Junior Arts Center Has Show for Kinetic Kids

If you have not had a chance to see “Art! Action! Energy!,” the kinetic art show at the Junior Arts Center in Barnsdall Park, do so this weekend, because it closes Sunday.

Irresistible in its cleverness, this is an exhibit that captures the imagination of children, breaking through the “not another museum!” mind-set. Even preschoolers will be enchanted by the flying fans and falling stones.

Every piece in this show moves--one way or another. Fish shimmy back and forth on beaches and shoes shuffle down the street. Most are just waiting, immobile, with a “push me” button, just like Alice in Wonderland.

Push one button and six grass-skirted bamboo sticks come to life, tapping out a primitive rhythm. Push another button and a Rube Goldberg-contraption starts slinging table-tennis balls back and forth.

One of the most intriguing exhibits is the frozen stones piece. Hundreds of tiny black pebbles have been frozen in a block of ice and hung high above a bamboo maze. As the ice melts, the pebbles drop and hit the bamboo a few at a time. It sounds like wind chimes. And when it’s all melted, the gallery attendant goes to the freezer and gets a new block to hang.

This exhibit features whimsical works by 12 artists, most of them local. The gallery is at 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Hours today and Sunday are 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Free. Information: (213) 485-4474.