Through November 7, 2010
Art Wall
Ralph Allen Massey’s current series, entitled Information Art, is a reflection of the barrage of random, unrelated images generated by all forms of media with which society is assaulted daily. Massey groups the images into modules to emphasize that the compositions are indeed both arbitrary and unrelated, then overlaps the images to further play down their priority or relative importance. Massey believes that, like the trends in automotive design, art is a continuum with exciting new developments just around the corner.
GOOD GUYS, BAD GUYS, HOT CARS
Tuesday, May 18 through August 1, 2010
Hollywood Gallery
In the early days of film, the good guys rode white horses and the bad guys rode black horses. Things aren't as simple as they used to be. Now the good guys drive a grey Trans Am. See the colorful array of vehicles driven by crime fighters and villains used in television and film lore in this exciting exhibit. And get a look at the car used in Fox Television's new show The Good Guys, which premieres May 19!
MARGIE AND ROBERT E. PETERSEN: DRIVEN TO COLLECT
Opens Saturday, June 6, 2010 through February 13, 2011
Grand Salon
During his lifetime, Robert E. Petersen, together with his wife Margie, acquired dozens of important automobiles. Today the Margie and Robert E. Petersen Collection contains one of the most diverse samplings of important vehicles ever assembled. Each one offers a look into our rich motoring heritage and if they appear familiar, it is because you have likely seen them on television, in movies, or in displays at other museums and events around the world.
AUTOMOTIVATED: STREAMLINED FASHION AND AUTOMOBILES
Opens Saturday, July 24, through January 23, 2011
Bruce Meyer Gallery
Fashion design and automobile design have been intertwined from the start. This exhibit features automotive derived fashion ensembles from the collection of the Phoenix Art Museum paired with their automobile counterparts of the Petersen Automotive Museum. Fashions include signaling gloves from the turn of the twentieth century through the elegant gowns of the Art Deco period.
NEW EVENTS
Fiberglass Day and Car Show at the Petersen
Saturday, June 26, 2010
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Petersen Automotive Museum parking structure
The schedule for the day includes a public fiberglass car show and two educational programs. The morning informational session with Jim McFarland of SEMA will cover the current and upcoming requirements for registering your kit car, hot rod, or specially constructed vehicle with the DMV. The afternoon panel will be composed of fiberglass legends like Bruce Meyers, Harry Hansen, and Merrill Powell (moderated by fiberglass historian Geoff Hacker) as these craftsmen talk about their careers and the cars they created. Participation in the car show is limited to cars with primarily fiberglass bodies but the car show and educational programs are open to all museum visitors. For more information or to register your car (early registration is $10 per vehicle and includes admission for two; $15 registration day of event), contact Clayton Drescher at 323-964-6347 or cdrescher@petersen.org.
Culture, Craft and Cars Summer Camp 2010
Week 1: July 19-23
Week 2: July 26-30
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
This summer join the Craft and Folk Art Museum and the Petersen Automotive Museum as we again join forces to create an extraordinary summer camp that explores the connections between art, culture and science. This unique camp is perfect for curious kids and will explore art, craft and design with projects that pertain to fiberglass, sculpture, assemblage, car design, fashion, textiles and film. Kids will also have the rare opportunity to take walking field trips and explore the Miracle Mile. A morning snack will be provided and campers should bring a sack lunch each day. Choose both weeks or just one! For more information or to register your child for CCC Summer camp please call Liv at 323-964-6308.
DISCOVERY DAY
Car Activities & L.A. BookPALS
First Saturday of every month, 1-4pm
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for arts and crafts, and at 2:30pm, actors from L.A. BookPALS read stories. The program is included in Museum general admission. Call 323-964-6308 for more information. Future topics include:
June 5, 2010, Cool Car Mugs
Be ready for Father's day with these car themed coffee mugs.
July 3, 2010, Pinwheels
Celebrate the U.S.A. with unique handmade pinwheels.
August 7, 2010, Car Bingo Sheets
Get ready for summer road trips with your very own car bingo game.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
FANTASIES IN FIBERGLASS
Open through October 3, 2010
Gordon R. Howard Gallery
Invented in the 1930s, fiberglass was first used as heat insulation before automobile enthusiasts came to recognize its potential as a material for car bodies and other components. From Corvettes to dune buggies, many of the most iconic fiberglass customs and production cars of the past half-century are on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Together, they offer an interesting contrast to both the mainstream cars that populate our motoring landscape and those made of carbon fiber, the newest wonder material to be embraced by today’s innovators.
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
Misfits of Motordoma
Through Sunday, June 6, 2010
Grand Salon
This in-depth study of the truly bizarre, the poorly developed, and the unfeasible ideas that people have seriously attempted to sell to the general public has now been extended due to popular demand! This autotorium of automobile oddities from around the globe is certainly the only assembly of vehicles where the Edsel is the "normal" car!
NEW CAR SHOWROOM
Streetscape
The three makes that we feature in our 1939 New Car Showroom are: LaSalle (created 1927, discontinued 1940), Oldsmobile (created 1897, discontinued 2004), and Pontiac (discontinued in 2010).
IMAGINING THE FUTURE:
The Southern California Automotive Design Studio,
Presented in Cooperation with Art Center College of Design
Ongoing Exhibit
Visitors will see a comparison of a 1930's studio with a modern-day studio with various examples of the creative process in 2-D and 3-D form from different points in California's rich automotive history. Design demonstrations by Art Center students will occur in the exhibit on the second and fourth Sunday of every month from approximately 10am-3pm.Check the calendar at www.petersen.org for dates.
HOT WHEELS® HALL OF FAME
The Hot Wheels Hall of Fame at the Petersen Automotive Museum, features Hot Wheels® full-size and die-cast cars, original models, wooden patterns, injection molds and drawings of original vehicle designs.
ALTERNATIVE POWER: LESSONS FROM THE PAST, INSPIRATION FOR THE FUTURE
From the highly styled 1963 Chrysler Turbine to the General Motors EV1, automobiles equipped with innovative propulsion systems are presented to illustrate the growth of alternative vehicle technology.
MAY FAMILY DISCOVERY CENTER
Open Tuesday-Friday, 10am-4pm, and Saturday & Sunday, 10am-5pm
The May Family Discovery Center is an interactive learning center that teaches basic scientific principles using the fundamental elements of the car.
SPECIAL FEATURES AT THE PETERSEN
SPECIAL EVENTS AND FILMING – Please call (323) 964-6348 or visit www.petersenevents.org to host your event or shoot film at one of LA's most exciting venues!
Birthday Parties - The Museum offers a wonderful venue for children’s birthday parties. Party guests can enjoy all three floors of the museum including the May Family Discovery Center. For more information or to book your party, call 323-964-6373.
SCHOOL TOURS
Taking a field trip to the Pete is an excellent way to teach your students about the history of Los Angeles and its intertwined relationship with the automobile. Students learn basic scientific principles and their applications as they explore hands-on activities in the Discovery Center. School Tours focus on history/social science, visual arts, and science & technology. Call (323) 964-6358 for information and reservations.
GROUP TOURS – A docent-led tour is available to groups of ten or more. - (323) 964-6346.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES-Come and be a part of the Petersen’s “Pit Crew”. For an application or more information call - (323) 964-6358, email volunteers@petersen.org, or visit www.petersen.org.
MUSEUM STORE – Excellent souvenirs and gifts for auto enthusiasts (323) 964-6328.