Venues are an integral part of any event and choosing where to hold an event is one of the most delicate decisions you can make. Bringing the Middlecott Sketcbattle Experiment™ experience to Los Angeles was an easy decision. Deciding to hold the event at the prestigious Petersen Automotive Museum? Even easier. 
Rated by CNN, Octane, and Top Gear as “the world’s greatest automotive museum” the Petersen Automotive Museum has always been an amazing setting for glamorous celebrations. But, after its 2015 total transformation inside and out, it’s become a positively astounding place to hold the Sketchbattle – what could be better than to sketch while sitting in the middle of the artistry that is the automobile?
The Sketchbattle doors open at 7pm on Wednesday November 16th and guests will enter to the main competition area, the Mullin Grand Salon. The Petersen prides itself on the regular changes to the automobiles on exhibition. On this date the Grand Salon will be filled with Bugattis, a collection of artifacts and 20 rare vehicles that celebrates the best of the Bugatti family’s creations.
“Looking back allows me to look forward” – Ettore Bugatti
From the website “The range of their creativity is immense: drawing and painting, exquisite furniture design, jewelry and fine silver, musical instruments, literary pursuits, extraordinary bronze sculpture, and most well-known to the modern world, the design, engineering and fabrication of superb vehicles to satisfy man’s pursuit of freedom via transportation…at speed.”
VIP guests will have access to a quiet lounge, the Armand Hammer Foundation Gallery. When we toured the museum the Calder 3.0 CSL was front and center.
On the night of the sketchbattle the Hammer Gallery will feature the works of Jeff Koons , David Hockney and Matazo Kayama. As a side note I have been a fan of the art cars since my earliest days in Germany and my 4 favorite are Calder and Stella, Lichtenstein and Koons. I cannot wait to get my picture next to this one, 2 down and 2 to go.
The Petersen is not our only venue partner for Los Angeles. The Sketchbattle is also the official Designer party of Automobility LA and the Los Angeles Auto Show.
AutomobilityLA is the result of merging the previous Press and Trade days with the more recent Connected Car Expo at Los Angeles Convention Center’s new Technology Pavilion.
The four-day event (Monday – Thursday 11/14-11/17) will bring together the entire “new mobility ecosystem”. Click this link to see the schedule of events at the Los Angeles Convention Center and click this link to register.
Wednesday looks to be an awesome day. Start the day at AutomobilityLA with breakfast compliments of Chrysler. Emcee Tim Stevens, Editor-in-Chief of CNET’s Roadshow will then introduce the Morning Keynote by Padmasree Warrior, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Development Officer of NextEV.
Following the keynote the exhibits open and Ride-and-Drives get started. Wednesday will feature press conferences from Alfa Romeo, Nissan, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar/Land Rover, Mini, Acura, Mazda, Hyundai and Kia.
In the afternoon there will be a special presentation in the Technology Pavilian “Meet the Hyperloop One” after which the top 5 Designer and Developer Challenge Teams will make a presentation before the final awards are handed out. The Pavilion closes at 6pm which gives just enough time to grab and quick bite and head over the The Petersen Museum.
On Wednesday night we welcome the tech companies, developers, startups, investors, dealers, government officials, analysts and others who attend to join the auto designers at the Petersen Museum to witness the Fight Club of Design.
Doors open at 7pm, The Sketching starts at 8pm
The Middlecott Sketchbattle Experiment is a benefit for The Petersen Automotive Museum.
The Museum has more than 300 vehicles on display including historic race cars, iconic Hollywood cars and rare, award-winning Hot Rods presented in 25 stunning galleries. It is also home to the famous Vault, where visitors can experience a guided tour through the the Petersen’s extended collection, held in the lower level of the museum. Having recently undergone a 90 million dollar, record-breaking renovation this past year, the Petersen has poised itself to be the world’s leading automotive museum and a center for automotive thought. To learn more about the Petersen, visit petersen.org.
Come back tomorrow to learn more about the activities at the Middlecott Sketchbattle Experiment™ LA including the awesome venue and check out:
- Our judging panel here
- Some of our contestants here.
- Get a original sketch from these famous artists
And don’t forget to buy tickets here – we expect a rather long line at the event and having your tickets in advance will shorten your queue time. Also don’t forget we support students with deeply discounted advance tickets – where else will you get to see Bugattis and BMW Art Cars up close and personal for $5?
Frank Schwartz