Fires threaten cultural institutions, destroy historic architecture: L.A. arts and culture this week

As fires spread throughout areas of Los Angeles this week, my colleague Jessica Gelt has diligently kept track of the region’s treasured cultural institutions and historic architecture that remain at risk. Jessica also reported on the race to save the Getty Villa.

The devastation so far includes Will Rogers’ ranch house, which was part of Will Rogers State Historic Park; and Topanga Ranch Motel, the historic row of rustic cabins built by William Randolph Hearst that was one of the last remaining examples of early 20th century bungalow motels; as well as numerous homes, businesses and community structures.

I’m Times staff writer Ashley Lee, hoping that you and your loved ones are all safe amid such horrific loss, and sharing a few reads and recommendations in today’s Essential Arts newsletter that might serve as places of momentary mental respite.

Due to the fires, many events may be postponed or canceled. Please check with individual organizations for updates.

Best bets: On our radar this week

Betye Saar’s mixed-media assemblage “Mojotech” (1987).

(Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects)

‘Mojotech’
“Betye Saar is an artist whose life’s work has consisted of creating careful arrangements of objects. … In Saar’s hands, however, these notorious artifacts become something mighty,” wrote former Times columnist Carolina A. Miranda of the groundbreaking myriad artist in 2016. Roberts Projects presents the piece she originally conceived in 1987 during her residency at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — a monumental altar assemblage that explores the intersection between contemporary technology and ancient spiritual practices. Also featured are archival materials such as photographs, slides, sketches, publications and the initial communal offerings from the work’s installation. The exhibition is on view Tuesdays through Saturdays through Feb. 28. 442 S. La Brea Ave., Mid-Wilshire. robertsprojectsla.com

‘Dance at the Odyssey’
Odyssey Theatre Ensemble is back with its annual six-week celebration of contemporary dance, kicking off this weekend with Alejandro Perez and Gretchen Ackerman’s memory-centric piece, “Oasis — Losing the Truth of the Thing” (Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.). Running through Feb. 16, the festival also features works by Brandon Mathis (Jan. 16-19), Ellen Smith Ahern (Jan. 25-26), Re:born Dance Interactive and Boróka Nagy (Jan. 31-Feb. 2), Spenser Theberge (Feb. 7-9) and Gheremi Clay and Clay Collective (Feb. 14-16). All tickets are $25. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A. odysseytheatre.com

The ASU FIDM Museum is showcasing costumes, props and set pieces from the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown.”

(Eric Charbonneau / Searchlight Pictures)

‘A Complete Unknown’ Costume Exhibition
“Costumes are a tool, but really, we are world-building or storytelling on an emotional level and a physical level,” costume designer Arianne Phillips told The Times last month. Her work on “A Complete Unknown,” the Searchlight Pictures movie starring Timothée Chalamet as a budding Bob Dylan, is on display at ASU FIDM Museum, along with set pieces and props from the biopic.

“It was very clear that the way the audience was going to experience Bob’s evolution over these prolific four years was through his hair and what he was wearing, his style,” she said of the film, which spans the musician’s rise from 1961 to 1965. “You would see this 19-year-old kid evolve into this 24-year-old rock star.” The exhibition is on view Tuesdays through Saturdays through Jan. 18. ASU FIDM Museum, 919 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. asuevents.asu.edu

The week ahead: A curated calendar

The cast of South Coast Rep’s “Wish You Were Here,” clockwise from far left: Nazanin Nour, Mitra Jouhari, Artemis Pebdani, Sahar Bibiyan and Tara Grammy.

