Los Angeles, CA

You may notice me posting more frequently about the Getty Museum than the other L.A.-area museums, so I’ll be upfront and tell you why: I absolutely love the Getty. I first went shortly after it opened and have been completely infatuated ever since. I love that the building is broken into bite-sized pieces, so I’m not surrounded by so many people at any given time, the lentil soup is amazing, and the gardens and view are spectacular. You have to appreciate a museum that cares as much about its gardens as it does its art.

There are two new exhibits going on right now at the Getty, besides all of the regular greatness hanging around there. “China on Paper” just opened yesterday, and it focuses on the early days of China meeting the outside world. China was secluded from the Western world for a fairly long time in history, but once they did open their minds and borders to foreigners, their trade business boomed and they influenced Western culture far more than anyone expected. “China on Paper” features letters from the Chinese to their new friends and notes how European missionaries entered the country to convert the Chinese, but ended up becoming changed themselves. It looks to be a really fascinating display, something definitely worth checking out. It runs from now ’til February 10th, and you can read more about the exhibit, as well as viewing some of the hangings that will be displayed, through the Getty’s website.

Also on display now is “Medieval Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art.” Medieval art, especially Gothic, is one of my favorite art forms, so I’m bound to be partial to this display. Spanning a large period of Christian art, from Byzantine in the third century to Late Medieval in the 16th century, this exhaustive collection features a variety of artwork, from sculptures to panels to illuminated manuscripts (my favorite). No matter what you believe personally, the beauty of these pieces will make you stop and appreciate humanity’s efforts to capture perfection. “Medieval Treasures” will be on display now through January 20th, so you may want to hurry up and catch this one. You can read more about this amazing collection through the museum’s site as well.

Are ya busy a few Sundays from now — Sunday, November 18th, to be exact? Do you have a really awesome craft project that you’re just dying to share with other crafty people? Then you might be interested in the Felt Club XL Holiday Event at the LACC campus, 855 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles. It’s a combination of Felt Club and Maker Faire (of Make Magazine), and it’s a big convention-style meeting where selected crafty individuals or groups with really awesome projects showcase their works and share their creativity with others looking for some motivation or just looking for some beauty. If you think you’d be interested in joining the club, just send an email to sherry [at] oreilly.com with your intended entry. From there you will be contacted with further information regarding the fair, and how to get in free. Be prepared to clear the entire day, though, because the fair goes from 11 AM to 6 PM. The only catch is that each craftster gets a 10×10 space to showcase their goods, you must bring your own table and chair(s), and you won’t have ready access to electricity because you will be outside. So don’t go getting all crazy out there. It sounds like it’ll be loads of fun, and if I were more ambitious I might sign up, but does anyone really want to see me knitting my latest sweater? Didn’t think so.

If you’d like more information about the event itself, including a list of craft areas that they need to see more of, you can read more about it at BoingBoing.

Ladies, here’s the perfect way to sneek a boutique-chic shop-on while absorbing some q-time with a prospective beau; Artist Patrick Haemmerlein will be showing a new exhibit of his work at Rimo, in conjunction with Hive Gallery & Studios.