Culver City Times

Artist Matt Saunders' show Neon in Daylight opens at Blum & Poe Gallery in Culver City this Saturday, April 17. It's the artist's second solo exhibition at the gallery. The show comprises a new video installation as well as some startling and beautiful works utilizing a cameraless photographic technique in which light is passed through painted linen or Mylar onto photosensitive paper. The opening reception will take place from 6 to 8 pm (and the public is welcome as always).

According to the gallery, Saunders' source material includes…

Great news! Culver Citizen Jason Neroni reports that Zelda the cat is home safely. Awesome.

Jason Neroni (@JasonNeroni on Twitter) is looking for Zelda the cat, who's been missing for five days. Amazing-looking creature, last seen at Helms & Washington in Culver City. 

Periodically, I post a picture of something in Culver City that is 'hiding in plain sight.' -- asking Culver City Times members if they know where it is. 

Today the question is: Do you know where in Culver City this vine-covered wall is? If you know, enter your response in the comments box of this post.

If your answer fails to appear in the comments section immediately, fear not! So more people can play, I'll hold all the responses until the following Thursday, when I'll reveal them.

Picture submissions for future games of "Where Am I" are very welcome. Email them to: culvercitytimes@gmail.com

Stephen Sylvester, co-author of M-G-M Hollywood’s Greatest Backlot, and Academy award winning cinematographer Fred Koenekamp will share the spotlight at the next general meeting of Culver City Historical Society, this Wednesday, April 16, at 7 p.m in the Veterans Memorial Building’s Multi-Purpose Room.  The public is welcome to enjoy this free program.

Sylvester will present a short film and a speak about the history of the soundstages and outdoor sets where Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced many of the world’s most famous films. His book features candid, exclusive voices and photographs from the people who worked there, and includes hundreds of rare and unpublished photographs.  Sylvester will sign his book for those who bring it with them that night.

Koenekamp, known…

If the continuing viability of the Culver City Ice Arena is of interest to you, mark April 22 on your calendar. On that date, the Culver City Cultural Affairs Commission will be holding a special meeting to discuss designating the rink a "Cultural Resource" and a candidate for historical preservation. The special meeting will take place at 7:00 pm in the Culver City Council Chambers at 9770 Culver Boulevard.

Culver City's Historic Preservation Program was established by ordinance in 1991. The ordinance added language to the city's municipal code providing for the designation and preservation of structures within the city as Cultural Resources because of their architectural, historical, and/or cultural importance. You can read the ordinance, which…

The storefront between The Corner Door and ChocoVivo in West Culver City has been closed for a while now, but recently a Public Notice of Application to Sell Alcoholic Beverages has been affixed to the boarded-up exterior, affording us a clue to its future. It will be called "The Detour" and will be a "general eating place" with a full liquor license. 

The Detour will be located at 12473 Washington Blvd.…

Please remember to VOTE Tuesday, April 8, to select two members of the City Council. Polls open at 7:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM. You can confirm your voting location with your ballot or using THIS website.

Your four choices for the City Council this year are Gary Abrams, Jim B. Clarke, Jeffrey "Jeff" Cooper, and Christopher Patrick "CPK" King.

Gary Abrams' Top Priorities if Elected:

• Affordable Housing/ Rent Control/ Living Wages
• Fiscal…

Artist Kurt Solmssen's first solo exhibition at the George Billis Gallery opens this Saturday, April 5, and runs through May 10. The opening reception - which is, as always, is free, open to the public, and sure to be a lot of fun - is this Saturday, April 5, from 5 pm to 8 pm.

"Solmssen is the realist of an idyllic world," observes the gallery about the artist's work. "Bold use of primary colors and painterly details overwhelm scenes with nostalgia for the every day. These qualities also reveal the artist’s delight with the scene and medium, heightening viewer enjoyment. Viewing Solmssen’s work, one revels in the warmth of his sun, the coolness of his shade, and the painterly brushstrokes that reinforce the significance of the scene, justifying its…

KCET.org recently offered an in-depth and quite entertaining look at Culver City's own Culver Hotel. Describing the building as having "the cramped, faded glamour of a European establishment," author Hadley Meares takes a spin through the origin story of the city and the hotel. 

The article describes the hotel's wild early years: 

MGM housed the Charleston-crazed Joan Crawford and other young starlets there when they were first contracted to the studio. Stars with a reputation for hell raising, including Buster Keaton and Lupe Velez, kept apartments at the centrally located hotel, as did…