Jordan Riefe

After studying Mandarin in post-Mao China, Jordan got into the film business as a camera assistant working with directors like Steven Soderbergh and Tom Hanks. He covered the film business since the late 90s for outlets like Reuters, THR.com, and the Wrap, wrote a movie that was produced in China in 2007. Currently serves as West Coast theatre critic for The Hollywood Reporter, while also covering art and culture for The Guardian, Cultured Magazine, Coast Magazine, Truthdig.com and the LA Weekly.

A Black man is hugged by other children in a schoolroom space.

Article

Muhammad Ali

7 Artists Take On Muhammad Ali's Legacy Outside the Ring

As Parkinson's disease began to attack boxing great Muhammad Ali, he took the fight outside the ring, giving voice to the voiceless, particularly communities of color at home and abroad. Inspired by his work, eight artists create a more complex portrait of the icon.

An aerial view of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is shot at night.

Article

Southland Sessions

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opens Sept. 30, Will Address Race and Gender Issues

The six-story museum will feature an education studio, a viewing terrace facing the Hollywood Hills and exhibits that address race and cinema, blackface and the marginalization of people of color.

A light shines on blue cloth outlining a shadow puppet and a shining on a leaf-like object. The performance is part of at "Firefly Nights," an in-person COVID-safe experience that falls within the "Rio Reveals" series.

Article

Southland Sessions

L.A. River Becomes the Focal Point for Epic, Ongoing Experimental Theater

"Sleep No More" theater director Mikhael Tara Garver unearths the L.A. River's 8-mile deep stories and histories in an ongoing work of experimental theater called "Rio Reveals."

Alison Saar’s “Torch Song,” 2020 in wood, copper, ceiling tin, enamel paint, leather belts and vintage piano keys (72 x 22 x 26) next to Heather Gwen Martin’s “Touch” from 2020. Oil on linen, 60 x 56 in. | Jordan Riefe

Article

Southland Sessions

L.A. Louver: 45 Years with 45 of Modern Art's Most Unique Artists

For its 45th anniversary, LA Louver is bringing together 45 artists of the past and the present to tell the story of L.A.'s modern art scene.

From Sunset Blvd, 1966, Ed Ruscha. | Streets of Los Angeles Archive. The Getty Research Institute,2012.M.1. © Ed Ruscha

Article

Southland Sessions

Take a Joy Ride Through Time on Sunset Boulevard with Ed Ruscha

The Getty’s “12 Sunsets,” project digitizes Ed Ruscha’s many photographs of each building on Sunset Boulevard from 1966 to 2007.

Kenny Scharf bombing a car September 26, 2020 | Jordan Riefe

Article

Southland Sessions

PHOTOS: A Parade of Kenny Scharf-bombed Cars Rolls Down W. Hollywood This Saturday

“I wanted to introduce something that’s art and it's for everyone and it has no money involved, no value,” says Kenny Scharf of his eye candy car artwork.

A performer for "Sweet Land" | Casey Kringlen for The Industry

Article

Southland Sessions

Myth-busting Opera 'Sweet Land' Lives on Long After Final Curtain

Five months after the innovative opera closed due to the pandemic, its themes resonate louder than ever.

LA County Department of Arts and Culture Organizational Grant Program grantee CONTRA-TIEMPO. | Courtesy of CONTRA-TIEMPO.

Article

Southland Sessions

L.A. County Takes a Stand for Diversity

Board of Supervisors adopts a county-wide policy centered on diversity, inclusion and access.

The Wallis Studio Ensemble presents Fairyland Foibles, featuring (top row L-R) Ella M Joseph, Kendell Byrd, Tiana Randall Quant; (middle row L-R) Trecey Dory, Kelvin Morales, Alexander Sheldon; (bottom row L-R) Marlena Becker, Siera Williams | M. Dahm

Article

Southland Sessions

A ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ Production Opens at the Wallis

“Fairyland Foibles” presented by the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, lets the audience play a part in shaping the narrative of each 15-20 minute episode.

Paul Davies with Jesse Carmichael | Courtesy of Paul Davies

Article

Southland Sessions

Maroon 5’s Jesse Carmichael Keeps it Short and Sweet with Two-Minute Movies

The band’s keyboard and guitar player’s 2 Minute Movie Collective offers a micro view of turbulent times.

El Movimiento

California's Wildfires

KCET Cinema Series

El Movimiento

California's Wildfires

KCET Cinema Series

Jordan Riefe