South Bay Arts Calendar: August 30 — September 4
Friday, August 30
Travel in style
The Ninth Annual “Queen Mary Art Deco Festival” takes place now through Monday aboard the luxurious liner Queen Mary, moored at 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach. The aesthetic movement became popular around the 1930s, and this shipboard experience emphasizes all aspects, from furniture and fashion to architecture. Performances by the Dean Mora Orchestra, Ian Whitcom and His Bungalow Boys, and Jim Zeigler. A la carte tickets from $15. Information, (877) 342-0738 or go to queenmary.com.
Rudolf Valentino stars in the 1921 silent film “The Sheik,” screening at 8:15 on Friday and Saturday, plus 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, in the Old Town Music Hall, 140 Richmond St., El Segundo. Tickets, $10 general; $8 seniors. (310) 322-2592 or go to OldTownMusicHall.org.
One bottle too far
“Drinking Buddies,” directed by Joe Swanberg, and starring Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson, is about a flirtatious man and woman, in relationships with others, and, well, chemistry by way of a beer mug or two and… It opens for one week at the Nuart Theatre, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., W. Los Angeles. (310) 281-8223 or go to LandmarkTheatres.com.
Saturday, August 31
Oddballs
“True Believers: Horror Movies, Strange Tales, Comic Book Worlds and Weirdness” is a group show opening with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Torrance Art Museum, 3320 Civic Center Drive, Torrance. Through Oct. 12. Free. (310) 618-6340 or go to torranceartmuseum.com.
“Collections 2 Save Lives” is a three-day art show, to be held Friday, Sept. 6, to Sunday, Sept. 8, at Christ Episcopal Church, 408 S. Broadway, Redondo Beach, with an amount of the proceeds going to Be the Match Testing for Bone Marrow. Pictured, art work by Lorna Kaye. Call Barbara ramsey-Duke at (310) 251-6830.
Close encounters
A new art show with paintings by Henry Fukuhara, Hatsuko Mary Higuchi, Ron Libbrecht, and Al Seton opens with a reception from 4 to 7 p.m. at APC Fine Art Gallery, 1621 Cabrillo Ave., Torrance. Through Sept. 27. Call (310) 328-0366.
Sunday, September 1
End of summer
Concerts in the Park at Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach concludes with Nathan Shrake, playing classic rock from 5 to 7 p.m. That’s it. See you next June.
In time for brunch
You’ll be swinging with singing Joe, who performs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lighthouse Café, 30 Pier Plaza, Hermosa Beach.
Two works by Mary Higuichi from her “Executive Order 9066” series. There are 19 pieces (so far), and nine of them go on display Saturday (see listing) at APC Fine Arts in downtown Torrance. Number Six uses physical tags from baggage and shows the tower, a sign of being watched, guarded, imprisoned. Number Four shows people as they enter a new, enforced way of life, along with words that lead the viewer to ponder how and why it transpired that the U.S. government put its own citizens into concentration camps during WWII.
Larger than life
“The Big Picture: A Night at the Oscars” celebrates the cinematic and musical legacy of Academy Award-winning films, and it takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the Hollywood Bowl. Iconic scenes from films like “King Kong,” “Jaws,” and “Casablanca” will be shown while the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted by David Newman, performs. Park and ride from Wilson Park in Torrance. (323) 850-2000 or go to HollywoodBowl.com.
Tuesday, September 3
An eye for detail
Artful Days, the once-a-month free art talk, takes place from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in the George Nakano Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance. The topic is “Dutch Sensibilities, Intimate and Thought-Provoking,” and it’s a look at the “golden age” of art in Holland during the 17th century. (310) 818-2326.
A little Gershwin, I hear?
Fallbrook artist Eva Marie Vargo returns to her San Pedro roots with an new art exhibition, “Rhapsodies en bleu,” opening with a reception from 5 to 9 p.m. at MaGriffe Galerie, 3624 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro. These are her latest acrylic paintings, with a predominate dramatic presence of dark shades of blue. Vargo will also be present on Sunday, Sept. 8, from 12 noon to 3 p.m. to moderate a discussion on the Hot Topic of the Day, “Out of the Bleu.” We can share how unexpected events have enriched and influenced our lives. This is in the garden at Ma Griffe, and the $18 cover includes tea an door prizes. (310) 547-2154 or go to magriffegalerie.com.
Up, up, and away!
“That Day, That Moment,” being travel photographs by Setsuko Owan, go on view in the Malaga Cove Library Art Gallery, 2400 Via Campesina, Palos Verdes Estates. Includes 249 photographs, seven of them with cats. See interview, this issue. Through Sept. 30. Call (310) 377-9584 ext. 551.
They went out in style
“Miracles and Martyrs: Saints in the Middle Ages” goes on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum and features objects from the museum’s manuscripts collection. These holy being suffered torture and death, but at least they went to paradise afterwards. In two installments, because they’re light-sensitive: Sept. 3 to Dec. 2, and Dec. 4 through March 2. Call (310) 440-7300 or go to getty.edu.
One Year ago
Last year on this date Redondo Beach artist Jari Havlena passed away. What a wonderful, unique person she was. Let’s always remember her, okay?
Wednesday, September 4
Hermosa as Little Kuwait
In an effort to keep out the oil derricks, “Keep Hermosa Hermosa” presents an evening of art and music “Awareness in Stopping Hermosa Beach Oil” at 7 p.m. at St. Rocke, 142 Pacific Coast Hwy, Hermosa Beach. Featuring Kevin Sousa, Sand Section, with special guests Moi, from Tomorrows Bad Seeds, and Shaggy. A Spyder surfboard and a Dance surfboard will be raffled, and there’s a silent auction featuring art from Michael Collins, John Wayne Miller, and Claudia Berman. (310) 372-0035 or go to saintrocke.com.
“Encore,” a group show featuring contemporary artists from Los Angeles, is on view through Sept. 29 at the Palos Verdes Art Center, 5504 W. Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes. Pictured, most of the artists: L-r, Scott Canty, curator; Antonio Muniz; Nancy Macko; David Fobes; Joe Baker, executive director; Jaime Scholnick; Joe Biel; and Abel Alejandre. In the show but not in the picture: Lita Albuquerque, Michael Flechtner, and Jorge Oswaldo. Photo by Gloria Plascencia. (310) 541-2479 or go to pvartcenter.org.
Oliver’s army
The Belasco Theatre Company has another audition for its fall production of “Oliver,” which is taking place from Feb. 7 through 23 at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse. This is for young adults ages 7 to 18 with a strong interest in musical theater. (310) 612-8199 or go to belasco.org. ER