Weekend notice: on Friday, April 24 the Hammer Museum will close to the public at 6PM and re-open at 7PM to college students only for Arts Party: Forever. On Sunday, April 26, plan ahead for street closures due to CicLAvia—West LA. Learn more

Universal Man: Snowman

In honor of the current LA heat wave, lets think chilly thoughts!

I don’t know why I was a little surprised to see snowmen in Beijing when I first arrived in 2008. The snowman tradition is older than the USA’s snow, possibly dating back to cave dwellers in Mongolia and northeast China, and that tradition continues in the art districts of Beijing and surrounding areas to this day. I ride my bicycle through the snow and ice to find the contemporary renditions of an ancient art form: Snowmen. --James Elaine