Visual hors d'oeuvres.

I'm very grateful that it's taken until late November this year to see ice on the ground, but the time is here. As a result, I'm obviously in a constant state of Los Angeles-based daydream. As the KCRW Art Talk email came in today, I saw a short review of a great looking gallery show. So, preempting the eating festivities, here are a few shows in LA I wish I could see.

1. Kristen Everberg at 1301PE, a gallery I've had my eye on for a bit. It was great to get a reminder, especially from the venerable Edward Goldman. The artist was inspired by the house of Ingmar Bergman, and the paintings certainly have that ephemeral, slightly eerie quality I enjoyed in his 1966 film, Persona.

2. Njideka Akunyili Crosby at the Hammer Museum at UCLA, one of the few free museums in LA. Their programming is widespread and impressive, and this is a giant collage show examining African and American culture by an African ex-pat. I would love to see it...

3. OUTSIDE/IN by LeBasse Projects at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. When I lived in LA, LeBasse had a gallery space, but has moved on to do collaborative alternative art projects around the world. It's definitely worth keeping tabs on the projects, but they still have a big presence in LA, and this survey of Street Art in Pasadena is HUGE.

4. I'll finish up with a traditional: New Objectivity: Modern German Art in the Weimar Republic, 1919–1933 at LACMA. I've recently been drawn to Max Beckmann, especially around the 20's, and this show includes a lot of lesser-known artists around the same time, which is a fascinating era of history no matter who is making art about it. Also, revisiting pre-WWII cultural perspectives might be particularly relevant, given the world's current political situation.

Trying to keep it light so I'll lay off, but stay safe and loving this season, and if you must go out on Friday, stay local and don't trample anyone.