In Focus Tour of Eileen Cowin at LACMA

If you have been meaning to see the Eileen Cowin survey at LACMA but would like someone to point out what to look at, a short docent tour is the easiest way in. The museum is running the In Focus Tour twice this week, and it is a good pick among the things to do in Los Angeles when you want an hour of art without a big plan.

When: Sunday, November 1 at 12:30 PM, and Thursday, November 5 at 1:30 PM Where: LACMA, BCAM, Level 2, 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Cost: Free with museum admission Length: About 30 minutes

What the tour covers

A LACMA docent leads the group through Eileen Cowin: Between Panic and Paradise, a survey of the Los Angeles-based artist's photography and video. Cowin has worked for more than 50 years, and the show follows the subjects she keeps returning to: romance and rivalry, the personal and the political, and the monotony and mystery of daily life.

Her pictures often blur the line between nonfiction and fiction. She draws on cinema, literature, poetry and painting to build photographic narratives that feel staged and candid at once. The exhibition also looks at her experiments with photographic processes, and it includes Polaroids, inkjet prints and videos, with works from LACMA's own collection and from other Southern California museums.

A half-hour is enough for a guided look at the highlights, and a docent can explain how a single frame is built, which is where Cowin's work rewards a second look. You can wander the rest of the gallery on your own afterward.

Good to know

The tours are volunteer-led and subject to cancellation, so ask a member of the LACMA team on the day if you want to confirm one is running. Meet on Level 2 of BCAM, the building on the Wilshire side of campus. Because the cost is folded into admission, check LACMA's current ticket and free-access options before you go.

Parking at the museum fills up on busy days. The D Line now stops directly at LACMA (Wilshire/Fairfax Station), which makes a car optional for anyone coming from across town. If you are building a list of upcoming events in Los Angeles for the week, the Sunday slot is easy to pair with lunch nearby, and the Thursday one suits a long midday break.

Browse more in our arts and culture listings, or see what else is happening around Mid-City.