PST ART - Museum Row

Beginning in mid-September, the Mid-City stretch of Wilshire Boulevard known as Museum Row will be bustling with the Getty initiative, PST Art: Art and Science Collide.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is presenting five shows that range from ancient depictions of cosmology to contemporary works inspired by both science and science fiction. LACMA is not the only museum on Museum Row getting in on the action. The La Brea Tar Pits and Craft Contemporary have PST ART exhibitions forthcoming, and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will be opening two new shows for the event.

While you could very well see all of these exhibitions in one trip, that requires careful planning. The run of these shows vary in length from a handful of days to a year or more. Read on to see what’s on view and create your own itinerary for PST ART at Museum Row.

If you’re driving to Museum Row, there are multiple parking lots that serve the museum. LACMA’s Pritzker Parking Garage is $20 during the day and offers accessible parking spots on level P1, plus EV charging stations on levels P1 and P2. There’s also a garage at the Petersen Automotive Museum that is $21 and has accessible parking spots plus EV charging stations on level P1. If you’re planning to visit more than one museum on your trip, you will likely want to avoid street parking, due to the time limits.

For those taking Metro, the 20 and 720 buses that travel along Wilshire, as well as the 217 bus that runs on Fairfax all have stops near Museum row. The Wilshire Boulevard buses are accessible from the D Line stop at Wilshire Western, while you can catch the 217 at the La Cienega and Jefferson E Line station.

Stay at a nearby hotel and walk the neighborhood like a local. The pet friendly, boutique Kimpton Hotel Wilshire is a couple of blocks away from Museum Row, and the quaint Short Stories Hotel, while a bit farther away, boasts a front row seat to shopping and dining at The Original Farmers Market.

With five PST ART shows opening this fall, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has a lot in store for visitors. Still, these shows only represent a portion of what is housed inside the museum. If you visit before October 6, you’ll be able to check out the Ed Ruscha/Now Then exhibition that opened in the spring. The traveling Simone Leigh exhibition, which is co-presented by LACMA and the California African American Art Museum, is on view at the museum until January 2025. There are also ongoing exhibitions, like Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads out in the Zev Yaroslavsky Plaza. Moreover, LACMA’s calendar offers a bounty of events for art lovers of all ages.

LACMA offers lower rates for youth and teens. In addition, those under 18 who live in L.A. County can get in for free. For adults who live in L.A. County, admission is free at 3pm. Advance tickets are not required, but you may want those if you’re planning to visit on a weekend or holiday. Refer to LACMA’s website for more ticket information. If you’re visiting with a group and would like a private tour, see the museum’s website to make a request.

We Live in Painting: The Nature of Color in Mesoamerican Art
(Sep. 15, 2024 - Sep. 1, 2025)
Both the technical and creative aspects of art are explored in We Live in Painting: The Nature of Color in Mesoamerican Art, which opens at LACMA on September 15 and will run for nearly a year. You’ll find the exhibition over in the museum’s Resnick Pavilion.

Digital Witness: Revolutions in Design, Photography and Film
(Nov. 24, 2024 - July 15, 2025)
From paint programs to AI generators, Digital Witness: Revolutions in Design, Photography and Film looks at the evolution and impact of digitally manipulated images. The show includes over 100 works from the 1980s to the present day. Find it in the Broad Contemporary Art Museum at LACMA, where Digital Witness will be on view between Nov. 24, 2024 and Jul. 13, 2025.

Mapping the Infinite: Cosmologies Across Cultures
(Oct. 20, 2024 - Mar. 2, 2025)
A collaboration between LACMA, Carnegie Observatories and the Griffith Observatory, Mapping the Infinite: Cosmologies Across Cultures explores how people from the Stone Age through today viewed the cosmos. This history will be on view via artworks whose origins span the globe, as well as the breadth of human history. Mapping the Infinite is on view in the Resnick Pavilion from Oct. 20, 2024 through Mar. 2, 2025.

Josiah McElheny: Island Universe
(Sep. 12, 2024 - ongoing)
Also at Resnick Pavilion, you’ll see Josiah McElheny’s installation, Island Universe, which explores the concept of a multiverse. McElheny collaborated with astrophysicist David Weinberg on this piece, which will be on view at LACMA beginning September 12.

American Artist: The Monophobic Response
(Nov. 1-4, 2024)
Inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s novel, Parable of the Sower, The Monophobic Response is a recreation of a 1936 static rocket engine test that was performed and filmed by American Artist in the Mojave Desert this past summer. You’ll have the chance to see this work between November 1 and November 4 on the second level of the BCAM building.

You’ll have a full year to check out contemporary artist Mark Dion’s Excavations at the La Brea Tar Pits. Dion, who merges science and art in his work, had an extended residency at the museum and his field work there, including interviews with staffers and helping with excavations, inform the installation, which includes a 10-foot sculpture of a fossilized pack rat skeleton. Admission prices vary, but there is free entry for L.A. County residents on Monday through Friday from 3pm to 5pm.

Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema
(Oct. 6, 2024 - Apr. 12, 2026)
See costumes, props, art and more from films like Blade Runner, Tron, The Matrix, Sleep Dealer and Ghost in the Shell when Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema runs at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The exhibition also includes an interactive installation that explores the history and evolution of the genre through the 20th and 21st centuries. Opening on October 6, Cyberpunk will run throughout all of 2025 and into April 2026.

Color in Motion: Chromatic Exploration in Cinema
(Oct. 6, 2024 - Jul. 13, 2025)
Through film clips, production materials, props and costumes, you’ll see how color impacted film on both technical and cultural levels in Color in Motion: Chromatic Exploration in Cinema. The exhibition also includes a “color arcade,” where visitors trigger colors through motion. Coinciding with Color in Motion is the Academy Museum’s film series The Wonders of Technicolor, which will include classics like Vertigo, Fantasia, The Red Shoes, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Wizard of Oz.

Craft, nature and science come together in Material Acts: Experimentation in Architecture and Design, a first-of-its-kind exhibition that delves into biodesign. At Craft Contemporary, you’ll catch a glimpse into emerging processes that aim to literally build more sustainable structures. An opening reception will be held at the museum on September 28 from 6-9pm and the show will run until January 25 of next year. Children 12 and under can visit for free and Sundays are “pay what you wish” days at the museum.

• The signature restaurant of the Academy Museum, Fanny’s offers all-day café fare and sit-down dinner. See and be seen in this beautiful room.
• LACMA dining options include the kid-friendly LACMA Cafe, which offers smashburgers, chicken tenders, fries and salads; while the new LACMA Marketplace is a grab-and-go spot with snacks and meals.
• Start your day with an avo toast and a proper latte inside the Petersen Museum’s Meyers Manx Café. Settle into an olive green booth or nab a table outside to people-watch.
• If you don’t mind more walking, you’ll find more restaurants on Wilshire Boulevard between the Tar Pits and La Brea Avenue. These range from fast casual chains to local spots like Yuko Kitchen, which in addition to serving sushi, sashimi and rice bowls, is known for their cookies, which include vegan and gluten-free varieties.

If time permits, stop by the Petersen Automotive Museum, located across from the Academy Museum. Here, you’ll see cars from the past, present and future, including scene-stealers in the Hollywood Customs exhibit, on view until January 2025; and custom rides in Best in Low: Lowrider Icons of the Street and Show.