Featured Events in Pasadena in February 2025 (March Updated)

For several decades, artist Cai Guo-Qiang has used gunpowder and pyrotechnics to create drawings, paintings, and explosion events. The exhibitionCai Guo-Qiang:A Material Odysseywill fill the first floor galleries at the USC Pacific Asia Museum. Based on years of research by the Getty Conservation Institute and the Getty Research Institute,A Material Odysseywill explore the nature and properties of gunpowder and chronicle its use by the artist. This explosive material, invented in China over 1,100 years ago, has come to define Cai’s work. Its unpredictable nature dictates his artistic process and determines the outcome. Through gunpowder, the artist invites uncontrollable forces to participate in the creation of his work. With an abundance of artworks and scientific displays, the exhibition will narrate the lifelong love story of Cai Guo-Qiang with gunpowder. Programs accompanyingA Material Odysseywill include videos illustrating the making of fireworks, the process of creating gunpowder paintings, interactive displays, and a variety of film screenings and conversations.

Diego Velázquez’s extraordinary painting Queen Mariana of Austria (1652–53) forms the core of the exhibition Mariana: Velázquez’s Portrait of a Queen from the Museo Nacional del Prado, organized as part of the Norton Simon Museum’s Loan Exchange Program with the Spanish national art museum.

In 2025, the Norton Simon Museum marks the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1975. The exhibition Retrospect: 50 Years at the Norton Simon Museum, on view in the main-level Focus Gallery from February 14, 2025, to January 12, 2026, celebrates five decades of art, education, research and community. Coinciding with the Exterior Improvement Project, which will transform the Museum’s gardens and grounds, Retrospect offers not only a reflective view of the past but also one of the horizon for decades to come.

Enjoy samples from top wellness brands, shop from local wellness small businesses, delicious food and healther beverage options. All while you mingle with other wellness lovers! Our first wellness social will be a night you'll never forget! Vendors: More coming soon! @luckysevenwellness -cbd infused and non cbd wellness products. @createmeowrepeat.home -non toxic candles. @dr.angela.fassial -customized chiropractic care & coaching. Sponsors: @jungletea @annascider- Natural, clean and 0 suger cider. Food by: @vcounty.events Venue: @hardcorefitnesspasadena Project by @alternativeent Information Source: Alternative Entertainment | eventbrite

Electric light emerged as an artistic medium in the mid-20th century, as artists engaged with new technology, mass media and industrial materials. The exhibition Plugged In: Art and Electric Light illuminates these themes through 11 works produced between 1964 and 1970, all drawn from the Museum’s collections. This focused group includes Andy Warhol’s controversial White Painting (1964), its nude female torso subversively activated by ultraviolet light; Dan Flavin’s stark fluorescent installations made from commercial materials; and Allen Ruppersberg’s Location Piece (1968), an “environmental sculpture” that envelops the viewer in unnerving ambient light.

Electric light emerged as an artistic medium in the mid-20th century, as artists engaged with new technology, mass media and industrial materials. The exhibition Plugged In: Art and Electric Light illuminates these themes through 11 works produced between 1964 and 1970, all drawn from the Museum’s collections. This focused group includes Andy Warhol’s controversial White Painting (1964), its nude female torso subversively activated by ultraviolet light; Dan Flavin’s stark fluorescent installations made from commercial materials; and Allen Ruppersberg’s Location Piece (1968), an “environmental sculpture” that envelops the viewer in unnerving ambient light.

Electric light emerged as an artistic medium in the mid-20th century, as artists engaged with new technology, mass media and industrial materials. The exhibition Plugged In: Art and Electric Light illuminates these themes through 11 works produced between 1964 and 1970, all drawn from the Museum’s collections. This focused group includes Andy Warhol’s controversial White Painting (1964), its nude female torso subversively activated by ultraviolet light; Dan Flavin’s stark fluorescent installations made from commercial materials; and Allen Ruppersberg’s Location Piece (1968), an “environmental sculpture” that envelops the viewer in unnerving ambient light.

