Escape the heat this weekend at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

Amid the current heatwave, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is opening its air-conditioned galleries and providing additional seating, offering a safe, comfortable and free space for visitors to rest and recharge.

Visitors can check out their latest exhibition, “A Great Day in East L.A.: Celebrando the Eastside Sound.” It is a multi-media exhibition that explores the musical influences of East Los Angeles artists who developed an eclectic musical identity and history. Against all odds, East L.A. artists created a rich musical tradition that became well known all over the world in the 20th Century and into the present. 

The exhibition centers on the portraits and oral histories of musicians taken by award-winning photographer and filmmaker Piero F. Giunti. For over a decade, Giunti in partnership with musician Mark Guerrero, located, photographed, and recorded the testimonies of iconic multigenerational musicians and genres that defined Eastside sound and extended well beyond the streets of Los Angeles. The exhibit is co-curated by Giunti, Dr. Jorge N. Leal, Guerrero, and the LA Plaza Curatorial team: Karen Crews Hendon, Esperanza Sanchez, Carolyn Lopez, and Thomas Rosenquist.

This Saturday, August 23, LA Plaza will extend its hours from 12 to 8 p.m. as part of its "Community Concert, Magical LA Fusion: Tropa Mágica, Buyepongo, and Degruvme of LA Junta," which begins at 6 p.m.

Regular museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is always free.

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 501 N Main St. Los Angeles, CA 90012. Parking: LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 171 Arcadia Street.

Info: www.lapca.org