Featured Events

The Ebell of Los Angeles invites Los Angeles families and friends to the world premiere of We Can Do It!, an imaginative and musical celebration of remarkable women who shaped Los Angeles. Two free public performances will be held at the Playa Vista Branch Library, Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

For complimentary tickets, please complete the form provided in the following link: https://www.ebellofla.org/events/free-public-program—playa-vista-branch-library.

Download learning material about the We Can Do It! by clicking here.

Contact the Ebell  with any issues at (323) 931-1277 x125 or email tickets@ebellofla.org

We Can Do It! free matinees are made possible in part thanks to the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, the California Arts Council, the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, and the Artistic Scholarship Fund for Inner City Youth.

Commissioned on the occasion of Hollyhock House’s centennial, Janna Ireland: Even by Proxy presents twenty-one photographs by the artist that introduce new perspectives on Los Angeles’ only World Heritage site. Ireland’s photographs privilege the quiet, subtle details of Hollyhock House and make visible the care and conservation that sustain the site over time.

The title of the exhibition comes from Frank Lloyd Wright’s autobiography, in which he describes the process of realizing Hollyhock House. For Ireland, Wright’s phrase “even by proxy” points to the fraught relationship between client and architect in building the house as well as the ongoing project of preservation.

Even by Proxy is presented in partnership with Project Restore and the Julius Shulman Institute at Woodbury University.

Janna Ireland lives in Los Angeles, where she is an assistant professor in the Department of Art and Art History at Occidental College. Her photographic work is primarily concerned with the themes of family and domestic life, the built environment, and interactions between humans and the natural world.

Her 2024 mid-career survey, Janna Ireland: True Story Index, was jointly hosted by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara. In 2016, she began photographing structures designed by legendary Black architect Paul R. Williams. A collection of 250 of these photographs was published in a monograph entitled Regarding Paul R. Williams: A Photographer’s View, in 2020. In 2021, Ireland was awarded a Peter E. Pool Research Fellowship by the Nevada Museum of Art to photograph Williams’ work in Nevada. The resulting solo exhibition traveled from the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno to the Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas and the AIA Center for Architecture in New York.

Ireland’s photographs are held in the permanent collections of institutions including LACMA, SFMOMA, the Nevada Museum of Art, the California African American Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago. Janna Ireland is the 2024 recipient of the Julius Shulman Institute Excellence in Photography Award, which is presented to a photographer who honors Shulman’s legacy by challenging the way we look at physical space. She is the recipient of the 2023 Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation Art Prize, a 2023 City of Los Angeles Independent Master Artist Program (COLA-IMAP) grant, and is a 2024 runner-up for the Aperture Portfolio Prize. Her work has been the subject of articles in publications including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Financial Times, Harvard Design Magazine, and Aperture. She holds an MFA from the UCLA Department of Art and a BFA from the Department of Photography and Imaging at NYU.

Advance reservations recommended. To book a self-guided tour ticket, CLICK HERE.

Sing It, Bring It: Family Karaoke Night on Fridays from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. is where everyone can unleash their inner rockstar! Grab the mic, belt out your favorite tunes, and get ready for some serious family fun. Whether you’re a pop diva, a country crooner, or a rock ‘n’ roll rebel, this is your chance to shine! Expect laughs, applause, and maybe a little bit of friendly competition. It’s not just about singing—it’s about bringing your best performance and making unforgettable memories together. So, warm up those vocal cords, and get ready to sing it, bring it, and have a blast with the whole crew!

Friday Night Family Flicks at 6:00 p.m. provides free popcorn and movies in our 44 seat micro cinema featuring classic favorites like the Wizard of Oz, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, The Princess Bride, Hook, Speed Racer, and Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse.

Commissioned on the occasion of Hollyhock House’s centennial, Janna Ireland: Even by Proxy presents twenty-one photographs by the artist that introduce new perspectives on Los Angeles’ only World Heritage site. Ireland’s photographs privilege the quiet, subtle details of Hollyhock House and make visible the care and conservation that sustain the site over time.

The title of the exhibition comes from Frank Lloyd Wright’s autobiography, in which he describes the process of realizing Hollyhock House. For Ireland, Wright’s phrase “even by proxy” points to the fraught relationship between client and architect in building the house as well as the ongoing project of preservation.

Even by Proxy is presented in partnership with Project Restore and the Julius Shulman Institute at Woodbury University.

Janna Ireland lives in Los Angeles, where she is an assistant professor in the Department of Art and Art History at Occidental College. Her photographic work is primarily concerned with the themes of family and domestic life, the built environment, and interactions between humans and the natural world.

Her 2024 mid-career survey, Janna Ireland: True Story Index, was jointly hosted by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara. In 2016, she began photographing structures designed by legendary Black architect Paul R. Williams. A collection of 250 of these photographs was published in a monograph entitled Regarding Paul R. Williams: A Photographer’s View, in 2020. In 2021, Ireland was awarded a Peter E. Pool Research Fellowship by the Nevada Museum of Art to photograph Williams’ work in Nevada. The resulting solo exhibition traveled from the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno to the Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas and the AIA Center for Architecture in New York.

