Those who claim L.A. lacks culture clearly haven’t been to Grand Avenue. The Downtown thoroughfare serves as a cultural corridor rich in art museums, music venues and welcoming public spaces. As the Music Center’s CEO and president, Rachel S. Moore, says, “Only on Grand Avenue can you move from the soaring notes of a symphony to the pulse of a dance party and experience the range from timeless works of art to the cutting edge of human-machine collaborations—all within a single, walkable mile.”
And one day a year, you can visit more than a dozen of these arts and culture destinations for free. Grand Ave Arts: All Access, now in its ninth year, will return on October 25, offering special access to and programming in the officially designated “Grand Avenue Cultural District” for five hours, from 11am to 4pm. Expect performances, workshops, tours, family-friendly activities and more.
This year, 13 arts organizations on Grand between Temple and Sixth Streets are participating in the cultural open house: The Broad, Center Theatre Group, Colburn School, Gloria Molina Grand Park, LA Opera, the LA Phil, Los Angeles Central Library, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Metro Art (the transit agency now has a station just off Grand atop Bunker Hill), MOCA, the Music Center, REDCAT and the upcoming DATALAND.
Among the programming highlights are a singing workshop at the Colburn school and the chance for kids to conduct a live band; free LA Opera recitals at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion; tours of the iconic Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall; sugar-skull and Halloween-necklace workshops at the Central Library; multimedia self-portrait making at the Broad; and dance parties at MOCA and the Music Center’s Jerry Moss Plaza.
We’re intrigued by DATALAND, the world’s first AI art museum, which comes from the minds of media artist Refik Anadol and Efsun Erkilic. The innovative institution, located at multi-use and Gehry-designed Downtown destination the Grand LA, is due to open later this year. But during Grand Ave Arts, you can see a pop-up exhibition that will offer a glimpse into the somewhat-controversial “universe of human-AI creativity” before the museum opens to the public.
And at Gloria Molina Grand Park, the day marks the opening of its annual Downtown Día de los Muertos, a week-long celebration that includes family-friendly activities, a free film screening and a parade, as well as a display of 20 colorful altars in the park created by local artists and community organizations. On that Sunday, things will kick off with poetry, music and dance performances, as well as a sacred processional.
For a full schedule of the day’s offerings, check out the Grand Ave Arts website. And while the event is free to attend, RSVPs are appreciated. If you find yourself overwhelmed by choices on the day of the event, there will be an information booth stationed at Grand Avenue and 2nd Street.