SoCal museums in May: Alice Wang, Mickalene Thomas, Keith Haring and more

Also, Japan House LA gets cute, LACMA heads to the LA County Fair and the Academy Museum sets the way-back machine for the earliest days of Hollywood

“Pyramids and Parabolas III,” film still (Alice Wang)

Welcome to a new edition of TV or Not TV’s monthly roundup of new and noteworthy exhibitions and events, as well as continuing shows, at museums all around Southern California. I’m Matt Cooper, former listings coordinator for the LA Times’ Calendar section.

The galleries are now open…

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New and upcoming

Japan House Los Angeles “Yes, Kawaii is Art — Express Yourself,” artist Sebastian Masuda explores the origins and global reach of “cute” and colorful Japanese pop culture, May 2 thru Nov. 3. Japan House LA, Hollywood & Highland, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Open daily. Free. (800) 516-0565. japanhousela.com

‘Rufino Tamayo: Innovation and Experimentation’ LACMA presents this off-site, career-spanning survey of works by the influential Mexican artist, May 3 thru 27. Millard Sheets Art Center at the LA County Fair, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. Pomona. Free with fair admission ($15-$30). lacma.org

Riverside Art Museum “3425 Mission Inn Avenue: Foundation, Transition, Innovation,” updated version of a 2012 exhibition saluting California’s first-ever female professional architect, May 4 thru Oct. 6. Also: “Taylor Moon Castagnari: The Balancing Act” and “Sheila Pree Bright: Plastic Bodies,” thru Sept. 8. RAM, 3425 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside. $10.95, $15.95 (includes admission to The Cheech); 12 and under, active-duty military and veterans and family members, free. riversideartmuseum.org

Vincent Price Art Museum “Alice Wang: We Are Extraterrestrial,” the multi-disciplinary artist explores the spaces between the real and the imagined in her first-ever solo U.S. exhibition, May 4 thru Aug. 3. VPAM, East Los Angeles College, 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park. Open Wednesdays-Saturdays. Free. (323) 265-8841.  vincentpriceartmuseum.org

OCMA “A Moon for the Daydreamers,” paintings, photographs, etc., depicting and/or inspired by our nearest celestial neighbor, May 8 thru Aug. 11. Also: “Tony Lewis: Casual T” and “Joan Brown,” thru June 2; “Color is the First Revelation of the World,” thru Aug. 18. Orange County Museum of Art, 3333 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa. Closed Mondays. Free; no reservations required. (714) 780-2130. ocma.art

American Museum of Ceramic Art “A Father’s Kaddish,” traditional Japanese tea bowls by ceramicist Steven Branfman created in response to his 23-year-old son’s untimely death, May 11 thru Aug. 18. Also: “Reveal: Recent Acquisitions 2020-2023,” thru July 21; “Fahrenheit 2024,” juried exhibition, thru Sept. 8; “A Traveler’s Guide to Mettlach: Villeroy and Boch,” thru June 2025. AMoCA, 399 N. Garey Ave., Pomona. Open Fridays-Sundays. $7-$14; 12 and younger, free. (909) 865-3146. amoca.org

Art Share L.A. “Ellsworth Artist Residency Program Annual Exhibition,” group show features pieces by emerging and underrepresented artists, May 11 thru June 29. Art Share, 801 E. 4th Place, downtown L.A. Open Tuesdays-Saturdays. (213) 687-4278. Free. artsharela.org

Museum of Art & History “This Valley is Sacred: The Ancestors are Speaking,” exploring Indigenous life in Antelope Valley past and present, and the group show “Imprints,” May 11 thru Aug. 11. MOAH, 665 W. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster. Closed Mondays. Free. (661) 723-6250. lancastermoah.org

Weisman Museum “On Location in Malibu,” paintings by members of the California Art Club, and “Rediscovering Constance von Briesen,” remembering the 20th century visual artist and craftswoman, May 11 thru July 28. Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu. Closed Mondays. Free. (310) 506-4522. pepperdine.edu

A+D Museum “Los Angeles: A Model City,” scale models from local architecture schools, May 17 thru July 28. Architecture + Design Museum, 170 S. La Brea Ave., L.A. Closed Mondays-Tuesdays. Free. aplusd.org

The Autry “Out of Site: Survey Science and the Hidden West,” artworks, archival materials and surveying devices from the 19th century to the present, and the companion exhibit “KYDOIMOS: The Din of Battle,” images of a classified military installation in the Utah desert, May 18 thru Jan. 5. Also: “Sherman Indian School: 100+ Years of Education and Resilience,” thru May 31; “Reclaiming El Camino: Native Resistance in the Missions and Beyond,” thru June 15. Autry Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park, L.A. Closed Mondays. $8-$16; members and children 2 and younger, free. (323) 667-2000. theautry.org