Ireland’s photographs are held in the permanent collections of institutions including LACMA, SFMOMA, the Nevada Museum of Art, the California African American Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago. Janna Ireland is the 2024 recipient of the Julius Shulman Institute Excellence in Photography Award, which is presented to a photographer who honors Shulman’s legacy by challenging the way we look at physical space. She is the recipient of the 2023 Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation Art Prize, a 2023 City of Los Angeles Independent Master Artist Program (COLA-IMAP) grant, and is a 2024 runner-up for the Aperture Portfolio Prize. Her work has been the subject of articles in publications including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Financial Times, Harvard Design Magazine, and Aperture. She holds an MFA from the UCLA Department of Art and a BFA from the Department of Photography and Imaging at NYU.

Advance reservations recommended. To book a self-guided tour ticket, CLICK HERE.

Fostering Photovoice: a photo exhibition about the foster youth experience, features photographs that depict identity, family, and the foster care system by six LA based foster youth artists. Join us for our Closing Reception on March 8, 2025. Stay tuned for upcoming details.

Fostering Photovoice is a group photography exhibition that reflects the lives and experiences of youth impacted by foster care. The project was conceived by a photovoice research collective that included six artists—all former foster youths between the ages of 18 and 25 who reside in Los Angeles County. Several UCLA undergraduate and graduate students were involved, among them, participants who have had lived experience in foster care, or had expertise in using the arts-based empowerment method called photovoice for research and social policy.

The collective came together over 7 weeks during the summer of 2023. The exhibition is organized by prompts and considers the differences in the views of each artist. It includes reflections on who the youth are, how they think about family, and how they would have liked the system to respond to and support their needs.

The series invites the viewer to beliefs about foster youth and the foster care system, including any biases they may have. It is also an opportunity to reflect on how to best support foster youth who enter state care through no fault of their own—both as children and as they transition to adulthood.

Commissioned on the occasion of Hollyhock House’s centennial, Janna Ireland: Even by Proxy presents twenty-one photographs by the artist that introduce new perspectives on Los Angeles’ only World Heritage site. Ireland’s photographs privilege the quiet, subtle details of Hollyhock House and make visible the care and conservation that sustain the site over time.

The title of the exhibition comes from Frank Lloyd Wright’s autobiography, in which he describes the process of realizing Hollyhock House. For Ireland, Wright’s phrase “even by proxy” points to the fraught relationship between client and architect in building the house as well as the ongoing project of preservation.

Even by Proxy is presented in partnership with Project Restore and the Julius Shulman Institute at Woodbury University.

Janna Ireland lives in Los Angeles, where she is an assistant professor in the Department of Art and Art History at Occidental College. Her photographic work is primarily concerned with the themes of family and domestic life, the built environment, and interactions between humans and the natural world.

Her 2024 mid-career survey, Janna Ireland: True Story Index, was jointly hosted by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara. In 2016, she began photographing structures designed by legendary Black architect Paul R. Williams. A collection of 250 of these photographs was published in a monograph entitled Regarding Paul R. Williams: A Photographer’s View, in 2020. In 2021, Ireland was awarded a Peter E. Pool Research Fellowship by the Nevada Museum of Art to photograph Williams’ work in Nevada. The resulting solo exhibition traveled from the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno to the Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas and the AIA Center for Architecture in New York.

Ireland’s photographs are held in the permanent collections of institutions including LACMA, SFMOMA, the Nevada Museum of Art, the California African American Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago. Janna Ireland is the 2024 recipient of the Julius Shulman Institute Excellence in Photography Award, which is presented to a photographer who honors Shulman’s legacy by challenging the way we look at physical space. She is the recipient of the 2023 Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation Art Prize, a 2023 City of Los Angeles Independent Master Artist Program (COLA-IMAP) grant, and is a 2024 runner-up for the Aperture Portfolio Prize. Her work has been the subject of articles in publications including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Financial Times, Harvard Design Magazine, and Aperture. She holds an MFA from the UCLA Department of Art and a BFA from the Department of Photography and Imaging at NYU.

Advance reservations recommended. To book a self-guided tour ticket, CLICK HERE.

Fostering Photovoice: a photo exhibition about the foster youth experience, features photographs that depict identity, family, and the foster care system by six LA based foster youth artists. Join us for our Closing Reception on March 8, 2025. Stay tuned for upcoming details.

Fostering Photovoice is a group photography exhibition that reflects the lives and experiences of youth impacted by foster care. The project was conceived by a photovoice research collective that included six artists—all former foster youths between the ages of 18 and 25 who reside in Los Angeles County. Several UCLA undergraduate and graduate students were involved, among them, participants who have had lived experience in foster care, or had expertise in using the arts-based empowerment method called photovoice for research and social policy.

The collective came together over 7 weeks during the summer of 2023. The exhibition is organized by prompts and considers the differences in the views of each artist. It includes reflections on who the youth are, how they think about family, and how they would have liked the system to respond to and support their needs.

