Los Angeles Downtown News 07-11-22 by Times Media Group

July 11, 2022 I VOL. 51 I #28

Downtown’s Vibiana transformed for Revive DTLA

Breaking Down Barriers Grammy Museum celebrates women in country music

+ LAFC signs Gareth Bale

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housing needed for vulnerable residents

By LA Downtown News Staff entral City Association of Los Angeles released a white paper with recommendations to encourage larger-scale affordable housing to better serve economically vulnerable residents and meet the magnitude of the city’s compounding affordable housing and homelessness crises. Currently, a web of laws and funding restrictions is structured to promote moderate-scale projects averaging about 65 units of housing each that take several years to deliver. “We know we need more housing at all income levels; LA must add nearly 500,000 units in the next eight years, with nearly half of those units being deed-restricted affordable,” said Jessica Lall, president and chief executive officer of CCA. “Reaching these goals requires bold leadership that honestly addresses breakdowns in our existing system and welcomes industry innovation.” CCA’s white paper offers industry-backed recommendations for developing larger-scale affordable housing projects to better utilize public funding and unlock more 100% privately funded, deed-restricted affordable housing. Recommendations include strategically streamlining local zoning laws, allowing mass timber construction in dense areas of the city, creating an LA County affordable housing agency and revising public funding rules to incentivize higher-volume housing developments, among other strategies. “We must continue to refine our approach if we want to help economically vulnerable Angelenos and achieve our affordable housing production goals,” Lall said. “Encouraging larger projects that can bring more units online at one time is one worthwhile strategy. Larger projects can be designed in a thoughtful manner that respects neighborhoods and incorporates an appropriate level of services for residents.” LA needs 23,000 more affordable housing units built each year for the next eight years, a large share of which will likely need to be created by 100% affordable housing developments. However, the city only approves about 2,100 housing units in 100% affordable projects annually (about 30 projects with roughly 65 housing units each). If affordable housing projects continue to be built at the current average scale, meeting LA’s goals would require at least 139 more 100% affordable housing projects to be built each year. “We need to add tools to the toolbox by creating or realigning public funding sources, including by establishing the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency, which would allow for a regional housing department with the power and a new dedicated funding source to finance projects,” said Sen. Sydney Kamlager, who represents Downtown in the California state Senate. “My bill, SB 679, would start this process, and I’m proud to have CCA’s support on this critical initiative and appreciate their recognition of funding impacts to bringing more affordable housing online.” “Weingart’s three towers planned for Downtown were designed with the highest levels of care and attention for the people who will be living in them, and effectively maximize economies of scale,” said retired Sen. Kevin Murray, CEO of Weingart Center. “We are providing nearly 700 units across three projects — more than three times the amount of typical affordable housing projects — and delivering on our mission of empowering and transforming lives with innovative solutions designed

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Covered California will help BUSINESS

Agua Viva, stretching out on the outdoor terrace, is run by chef and humanitarian José Andrés. Conrad LA/Submitted

The guest rooms feature plenty of space and a view of DTLA. Conrad LA/Submitted

Designers tap into city’s DNA for Conrad LA By Bridgette M. Redman LA Downtown News Contributing Writer hen Tara Bernerd & Partners set out to design Hilton’s Conrad LA, it wanted the DTLA property to stand the test of time. The 305-room, 28-story luxury hotel in Frank Gehry’s mixed-use development The Grand LA opened on July 6 with a rooftop terrace, a spa, an outdoor swimming pool with a private deck, and locally inspired culinary experiences. “We are excited to expand Hilton’s West Coast presence with the debut of the first Conrad Hotels & Resorts property in California, one of our largest growing markets in the U.S.,” said Danny Hughes, executive vice president and president, Americas, Hilton. “This is a monumental occasion as we open the doors to this incredible property amid Downtown Los Angeles’ development boom, and we are looking forward to offering guests an unrivaled, luxury hospitality experience in this sought-after destination.” Tara Bernerd & Partners was brought on board to design the hotel’s public spaces, rooms, suites, restaurants and bars.

