Vote at the museum: L.A. arts and culture this week

Election day is upon us. It’s Tuesday. Really. Finally. It’s here. No, don’t run and hide under the bed. I see you. Come on out. It’s going to be OK. There are things you can do to make things easier on yourself. If you’re one of the millions of people who have already cast your vote, drink a nice hot cup of tea and give yourself a pat on the back. You did it. If you’re like me — and you prefer to vote in person — might I suggest taking yourself to a museum?

Both the Hammer Museum and Skirball Cultural Center are doubling as polling places this year. The Hammer offers free parking to voters, and the museum itself is also free, so after you cast your ballot you can spend the day with some thought-provoking museum therapy, including the current PST Art exhibit, “Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice.” And don’t forget: it’s never too early for a glass of wine on election day. You can get one, and some lunch, too, at Lulu restaurant in the museum courtyard.

If you show your “I Voted” sticker at the Skirball, you get free admission. The museum’s polling place is inside Ahmanson Hall, and you can vote in person, or just drop off a ballot you’ve already filled out. After that you can check out the très chic exhibit “Diane von Furstenberg: Woman Before Fashion,” which explores the groundbreaking designer’s life and iconic wrap dress. Parking is free. Oh, and there is also wine. It can be found at Zeidler’s Cafe.

I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, and you can find me — white-knuckling my ballot and wine glass — at the museum Tuesday. My colleague Ashley Lee and I are here to assure you that the arts will still be here after the election is over.

Best bets: On our radar this week

Arthur Jafa’s “Picture Unit (Structures) II,” 2024 “nativemanson,” on view at Sprüth Magers through Dec. 14.

(Robert Wedemeyer)

‘nativemanson’
“I want my solo show to look like the best group show you ever saw — it’s composed of a lot of different things; it’s got a lot of variegated artifacts,” Arthur Jafa told Times contributor Harmony Holiday this past spring. Sprüth Magers is presenting Los Angeles’ first major solo exhibition of the filmmaker, cinematographer and artist, highlighting three decades of wall works, sculptures and moving images, including “BG,” his reworking of Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver.” The exhibition is on view through Dec. 14; Jafa will be in conversation with fellow artist Anne Imhof on Nov. 23 (RSVP required). Sprüth Magers, 5900 Wilshire Blvd. spruethmagers.com

‘VOTE! (and then come to this concert)’
If you are looking for an artistic distraction on election night, Monk Space is hosting a political edition of its Tuesday night concert series. The evening’s program includes two interactive sound installations, a world premiere and new arrangements of historical presidential campaign songs. There will be an optional cellphone valet to allow you to securely check your mobile device and briefly escape the 24-hour news cycle. Tuesday, 8 p.m. Monk Space, 4414 W. 2nd St. brightworknewmusic.com.

‘Pacific Overtures’
“East West Players has an impressive track record with the musicals of Stephen Sondheim,” wrote Times theater critic Charles McNulty earlier this year. “The show chronicles a period of Japanese history after American warships under the command of Commodore Matthew C. Perry entered Japanese waters in 1853 to force the isolationist nation to open up trade. This dauntingly ambitious work is exceedingly difficult to pull off, but East West Players has the know-how to do it.” Performances run Thursday through Dec. 1. David Henry Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Little Tokyo. eastwestplayers.org

— Ashley Lee

The week ahead: A curated calendar

Rainn Wilson, left, Aasif Mandvi, Conor Lovett and Adam Stein rehearsing for “Waiting for Godot” at Geffen Playhouse.

(Jeff Lorch)

MONDAY
‘Ancient Thrace and the Classical World’ Gold, silver and bronze works from Bulgaria, Romania and Greece highlight a civilization that served as adversaries and allies to the Greeks.
Through March 3. The Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades. getty.edu

WEDNESDAY
‘Waiting for Godot’ Rainn Wilson and Aasif Mandvi headline the cast for a revival of the Samuel Beckett classic in a collaboration with theater company Gare St Lazare Ireland.
Through Dec. 15. Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. geffenplayhouse.org

THURSDAY

‘It’s All Your Fault, Tyler Price!’ After sticking up for his special needs sister and punching a bully, a middle schooler must defend his actions in this new musical by Ben Decter and Kristin Hanggi.
Through Dec 15. Hudson Backstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd. tylerpricemusical.com

‘Sophia Loren: La Diva di Napoli’ The Academy Museum marks the Italian cinema icon’s 90th birthday (it was Sept. 20) with a screening series beginning with “Two Women” (1960) and “The Life Ahead” (2020) and appearances by Loren and her son, director Edoardo Ponti, on Thursday and Friday.
Through Nov. 30. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org

Culture news and the SoCal scene

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it has made some high-profile acquisitions, including the Studio Ghibli animation collection, filled with drawings by Hayao Miyazaki. Also joining the museum’s collection of more than 52-million film-related items: the original handwritten script for Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 classic, “Pulp Fiction”; ephemera from Guillermo del Toro’s 2022 take on “Pinocchio”; and costumes worn by Meryl Streep, Joanne Woodward, Jamie Lee Curtis and Kurt Russell.

As a part of a broader restructuring, the academy laid off 16 staff members from its archive and library last week. According to an internal email from CEO Bill Kramer, the changes bring all of the organization’s collecting, restoration and preservation efforts together in a newly formed Academy Collection and Preservation Department under the direction of academy vice president Matt Severson.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale announced the first public performance of its newly formed Youth Chorus LA, a holiday sing-a-long called “Carols on the Plaza,” scheduled for Dec. 16 at the Music Center. The after-school choral education program started as a pilot in March, and was designed to be accessible to kids regardless of their musical backgrounds or financial situations. It officially launched the first week of October and meets for weekly rehearsals at the Lucille Roybal-Allard and Soto Street elementary schools, serving a variety of communities in East L.A. and Huntington Park.

Playwright and actor Roger Q. Mason, whose play “Lavender Men” staged its world premiere at Skylight Theater in 2022, has made a foray into film with a cinematic version of the script, which imagines Abraham Lincoln’s life through a queer lens. “Lavender Men” the film has screened at various indie competitions and racked up quite a few new honors, including a Jury Prize for best narrative feature at the Charlotte Film Festival. It was also named a festival favorite by audiences at Cinema Diverse; and Mason, who played the lead role of Taffeta on stage and screen, won best actor at the Micheaux Film Festival.

And last but not least

If you need to hear it, because today is a tough day, and Tuesday might be tougher: You are loved. I promise.