The Wende Museum of the Cold War will open its expanded campus at Culver City’s Armory Building with a free community open house on Sunday, Nov. 19 to celebrate the museum’s new headquarters and inaugural exhibitions “Cold War Spaces,” “Vessel of Change,” and “The Russians.”
The Armory Building at 10808 Culver Blvd., in Culver City holds an unparalleled collection of art and artifacts from Cold War-era Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union and has advanced scholarship about the period since 2002. What began as a grassroots initiative quickly grew into an unmatched resource for the vanishing history of the Cold War (1945–1991), according to museum officials.
Housed for the past 12 years in an under-the-radar office park in Culver City, where only a small percentage of its vast collections could be displayed, the launch of the Wende at the Armory will make more than 100,000 artifacts freely accessible for curious viewers and dedicated scholars alike.
The historic one-acre campus will feature 13,000 square-feet of storage and exhibition space. The public-facing location will offer expanded visiting hours, free admission, a full program of innovative exhibitions and events, a sculpture garden, and state-of-the-art open-access collections storage.
The gala celebration is planned for Saturday at 7 p.m., at 10808 Culver Blvd. The Wende will kickoff its new location at the Armory with a star-studded preview party. Tickets to attend the preview party are $100 for general admission and $275 for the premier lounge. For more information, call 310-216-1600.
The Community Open House takes place on Sunday between noon and 5 p.m. Visitors are invited to explore the new campus facilities and view the inaugural exhibitions. Admission is free during the community open house and during regular visiting hours thereafter.
The Wende Museum was founded in 2002 by Justinian Jampol, a native of Los Angeles and scholar of modern European history, with a mission to preserve the art, culture, and history from the Soviet Bloc countries, inspire a broad understanding of the period (1945–1991), and explore its enduring legacy. The Wende’s new campus, opening in November 2017, will be located at 10808 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90230. For more information, call 310-216-1600 or visit wendemuseum.org.