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A Visit To LACMA

Throwback post! There are so many neat things to do at LACMA

This is a throwback post! Fellow Girl Folk contributor, Lou, and I visited one of my favorite free places in LA in 5th grade! Here’s what I wrote back then, all of it still true.

There are so many neat things to do at LACMA (also known as the LA County Museum of Art) that sometimes when my friend Lou and I visit it, we don’t even step inside any of the galleries to see the art. Sorry! Here are just a few of those things.


ONE

Explore the Tar Pits. There is so much to explore and wonder about! Sometimes you can even see tar bubbling up around the park in unexpected places. Also, on some days you can watch archaeologists and scientists extract and clean fossils they find at the park.

Sometimes the tar can be a bit messy and a bit gross!!

TWO
Interact with the outdoor exhibits, like the ones below!

“Penetrable”, an art installation by Patricia Phelps de Cisneros.

So much to see. So little time.

“Urban Light” installation by artist Chris Burden is made up of 202 vintage street lamps

THREE
Visit Levitated Mass, which I just refer to as The Rock. It’s essentially a giant boulder suspended over a concrete ramp that visitors can walk under or pose with. Read and learn more about the boulder.

Look at how strong we are!

FOUR
Visit Sunday Family Art Days. Volunteer artists teach neat cultural crafts related to the museum art collection. They have crafts for both toddlers and older kids.

FIVE
Paint. The Boone Kids Gallery in the museum has a free Water Color Studio. The studio is a quiet room where the museum staff provides water colors, brushes and paper, as well as some “inspirational piece of the day”. You and your friends can then feel free to just paint away. It's super relaxing!

SIX
Listen to music. Most of the year there are free jazz concerts on Friday nights, Latin music on Saturday and classical on Sunday. For the Friday concerts, we enjoy picnicking on the lawn with friends. Sometimes it gets very busy, so make sure to plan ahead!

SEVEN
And, so, so much more! Climbing trees and rolling down the grassy hillside in the park are always fun activities. 

So many trees to climb! Wow!

Another fun activity is simply taking a stroll around the park with a friend.


If you do decide to go into the museum itself you’ll find some amazing artwork. Plus, kids can apply on the spot to receive a free NexGen pass. This pass will get one kid and an adult in for free. Or, you can visit the second Tuesday of every month and on any federal holiday for free. Make sure you check the museum calendar before you visit at www.Lacma.com. Just remember, the museum is always closed on Wednesdays. Do you have a favorite museum in your city? If so, we’d love to hear about it. Just send us an email with some cool information and the best part (or parts!) about the museum.

Special thanks to my cousin Victoria at Victoria Flower Photography for taking the photos of me and Lou at LACMA!

- Gray

LACMA, La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Museums

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