The staff was inspired by Gehry’s architecture combined with the West Coast modernist movement and DTLA’s culture. Based in London, Bernerd described herself as a “very untrendy girl” because she doesn’t want her work to become outdated. When her firm was asked to bid on the project, she headed to LA. She said she took in the varied architecture — the buildings that couldn’t be more different from each other. And then there was the building in which the hotel exists. “We inherit a building and get to work with a legacy, with Frank Gehry,” Bernerd said. “We have to respect what his vision is. The last thing I would want is to go oh, look, this Frank Gehry incredible building opposite his iconic Disney Concert Hall and inside is themed. I wanted it to feel effortless, that we melt in.” Bernerd brought in tiles to play with colors. The columns are clad in an ivory, something that supports the iron and the glass differently. They also played with ceiling heights in places like the 10th-floor lobby. She staggered and lowered it. “We’re building not only a hotel but my very first urban resort,” Bernerd said. “We have to create for the guest, whether you are staying there or because you’ve gone Downtown to see a concert and want to have dinner. The hotel has to belong to everyone in the neighborhood.” Bernerd attributed LA’s appeal to its cultural mix. When designing the Conrad LA, she sought something sophisticated, a little bit European and with subtle M&M colors on the outdoor furniture. That international dash represents world travelers. “Really, what I’ve done is very much in the layout,” Bernerd said. “It’s approachable. That’s what LA has always been to me. It can’t be stuffy. It’s really open. It’s laid out very much with that in mind, yet at the same time, there are some really sophisticated little niches and there are surprises with different places to explore.” While many people associate Los Angeles with the film stars, Bernerd said there’s no one more star studded than Gehry. “It was incredible when we were awarded this project to learn that he would be the lead architect on this,” Bernerd said. “The first feeling is obviously huge excitement, and we’re not going to pretend that’s not the case. And the second is you don’t want to mess it up.” The Grand LA has two mixed-use buildings. One has the hotel with retail, and the other is residential and restaurants. There is then a staggered grass courtyard, which Gehry refers to as his urban living room. She has covered the massive space in an organic, gray, mottled Ceppo di Gre stone from the quarries of Lake Iseo in Lombardy, Italy. She combined it with a rich, ashy wood and ceramic and blue linens. “No one going in is going to see all those elements, but I believe there is an osmosis in design that you have a feeling,” she said. “You start to feel without meaning to the sharpness, the steel, this piece of building in front of you and there’s an organic softness to what we are doing.” Dining experiences Chef and humanitarian José Andrés oversees the Conrad LA’s food and beverage outlets, which include: • San Laurel, the 10th-floor restaurant overlooking the Disney Concert Hall. The flavors are rooted in Spain but highlight the fresh, local ingredients of California. The restaurant will serve breakfast and dinner. • Agua Viva is the outdoor terrace on the same floor, a chic rooftop restaurant where Andres makes Latin and Asian flavors mingle. • Airlight is on the property’s roof deck, a pool deck offering handheld bites, creative cocktails and a view of DTLA. • SED is an intimate respite for culinary and cocktail aficionados. It will showcase popular spirits and flavors as well as fresh fruits and vegetables form the West Coast. When heading to the right, Bernerd said guests should meander through the lobby, which is designed like a living room. Because Bernerd likes layers, she put rugs on the floors and decorated with quirky fabrics with multiple color palettes. The lobby has floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook verdant outdoor spaces. The arrival bar is made of polished and glazed molten lava that is 11,000 years old. Decorating the walls is iconic art from LA artists like Casper Brindle, Mimi Jung, Ben Medansky and Brian Wills. The pieces, including Jon Krawczyk’s sculptures on the event lawn, build a connection between guests and LA’s flourishing art industry. “That’s all layering into what we’re doing,” Bernerd said. “Then we’ve created this

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promenade to walk to and from before you get to the second restaurant and second bar. Beyond that they’re looking at all this lowered fire pool decks.” Relax Another major feature of the property is Conrad Spa Los Angeles, led by Spa Director Alina Medyanikova, who promotes a boundary-free wellness concept. Bernerd described the spa as being “layered,” with incredible treatment rooms and great changing rooms with saunas and steam rooms. The spa spans more than 7,000 square feet and has a curated wellness bar featuring quality body care and recovery products, an entertainment lounge, an infrared sauna, a Gharieni Welnamis wavetable and recovery cabins. “Most people today will want a fitness gym, and the gym is off the scale; it’s enormous,” Bernerd said. “And the views are fantastic because of where we are, and the equipment is remarkable.” The accommodations include deluxe king guest rooms up to regular and larger suites. Bernerd said the rooms are designed to be handsome and functionable rather than pretty. She said one of her favorite rooms is the standard double bedroom. “One of the things we did very early on is I wanted to flirt with how we can keep a bathroom entirely private, but at the same time, if you’re there alone, open it up,” Bernerd said. Bernerd said she was grateful they could continue working on the property throughout the pandemic, even though she spent the lockdown in Europe. She had high praise for the entire team that worked on it, describing them as incredible. “This has been a labor of love,” Bernerd said. “I’m passionate about this job. I love this project. It’s eaten up five very happy years of my life.”

