Mushrooms of Southern California

ABOUT THE PRESENTATION: Mushrooms are having a moment. How did this happen? Why now? Why are we trying to grow mushrooms in outer space? Can fungi really be used to replace plastic and animal leather products? How are mycologists using mushrooms to clean our polluted rivers and oil spills? How do you know if a mushroom is poisonous?

This week, local contemporary artist Sam Shoemaker will emerge from his underground laboratory to talk mushrooms and share some of his prized specimens. The artist will show examples of rare mushrooms living in his artwork and explain how he fell in love with the science of mycology. For Sam Shoemaker, mushrooms are not his art materials, they are his collaborators (he actually talks to them). In 2020, Sam Shoemaker created Myco Myco, a mycology studio in Los Angeles focused not just on aesthetic pursuits but also urban mushroom farming, research, education, and experimental "mycomaterial" cultivation.

Sam Shoemaker believes fungi play a vital and overlooked role in our dry Southern Californian climate. Many of the mushrooms used in his recent work are species that the artist has collected locally. His presentation will explain why the mushrooms living in the dirtiest parking lots in downtown LA proved to be the most useful collaborators in his latest large scale creations. Over the past several years, Sam has collected and cared for dozens of living fungi. Some are poison, others are medicine. Some glow in the dark while others eat trash. Some are used to build furniture and others can be used as ink.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Sam Shoemaker (b. 1991) is an interdisciplinary artist and mycologist based in Los Angeles, CA. Shoemaker’s recent artistic work involves an ongoing collaboration with rare, native, and medicinal fungi. After receiving an MFA from Yale University (sculpture) in 2020, Shoemaker created Myco Myco, a studio and laboratory focused on mushroom cultivation, citizen science, and experimental mycology. In addition to his artistic pursuits, Shoemaker has developed complex methods for producing renewable fungal based materials, including foam, leather, and various construction materials. Shoemaker has led numerous mushroom cultivation workshops across Southern California, at venues including the Claremont Botanical Garden, Pitzer College, and Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery. His recent exhibitions include Expanded Field at Ochi Projects, Los Angeles, CA, Walking at Café Quoi Sculpture Garden, Los Angeles, CA, Salon at Armor Corp Venice, CA, and Jupiter Finger organized by Shay Myerson at Harkawik Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Shoemaker’s first Los Angeles solo exhibition with OCHI, More Permanent Than Snow, will open in July 2022.

ABOUT THE CLUB: Founded in 1925, the Los Angeles Breakfast Club still thrives with food, friendship, and fun. Our meetings are held in our clubhouse, Friendship Auditorium, located at 3201 Riverside Drive, near the corner of Los Feliz Boulevard, in Griffith Park. Best described as a variety show, attendees enjoy a catered breakfast, silly songs, club traditions, and an interesting presentation from a guest speaker.

TICKETS: Sales on LAbreakfastclub.com close 48 hours before breakfast. Non-members are $25 and Members are $18, utilizing a special promo code.

Please arrive between 6:45 - 7:00 AM sharp! Doors close at 7:15 AM. Your admission includes a buffet breakfast, enjoyment of our 97-year-old club traditions, plus a special presentation from our Speaker of the Week!

COVID-19 SAFETY:

- Surgical disposable face masks or medical-grade masks (i.e., KN95, KF94, N95) must be worn at all times unless actively eating or drinking.

- Cloth masks may only be worn if they sit on top of surgical disposable masks.

- Masks must cover the nose and mouth completely, and must not have any exhalation valves, vents, or holes of any kind.

- Remain 6 feet physically distanced wherever possible.

- The Los Angeles Breakfast Club requires proof of full vaccination, along with a government or education issued photo ID, upon arrival. Per the guidelines set by the CDC, full vaccination means that at least 14 days have passed since receiving the final dose of an FDA-authorized or WHO-listed COVID-19 vaccine. For anyone who is eligible, the LABC also requires attendees to have received booster shots. A one-month (30 day) grace period is given to those eligible but have not yet received booster shots. Booster shot eligibility is defined as:

• Moderna recipients ages 18-plus and Pfizer recipients ages 16-plus are eligible for a booster 6 months after their second vaccine dose.
• Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients ages 18-plus are eligible for a booster 2 months after their initial vaccine.

For more information, please see the CDC’s guidance on boosters: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html.