The New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years and One Italian Summer returns with “a romantic gem” (Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author) about a young woman who decides to finally live for herself rather than rely on the universe for answers. Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake. But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart. “Daphne’s sometimes heart-wrenching, often heartwarming search for meaningful relationships, both romantic and platonic, is sure to inspire” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) new and longtime fans of Rebecca Serle. Information Source: Vroman's Bookstore | eventbrite

Come meet Tommy, buy a signed copy of his new book, and enjoy his talk on comics and creativity in the social media. ABOUT THE BOOK Never have the secret lives of relationships been so clearly and amusingly on display as in Tommy Siegel’s Candy Hearts comics. Tommy Siegel’s Candy Hearts comics reveal the most awkward and amusing truths about relationships, and since their viral debut in 2020, the inner world of Candy Hearts has only gotten stranger. This new collection of Candy Hearts comics explores topics like commitment, cohabitation, family dynamics, pets, dating apps, and wedding planning. With dozens of comics never before seen in print or online, The Secret Lives of Candy Hearts hits everything from disaster to happily-ever-after, with hilarious results. **This is a non-ticketed event, but an RSVP is recommended to guarantee seating. To purchase The Secret Lives of Candy Hearts ahead of time please click here. Additional questions can be sent to: email@vromansbookstore.com Information Source: Vroman's Bookstore | eventbrite

Grab your bestie and join us for a fun, sweat-filled Galentine’s Day workout on February 13th, 2025 at 6:30 PM! 🎉 Whether you're a member or a non-member, come get your sweat on with us and celebrate friendship, fitness, and all things awesome! 😎 📍 Location: 514 N Lake Ave #B, Pasadena, CA 91101 💸 Members: FREE 💰 Non-Members: $20 Bring the girls, have some fun, and let’s crush this workout together! 💪💖 Tag your squad and let’s make this Galentine's Day one to remember! 💃 We are located behind the floral store, you enter through the Baja Cali parking lot and go all the way straight down to the blue gate Information Source: eventbrite

Patrick Renna, best known for his role in the 1993 filmThe Sandlot, offers baseball-themed anecdotes and affirmations. Heartfelt reminders that life's a marathon, not a sprint, may be familiar, but many young readers will find them revelatory. The author also stresses that failure is just as much a part of life as success, encourages children to embrace individuality and work hard despite being the underdog, and emphasizes that practice shows commitment and prepares you for the big game or the test. All these lessons will be relatable to young people, and many are supported by real-life stories: basketball superstar Michael Jordan's short-lived stint in minor league baseball, an unexpected victory during Game One of the 2015 World Series, and Renna's willingness to swallow his fear when, as a young teen, he was handed a new script just an hour before shooting a pivotal scene inThe Sandlot. Each tidbit stands alone, but taken together, all 20 tenets provide a lively road map to life. The colorful spot art features images of diverse young baseball players, plus some visually appealing double-page spreads filled with movement and action. White space is used thoughtfully, allowing readers to reflect on how these words of wisdom might apply to them. A solid base hit, with guidance on the great American pastime--and life itself. Information Source: Vroman's Bookstore | eventbrite

What is the difference between men and women? Join PEN America in partnership with Vroman’s Bookstore for a special conversation with PEN America President and bestselling author, Jennifer Finney Boylan, on her new book– CLEAVAGE: MEN, WOMEN, AND THE SPACE BETWEEN US. Finney Boylan’s new book not only examines the divisions—as well as the common ground—between the genders, but also serves as a reflection on her own experiences, both difficult and joyful, as a transgender American. With Boylan’s trademark humor and poignancy, CLEAVAGE is a sharp, witty, and captivating look at the triumphs and losses of a life lived in two genders. Don’t miss this illuminating conversation between Finney Boylan and award-winning author, Colm Tóibín, as they discuss a hope for a future in which we all have the freedom to live joyfully as men, as women, and in the space between us. This program is co-presented with Vroman's Bookstore. Information Source: PEN America | eventbrite