Grant Slater/KPCC

LACMA unveils 'Levitated Mass' exhibit on Sunday, June 24, 2012.

Grant Slater/KPCC

LACMA unveils 'Levitated Mass' exhibit on Sunday, June 24, 2012.

Grant Slater/KPCC

LACMA unveils 'Levitated Mass' exhibit on Sunday, June 24, 2012.

Grant Slater/KPCC

LACMA unveils 'Levitated Mass' exhibit on Sunday, June 24, 2012.

Grant Slater/KPCC

LACMA unveils 'Levitated Mass' exhibit on Sunday, June 24, 2012.

The rock was the star as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art pulled the covers off artist Michael Heizer's latest creation - a 340-ton boulder positioned to appear as though it's floating in mid-air.

About a thousand people showed up under sunny skies as the gigantic work titled "Levitated Mass" was unveiled Sunday on LACMA's rear lawn, where it is intended to remain forever.

Its centerpiece is the two-story-tall chunk of granite that was hauled 105 miles from a Riverside rock quarry earlier this year. Since then, the rock has been carefully positioned above a 465-foot-long trench that museum visitors can stroll.

The 67-year-old Heizer, who rarely appears in public, was on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and led the first procession under his work of art.

Read More...

Photo by @johndunton via Twitter

Michael Heizer’s finished artwork "Levitated Mass" will officially open to the public on Sunday, June 24, LACMA announced on Tuesday.

Finally, you will be walk through the long concrete slot—one-and-a-half-football-fields long—descending 15 feet as the giant granite megalith rises over your head.

As a thank you to residents of select zip codes along the rolling stone's historic route, LACMA is offering free admission for the entire week of June 24–July 1 (with proof of residence).

From quarry to museum, relive the monumental story of what happened when greater Los Angeles followed a 340-ton pet rock on the world's slowest road trip:

• Modern 'rock': The one about the frenzy over LACMA's massive piece of granite
• LA museum to receive 340-ton boulder for art exhibit
• LACMA’s boulder is on the road
• Major LA streets close to accommodate boulder's path to LACMA340-ton boulder megalith begins 2-week roll from Riverside to LACMA for 'Levitated Mass' exhibit (photos, map)
• The LACMA Rock (and other nice rocks)
• What’s behind the $10 million price tag for LACMA’s rock sculpture?
• Everything needs an origin story, even 340-ton sculptures'
• Levitated Mass:' The 340-ton boulder is coming to LACMA, finally

Read More...

Photo by @johndunton via Twitter

One day, when aliens find our historical records and attempt to piece together the final days of human society, they will believe, with unshakable conviction, that we were a people who worshipped a giant, granite boulder.

From quarry to museum, this is the story of what happened when Greater Los Angeles followed a 340-ton pet rock on the world's slowest road trip. [MAP]

Here is a roundup of rockin' puns and questionable coverage...

Read More...