The series invites the viewer to beliefs about foster youth and the foster care system, including any biases they may have. It is also an opportunity to reflect on how to best support foster youth who enter state care through no fault of their own—both as children and as they transition to adulthood.

Join us for another free performance by Benita Bikes’ DanceArt at Los Angeles Mission College. On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, from 2:00 to 3:20 p.m. at LA Mission College’s AMP Theatre, see the quintet bring intense beauty and vibrancy to each delicately crafted, expressive movement. Their work is known for its elegant performance, dramatic use of space and gesture to make sensitive observations on life.

For a Free RSVP click the following link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/benita-bikes-danceart-in-free-program-at-mission-college-tickets-1249786588329?aff=ebdsoporgprofile.

This December, the William Grant Still Arts Center proudly presents its 44th Annual Black Doll Show, titled “in need of good folk… ‘MAGIC FOLK LIKE US’,” curated by the visionary Aiysha Sinclair. This year’s theme invites visitors to journey through a magical world where Black folklore and fairytales are celebrated, woven together through the power of storytelling and art. The show is an homage to the oral tradition and its limitless possibilities, seen through the lens of Black artists and doll makers.

Several artists and staff, who have been essential in producing the William Grant Still Arts Center Black Doll Show, were recently featured in Netflix’s acclaimed documentary, “Black Barbie.” Monica Bailey shared her inspiring personal journey toward self-love through dolls, while Amitis Motevalli and Billie Green conveyed significant historical Black doll moments. Also included in the documentary was Stacy McBride-Irby, who participated in our 2018 Black Doll Show, reflecting on her time at Barbie and her decision to develop her own Black doll line. These powerful voices underscore the deep connection between Black dolls, identity, and self-empowerment. In this 44th year, the Black Doll Show remains as relevant as ever.

This year’s theme, “in need of good folk… MAGIC FOLK LIKE US,” taps into that same empowering spirit, reminding us that within the realm of imagination, we are limitless. Aiysha Sinclair, the Los Angeles-based Children’s Book Author, Performer, and Doll Artist curating this year’s show, is known for her exploration of the magic and wonder within the African diaspora. Her work, which spans across folk tales, fairy tales, and folklore, invites visitors to reconnect with their roots and explore the cultural richness that Black storytelling has offered the world.

“These stories are haunting as well as uplifting,” says Sinclair. “I don’t think I’ll ever tire of learning from them. It is an honor to share my stories, and those of my ancestors, whether through writing, mixed media, or creating dolls.”

Celebrating Black Folklore and Tradition

At the heart of this year’s exhibit is a celebration of the countless stories that Black people have passed down through the ages—stories of tricksters, supernatural beings, heroic women, and enslaved ancestors. This is a space where imagination and memory collide, and where dolls become more than just objects—they become storytellers, sharing the influences of villages, families, and community dynamics. Like a griot passing tales from one generation to the next, the artists in this year’s Black Doll Show continue a tradition of storytelling that transcends time and place. The exhibit will showcase dolls and mixed media pieces that bring to life Black folklore, reflecting the joy, resilience, and spirit of Black culture.

The Legacy of the Black Doll Show and Its Connection to Civil Rights

The Black Doll Show began in response to the 1940s doll tests conducted by Mamie and Kenneth Clark, which revealed how systemic racism impacted Black children’s self-esteem and led them to prefer white dolls. This became pivotal evidence in civil rights lawsuits, including the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. To counteract these negative self-images, artists Cecil and Miriam Fergerson started the Black Doll Show in the 1980s, bringing together handmade Black dolls to celebrate the beauty and cultural significance of Black identity.

Through this tradition, the William Grant Still Arts Center has continued to create a space for Black artists to reshape narratives and redefine self-worth. The presence of doll artists like Monica Bailey, Amitis Motevalli, and Billie Green in “Black Barbie” speaks to the deep importance of this work. Their reflections in the documentary on how Black dolls have shaped their own lives are echoed in this year’s show, where the tradition of using dolls to convey cultural and personal stories continues.

An Invitation to Experience Magic and History

We invite all who believe in the power of storytelling and Black cultural heritage to join us for this year’s Black Doll Show. Whether you are a longtime fan of the exhibit or newly inspired by the stories shared in “Black Barbie,” the magic of this year’s theme, “in need of good folk… MAGIC FOLK LIKE US,” will speak to your heart.

This is a celebration not just of art, but of identity, history, and community—an affirmation that the stories of Black people, whether told through dolls, folklore, or film, have the power to inspire, uplift, and transform.

Event Details:

Opening Reception: December 14, 2024, from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Exhibition Dates: December 14, 2024 – February 15th, 2025

Doll Workshops

• December 21, 2024
• January 11, 2025
• February 8, 2025

Additional Events During the Black Doll Show Run:

• Panel Discussion Jan 18
• Stories & Books (Zine Making Workshop) Feb 1
• Tea Time (drink tea with your dolls) closing Feb 15

Together, let us celebrate the magic of our stories and the good folk who continue to tell them.