Itinerary / Arts and Crafts

Saturday

Los Angeles hosts two big arts and crafts festivals this weekend. Conveniently, both are in the same spot.

The L.A. Convention Center will be transformed into a turn-of-the-century autumn marketplace for the 25th Annual Harvest Festival, where costumed craftspeople will create, display and sell their wares.

With an emphasis on American crafts, this touring market will feature woodcarvings, jewelry, ceramics and pottery, hand-painted clothing, glassware, wooden toys, watercolor and oil paintings, sculpture, furniture, brooms, wreaths and candles made by local and nonlocal artisans. Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Adults, $7; seniors 55 and over, $6; children 12 and under, $3.50. Bring a nonperishable food item for the L.A. Regional Food Bank and get $1 off adult admission. 1201 S. Figueroa St., (213) 765-4220.

Galleries, artists and art publishers from around the world will exhibit fine, decorative, regional and ethnic art at Artexpo in the Convention Center’s Yorty Hall. Events include “Hollywood and Halloween,” an interactive Halloween exhibition that celebrates artists, animators and set designers; seminars; demonstrations; booths by local museums; Halloween mask-making for kids; and more.

In conjunction with “Heroes of Stan Lee,” a section of the “Hollywood and Halloween” exhibition, Marvel Comics Chairman Stan Lee will sign autographs Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Artexpo hours: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Monday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission, $8; children under 12 free. Call (213) 765-4617 for information.

Sunday

The word “subway” may not immediately conjure up images of giant murals and flying sculptures. Yet L.A. County commuters are moved not only by buses and trains but by art projects created for area rail stations. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is offering free guided tours showcasing these works on the last Sunday of every month.

This month’s tour, which departs Sunday at 10 a.m. from the east portal of Union Station, includes art in the Gateway Transit Center and on Metro Rail’s Red Line. Call (213) 922-4ART for reservations.

More than 90 artists will open their private studios to the public for the annual Brewery Artwalk, which continues Sunday. Situated just northeast of downtown, the art complex is housed in what used to be the Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery.

More than 400 artists inhabit its 21 buildings and, for only two weekends a year, residents invite the public into their studios to view and discuss their art. Media on display will range from traditional painting, sculpture and printmaking to graphic art, magnetic art, textiles, installations, computer-based interactive media and digital media. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Free. Brewery Art Complex, Interstate 5 and North Main Street intersection, (213) 694-2911.

The Brewery’s outdoor eatery, Cafe Berlin, is usually closed on weekends but will be open both days, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., for light sandwiches and salads, (213) 245-2233.

After lunch, head to museum row to the Craft and Folk Art Museum. Children will enjoy having tea and cakes with Alice and the Mad Hatter at the “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.” This event is being held in conjunction with the museum’s whimsical exhibition “Tantalizing Teapots: The Felicitous Union of Form and Context.” 5814 Wilshire Blvd., (213) 937-5544. Admission to the tea party, 2 to 4 p.m., is free. Admission to the museum is $3 for adults; $2 for seniors and students and free for children under 12. Exhibition ends Feb. 2.

Drive over to 3rd Street and go west to Sofi, to rest your feet and enjoy a glass of wine and an order of moussaka at this Greek taverna. 8030 W. 3rd St., (213) 651-0346. Open Sundays until 11 p.m.