Night—it can be a time of peaceful tranquility when all the world seems to be at rest; or it can be something more sinister—a time when nothing is as it seems. For many of us as children the darkness of the night presented a slew of frights. For me, a vivid imagination too often got the best of me as I saw a desk chair to be an angry lion or a bureau to be a looming monster once the lights turned off. Could it be the world transforms as day turns into night? Or are our minds just playing tricks on us? In any case, for whatever reason our perceptions of things seem to change at night—sometimes making the world more beautiful, other times more mysterious. A walk through the current exhibit at DNJ Gallery entitled “Night Lights” is what spurred these thoughts as the three artists on display present photographs of various scenes, all taken solely at night.

Flashback to the birthplace of the mid-1980s New York hip-hop era as Crewest Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles presented REVOLUTIONS, dedicated to the cultural surge of urban art and a special fashion exhibition on March 20, 2010.

TWENTYWONDER, an event described on its website as a “One Night World’s Fair” to benefit the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles (DSALA). I knew the night would involve comics, musical acts, art, and science, but I never could have imagined or expected to encounter the overall magic and yes, wonder that made TWENTYWONDER such a special event.

Friday, March 5th was the opening reception (but “party” is more apt, I think) of “Soundtrack of Your Life” at the Black Maria Gallery. The theme of this collection is how films and their soundtracks (obviously) influence our lives and our art. When the Oscars are just days away, how can you turn down anything movie-related? You can’t.

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.