Conrad LA 100 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles 213-349-8585 https://bit.ly/ConradLA

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Hotel Indigo, CorePower launch free yoga series By Kamala Kirk LA Downtown News Staff Writer otel Indigo Los Angeles Downtown launched IndiGLOW, a complimentary summer yoga series in partnership with CorePower Yoga, on International Yoga Day (June 21). The all-levels, hourlong classes are taught by CorePower Yoga instructors and are available to hotel guests and locals who want to practice self-care. The complimentary class will be offered once a month throughout the summer and include dining perks from the property’s on-site Metropole Bar + Kitchen, in addition to discounts at CorePower Yoga’s DTLA studio. “Demand for wellness and self-care presented an opportunity for the property to introduce unique programming with an industry expert like CorePower Yoga and utilize spaces throughout the hotel in ways that we haven’t done before,” said Mike Powers, general manager, Hotel Indigo DTLA. “IndiGLOW is an inclusive opportunity for guests and non-guests of all levels to join in an hourlong yoga class at the hotel led by talented CorePower Yoga Downtown LA instructors.” Hotel Indigo DTLA is a boutique hotel located near Crypto.com Arena, the L.A. Live complex and the Jewelry District. The next IndiGLOW classes are 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays July 20, Aug. 17 and Sept. 21. Attendees are asked to bring their own yoga mat and towel to class. For those who are not staying at the hotel, discounted valet parking is $22. “Guests will enjoy the opportunity to engage in a little self-care and balance — it’s a great way to wind down after a long day,” Powers said. “They also get to experience the complimentary class in Hotel Indigo’s sleek and modern space, adorned with floor-to-ceiling windows for optimal light and plenty of photo ops.

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IndiGLOW Yoga Series with CorePower Yoga is an all-levels yoga class taught by CorePower Yoga instructors at DTLA’s Hotel Indigo. Doulos Kun/Submitted

Metropole Bar + Kitchen will offer attendees a 10% discount following each class. There will also be discounted valet charge or non-hotel guests. CorePower Yoga DTLA will offer attendees a 20% discount on select class packages and memberships.”

Hotel Indigo 899 Francisco Street, Los Angeles 213-683-4855 | hotelindtla.com CorePower Yoga 831 S. Hope Street, Los Angeles 866-441-9642 | corepoweryoga.com

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Covered SPORTSCalifornia will help

Upstart Giltinis look to expand local rugby footprint By Jeff Moeller LA Downtown News Contributing Writer he wait was not a long one. Some 15 months after becoming a team on paper, the expansion LA Giltinis of Major League Rugby (MLR) celebrated a championship. And when it comes to rugby, known for its post-game party as much as its physicality on the grass, a win on the rugby pitch at your home stadium was only half the fun — especially if your team is named after a premium cocktail. “The culture of rugby is you are one big family,” said David Grunfeld, manager of business operations for the Giltinis. “After the game you shake hands and, at this level, the other team comes over to your locker room and has a few beers with you. The sport comes with values that everyone lives up to, and then there is the party, and that party was nuts. “It was a whirlwind, a dream. You take an expansion team with a small staff and overcome all the hurdles. That is special.

We won at home, in the sunshine, before a record crowd, at a historic venue. You could have not written a better script.” One of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, the Giltinis are the local entry in MLR, which began play in 2017. Three years later, just as the global pandemic was unfolding, MLR announced Los Angeles was awarded a franchise for the 2021 season. Playing in the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, one of the team’s most important decisions came early. Highly regarded Australian coach Darren Coleman was appointed Head Coach. All he did with the gig was post a 12-3 regular season record. During the ‘21 playoffs, which started with a tight win over Utah, the season was capped by a decisive 31-17 victory over Rugby ATL. It marked the second time in U.S. history a pro team captured a title in their maiden season. It was the best start possible for the LA Giltinis, a club sporting a committed ownership group primar-

ily fronted by Australian-based Loyals Rugby. The victory was also in front of its loyal fan base, as nearly 8,000 fans attended the event. Grunfeld in a lot of ways is just like those fans. An executive with the team, he is relatively new to the sport. “One of the things we talk about here is to be a rugby fan you don’t have to know everything right away,” Grunfeld said. “It’s a very inclusive sport on the field and in the stands. People will help explain the game to you while sitting and talking about sports with a beer. Also, for American sports fans in general, and that was the category I fell into, you already know more about the game than you think. “There are a lot of similarities to football, which is basically baked into our DNA at a young age. We pitch this as football without pads. Soccer with hitting. Hockey on grass. There are ways to frame it which allows people to get a foot in the door.” The initial success laid the foundation for a 2022 season as well, though their sea-

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son ended in controversy. Entering Round 18 play, the Giltinis enjoyed an 11-4 record. The 11 wins then were tied for second most in the 12-team league (the San Diego Legion are another MLR club), and with the regular season finale taking place at home versus Seattle, another win would have tied their 2021 team results. Sporting a high-powered offense, the leading men for the Giltinis are Hanco Germishuys, Harrison Goddard and Ben LeSage, in addition to the legendary Matt Giteau. Heading into that matchup, this year’s team enjoyed a plus-168 goal differential, second only to Austin. After last year’s points differential of 516 recorded and 271 given up, and championship performance, high expectations quickly became the norm under Adam Freier, the club’s general manager, and Stephen Hoiles, the former Australian national player now serving as coach. “We set the league record in our first season for many offensive categories,”

