Dance, Emerging Artists and New Works at April’s Art Walk
A jam-packed First Thursday Art Walk on April will feature the usual self-guided tour of gallery openings but also an exhibit by youthful photographers, dancers and a reception and award ceremony at City Hall.
Participants move around town at their own pace, speeded by a free trolley service that terminates at Laguna Art Museum, Bluebird Canyon Drive and Seven Degrees on Laguna Canyon Road.
The ninth year of “Art That’s Small at City Hall” drew a record 130 entries of 12 inch art works. Winners receive awards at the 5 p.m. reception, 505 Forest Avenue.
Laguna Dance Festival’s April 14-17 spring season kicks off with special Art Walk performances in four locations: Laguna Art Museum hosts Backhausdance at 6:30 p.m. performing “Incandescent” and festival founder and artistic director Jodie Gates in “Reverence of Sorts;” Swenson Fine Art, at 7 p.m., 460 S. Coast Highway, a collage of contemporary works set to Vivaldi transport a trio of women and a solo man through the gallery; DuRu’s Fine Art, 1590 S. Coast Highway, at 7:30 p.m., an improvisational duet collaborates with a live musician; and at Seven-Degrees, 8:15 p.m., 891 Laguna Canyon Road, four choreographers display a collection of innovative contemporary dance works.
Student photographers will show off the results of a recent photo shoot, displayed at the Hurley retail store, 225 Forest Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach, beginning with next week’s Art Walk.
Sandstone Gallery, 384A N Coast Highway, hosts “Cosmic Dream,” by contemporary painter Sunny Kim and “Violin Variations,” by painter and sculptor Howard Hitchcock, which will be featured to May 2. Meet the artists April 7 from 6-9 p.m.
JoAnne Artman Gallery, 326 N. Coast Highway, will present “Unrecognizable,” works by Armenian painter Martiros Adalian and Portland artist Shannon Richardson, through May 30. An opening reception 6-9 p.m. coincides with Art Walk.
Artist Eye Laguna Gallery will host an opening reception for artists Michael Ward of Costa Mesa and local Marianne van der Veer during April’s Art Walk. The two guest artists will exhibit throughout April in the gallery, 1294-A So. Coast Highway.
Silver Blue & Gold, a gallery of contemporary studio jewelry at1492 S. Coast Highway, No. 5, hosts Brooklyn art jeweler Natasha Wozniak, who will meet Artwalk revelers Thursday, April 7, and will be on hand Saturday, April 9, for a spring trunk show. She will discuss her inspirations and techniques and work with clients to develop custom designs from rare gemstones.
An exhibit of new work by Jami Tobey, the Temecula artist known for her swirling landscapes and tree paintings, will be on display at the Laguna Art Group Gallery, 570 S. Coast Highway, during the month of April, with an opening reception for the artist to be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 7.
The event will feature Tobey’s most ambitious and intricate paintings to date, including “Under the Silent Moon,” where a tree stretches its branches into a blue and silver sky of whirling clouds. Also on exhibit will be “Siren’s Song,” the latest in a lighthouse painting series that represents a major shift for an artist so closely linked to Southwestern art.
“My latest work reflects an effort to test the boundaries of form, attitude and sensuality in art,” she said.
Festival of Arts Preview Exhibit at Wells Fargo
The Festival of Arts presents “Preview 2011,” a free exhibit at the Wells Fargo Bank, 260 Ocean Avenue, now through June 24, with a public reception for the artists from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 9.
The exhibit showcases half of the 28 exhibitors who were recently juried into the Festival of Arts and offers a preview of what’s new in the summer exhibition of works by 140 artists. They cover a wide range of media as well as experimental applications with mixed media.
A Bid for Attention
Laguna Beach High School art students want their 15 minutes of fame, so much so they have named their student exhibition “Attention.”
To prove their point, the nine photographers in Peter Tiner’s advanced placement art class captured their classmates breaking TV’s, wearing intense make up and soaking up harsh lighting, things to really grab one’s attention, explained student Sarah Smart.
See for yourself next week at 225 Forest where the student work will be on display in the downtown Laguna Beach Hurley store. Students invaded Hurley’s Costa Mesa headquarters for their photo shoot.
Said student Madison Seide, “For me, an individual’s gaze can say it all. I wanted to see and hear their stories.”
Smart said, “This shoot helped the art students be creative and unique by being themselves and really gave a chance to take some awesome, good quality photos.”
Kate McMahon’s motivation was simpler. “I just like to take pictures.”
Luke Dressler’s involvement was even more so. “I just wanted to break stuff.”
Added Devin Kent, “’Well, we wanted attention. What better way then to break things?”
Seena Shahmardi’s non sequiter: “Let my people go!”
With characteristic directness, participant Zachary Neev said, “I like superficial things.”
