April is Arts Month
April 3, 2019 9:09 AM
by Allison Ostrovsky
A version of this article originally appeared in the April/May edition of Seascape.
Celebrating the Impact of the Arts Locally and Statewide
April is Arts Month, which celebrates the positive contributions that the arts make to our citizens and visitors. Since 2017, the City of Santa Monica has been proud to partner with ArtsforLA to celebrate how the arts, culture and creativity contribute to a better Los Angeles County for everyone.
This year, Arts Month expands statewide as California is officially proclaiming it Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month, with events featured throughout the State. To highlight the importance of the arts to the fabric of Santa Monica, the City will be heralding Arts Month at the April 23 City Council meeting. Please join us in celebrating the arts by tuning in or attending the meeting to hear a proclamation on the arts and see performances by artists who have been supported by the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs.
Here a few other highlights from the arts in Santa Monica:
ART IN THE PARKS
The City of Santa Monica greets spring, summer and fall with Art in the Parks, a smorgasbord of free art and performances in parks throughout the City, starting in May and running through October. Art in the Parks invites everyone to explore the City’s many parks through a range of art experiences, including live music, dance, and visual art for all ages at Art@Tongva, Meet Me at Reed, Make Music LA and Jazz on the Lawn. See the schedule at santamonica.gov/artintheparks.
BERGAMOT STATION ARTS CENTER
Over the past year, the City has been working with the Arts Commission and Worthe Real Estate Group, the developer who is managing Bergamot Station Arts Center to revitalize the site and establish a process for bringing new arts tenants to Bergamot, with the goal of ensuring the arts remain a vibrant part of the City’s ecosystem. We are pleased to announce that new arts tenants will be joining the Bergamot family in the coming months. In addition, Bergamot galleries and nonprofit arts organizations have been hosting quarterly campus-wide events that activate the site and engage the community with music, artist talks and gallery openings. You can learn more about upcoming events at facebook.com/bergamotsm.
CALL FOR ARTISTS
The City has launched a Call for Artists to create a prequalified roster of local, regional, national, and international artists. The curated shortlist of artists will enable the City to expand and diversify its support to artists by connecting talented artists who are creating unique, innovative, and transformative works to projects of varying scales, timelines, and artistic disciplines in the city of Santa Monica. View the application at bit.ly/ArtSaMoRoster.
CAMERA OBSCURA ART LAB ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
Camera Obscura Art Lab presents the concluding event for Studio Residents Max King Cap and DaEun Jung on Saturday, April 13. The afternoon starts with a live performance by DaEun and her dancers on the far west end of the Pier from 3 – 4 p.m., then continues at the Camera Obscura with a conversation, short play reading and exhibit of new works by multimedia artist Max King Cap.
For more info, visit santamonica.gov/arts.
Authored By
Allison Ostrovsky
Cultural Affairs Supervisor