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Grunfeld said. “High octane is a good way to describe our attack. A lot of passing, a lot of movement. The team enjoys a good balance. Our game is patterned a lot after the Southern Hemisphere way of playing, in that things are more free flowing. Our team excels at that, and the fans enjoy the style of play.” But on June 8, it was announced that the star-studded franchise of Major League Rugby had been disqualified from the MLR finals over an undisclosed breach of competition rules. In the stands, the Giltinis — who train in El Segundo — had seen increased crowd support as their brand continues to get established. The team landed a TV rights partnership with Bally Sports West, increasing the team’s profile and relevance in a very crowded sports and entertainment marketplace. The Giltinis roster features eight native Californians, including Cristian Rodriguez, who is from LA. About half the roster is from the United States and the rest hail from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Canada and the United Kingdom. Giteau, meanwhile, is one of the most influential backs of the 21st century. He led the team to the championship last season and was set to retire. According to Grun-

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feld, Giteau had so much fun he came back for the ’22 campaign. “Matt Giteau has established himself as the David Beckham of Rugby,” said Freier, the GM who brought Giteau to LA in a landmark transaction. “He brings multiple layers to the club in marketability, mentoring for our younger players, and an amazing trophy record as a winner.” While MLR is relatively new, and the Los Angeles chapter launched their business as COVID-19 kicked off, the sport enjoys a rich tradition in America. Dating back to the first rugby game in the United States, which took place in 1875, it was also an Olympic sport from 1900-24. The men’s rugby sevens tournament returned at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. In February 2021, the Giltinis announced their commitment by signing a long-term deal with the Coliseum. It was great news for Giltinis’ faithful, an ever-burgeoning squad. It was also tremendous for those American rugby fans who are excited to witness their favorite sport played on home soil at an even higher level — though that will have to wait. The World Rugby Council voted to select the United States as the host nation of the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup and the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Matt Giteau in action at the LA Memorial Coliseum in 2021 en route to a Giltinis Championship. LA Giltinis/Submitted

Giltinis giltinis.com

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LAFC signs Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor hen Gareth Bale left his hometown of Cardiff, Wales, as a high school graduate in 2005 to play for English Championship club Southampton FC, he took the first step on what would be a title-filled journey around the world. It took him from the streets of North London to the plazas of Madrid and now the heart of DTLA. “Gareth is one of the most dynamic and exciting attacking players of his generation,” said John Thorrington, LAFC co-president and general manager. “Adding a player who brings the talent and experience at the highest levels that Gareth does is an incredible opportunity to continue to improve our club.” During his last nine seasons with Spanish giants Real Madrid, Bale won 19 trophies, including three La Liga titles and five

UEFA Champions League titles, and was named the best player of the 2018 Champions League. In the last decade, he also led a golden generation of his Welsh countrymen to the semifinals of the 2016 European Championships and to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “Gareth is highly motivated to continue to win trophies, and we are elated that he has made the choice to join LAFC and help lead us in our ultimate goal of winning championships,” Thorrington said. After starting his career with a newly relegated Southampton side, Bale would go to on to sign for Tottenham Hotspur in 2007, where he was named the PFA Men’s Player of the Year in 2011 and 2012 and selected to the 2011 UEFA Team of the Year. He joined Cristiano Ronaldo as just the second player to win the PFA Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and FWA Footbal-

ler of the Year when he did it in 2012. He signed with Real Madrid in 2013 and scored 22 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions in his debut season. He now leaves Los Blancos with 106 goals and 67 assists to his name from 258 appearances. “There are simply not many players in the world who can have an impact on a match like Gareth Bale,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said. “He can be dangerous in so many different ways, and we expect him to complement what we believe is already a strong team from the moment he arrives. His knowledge of the game and experience in playing in big games will be invaluable for our club.” Bale is considered one of the greatest Welsh players of all time, making 105 appearances for Wales since 2006, and joins LAFC on a 12-month contract using Targeted Allocation Money with the option to ex-

tend through 2024. “I am extremely excited for this move to LAFC,” Bale said. “This is the right place for me and my family and the right time in my career, and I cannot wait to get started working with the team and getting ready to win more trophies in Los Angeles.” At the time of his signing, LAFC sits top of the Western Conference with hopes of winning its first league title in the club’s four seasons. “Bringing a player and a person of Gareth’s caliber to LAFC is a historic moment for Los Angeles, MLS and the game in the United States,” LAFC lead managing owner Larry Berg said. “On behalf of the entire LAFC community, I am honored to welcome Gareth, his wife Emma, and their children to LA, and I am confident they will fall in love with our incredible city.”