(Robert Huskey / South Coast Repertory)

FRIDAY
Children of Men Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Caine star in this timelier-than-ever 2006 dystopian thriller, part of the American Cinematheque’s Alfonso Cuarón retrospective.
7 p.m. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. americancinematheque.com

Death of a Salesman Joe Cortese and Frances Fisher star in Arthur Miller’s enduring classic.
Through Jan. 26. Colony Theatre, 555 N. 3rd St., Burbank. onstage411.com

Powers New Voices Festival The 12th annual event features readings of 10 new plays by emerging and award-winning writers.
7:30 p.m. Friday; 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Old Globe, Balboa Park, San Diego. theoldglobe.org

John Sayles The maverick filmmaker is in town for an American Cinematheque presentation of “Matewan” (with a Q&A moderated by Winona Ryder) at the Egyptian.
3 p.m. Sunday. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. americancinematheque.com

SATURDAY

There Are Fairies at the Bottom of Our Garden A new work by writer-performer John Fleck is part of the Thresholds of Invention performance series.
8 p.m. Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. odysseytheatre.com

SUNDAY

Traveler’s Prayer A collection of stories detailing Jewish people’s journeys throughout the world against the backdrop of rising antisemitism.
7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd, Encino; plus various locations and live streaming through Feb. 6. the-braid.org

Wish You Were Here Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sanaz Toossi’s ensemble comedy about five young women facing uncertain futures in 1978 Iran.
Through Feb. 2. South Coast Repertory, Julianne Argyros Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scr.org

Culture news and the SoCal scene

In “Undersigned,” guests are confronted with a handful of objects before meeting an actor to explore intimate and potentially difficult subject matter.

(Yannick Trapman-O’Brien)

“[It] ultimately became something akin to a therapy session, as I was prompted to analyze my strengths and weaknesses in matters of romance and faith,” wrote Times features columnist Todd Martens of experiencing “Undersigned,” Yannick Trapman-O’Brien’s latest participatory theater piece that’s back in L.A. for a few dates this month. Described as a “psychological thriller for one,” the rare offering — which is run out of Hatch Escapes in Arlington Heights — blindfolds the audience member during a unique and vulnerable one-on-one conversation about their wants and needs.

“There is an enormous act of care in providing people a place where they can be confronted by themselves,” Trapman-O’Brien told Martens. “For all that the themes and origins of this story are rooted in traditions and in things that are bad and sinister, I actually find it to be an incredibly affirming piece to do. I am gobsmacked by people’s generosity, and courage to stare down a scary thing.”

Playwright Richard Foreman, pictured in 2000, died Jan. 4. Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote: “Foreman entrapped our bodies only to liberate our minds. He shared his dreams to provoke our own.”

(David Bohrer / Los Angeles Times)

Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote an appreciation for the late American avant-gardist Richard Foreman, who died Jan. 4 at age 87. “Foreman’s idea of theater, born in opposition to the mainstream, was an acquired taste that some of the most rigorously inventive sensibilities couldn’t get enough of,” wrote McNulty of Foreman, who became one of the pillars of New York’s downtown theater scene.

“Attending a Foreman production at the St. Mark’s Theater in the East Village was a contradictory experience. On the one hand, you knew you were going to be physically captive for an unbroken 70 or so minutes that could feel like a never-ending marathon. On the other hand, your mind was free to make what you will of the strange sights and sounds overloading your consciousness. Unlike technology companies that work to ensnare (and monetize) our attention, Foreman entrapped our bodies only to liberate our minds. He shared his dreams to provoke our own.”

Works by noted photographer Sally Mann that depict children in the nude — and are similar to the portraits of her own children that gained Mann both acclaim and controversy in the 1980s — have been seized by local officials after a Tarrant County, Texas judge filed a complaint demanding a criminal investigation, according to ArtForum. The photographs are part of a documentary exhibition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth titled “Diaries of Home,” showcasing the work of 13 artists.

Joe Average, the Canadian activist and Pop artist who became as known for his bold and bright kaleidoscopic pieces as he was for uplifting the queer community and those living with HIV/AIDS, died in his sleep in his Vancouver home on Dec. 24, reports the Art Newspaper. He was 67.

And last but not least

Also in the air this past week: love!