1. Skirball Cultural Center
    Photograph: Michael Juliano for Time Out
  2. Skirball Cultural Center
    Photograph: Michael Juliano for Time Out
  3. Skirball Cultural Center
    Photograph: Michael Juliano for Time Out
  4. Skirball Cultural Center
    Photograph: Courtesy Timothy Norris

Skirball Cultural Center

  • Things to do | Cultural centers
  • price 1 of 4
  • Westside
  • Recommended
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Time Out says

This hillside campus off the 405 aims to look at connections between 4,000 years of Jewish heritage and communities within L.A. The permanent displays are both beautiful and enriching, with a 25,000-object collection that’s among the largest holdings of Judaica in the country. Little ones will love “Noah’s Ark,” a wonderful kid-oriented, playground-like exhibit that explores cultural differences through a retelling of the old animals-two-by-two tale.

Meanwhile, the more headline-grabbing temporary exhibitions often focus on prominent Jewish figures (Leonard Bernstein and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, among them) or beloved pieces of pop culture (like Star Trek and the creations of Jim Henson). You’ll find an unexpectedly rich schedule of concerts and other performances, too, particularly in the summer when the courtyard often plays host to live music and movies.

Details

Address
2701 N Sepulveda Blvd
Los Angeles
90049
Price:
$18; seniors, students, kids 2–17 $13; kids under 2 free; free Thu
Opening hours:
Tue–Fri noon–5pm; Sat, Sun 10am–5pm; closed Mon
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What’s on

Diane von Furstenberg: Woman Before Fashion

See over 50 garments from Diane von Furstenberg, best known for her iconic wrap dress, during this career-spanning exhibition at the Skirball. Alongside artwork and fabric swatches, the show will also focus on her philanthropic work as well as how her life was shaped as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor.
  • Exhibitions

MUSE/IQUE

Treat your ears to a vibrant concert on a spring or summer night this year by attending MUSE/IQUE’s annual program. This monthly series of performances, held at cultural venues across L.A., features a mix of performances inspired by music movements and public figures, including tributes to Ray Charles, immigrant film composers, the Memphis sound, Etta James and more. The best way to attend is to become a MUSE/IQUE member; you could make a $75 donation to the performing arts nonprofit for a single event (with the exception of September’s free open house), but if you’re interested in more than just one, it’s cheaper per event to become a full-fledged member.

Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity

The Skirball’s latest pop culture exhibition takes a deep dive into the six-decade career of legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby. You might know him as the co-creator of Captain America, Black Panther, the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and some of the Marvel universe’s most cosmic characters. But did you know he was also a first-generation Jewish American born to immigrant parents, World War II veteran and family man who split his time between New York and Los Angeles? The exhibition only occupies a few small galleries, but it’s stuffed with information about Kirby’s life, as well as pristine prints of issues plus his original comic illustrations—many on view for the first time. It’s not just a Marvel showcase, either: You’ll find some of the work Kirby did for DC, plus personal collages, a drawing he gave to Paul and Linda McCartney, and a fantastic reproduction of a costume he designed for a UC Santa Cruz production of Julius Caesar. Though not explicitly framed this way, the exhibition also presents a clear-as-day retort to any contemporary fans who decry comic book stories today as too “political”: Marvel has been political from the very start. Kirby’s cover for the first issue of Captain America features Cap punching Hitler—a full year before America would break its isolationist policies and enter WWII. The fifth issue follows Captain America in a battle against the German American Bund, a domestic Nazi organization that staged an infamous...
  • Pop art

Outdoor Movies at the Skirball

Take a seat in the Skirball Cultural Center’s courtyard for this series of outdoor screenings. The Sepulveda Pass museum is showing Black Panther and Captain America: The First Avenger to tie in to its Jack Kirby exhibition.
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