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Located in Downtown Just off the 110 Freeway! Ex-Real Madrid and Tottenham superstar Gareth Bale has signed a 12-month contract with LAFC. LAFC/Submitted

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Covered ARTS California will help Corey Helford Gallery unveils trio of multinational exhibitions By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor hen Jan Corey Helford and her husband, Bruce, founded the Corey Helford Gallery in 2006, they created a space that supported the growth of emerging and established artists and evolved into one of the premier galleries of “new contemporary” art in Downtown. Within the walls of its 12,000-square-foot building on South Anderson Street, CHG has welcomed a diverse collective of artists whose voices tell stories, both introspective and commentative, from around the world and whose artwork now hangs in the gallery’s new featured exhibitions: “Fight to Live in the Void,” “All Creatures Great and Small” and “In Our Nature.”

‘Fight to Live in the Void’ In the main gallery, the emotional and turbulent works of Japanese artist Hikari Shimoda are laid bare in “Fight to Live in the Void,” a collection that Shimoda described as her personal reflection of a world that’s on a path of turmoil and despair. Much of her work is done using collaged newspapers, which together form portraits that lie at the intersection of innocence and horror. “We’ve had so much despair and upheaval in the world in the past couple of years, and a lot of what Shimoda’s expressing in these paintings comes from what was happening in those past two years,” gallery director Sherri Trahan said. “She wants to bring about a sense of truthfulness, positivity and moving forward.” With her sixth solo show at CHG, Shimoda has used her trademark illustrative and colorful style to visualize her thoughts on today’s society through depictions of children. “These kids prevail through everything that happens to them, and they help each other,” Trahan described. “Shimoda is inspired by Japanese manga, and she’s creating this world where her kids are protectors and defenders. They’re learning how to help and support each other and all humankind. … It is incredibly intelligent, and her artworks are thought provoking.”

‘All Creatures Great and Small’ In CHG’s “Gallery 2,” a five-artist exhibition featuring Ewa Prończuk-Kuziak, Dewi Plass, Matt Dangler, Richard Ahnert and Phillip Singer takes viewers on an animal-centric, ruminative journey. “All Creatures Great and Small” was formed by combining this multinational collective of artists, whose art has

been compiled to create an eclectic breadth of work. “We started with a couple of the artists when we were trying to work out shows … and we started realizing that some of these artists would team up really well together,” Trahan explained. “It’s a combination of what we do as a gallery frequently, which is pop surrealism and figurative with the narrative. That’s what Corey Helford Gallery is known for along with street art. So, these artists tend to fall in a combination of the pop surrealism and the figurative with the narrative categories, and they’re all animals but mythical creatures at the same time.” In Ewa Prończuk-Kuziak’s show, “Life is Good,” her oil paintings are a combination of still life, nature and fantasy that depict rainbow-colored visions of vibrant animals that are made of materials, as if woven out of thread and decorative fabrics. While in the process of creating her work, the Polish artist was going through a pregnancy and the experience of becoming a mother for the first time. “You have so much responsibility on you and you’re trying to make everything happen and everything work, and at the same time you have to protect yourself and who you are as a person while still getting ready to watch out for this new defenseless being that you’re creating,” Trahan said. “A lot of the show stems from that and the animals that have the spikes coming from them. Those are both protective spikes to protect themselves and they’re also almost like jewelry showing who they are.” With acrylic as her medium, Dutch artist Dewi Plass’ “Entanglements” places animals at center stage within surrealist worlds that invite the viewer to let go of all that’s familiar and instead explore the unexpected. For example, her painting “Shielded” depicts hummingbirds and bumblebees coexisting around a spool of thread. In the wild, both creatures typically avoid contact with one another because they compete for the same food source: nectar. “These creatures survive together,” Trahan observed. “They’re not at odds with each other. They’re happy with each other. … They don’t need to feel in conflict with each other, and we should probably take a note from them.” In Matt Dangler’s new series, “The Mystical Circus,” the American artist’s mystical paintings seek to shed light on the darker side of the art and entertainment industries that he has experienced firsthand. “This idea has been in development throughout my life, watching myself and so-

“Never Too Old (Fabrics of Life)” by Dewi Plass Corey Helford Gallery/Submitted

ciety perform out of ego, trying to impress one another,” Dangler shared. “However, the more I explored this behavior, I began to realize the only person we need to impress is ourself.” With his new series, “Memento,” Toronto-based artist Richard Ahnert uses the relationship between animals and humans to explore themes of emotion, metaphor and narrative with a satirical twist. His anthropomorphic paintings address real and imagined moments of home life and layer them with warmth, wit and nostalgia. “This collection captures those simple moments that preface what’s to come,” Ahnert said. “These moments are in and of themselves fleeting, unimportant, but somehow, looking back upon a time, a place, these nothings can add up to everything.” Within American surreal oil painter Phillip Singer’s work, “Adaptation,” Singer combines his love for surrealism with his appreciation of 18th century painters to create a collection that places ordinary animals in extraordinary settings, like a lamb that fills an entire room. “It’s really important with Philip and his work that he wants you to still have the feeling that you’re a kid at heart,” Trahan said. “He really wants to express that in his paintings. … You need foster and nurture your inner child. “There’s a lot of fantasy at play with all these characters. They’re in situations that don’t exist in real life, but they’re captured in such a way that you believe it; you want to believe it.”

