Women Healing Women - WMN Space

Photo Credit: Mel Blanchard via Domino

   The recently opened WMN Space in Culver City, awash in light and the smell of palo santo, offers a sense of calm almost immediately upon entering its welcome area.  This wonderful oasis provides a community where women can gather to heal, grow and learn - all with a sense of consciousness.  Paula Mallis, a doula/mother/spiritual counselor turned entrepreneur, created the space to support women as they navigate the journey of life.  Mallis and her team provide assistance in spades by offering various healing modalities in a comforting and stylish setting.

Photo Credit: Hermosa Journal

   Women of all types come together to explore seemingly every topic under the sun at this gorgeous gathering center.  On any given day you might come across a full moon circle, tea ceremony, birth prep class or sound bath.  Whether you are trying to eat healthier, coping with an empty nest, or learning to meditate, there is a little something for everyone.  Group healing not your style?  No worries, private treatments and therapies are available upon request.

Photo Credit: Mel Blanchard via Domino

   In case we haven’t made it clear, this is not your run of the mill healing locale.  Oh, no ma’am. Decorated in a minimalist meets Cali chic way, WMN embodies beauty and serenity (with a healthy dose of sisterhood).  This healing hot spot also provides an opportunity to pick up expertly curated brands from ZenBunni to Savannah King’s Third Eye jewelry, so leave some time after your session to peruse.  Go ahead, try that class you’re curious about and experience how WMN beckons you to make tea (in their gorgeous handmade cups) and stay for a while.

WMN Space is located at 10764 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232.

Photo Credit: Hermosa Journal

Fusing Heritage & Fashion - B. Yellowtail

Photo credit: B.Yellowtail

   Bethany Yellowtail, a Native American designer based in Los Angeles, is making waves in the fashion world.  Her creations incorporate native elements (think ancestral motifs and patterns) and contemporary designs.  A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Management, Yellowtail started her eponymous brand in 2014.  Since then, the designer has developed a loyal following who crave her fresh take on native inspired products.  

B.Yellowtail summer 2017 designs.  (Cameron Mackey)

   While it is still rare to find clothing designed by Native Americans in the mainstream fashion world, Yellowtail is working hard to shift this reality.  The designer is achieving this goal by creating sought after clothing rooted in her heritage.  Yellowtail takes another step toward changing the fashion landscape by giving back to her community.  In an effort to support other native artists, she started the B.Yellowtail Collective which features heirloom quality work by Native American artisans.  Changing an industry isn’t easy, but Yellowtail certainly seems up to the challenge.

The Indigenous Women Rise scarf by B.Yellowtail. (Hermosa Journal) 

   The purchase of a B.Yellowtail product is deeper than just consumption, it is a way to change the status quo and to celebrate a community.  A designer with a mission to empower her community and killer designs?  No wonder her recent Hollywood fashion show and pop-up were a total success.  Interested in sporting her creations?  Yellowtail releases a new design monthly and her 2017 summer collection is now available through her website.

HOME at LACMA

Installation view HOME - So Different, So Appealing, at LACMA. (Hermosa Journal)

   After years of thoughtful collaboration between artists, curators and institutions, the exhibition HOME - So Different, So Appealing has opened at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).  The exhibit brings together over 40 artists and uses a hemispheric approach to create a groundbreaking collection of work that investigates the notion of home.  While the idea has been explored before, this show incorporates works by Latin American and U.S. Latino artists to present a diverse and refreshing take on the concept.  Carefully curated by Chon A. Noriega (UCLA - Chicano Studies Research Center), Mari Carmen Ramírez (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston) and Pilar Thompkins Rivas (Vincent Price Art Museum), HOME has materialized into a unique and impressive exhibition.  

Daniel Joseph Martinez, "The House America Built" (2004/2017). (Hermosa Journal)

   The show is filled with many thought provoking and stunning pieces that range from deconstructed furniture to a scale replica of Ted Kaczynski’s (aka the Unabomber) Montana cabin.  With close to 100 pieces, HOME occupies one the of the largest spaces at LACMA yet remains manageable, in part, because the vast subject matter is divided into thematic constellations.  By arranging the exhibit into smaller units that touch upon social and political issues from colonialism to migration, the show provides a new way to present Latin American and Latino art - one that steers away from concepts of identity.  There is so much to see in this exhibit that visitors would be well advised to allow plenty of time to enjoy and discover all that is on display (which also includes a fun outdoor sculpture).  

HOME: So Different, So Appealing curators Mari Carmen Rameríz, Chon A. Noriega and Pilar Thompkins Rivas standing next to an installation by the late Felix Gonzalez-Torres, "Untitled (North)" 1993. (Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times)

   HOME, is the first exhibition to open as part of the Getty Foundation’s Pacific Standard Time: Los Angeles/Latin America (PST: LA/LA) and sets a high standard for the entire effort.  Over 70 cultural institutions in the Southern California area will be a part of PST: LA/LA, with the bulk of the programming starting in September 2017.  It is safe to say that HOME (and PST: LA/LA) provides a deeper understanding of Latin American and Latino art while shattering stereotypical ideas of what these artists are producing.  The exhibition also addresses a glaring weakness in the collections and programming of most American art institutions: the lack of Latin American and Latino artists.

   This epic show gracefully pushes many boundaries while presenting work in a beautifully modern way.  We can’t wait to visit HOME again and again.

HOME: So Different, So Appealing is at LACMA from June 11 - October 15, 2017.

Checking In

Photo Credit: Hermosa Journal

   Is it really June already?!  Yes, dear friends, it is.  June has officially arrived which means there are still six months left to accomplish any yearly goals you might have set for yourself.  Not sure about you, but when December rolls around we often find ourselves wondering how the end of year arrived so quickly.  In an effort to be more proactive, this year we are adopting a midyear check in to keep us focused on our goals. 

   What exactly is a midyear check in?  It is a way to reconnect with your goals by revisiting them and assessing where you are vis a vis your list.  We find that checking in with our goals keeps them fresh on our mind and helps us stay in tune with our intentions.  A check in can take any form you find helpful, the point here is not to get bogged down on how, simply start reflecting and go from there.  As we set off to think about our 2017 goals, we want to thank you for visiting Hermosa Journal.  We hope the first six months of 2017 treated you well!

Mastry - A Kerry James Marshall Retrospective

Kerry James Marshall's "School of Beauty, School of Culture" (Detail) (2012). Photo credit: Hermosa Journal

Kerry James Marshall, an American artist, has spent a lifetime combatting the continual exclusion of black figures in the Western painting canon.  Marshall has challenged the status quo by creating black figures, in a wide array of settings, using representational and figurative painting.  Now, art lovers can view Kerry James Marshall: Mastry at the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles (MOCA) which features 80 works by Marshall.  The exhibition chronologically maps out Marshall’s artistic development while also exploring evolving ideas about race.  Mastry is full of large-scale paintings that begin to fill the void of representation while providing breathtaking images - don’t miss this opportunity to see this beautiful exhibit.

Kerry James Marshall: Mastry at MOCA Grand Avenue from March 12th - July 3rd, 2017.

Kerry James Marshall's "School of Beauty, School of Culture" (2012). Photo credit: Hermosa Journal