EVENT DATE: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2025
Part of Getty’s PST ART: Art & Science Collide, ‘The Music Center Presents: The Gift’ to be Preceded by an Intimate Conversation with Creators of ‘The Gift’ and Celebrated Actor LeVar Burton of ‘Roots,’ ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ and ‘Reading Rainbow’ Fame
LOS ANGELES (January 22, 2025) – For one night only, The Music Center will present The Gift, an immersive installation for Angelenos of all ages that explores deep emotional themes of grief, loss and human connection through contemporary astrophysics research. This thought-provoking experience, which involves reading the illustrated book The Gift, will be held on Saturday, February 8, 2025, from 6:30–9:30 p.m., in The Music Center’s iconic Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. A special event featuring actor, director, producer and literacy advocate LeVar Burton will precede the wondrous installation, from 4:30–6:30 p.m. Burton will join the creators of The Gift in the Founders’ Room of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for an intimate discussion on the celestial and social themes of the installation.
The Music Center Presents: The Gift is among more than 70 exhibitions and programs presented as part of PST ART, a collaboration that takes place every five years featuring arts organizations from all over Los Angeles. The latest edition of this landmark regional event, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, which debuted in September 2024, explores the intersections of art and science, both past and present. PST ART is presented by Getty.
“Together with the creators of The Gift, we have curated an immersive and transformative experience that challenges often aggressive narratives that have dominated astrophysics storytelling. Angelenos of all ages will be offered an alternative lens to view and appreciate the cosmos, as well as ponder on the fragility and continuum of life, in a more nurturing, tender and poetic way,” said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. “As L.A.’s performing arts center, we hope this artistic installation can become a sanctuary for solace and reflection for many in our communities who have been impacted by the Southern California wildfires. The Gift, including the free special conversation featuring LeVar Burton, will help us learn about ourselves and each other from knowing more about the stars—and find ways to replace despair with renewal and hope.”
The Gift is co-created by three visionaries: Janani Balasubramanian, a creator and researcher who merges art with scientific inquiry; Dr. Natalie Gosnell, an observational astrophysicist and associate professor of physics at Colorado College; and Dr. Andrew Kircher, a creative director whose expertise in immersive design bridges art and technology. At its core, The Gift delves into the science of companion systems: the fates of two stars in close orbit, bound by gravity, that are inextricably linked. As one star in a closely bound system nears the end of its life, it transfers its material—everything it has, everything it is—as a gift to its companion, making the companion star appear brighter and bluer.
“Astrophysics is really a discipline of storytelling, where we use clues gathered from telescopes to better understand objects in the sky. With The Gift, together with my co-creators Janani Balasubramanian and Dr. Andrew Kircher, we tell a story inspired by my astrophysics research in a way that is inviting, welcoming and weaves together themes of grief, loss and renewal,” said Dr. Natalie Gosnell. “Thanks to the generosity of the Getty and our collaboration with The Music Center, we are thrilled to participate in PST ART: Art & Science Collide and bring The Gift to Los Angeles for the first time.”
Participants of The Music Center Presents: The Gift will enter a music-filled Stern Grand Hall in The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (designated as the reading room) where they will encounter the easy-to-read book The Gift. The story, which will be available in five languages—English, Spanish, French, Simplified Chinese and Korean—with large-print text for enhanced readability, invites participants to engage with the science behind the stars in a deeply personal and interactive way. Guests who plan to attend the free special conversation featuring LeVar Burton and creators of The Gift are encouraged to experience the immersive installation in advance of the highly anticipated conversation.
For more information about The Music Center Presents: The Gift, or to RSVP for this one-night-only event, visit musiccenter.org/thegift.
For more information about Getty’s PST ART: Art & Science Collide, visit pst.art.
CALENDAR LISTING
WHAT:
The Music Center Presents: The Gift
An immersive experience for all ages that explores what we can learn about ourselves—and each other—by observing the stars. Participants will encounter a music-filled space inside The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to peruse an illustrated, easy-to-read book that conveys the story of two stars whose fates are intertwined. One of these stars will, at the end of its life, give over its matter—everything it has, everything it is—as a gift to its companion. The book will be available in English, Spanish, French, Simplified Chinese and Korean, all in large-print text. The Gift is among more than 70 exhibitions and programs presented as part of Getty’s PST ART: Art & Science Collide, exploring the intersections of art and science, both past and present. Preceding the main immersive installation, the creators of The Gift and actor, director, producer and literacy advocate LeVar Burton will participate in an intimate discussion about the installation’s celestial themes. RSVP required.
WHEN:
Saturday, February 8, 2025
6:30–9:30 p.m.: The Gift Experience Open to the Public
For Special Event Featuring LeVar Burton and The Gift Creators
4:30–5:30 p.m.: Advance Access to Experience The Gift
5:30–6:30 p.m.: Conversation with LeVar Burton and The Gift Creators
WHERE:
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
135 North Grand Avenue
Los Angeles 90012
TRANSPORTATION:
Public parking will be available at two locations for $10 per vehicle:
The Music Center garage
135 N. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles 90012
Walt Disney Concert Hall garage
111 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles 90012
The public is highly encouraged to take public transportation. The Music Center is located across the street from Gloria Molina Grand Park, which is home to the Civic Center/Grand Park station along the Metro B Line (Red) and Metro D Line (Purple). Guests also can reach The Music Center easily by riding Metro’s Regional Connector to the Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill stop.
MORE INFO:
Visit musiccenter.org/thegift to RSVP and follow The Music Center on social media @musiccenterla.
ABOUT THE MUSIC CENTER
The Music Center convenes artists, communities and ideas with the goal of deepening the cultural lives of every resident in Los Angeles County. Celebrating its 60th year in 2024, the $80 million non-profit performing arts organization has two divisions: TMC Arts and TMC Ops. TMC Arts, The Music Center’s programming engine, provides year-round programming inside The Music Center’s four theatres, on Jerry Moss Plaza, outside at Gloria Molina Grand Park—a 12-acre adjacent green space—in schools and other locations all over Los Angeles County. TMC Arts presents world-class dance with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, free and low-cost public concerts and events, as well as live and digital K–12 arts education programs, workshops, performances, interactive experiences and special events. TMC Ops manages the theatres, the Plaza and Gloria Molina Grand Park, which comprise $3 billion in county assets, on behalf of the County of Los Angeles. The Music Center is also home to four renowned resident companies—Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera and LA Phil. For more information, visit musiccenter.org and follow The Music Center on social media @MusicCenterLA.
ABOUT PST ART
The latest edition of Southern California’s landmark arts event, PST ART, returns with more than 70 exhibitions from museums and other institutions across the region, all exploring the intersections of art and science, both past and present. Dozens of cultural, scientific, and community organizations will join the latest edition, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, with exhibitions on subjects ranging from ancient
cosmologies to Indigenous sci-fi, and from environmental justice to artificial intelligence. Art & Science Collide will share groundbreaking research, create indelible experiences for the public, and generate new ways of understanding our complex world. PST ART is presented by Getty. For more information about PST ART: Art & Science Collide, please visit pst.art
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