‘In Our Nature’ From the moment when the CHG team caught a glimpse of Ryoko Kaneta’s paintings in one of the gallery’s group shows, it was love at first sight. Today, CHG has unveiled the Tokyo-based artist’s U.S. solo debut in “Gallery 3.” “We fell in love with her immediately,” Tra-

“Portrait of the Sea” by Ryoko Kaneta Corey Helford Gallery/Submitted

han described. “We were drawn to her message. We were drawn to her girls. We were drawn to the way she expresses the world through her characters.” Kaneta is one of the leading voices in Japan’s up-and-coming generation of artists, and her newest work, “In Our Nature,” uses the female figure to personify elements of nature, including the phenomenon of weather and dramatic seasonal transformations, across dreamlike landscapes. “The girls in my pieces, which are both large and small, embody nature and its many elements, along with invisible things such as signs and memories,” Kaneta shared. “The characters I draw are anthropomorphic beings of nature and invisible things, similar to the feeling when Japanese people see mountains or the sea and feel the existence of God.” Kaneta has been known to paint according to ancient Japanese philosophies, including the thought that God dwells in all beings, but also draws inspiration from anime and manga with the vibrancy of her palette. “She’s very much telling the story of how God is in everything, and these girls are expressing the joy of this through themselves,” Trahan said. “She uses her female characters and transforms them into different elements to show that we appreciate everything around us. We appreciate our surroundings.” From Kaneta’s philosophy-inspired personification of nature to Shimoda’s visualization of today’s world through children to the surrealism of the five artists in “All Creatures Great and Small,” each of the three exhibitions will be on display until July 30. “We’re presenting fantasy, and some of it is steeped in reality,” Trahan said. “If you look through almost all of these shows, they bring about a sense of hopefulness and positivity and they’re bright. They have elements of playfulness to them. … It’s like a fresh beginning coming forward.”

“Fight to Live in the Void,” “All Creatures Great and Small” and “In Our Nature” WHERE: Corey Helford Gallery, 571 S. Anderson Street, Suite 1, Los Angeles WHEN: Noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays until July 30 COST: Free admission INFO: coreyhelfordgallery.com

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Los Angeles native Harper Miles, far left, joins Libby Lloyd, Nicci Claspell and Andrés Quintero in the cabaret of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”

The North American touring cast of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” performs at the Pantages until Sunday, Sept. 4.

Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade/Submitted

Tony-winning musical lands in LA with local talent By Bridgette M. Redman LA Downtown News Contributing Writer arper Miles dreamt of performing onstage at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre as a child in South LA. Through Sunday, Sept. 4, she’s doing just as La Chocolat in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.” Raised in South LA, Miles had her first experience with acting in elementary school when she lost the role of Dorothy in “The Wiz” to an older middle schooler. Instead, she was cast as Addaperle, the good witch of the north. She said the role was perfect — and ate up the praise. “After that, I just knew that this is what I should be doing. I knew this was a passion,” Miles said. “I grew up singing all the time. My mom says that I would be in the crib making noise and singing, so I knew it was always a part of me. But that show was the stamp of approval.” She said LA instilled in her the confidence she needed to move to New York City and create a career on Broadway. If she could handle LA, she knew she could handle anywhere else. Since leaving LA, she has performed in the Broadway revival of “Caroline, or Change” and toured with “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” Set in turn-of-the-century France, “Moulin Rouge” is a jukebox musical based on

the 2001 film. It centers around the love affair of a Bohemian composer who falls in love with a cabaret actress who is suffering from consumption. The musical added songs that have been created in the 17 years since the film was released, making it a celebration of more than 160 years of music — from Offenbach to Lady Gaga. In this touring production, Courtney Reed plays Satine, the cabaret actress, and Conor Ryan plays the young composer, Christian. La Chocolat is one of four “Moulin Rouge” dancers, whom Miles described as a strong woman. “She is who she is,” Miles said. “She carries herself in a way where she doesn’t allow anyone to make her back down. She speaks when she needs to, which a lot of people don’t do. When she does speak, it’s important. She has something to say.” Miles said the ensemble is amazing to work with, calling them talented. The “Moulin Rouge” opportunity came about organically. She was working on another show when her manager told her the “Moulin Rouge” tour wanted her to audition for them, starting with a dance call. “At the time, I didn’t really know much about the show,” Miles said. “I knew it was a movie, but I didn’t know much about it. This was before they won 10 Tonys. It sounded fun. I knew that it was a sexy show. I knew that it was bur-

