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Los Angeles
Museums
Autry Museum
of Western
Heritage -
Opened in 1988,
the Autry Museum
receives major
support from the
Autry
Foundation.
Although Gene
Autry was best
known as a
crooner of
western ballads,
the spirit of
this museum is
the preservation
and acquisition
of fine art,
books,
manuscripts, and
artifacts that
document the
American West
and its history.
(323) 667-2000.
California
African American
Museum - as
begun in 1977,
and opened to
the public in
1981. It was
temporarily
located at the
California
Museum of
Science and
Industry. The
Museum opened in
its own building
in 1984. CAAM’s
44,000 square
foot building
contains a large
front lobby, a
research
library, a
museum store,
and several
galleries that
display both its
permanent and
visiting
collections. The
California
African American
Museum’s
permanent
collection
focuses on works
of art from the
20th century,
reflecting the
African American
experience in
the United
States, and its
large part in
the history and
the diverse
culture of
California. Its
various changing
exhibits not
only display
African
influenced art,
but also portray
African American
history.
Craft & Folk
Art Museum -
While its hours
are now reduced,
the museum¹s
second-floor
galleries still
boast a rotating
collection of
fascinating
work. Recent
exhibits have
included
"Dancing in the
Streets:
Carnival and
Festival Arts,"
a collection of
carnival and
festival
photographs and
costumes from
Brazil, Cuba,
Haiti, Trinidad,
Belgium, Italy,
Germany and the
U.S. The
museum¹s first
floor is devoted
to a gift shop
chock-full of
hand-made crafts
from around the
world. A popular
gift-buying spot
for people who
work
in the area, the
museum¹s shop
sells Guatemalan
molas, Tanzanian
musical
instruments and
Japanese tea
sets, among
other crafts.
Future exhibits
will feature the
craft of
quilting,
embroidery on
Turkish rugs and
cushion covers,
and a
celebration of
the life of
author Zora
Neale Hurston.
5814 Wilshire
Blvd.
(323) 937-4230
Fort
MacArthur Museum
- Still a work
in progress,
Fort MacArthur
Museum is
committed to
preserving and
collecting the
relics that
played an
important role
in Los Angeles'
historic Harbor
Defenses.
Battery
Osgood-Farley
itself has not
gone through
much
modification
since it was
built, and could
probably be the
only type of gun
battery of its
kind left in the
continental
United States.
(310)548-2631
Museum of
Television and
Radio -
Founded on the
belief that
television and
radio have been
major
contributors to
our cultural
history, the
Museum of
Television and
Radio is a non
profit
organization
that offers a
wide variety of
opportunities to
study the impact
that radio and
television have
had on our
society. From
Wednesday
through Sunday,
it offers an
extensive
library of
television and
radio
broadcasts, two
theaters, a
listening room,
as well as
several special
exhibitions and
seminars that
are open to the
public.
Museum of
Flying -
this museum is
definitely worth
a visit. Both
adults and
children will
enjoy many
elements of this
ten year old
museum. Built at
the site where
the Douglas
Aircraft Company
manufactured,
tested and
produced
military and
commercial
aircraft for
forty-six years,
visitors of this
unique,
non-profit
museum can see a
rare collection
of civilian and
military
aircraft through
World War II.
These include
fighter planes,
"war-birds," the
popular "DC-3".
Notably, the
majority of the
displayed
aircraft are in
flight-ready
condition. (310)
392-8822
Hollywood Wax
Museum -
exhibits over
200 wax figures
of celebrities,
historical
figures, and
movie
characters. Some
of the figures
are quite
realistic, while
others are
virtually
unrecognizable.
There is an
eeriness in the
air due to the
hundreds of
pairs of glass
eyes staring out
at you, a mood
that enhances
the spookiness
of the Wax
Museum’s Chamber
of Horrors.
(323)462-5991.
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