Often mistakenly dubbed as the “Mexican Halloween,” Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, holds a special significance to the descendants of the Meso-Americans. Part of a ritual that has been practiced for over 3,000 years, Dia de los Muertos honors death as a continuation of life. Celebrants wear skull masks, called calacas, or face paint to honor deceased relatives and build elaborate altars to fill with offerings for the dead. For all its mysticism, at its core, the celebration is about family and community.

As we officially abandon the larger world of wind, rain, sun, and sand for the 2D flicker of the high speed realm, how will we represent gravity? Has this intrinsic force, which once governed our actions across tarmacs and savannahs alike, been outsourced? The virtual realm has representations of everything else: sex, money, shopping, and according to Facebook, a whole slew of cheaply animated farm animals, whose lives generate more postings than most flesh and blood members. So what, in this IP address governed world, stands in for gravity?

Sunday, February 21 was Offramp Gallery’s opening reception for Myron Kaufman’s “Still Perplexed,” Marilyn Cvitanic’s “Watercolors,” Elaine Carhartt’s “Ceramic Sculpture,” and Francesco Siqueiros’s “Paraiso Terrenal/Earthly Paradise.” People braved the somewhat ominous weather in order to view the combination of sculptures, paintings, and installation pieces that took over the entire interior and exterior of this unique gallery.

Art Collector Dallas Price-Van Breda shares her passion for art and gives us a tour of her extensive, contemporary collection.

It’s hard to believe Yuri Elvin has never received formal training in art. The self taught, naturally talented artist started drawing at a young age and quit for 15 years during which he received a BA in Film Studies and a MFA in Film Producing. It wasn’t until November of 2007 that Elvin began drawing again when his mother sent him his old paints in the mail. Now, only a little over two years later, the artist opened his first solo exhibition this past Thursday, February 18th. The event took place at 410 Boyd, a bar and grill in downtown Los Angeles on the border of Little Tokyo that graciously hosts art work from local artists on a monthly basis.