Big City Forum: Exhibitions & Events

Big City Forum (BCF) occupied the Armory's Mezzanine Galleries during Phase II of its 15-month residency, entitled City of Hope, City of Resistance: Research and Actions on the Urban Level. With the Armory as a host venue, BCF designed and built a dynamic reading room/library in the Armory's Mezzanine Galleries. The reading room/library served as a site to present three exhibitions, conduct film screenings, and hold a series of conversations, workshops, and other discursive public events. Big City Forum’s residency at the Armory was supported with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Past BCF Events

Karin Apollonia Müller: World’s Edge September 27, 2014 – August 31, 2015 At Roadside Attraction 450 West Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91103 An outdoor exhibition featuring three photographic works by German artist Müller.

Attunement November 1 – December 13, 2014 In The Mezzanine Galleries Attunement pays tribute to artists who function on multiple frequencies.

Book Launch, Conversation, and Creative Time Summit Screening November 22, 2014, 12 - 5pm In The Mezzanine Galleries Book launch of Under Spring: Voices + Art + Los Angeles by Jeremy Rosenberg. Rosenberg will be in conversation with Adolfo V. Nodal starting at 2pm. In addition, selected presentations from the recorded 2014 Creative Time Summit, held in Stockholm, Sweden on November 14-15th, will be screened throughout the day from 12-5pm.

Claret-Cup: IDLA, tales of deliberate localism September 6 – October 26, 2014 In The Mezzanine Galleries An interactive exhibit exploring how maps can communicate and express concepts beyond the physical skeleton of Los Angeles.

Rosten Woo Willowbrook Is... September 6 – October 26, 2014 In The Mezzanine Galleries Artist Rosten Woo attempts to describe a place in LA County through interviews and interactions with residents of Willowbrook.

In Conversation: Connie Samaras and Soo Kim October 1, 2014, 7pm SPHÆRÆ 733 North Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena CA 91103 The artists discuss the theme of curiosity and a changing landscape.

Unforgetting L.A. #5: Armory Center for the Arts September 6, 2014, 11am – 4pm In The Armory's Main Studio The fifth of an ongoing series of East of Borneo's Wikipedia edit-a-thons created to build a better online history of art in Southern California.

Big City Forum Panel Discussion: Local Threads / Larger Intersections September 6 , 2014, 4 – 6pm In the Mezzanine Galleries Featuring Bojana Banyasz of Claret-Cup and artist Rosten Woo.

Big City Forum Panel Discussion: Print Culture, Criticality, Engagement Saturday, July 26, 2014, 4 – 6pm In The Mezzanine Galleries Featuring Kate Johnston (Creative Director of Women's Center for Creative Work), artist Martine Syms, and Lauren Mackler of Public Fiction.

Martine Syms The Queen's English July 13 – August 31, 2014 In the Mezzanine Galleries New work from Syms, a selection of books from Black Lesbians, and a series of prints made in collaboration with photographer Cat Roif.