Cold War Heat: The stories and secrets of the Wende museum

Cold War Heat: The stories and secrets of the Wende museum

Join us for an exclusive exploration of The Wende Museum collection, hosted by Curio Club LA. Housed in an actual cold-war armory in Culver City, the Wende museum is a world-class cultural institution that preserves and reimagines the history and art of the Cold War. We will get up close and personal with artifacts and exhibits that shed light on this pivotal period in history.

What to expect:

On this tour, Chief Curator Joes Segal will lead us through the permanent collection including the current exhibitions Visions of Transcendence: Creating Space in East and West (about incarcerated and unhoused artists) and Undercurrents I: Stories, Symbols, and Sounds (about counterculture art in Eastern Europe, in partnership with the Getty Research Institute).

We will then have the exclusive opportunity to step inside the storage art collection (see last photo) and view several pieces of original cold war inspired art; this space is usually closed to the public (apart from a peek through the glass door).

Afterwards we will explore the lovely outdoor garden, which includes a newly created sound-based art installation, by Saun Santipreecha, located in the East German guardhouse. There will be a special little Soviet treat for everyone at the very end of the event. Don't miss this in-person opportunity to delve deep into the past and gain a new perspective on the events that shaped our world today.

More on the collection:

Currently, The Wende Museum houses nearly 75,000 items including consumer products, media (including thousands of documentaries and educational films from the era), sanctioned government paintings, and surveillance equipment (e.g., a camera hidden in a pen, fake passports, and crude satellites). The Museum also holds a collection of more than 21,000 books and periodicals published in both East Germany and the Soviet Union on a diverse range of subjects. There are also two other notable art installations: Rinsing the Bones by Jenny Yurshansky in open storage, and a monumental artwork by Anne Bobroff-Hajal.

In 2009, The Wende Museum acquired ten large segments of the Berlin Wall. Most of which stands on Wilshire Blvd, it is the largest stretch of the original wall outside of Germany. There is one slab of the wall that lives in front of the museum itself.

This event includes a detailing of the collection by the chief curator, exclusive access to the storage art collection, and some Soviet treats in the tranquil garden. There's no time for Stalin; the time is now... to be Russian to snag your ticket!

Read more on the Wende. And connect with Curio Club LA.

Notes for this adventure:

• All ages welcome, though realistically some fo the content/themes is of an adult nature.
• Please wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for 90 minutes of standing and walking at the museum.
• Bring your cameras and share your photos with us! Tag us @curio_club_la
• Free parking in the lots in front of and next to the museum.
• Feel free to bring a water bottle.

Advance tickets only. All sales are final.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Wende Museum, 10808 Culver Boulevard, Culver City, United States