lesque. I went in and kind of dressed the part, which was really fun. Just expressing that part of me and learning the dance felt really confident.” Less than a week later, she was offered the job. She obsessed over YouTube videos because, at the time, she couldn’t afford a full-price ticket to see the show. But she accepted the job and has been touring with it since February. The last few years have been rocky for Miles. She spent the pandemic in New York trying to figure out what she wanted to do next — and studying to become a doula. She was about to make her Broadway debut with “Caroline, or Change,” when the pandemic hit, and everything shut down on its opening night. When it did return, she was grateful. “It was like, I can’t believe we finally made it here with an audience in the building and able to be in this space with us,” Miles said. “It really is a spiritual thing to be in a space like that, especially after everything

that we’ve been through — that we can all come together and enjoy this piece of art.” Now a part of a big, splashy show like “Moulin Rouge,” she’s excited to be part of a troupe that is bringing Broadway to Hollywood. It’s a show that she hopes will inspire and excite people. “The show is amazing,” Miles said. “It’s about unity. It’s about love and pride and everything in between. It’s really a beautiful show. It’s a spectacle. People are going to be really touched by it at the end of the show.” She’s also pleased to be performing in front of her loved ones — especially those friends and family who have been unable to see her perform in New York. They’ll get to see her, she said, doing something that she loves and has always dreamed of. She has a bit of advice for youngster in her shoes. “Never look at anyone else’s journey,” Miles advised. “Focus on yourself. Know that you’re special. You can do whatever you put your mind to.”

“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” WHEN: Various times through Sunday, Sept. 4 WHERE: Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles COST: Ticket start at $59 INFO: broadwayinhollywood.com

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Revive is DTLA’s new soaring ’20s circus experience By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor hen Mike Gaines and Neal Fraser witnessed tears of joy amid a crowd of smiling faces after the end of their show, they knew they had created something special. In a post-pandemic world craving a return to gripping social experiences, Gaines and Fraser found that an immersive “soaring ’20s” performance was just what DTLA needed. As the co-founder of the Vau de Vire Society, a performance and event services company that began over two decades ago as a grassroots circus movement, Gaines wanted to bring his avant-garde circus pedigree to the streets of DTLA. After connecting with Fraser, who’s the owner and chef at Redbird, the duo created LA’s new 1920s-themed, circus-infused performance: Revive. “It’s an answer to the pandemic, to people being sequestered and in some form of solitude for the past two and a half years,” Gaines explained. “This is really an attempt for us to help rejuvenate one’s every scent by offering the food, the visuals, the smells, the spectacle, and maybe even tapping into other senses that people don’t know that they had … and really just getting people back together.” “It felt like a great combination, teaming up together,” Fraser added. “We have a beautiful venue, which we just thought would be an amazing backdrop for something that Mike has already been working on for a very long time. … We have a historic space, one of the oldest buildings in the Downtown Los Angeles area. We really wanted to celebrate that and do something that was unique.” Within the lavish walls of Downtown’s historic Vibiana, an architectural gem and former cathedral dating back to the 1870s, guests can expect high-flying performances with classically trained dancers and ac-

robats to be wedded with a four-course culinary endeavor courtesy of Neal Fraser, Amy Knoll Fraser and their team at Redbird. The Revive experience begins in the Vibiana courtyard, where guests can enjoy octopus skewers and truffle-laden entrees for 45 minutes before the start of the show. Once the performance begins, Angelo Moore & the Missing Links provides the music. With the main menu, Fraser wanted to honor old Hollywood, but with a twist. One such dish is a steak and mashed potatoes with black truffle polenta and a porcini sauce. Food may be ordered via a QR code at the table. The venue also holds six catwalks for the performers to use so that each guest has a front-row seat. “We wanted to celebrate Los Angeles in its most glamorous era, and the connotation to the Roaring ‘20s after the pandemic in the early 1900s in the U.S.,” Gaines said. “We were seeing that reference everywhere, and we loved the era.” Tickets are $250, with two shows daily from Thursday to Sunday every week until July 24. “We built the entire show in less than one week, and it was a 24-hour-a-day job to do it,” Gaines described. “When this thing came to fruition a few weeks ago and actually happened, I personally felt a satisfaction that I haven’t felt in several years. I think everybody in the company felt the same way, and it’s very palpable when the performers are conveying this confidence and this joy. … It spills over onto the crowd. “It’s about joy. It’s about celebrating life and celebrating life together in a very immersive environment. I think it’s just inevitable that people are going to leave there feeling revived, and that’s our intention.”

