myself I would schedule the time to see it. So a mere week before the ending date I took the bus up to Wilshire Boulevard to view A Marriage of Craft and Design: The Work of Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman. It’s been too long since I have visited this museum. I often see announcements for interesting exhibits but I let so much time go by I usually miss the dates. So I could not let that happen this time.

CAFAM is a small art museum on three floors with galleries on the second and third floors. On the second floor is a whimsical exhibit entitled Crossing the Line: A Space by Tanya Aguiñiga composed of criss-crossed yarn with floating woven pieces. Strands of multi-colored yarn stretch from floor to ceiling giving the impression of walking through a fiber forest.

The main exhibit is on the third floor. Married in 1948, Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman have been collaborative artistic partners ever since. Starting out with no money they built a life and a business totally dedicated to art and design, proving my theory that if you believe in yourself, anything is possible.


Photo copyright Craft and Folk Art Museum

Little known to the general public, but well-respected in the design community, they have lived and worked in Culver City for over 50 years. I have to admit, the fact that they are Culver City artists is what first attracted me to them. Then when I discovered that they worked in ceramics, mosaics and tile (among other materials) I was smitten. The work displayed in the exhibit includes whimsical woven wall hangings, carved wood panels used for synagogue doors, modernist bowls and vases, hardware for furniture, mosaic table tops, and other items displaying their wide range.
There is a touching video filmed at the museum where the husband and wife heap praises on each other, ending with the song, “Mutual Admiration Society.”

The Los Angeles Times provides a photo gallery of the Ackerman's home with eclectic designs and décor.

The first floor of CAFAM is dedicated to the museum shop, always my favorite place in any museum. I was attracted to this scarf made in India, so for $12 how could I pass it up?

Around noon my tummy was telling me it was lunchtime. On the way from the bus stop on Fairfax I had passed no less than fifteen food trucks. Auntie’s Fry Bread looked interesting so I ordered The Veggie, a medley of squash, corn and potatoes slow cooked in savory cream chowder and topped with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and onions. Of course I realized it was naughty but as I had done 20 minutes of Richard Simmons before I left the house and had walked quite a bit I decided it was okay.

I walked across the street to the La Brea Tar Pits and found a shady spot under a tree. You have to be careful where you sit as the ground can erupt with tar seeping up through the grass. I had a good view of the Page Museum where about 15 children were enjoying themselves rolling down the berm and running up again. That brought back some good childhood memories. I slurped my diet Sarsaparilla and dug into the beans and corn (very delicious). I was grateful for a perfect day.

But not over yet!

As I strolled over to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art I was entertained by a dance troupe. I think the idea was that they had to move while keeping their poles connected, no easy feat.

Although the Resnick Pavilion has been open since October, 2010, I had not yet been inside. This 45,000-square-foot space, designed by Enzo Piano, is constructed with natural light entering through vertical planes of glass inserted into the zig-zagging roofline, which is ingenious as the daylight does not fall directly on the art beneath.

Currently there is a restrospective of the works of David Smith (1906-65), Cubes and Anarchy. Although he is billed as the most important sculptor of the 20th Century, I had never heard of him (which doesn’t mean much). First of all, I am not a great fan of three-dimensional art commonly known as sculpture. This is a personal bias I freely admit to which stretches from ancient to contemporary with a few exceptions along the way. It’s merely the way my brain is wired and I feel no desire to re-wire it.

I was, however, impressed by Brenda Levin’s installation. She used translucent scrims made of coarsely woven fabric, allowing the viewer to see the sculptures in layers, one behind the other throughout the gallery.

I tagged along for the docent tour which, as usual, turned out to be very informative and I came away with a greater appreciation of the artwork. David Smith was killed in a car crash at the height of his career at the age of 59.

One of the main reasons I wanted to visit LACMA was to see a version of the Magna Carta. I can’t believe I left without seeing it, and now I have make a trip back to the museum before May 5th!

(All photos copyright roslyn m wilkins unless otherwise noted)