Exposition Transit Corridor, Phase 2 is extending the Metro Expo Line west to Santa Monica from the Culver City Station, running along the old Pacific Electric Exposition right-of-way to 4th Street and Colorado Avenue in Downtown Santa Monica. Metro is scheduled to begin train safety tests in late 2015, with a projected line opening in early 2016. Phase 2 includes new stations at: Palms, Westwood/Rancho Park, Expo/Sepulveda, Expo/Bundy, 26th St./Bergamot, 17th St./SMC and Downtown Santa Monica.

Anchoring the east end of the Colorado Esplanade project, two select-service hotels are slated to open in 2016 near what will be the western terminus of the Metro Rail Expo Line in Santa Monica. Marriott’s Courtyard by Marriott Santa Monica will have 134 rooms, while Hilton Worldwide’s Hampton Inn & Suites Santa Monica will have 143 rooms. Both hotels will be near the intersection of Colorado Avenue and 5th Street, about four blocks east of the foot of the Santa Monica Pier.

The Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) was founded in 1996 and is the only museum in the United States dedicated to modern and contemporary Latin American art. In April 2014, MOLAA’s Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution that broadened the definition of Latin American art in the Museum’s mission to include art produced throughout the diaspora of Latin American artists – those living in their native countries, the U.S. or abroad who are connected to Latin America through their ancestry.

As a way to publicly celebrate this historic resolution, MOLAA is presenting its first Biennial of Latin(o) American Art, an invitational exhibition slated for February 2016 in conjunction with the museum’s 20th anniversary. Three guest curators - Dr. Chon Noriega, Ph.D., Elvis Fuentes and Dermis Leon - will select work for the Biennial by artists from the U.S., Latin America and elsewhere. For the first time, Latin American and Latino artists will be exhibited side-by-side at MOLAA. The Biennial exhibition will feature 75-100 works and will be accompanied by an illustrated catalogue. A series of associated performances, lectures and cultural events are also being planned.

On Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, Los Angeles will host the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the Men’s and Women’s Marathon. “The U.S. Olympic Committee is pleased to be returning to Los Angeles with this amazing event,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. “As the host of the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games, Los Angeles has a tremendous Olympic legacy and L.A.’s status as a global center of sport and culture make it an exceptional host for the Olympic Trials.” The looped course begins and ends near STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE in Downtown L.A. Runners will pass landmarks such as the Los Angeles Convention Center, USC, Exposition Park and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The LA Marathon will follow the next day, on Feb. 14, providing a weekend festival that celebrates road racing on all levels.

The countdown to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ has begun as Universal Studios Hollywood has announced the Spring 2016 arrival of the West Coast’s most anticipated entertainment experience and the introduction of the land’s signature attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in hyper-realistic 3D-HD. More than five years in the making, and inspired by J. K. Rowling’s compelling stories and characters and the Warner Bros. films, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is expected to attract Harry Potter fans from all over the globe for decades to come. Visitors will be swept into a fully immersive themed land that brings the Harry Potter fiction and films to life with impeccable detail and precision. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be faithful to the visual landscape of the fiction and films, including Hogwarts castle, which will serve as its iconic focal point.

Robert Mapplethorpe’s practice as an artist was characterized by inherent dualities. He sought what he called “perfection in form” in everything from acts of sexual fetishism to the elegant contours of flower petals. Robert Mapplethorpe explores the artist's body of work through early drawings, collages, sculptures, and Polaroid photography; materials from his archive; portraits, still lifes, and figure studies; rare color photographs; and two seldom-seen moving image works. A companion exhibition will be presented simultaneously at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

The exhibition at LACMA highlights the artist’s relationship to New York's sexual and artistic undergrounds, as well as his experimentation with a variety of media. Additionally, the exhibition will be accompanied by Physical: Sex and the Body in the 1980s, a focused installation of work by other artists drawn from LACMA’s permanent collection that helps place Mapplethorpe in conversation with the art of the 1980s. The companion exhibition at the Getty explores Mapplethorpe's disciplined studio practice and his fascination with classical form and the fine photographic print.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is the exclusive West Coast destination for Vatican Splendors: A Journey Through Faith and Art. This 12,000 square-foot exhibition, comprising one of the largest Vatican collections ever to tour the United States, includes an extraordinary collection of historical and religious objects, some of which date to the first century, as well as works of art by Michelangelo, Bernini, Guercino and others.

