Top Things to do at Bergamot Station this Summer
July 18, 2017 1:39 PM
by Jennifer Taylor
Have you visited Bergamot Station lately? It’s just off the Expo line at 26th Street. The City of Santa Monica is proud to support Bergamot Station Arts Center and its internationally celebrated galleries, theater company and cultural arts organizations. If you haven’t stopped by lately, you should know there’s a lot to explore. Here are a few upcoming events that may entice you to visit Bergamot:
- Bergamot Station Summer Celebration: Celebrate the summer and the arts at Bergamot Station’s big summer party on July 22 from 1 - 4 p.m., complete with food trucks, live music, dance performances, yoga, art exhibitions, documentary screenings, a beer garden and more.
- Plan your own personalized Santa Monica Gallery Hop: Start at Bergamot Station (Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.) to visit the galleries, then walk or bike down the Expo path to the 18th Street Arts Center (Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.). For upcoming gallery shows, receptions, art auctions, performances and artist talks, visit bergamotstation.com/events/
- Treat yourself to an al fresco lunch: Take a midday mosey over to Bergamot Station and dine at the Bergamot Café and stroll around the Arts Center while you’re there. Bergamot is for the entire community – head over.
Now that the Expo Light Rail train is running, Bergamot Station is more accessible than ever before. It also creates more opportunity for cultural adventurers to make a day jumping from the museums of Downtown LA and creative spaces in Culver City to Santa Monica’s cultural epicenter.
See what’s happening at Bergamot Station by visiting bergamotstation.com/explore and plan your trip.
Want to know more? Here is a quick look at the history and future of Bergamot Station.
Looking Back
Bergamot is an integral part of the history of Santa Monica and its support of – and commitment to – the arts. In the last 24 years, Bergamot has provided opportunities for artists living in our community as well as national and international artists, along with dozens of small businesses ranging from galleries and cafes to architecture studios. In addition, Bergamot has been the venue and host for hundreds of community non-profit organizations, including resident non-profit tenants City Garage Theater Company and Building Bridges Art Exchange, allowing the tenants and community to partner together to raise money for important charitable causes throughout the year. Recent beneficiaries have included the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, Crossroads School fundraisers, Santa Monica Police Activities League, the Boy and Girls Club of Santa Monica and the LA County Arts Internship Program.
Looking Ahead
Last month, the Santa Monica City Council reaffirmed its commitment to support the arts by approving a conceptual plan for the revitalization of Bergamot, which is anticipated to attract an estimated $95 million in investment to the complex in order to ensure Bergamot’s existence as a vibrant, diverse and inclusive world-class arts and cultural center for all. The plan includes tenant retention efforts and maintains affordable rents for galleries, cultural arts and nonprofit organizations who all call Bergamot home. The plan will add additional cultural uses to Bergamot over the next 5-10 years, including a museum or other cultural anchor tenant; additional nonprofit, performing arts, and cultural use spaces; substantial community gathering space; a restaurant and café; along with significant infrastructure improvements including a bike center, larger public restrooms, open space improvements and landscaping. A hotel and shared parking through the City Yards Modernization Project are also included in the plan. The Santa Monica Arts Commission, in partnership with the Bergamot tenants and the Worthe Development Team, look forward to working together to help shape the future of Bergamot Station Arts Center. For more information, visit www.smgov.net/bergamot.
Authored By
Jennifer Taylor
Economic Development Manager