The Agenda: Hotel Californian, Not So General, and Current L.A.
Author:Lindsey ShookOpening
Now is the time to visit the otherwise sleepy beach town of Santa Barbara. Blending seamlessly into the main drag’s pristine sightline on State Street is the brand-new Hotel Californian, a signature Spanish Colonial Revival building (featuring the original 1925 facade) with stunning modern Moorish interiors by celebrity designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard. The 121-room hotel with Turkish-inspired spa and rooftop pool, is steps from the beach and from the super-happening Funk Zone. The only problem: Once you have a room, you’ll never want to leave.
When: Now open and accepting new reservations
Where: 36 State St., Santa Barbara
Biennial
Leave it to progressive Los Angeles to use contemporary art as a platform for initiating conversation and exchanging ideas about critical issues facing the city today. This year, the biennial navigates the waters, literally, by examining the role H2O plays in our lives. From practical uses, like growing food and providing hydration, to the historic and cultural meaning of the earth’s most valuable resource, the public works in this show take on many forms—from site-specific contemporary works like Refik Anadol and Peggy Weil’s “UnderLA,” a projection of scientific data from the city’s aquifers onto the 1st Street bridge, to discussion-based programming like Chris Kallmyer’s “New Weather Station,” a geodesic dome that will host talks about the intersection of water and weather.
When: Through Mon. 8/14
Where: Various venues, Los Angeles
Not So General
Showroom
London transplant Paul Davidge sees design as an extension of the art world. So it was only natural for him to open a gallery and showroom in Los Angeles that combines the two. Vintage pieces are displayed alongside work by local designers and international stars such as Milanese furniture studio Edizione Limitata Factory and Amsterdam-based glass artist Germans Ermics—both of which are new to the City of Angels and exclusive to Not So General.
When: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday–Friday; by appointment Saturday & Sunday
Where: 7209 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood
Collection
For her latest collaboration, beloved Bay Area clothing and lifestyle designer Erica Tanov debuts a furniture collection in partnership with master craftsman Russell Fong. To start, the longtime friends have launched the Ciervo sofa and armchair, beautifully handcrafted pieces that are clean, modern, and timeless. Tanov’s vision of relaxed refinement plays out in furniture that is both functional (read: comfortable) and elegant.
When: In showrooms now; open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday–Saturday and 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday
Where: Erica Tanov boutiques, Berkeley and Marin; online at ericatanov.com
Art
SECA Art Award and Noguchi’s Playscapes
Every year, SFMOMA presents five next-gen artists from the Bay Area for the SECA Art Award group show. Expect new and thought-provoking work by Liam Everett, Alicia McCarthy, Sean McFarland, Lindsey White, and K.r.m. Mooney—each with a dedicated gallery for their first major museum presentation. Juxtapose that with a spin around Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi’s show exploring playgrounds, with models and works that, while mostly unrealized, have inspired current landscape design.
When: SECA through Sun. 9/17; Noguchi through Sun. 11/26
Where: SFMOMA, 151 Third St., San Francisco
