Moving beyond ArtWalk

Let me preface this post by saying that I’m a big fan of ArtWalk, I’ve been to nearly every one and I always have a great time. I also try to buy something original if I can and encourage others to follow suit. I will be in attendance this weekend for the Harvest ArtWalk. I [...]

BEST OF: the subjectivity of hierarchy and a few of my favorite things in Ventura County

We just put our annual Best Of Ventura County issue to bed after a long but mostly painless labor (depending on who you talk to.) This was not the first time I’ve been involved with the issue but it was my introduction to the back-end/inner workings of the voting process.
I am currently working on an [...]

New Art City vs. New Bar City

In the midst of decreased funding for the arts in Ventura (the “New Art City”) and the subsequent slow death of ArtWalk, the local music scene is, as I’ve reported previously, exploding. At the same time, the bar scene–if you can call it a scene–has recently been plagued by violence which has led to what [...]

The future of ArtWalk hangs in the balance

It’s been just over two months since I reported on the tenuous state of ArtWalk due to budget cuts. The final ArtWalk of its kind–100 percent city supported–was one of the best ever and left me feeling optimistic about the event’s future.
As the city has given over at least 1/2 the responsibility of coordinating, promoting [...]

Public art is not always pretty

Luis Perez’s Retablo

One of my favorite moments at last weekend’s Spring ArtWalk was hanging out at the new Vita-Art space with co-owner Luis Perez. Perez has a warmth and authenticity about him that made me not want to leave, which turned out well as my lingering allowed me to meet artist Wil Shephard who has a provocative, [...]

Follow me: ArtWalk

These are my picks for ArtWalk. I plan to go on Saturday, and make Sunday my cleaning day (sigh) but there are some noteworthy events on Sunday so please visit the ArtWalk Web site for details. My general order of visitation is west to east but that could change. Plus, I’m not [...]

Buying into the New Art City: Take my challenge

SHOW OFF THE ART YOU PURCHASE AT ARTWALK AND WIN!
In my article today about the business of ArtWalk, I quoted Focus on the Masters‘ Donna Granata regarding the importance of not only attending ArtWalk but also purchasing art.
While the city of Ventura has long been a destination for its diverse ecology, clean air and [...]