An area landmark since its opening in 1926 (when it was a vaudeville house), El Portal Theatre is a living legend. Today, the venue stages dramatic, comedy and musical productions that routinely garner rave reviews. Out front, there's an eye-catching art deco marquee that lights up at night; a vintage ticket kiosk sits underneath it. The entryway is lined with framed show posters. Inside—thanks to a 1990s remodel—the theater has three performance spaces: the MainStage, with its 360 seats, the Forum Theatre and its 95 seats, and the Studio Theatre, which is the 42-seat venue used by Theatre Tribe. Parking is available in the rear, and the theater is extremely convenient to the North Hollywood Metro station. For pre- or post-show dining, a number of options are within walking distance.
The Lankershim Arts Center is located along Lankershim Boulevard in the heart of the NoHo Arts District. This large, historic space is home to the Road Theatre Company, Gallery 800 and other art programs based in North Hollywood. It was built in 1939 and was a department of water and power building, and has since become a staple in the NoHo arts community and continues to be a place where new artists can be seen. The large gallery space can be rented, as can the smaller theater space that seats 42. The building is a registered cultural landmark and continues to be a place of inspiration to many artists throughout the area. Parking can be found in the rear or on the street at meters.
Art Pic is an art gallery that carries paintings, sculptures, ceramics, tapestries and photographs. It boasts works from over 250 emerging and established artists. The gallery carries over 1,000 pieces suitable for every lifestyle and budget. It also provides custom, site-specific art. The gallery also rents out artwork for television, film, commercials and print productions. The gallery provides a website with a full catalogue for guests to browse through. It is located on a small street with parking available on the streets.
Berman Ceramic Arts offers pottery and sculpture classes for beginning, intermediate and advanced students who create hand-built and wheel thrown pottery, abstract and figurative sculpture in classes five days a week. Berman offerings include firing ceramics for the public, private individual and group instruction, monthly studio space rental, student field trips, group gallery exhibitions, workshops and annual student pottery sale.
Joe Willging opened this art services shop in 2009, and it's immediately become a big hit with local North Hollywood folk seeking custom matting and framing for their artwork and photographs. Willging also stocks a huge variety of ready-made frames that fit to the photo standards of 5x7, 8x10, etc. Framed scrapbooks have also become quite popular, and require raised platform or 3-D dimensions, which Willging also carries. The shop also has a wide selection of bound photo albums, collage matting and special-occasion items such as wedding albums and accessories. The shop also has a beautiful selection of framed mirrors that will compliment the décor of any home or business.
Gallery 800 is the fine arts gallery of the Art Directors Guild, and works to showcase and promote artists and the talented professionals of the film and television industry. The gallery is located in the NoHo Arts District and holds various types of exhibitions and shows throughout the year. Some past exhibitions and events have included "Women! Images and Interpretations," "As Seen at Comic-Con," "Art Unites" and "Art Unites: Share the Holidays" among more. For more information as well as a digital photo gallery, check the main site or call for details on upcoming events.
Located on Magnolia Blvd. in the NoHo Arts District, The Electric Pen is a full-service tattoo studio. Electric Pen offers custom tattoo designs seven days a week, with creative picture-like designs. In addition to tattoos, The Electric Pen offers piercings. Walk-ins are accepted.
Satsuma is an artist-run gallery and working studio devoted to fine painting, ceramics and mixed media. Located between Glass Horizons and Scavenger’s Paradise, the gallery is unique in that after viewing the works of art, if there are artists currently at work, visitors are encouraged to watch as the artists are creating. The space was once a textile factory and is on the grounds of the old Satsuma Avenue Mission Church. The gallery has set business hours but works of art can also be viewed by appointment.
L'Imagerie Gallery might seem unassuming from the outside, but inside it's a world of color and cool. L'Imagerie specializes in vintage and collectible movie posters, original rock concert posters, and pop-surrealistic fine art. The reception area is staffed by friendly, knowledgable folks, but the rear of the building is where the action is. Clients who ask to be shown the back will encounter a warehouse-sized space that showcases one of the largest retail collections of vintage movie and rock concert posters in the world. From "Citizen Kane" and "Forbidden Planet" to "It's a Wonderful Life" and a whole bunch of classic Clint Eastwood films, L'Imagerie has them all on hand. The concert posters focus on rock from the '60s through the '90s. As for the pop-surrealistic fine art, there are pieces by such big names as Mark Ryden, Robert Williams and Todd Schorr. L'Imagerie also offers framing and restoration services utilizing museum-quality materials.