Today marks the end of two exhibitions here at L.A. Louver, Ben Jackel: Reign of Fire, exquisitely rendered clay and wooden sculptures of warfare weaponry; and Kienholz: The Jungen, The Non War Memorial and Still Dead End Dead 1 & 2, a selection of assemblages that speak to the injustices of war.

While worlds apart in terms of artistic approach and generationally distant (Ben Jackel created his sculptures over the past two years. Ed and Nancy Kienholz’s work were made between 1968-1987), both exhibitions are timely and poignant cogitations on war. 

To celebrate these two shows and to enrich the dialogue they’ve precipitated, we programmed a series of events that addressed the implications of war from different angles. See an overview of the events, along with video documentation.

What’s at Stake? The Ethics of War 

Dr. Rory Cox (University of St. Andrews) and John R. Emery (UC Irvine) share their knowledge on the history of warfare, from medieval armory to modern drones, and the human implications that accompany technological developments.

A Night of Protest: Poetry and Music

Legendary poet, musician and honorary Beach Boy Stephen Kalinich hosts a night of music and poetry inspired by protest songs with performances by Los Angeles-based music collective The Divinity Band. 

The Songbird of Manzanar

L.A. Louver hosted a screening of The Songbird of Manzanar, Cody Edison’s telling portrait of Mary Kageyama Nomura whose gift of song provided rare solace for the internees at the Manzanar Internment Camp during the 1940s. Watch the conversation that followed the screening with Edison and Nomura, moderated by Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker Renee Tajima-Peña (No Más Bebés, 2015). The event concluded with an unforgettable musical performance by Nomura in Ed and Nancy Kienholz’s The Non War Memorial, 1970.