LOS ANGELES, CA.- The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) hosted a total of 39,669 visitors during the opening celebrations of the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion. More than 17,600 visitors attended LACMA’s Free Community Weekend on October 2-3, while the week prior nearly 13,000 museum members previewed the new campus, and 1,200 students came in through school tours. The opening events celebrated the new Resnick Pavilion; named in honor of long-time patrons Lynda and Stewart Resnick, whose $45 million donation was the lead gift in Phase II of LACMA’s Transformation campaign.

The opening festivities kicked off with the Resnick Pavilion’s September 23 press preview, and continued with the September 25 “Unmasking” gala, which raised nearly $5 million. The celebrations carried on into the following week with special membership viewings and receptions, all catered by Chef Joachim Splichal, Chef and Founder of Patina Catering and Patina Restaurant Group. A whopping 5,000 pounds of chicken, 800 pounds of salmon, 2,000 pounds of heirloom tomatoes, 300 gallons of ice cream and sorbet, 4,000 macaroons, and more than 20,000 chocolate truffles were served throughout the week.

Inside the Resnick Pavilion, museum-goers also explored the building’s three inaugural exhibitions: Eye for the Sensual: Selections from the Resnick Collection; Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico; and Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700–1915.

The exhibitions lent inspiration to the artist-led workshops at the Free Community Weekend, with guests making 297 powdered wigs, 418 masquerade-style masks, and sculpting 150 pounds of clay to make 450 miniature Olmec heads. Visitors were also treated to live musical performances by Plaza de la Raza Youth Mariachi Ensemble, Angel Lebron y su Sabor Latino under the direction of Irineo Yañez, and Quetzal.

The Community Weekend resulted in more than 660 new NexGen memberships— LACMA’s free membership group for all kids under 18 (one free adult admission per child is included). Through NexGen and Andell Family Sundays, visitors—and their families—can continue to visit LACMA for free every Sunday, and partake in an artist-led workshop, facilitated in-gallery activity, or interactive bilingual tour. All events are from 12:30–3:30 pm, and will be on the North Piazza throughout October.