With summer almost upon us, the Culver City Arts District is gearing up to celebrate the official changing of the seasons and longest day of the year on Saturday, June 21.
From noon to 7 pm, the Culver City Arts District Summer Solstice is a free self-guided tour of local galleries and businesses.
Featuring art, live music, and retail therapy, the event will offer special discounts to restaurants and retail shops.
In the summer of 2013, a group of local business owners gathered to discuss how to rejuvenate the area.
Culver City is home to a vast amount of galleries, so it is only fitting that the once popular Culver City Art Walk (cancelled due to government budget cuts) would eventually return to this busy arts center.
One of the goals of the group was to resurrect that event and unify the district. This grass roots effort first elected to “brand” the district by placing banners along Washington Boulevard between Helms and Fairfax.
The Culver City Arts District Summer Solstice is the next major step and will include all local businesses. Make Music LA will be providing the music (makemusicla.org).
Fresh Paint’s owner Josetta Sbeglia and gallery director Paul Dahmen have been actively involved with the planning stages of the Culver City Arts District Summer Solstice since its inception.
“Many residents of Los Angeles aren’t aware that there are over 30 galleries and countless great restaurants and retail establishments in such a small radius in Culver City,” says Dahmen. “Culver City has been ‘happening’ for 15 years so the banners and this Summer Solstice event will finally help to brand the area as the Arts District and bring awareness to Angelenos.”
Paint as part of the Culver City Arts District’s Summer Solstice celebration on Saturday, June 21.
Fresh Paint presents “Summer Solstice,” a group show featuring the work of Atticus Adams, Ivan Butorac, Joe Davidson, Cara Enteles, Ben Hecht, Ferdos Maleki, Kaoru Mansour, Carrie McGee, Heather Patterson, Karl Pilato, Hunt Rettig, and more.
The gallery will host musical performances throughout the day, both indoors and outdoors at 5835 W. Washington Boulevard (www.freshpaintart.com).
Other galleries such as Century Guild are providing different types of entertainment with a Summer Solstice Cabaret.
Jason Louv of Ultraculture will be giving a lecture on the occult while Shawn Borri of Borri Audio Laboratory will present a live wax cylinder recording on an Edison phonograph. Additional acts will feature Kevin Dippold, Emmett Skyy, and more at 6150 Washington Boulevard (www.centuryguild.net).
Sixty29 Contemporary offers an opening featuring the paintings by American-born artist Sallie Whistler-Marcucci.
Enjoy performances by Duo-Ex Ovo, Michael Jost, and more at 6029 Washington Blvd., www.sixty29contemporary.com.
Additional venues include: Arcana Books, Brunello Trattoria, Charles Jacobsen, Coolhaus, Hinge Modern, Klowden Mann, Koplin Del Rio, Mark Moore, Maxwell Alexander, Muddy Leek Restaurant, etc.
Attendees are encouraged to take public transportation.
The Culver City “CityBus” has joined the cause and will offer $1 day passes for unlimited rides. The Culver City Expo stop is one block east of the Arts District.
For more information and a full list of venues, visit www.culvercityartsdistrict.com.
