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What to do in SoCal Arts and Culture This Week (August 3 - 9)

Chuck Maa returns to teach K-pop dance moves for the Music Center’s Digital Dance Party on Aug. 7. | Music Center.
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This week’s events are focused on learning. Since some of us have extra time because activities (and life) are in a temporary holding pattern, why not stimulate the grey matter? Learn about perfume and scents from the Institute of Art and Olfaction. Discuss craftmaking and personal practices at a Craft Contemporary event. Learn how to bust K-pop moves from a pro at an online dance night. Listen to Judy Gold talk about her new book, comedy and censorship. And finally, check out a hybrid art exhibition that offers both live and online components.  

Tuesday, Aug. 4 from 9 - 11 a.m. 
Online: Perfume 101: Perfume Literacy for Beginners

Learn the basics of perfume from the Institute for Art and Olfaction’s online workshop this week. | Institute of Art and Olfaction.
Learn the basics of perfume from the Institute for Art and Olfaction’s online workshop this week. | Institute of Art and Olfaction

The Institute for Art and Olfaction, an L.A.-based organization dedicated to the medium of scent, offers an online introductory workshop, Perfume Literacy for Beginners, for newbies on understanding perfume. The theory-based introduction covers fragrance families and classifications, making perfume in a lab, various aromatic materials, and top, bottom and middle notes. Tickets: $30.

Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 6 p.m.
Judy Gold in Conversation with Margaret Cho

Judy Gold — a standup comedian, actress, television writer, producer (“The Rosie O’Donnell Show”) and podcast host (“Kill Me Now”) — discusses her new book, “Yes, I Can Say That: When They Come for the Comedians, We Are All in Trouble“ at this Live Talks Los Angeles event. Gold will be in conversation with fellow comedian Margaret Cho on Live Talks L.A.’s YouTube channel and Facebook page discussing the current political climate and attempts to censor comedians. The event is free to watch with registration, and signed books are available for purchase. Tickets: Free - $30. 

Thursday, Aug. 6 at 5 p.m.  
BYOC (Bring-Your-Own-Craft)

Craft Contemporary (formerly known as the Craft and Folk Art Museum) hosts a  Bring-Your-Own-Craft night on the first Thursday of every month through December. Meant to bring people together online, the sessions give participants a chance to show and share what they’ve been making during quarantine or see what others have been creating at home. As an added bonus to the evening, the museum’s curator of public engagement Andres Payan Estrada will demonstrate how to make paper beads using materials found at home. Zoom link and information will be sent after registration. Free. 

Friday, Aug. 7 from 7 - 8 p.m. 
Digital Dance DTLA: K-pop

Chuck Maa returns to teach K-pop dance moves for the Music Center’s Digital Dance Party on Aug. 7. | Music Center.
Chuck Maa returns to teach K-pop dance moves for the Music Center’s Digital Dance Party on Aug. 7. | Music Center

The Music Center’s popular summer Friday night dance series continues online this year. Learn new moves from the comfort of your home or practice dancing with your quarantine partners. This week, learn how to groove like one of the guys in BTS or the women of CLC with lessons delivered by professional dancer and comedian Chuck Maa. Stream the K-pop session on the Music Center’s website. Free. 

Saturday, Aug. 8 - Sunday, Sept. 27 
Every. Thing. Changes.

Every. Thing. Changes. | Logo by Still Room.
Every. Thing. Changes. | Logo by Still Room

The Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design presents 20 new works by 20 participants in its summer exhibition. Emerging designers and thinkers, including Loren Adams, Orhan Ayyuce, Polaris Castillo, Yara Feghali & Viviane El Kmati, have been asked to capture L.A. life in 2020 at the start of a new decade — and beyond. To respect the physical distancing guidelines, the 20 works will be exhibited in parking lots and on virtual platforms from around the city, culminating in an outdoor reception which will be simulcast online. Visit https://everythingchanges2020.org/for details, online roundtables and specific locations. Free. 

Top Image: Chuck Maa returns to teach K-pop dance moves for the Music Center’s Digital Dance Party on Aug. 7. | Music Center.

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