Revive: A Circus Infused Immersive Multi-Course Dinner Experience WHERE: Vibiana, 214 S. Main Street, Los Angeles WHEN: 6:45 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays; 5 p.m. Sundays every week until July 24 COST: $250 INFO: revive-la.com

Within the walls of former 19th century cathedral Vibiana, the Revive cast will perform across six catwalks so that each guest has a front-row seat to the action. Sierra Prescott/Submitted

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Grammy Museum celebrates women in country By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor omen in country music have been breaking down barriers and claiming their space in the genre for the last 100 years with little fanfare. The Grammy Museum is honoring performers from Maybelle to Mickey Guyton with “The Power of Women in Country Music,” which runs through Sunday, Oct. 2. “The Power of Women in Country Music” takes guests on a journey that starts just after World War II to the present, via artifacts and content from 70 female country artists. “I am so inspired by the fearlessness, creativity and resilience of these artists,” said Kelsey Goelz, Grammy Museum’s associate curator and this exhibit’s curator. “Each generation of women in country music has paved the way for the next, and now, they’re headlining festivals, winning Grammys and breaking streaming records.” The exhibit’s highlights include: • Dolly Parton’s dress from her 1971 Grand Ole Opry performance of “Joshua” and her custom butterfly-inlaid Gibson banjo. • Emmylou Harris’ Manuel Cuevas boots, worn on the album cover for her 1979 album “Blue Kentucky Girl.” • Rosanne Cash’s Martin OM-28M acoustic guitar. • Wanda Jackson’s 1980s-era pink fringed performance blazer and signature Daisy Rock pink acoustic guitar. • Reba McEntire’s pink dressing gown, worn in her 1993 music video for “Does He Love You.” • Shania Twain’s outfit and top hat, worn

Featured artists “The Power of Women in Country Music” features artifacts from:

Reba McEntire attends the 60th annual Grammy Awards in 2018. Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

in her 1999 music video for “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” • LeAnn Rimes’ blue dress, worn to the 39th annual Grammy Awards in 1997, when she became both the youngest and the first country artist to win best new artist. • Faith Hill’s outfit from the 2017 Soul2Soul Tour, and her 2002 Grammy Award for best female country vocal performance. • Taylor Swift’s Deering banjo used in her 2010 music video for “Mean” and Etro dress from her performance at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards in 2021. • Reproduction of the cabin featured in Taylor Swift’s 63rd annual Grammy Awards performance of “Cardigan”/“August”/“Willow.” • New artifacts from contemporary country artists Rissi Palmer, Leah Turner, Reyna Roberts, Brittney Spencer, Madeline

Edwards and Callista Clark. “The Power of Women in Country Music” started in Mississippi before the pandemic as a Grammy Museum traveling exhibit, hitting Tulsa as well before landing in DTLA. In the fall, it’ll visit the North Carolina Museum of History. “It’s a chronicled journey through the last 100 years of women breaking down barriers and just claiming their space in the country music genre,” Goelz said. “We start in the 1920s with the Carter Sisters, the first country women to go on record, through this past Grammy Awards.” When Goelz was curating the exhibit, she saw a study shared through USC that reported women artists make up 10% of radio station playlists. “These gals are headlining huge arena shows, breaking streaming records, being fearless about things they’re singing about, standing up for LGBTQ+, writing about being Black women in America,” Goelz said. “They don’t shy away from anything. They’re forcing country music to change with the times. The radio play doesn’t match up. We wanted to take a look at who these women are and why they’re so important to the genre.”

• Ingrid Andress • Kelsea Ballerini • Danielle Bradbery • Brandi Carlile • Maybelle and Sara Carter • Rosanne Cash • Callista Clark • Patsy Cline • Jessie Jo Dillon • Madeline Edwards • Nicolle Galyon • Mickey Guyton • Caylee Hammack • Emmylou Harris • The Highwomen • Faith Hill • Wanda Jackson • Jillian Jacqueline • Tiera Kennedy • Miranda Lambert • Loretta Lynn • Rose Maddox • Reba McEntire • Patsy Montana • Maren Morris • Kacey Musgraves • Rissi Palmer • Dolly Parton • Carly Pearce • Minnie Pearl • Pistol Annies • Margo Price • LeAnn Rimes • Jean Ritchie • Reyna Roberts • Allison Russell • Hillary Scott • Brittney Spencer • Taylor Swift • Leah Turner • Shania Twain • Laura Veltz • Cindy Walker • Tricia Walker • Trisha Yearwood • Yola

“The Power of Women in Country Music” WHEN: Various times through Sunday, Oct. 2 WHERE: Grammy Museum, 800 W. Olympic Boulevard, LA COST: $18 museum admission, with discounts available INFO: 213-725-5700, grammymuseum.org

Maren Morris attends the 61st annual Grammy Awards in 2019. Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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DOWNTOWN NEWS 15

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Publication Date: August 15, 2022

BEST OF DOWNTOWN

October 12, 2020 I VOL. 49 I #41

The Best of Downtown publication is our biggest issue of the year! On August 15, 2022, we announce all of the winners and reader recommended companies in this year’s survey. Whether you won or not, all companies are welcome to advertise in this special issue. This is one of the best times to market your business. DTLA is coming back and now is when you want to put your business in front of our readers. The Best of Downtown issue has a glossy cover and is a keepsake for those who only want the best.

THE VOICE OF D OWNTOWN LA S INCE 1972

Catherine Holloway

cholloway@timespublications.com 213-308-2261

Michael Lamb

mlamb@timespublications.com 213-453-3548