From the opening theater experience, where visitors will become immersed in the grandeur of the Vatican, to the closing object of a cast of Saint John Paul II’s hand (which guests may grasp), visitors will encounter the art, history and culture of the Vatican with unprecedented access and insight. This special presentation of art and objects includes many never before on display in North America, and some not on view to the general public, even in Rome. The objects are presented in galleries and recreated environments designed to enhance the understanding of their historical and artistic significance. Visitors will feel transported to the Vatican, from the underground catacombs where the remains of Saint Peter were discovered to the magnificent papal chambers found above ground.

WonderCon is the sister show to Comic-Con International, featuring comic books, sci-fi, film, TV, anime, Artists Alley, the Masquerade and much more. WonderCon was founded in 1987 by comics retailer John Barrett and was originally known as the Wonderful World of Comics Convention. From its Bay Area origins, the event has grown every year, with an estimated 60,000 attendees in 2014. WonderCon 2016 is taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center Friday-Sunday, March 25-27.

The Mogao caves, located near the town of Dunhuang in the Gobi Desert of northwest China, comprise some 500 decorated Buddhist cave temples dating from the 4th to the 14th Century. Filled with exquisite wall paintings and sculptures, the caves bear witness to the intense religious, artistic and cultural exchanges along the Silk Road, the trade routes that linked East and West. Opening May 7, 2016 at the Getty Center in Brentwood, Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China's Silk Road features numerous objects originally from the site, including paintings and manuscripts that have rarely - if ever - traveled to the United States, as well as three spectacular full-size cave replicas. The exhibition celebrates more than 25 years of collaboration between the Getty Conservation Institute and the Dunhuang Academy to preserve this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Hammer Museum's biennial exhibition series Made in L.A. focuses exclusively on artists from the L.A. region with an emphasis on emerging and under-recognized artists. The biennial debuts new installations, videos, films, sculptures, performances and paintings commissioned specifically for the exhibition and offers a snapshot of the current trends and practices coming out of Los Angeles, one of the most active and energetic art communities in the world. Made in L.A. 2016 is the third in the ongoing series and will be on view June through September 2016. Made in L.A. 2016 is co-curated by Hammer curator Aram Moshayedi and Hamza Walker from the Renaissance Society in Chicago. The artist list will be announced in early 2016.

The historic John Anson Ford Amphitheatre is undergoing major renovations and enhancements to improve guest and performer experiences while protecting its historic status and integrity. Construction is expected to be completed by summer 2016. Key improvements include reconstruction of the amphitheatre stage, new theatrical lighting and infrastructure improvements, replacement of the sound wall and control booth, and a new picnic terrace for 200 people. Implementation of these improvements will enhance onsite programs that support the work of L.A. County artists and arts organizations, expand opportunities for diverse County residents to come together by creating new recreational spaces and programs, and ensure the future of the Ford as an active and relevant historic resource.

The Wende Museum and Archive of the Cold War preserves the cultural artifacts and personal histories of Cold War-era Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union to inform and inspire a broad understanding of the period and its enduring legacy. The museum’s extraordinary collection of 100,000 items contains artifacts, personal histories and archival documents that record life, expression and political developments during the Cold War period from 1945 to 1991. The wide-ranging collection includes design objects, works on paper, ceramics, paintings, sculptures, posters, furniture, textiles, films and books. In Summer 2016, the Wende will move to the former Culver City Armory, tripling its exhibition galleries and adding to a mile-long cultural corridor with numerous permanent public art installations, live music venues, theaters and museums. The Armory property nearly spans an acre and includes open land that will be converted into a community gathering space. A sculpture garden will eventually feature the museum’s 11 Berlin Wall segments.

China-based Greenland Group is developing Metropolis, a $1 billion mixed-use project located just east of the Harbor Freeway in Downtown L.A. Metropolis will include a 350-room hotel under InterContinental Hotels Group’s Hotel Indigo brand. Slated to open Winter 2016, the 18-story property will have a unique neighborhood story that will be woven throughout the guest experience, from the seasonal and locally sourced food and drinks served in a stylish environment at the restaurant and bar, to the art, photography and architecture incorporated into the hotel's design. The neighborhood story will focus around several prominent narratives from Downtown L.A.'s past, including Fiesta De Las Flores, the glamorous pre-Hollywood nightlife scene and the underground speakeasies of the Roaring Twenties.