East
Village presents artists
By Monica Levette Clark
On-line Forty-Niner
The
East Village Arts District Assoc. brought
its third annual Tour des Artistes to the
streets of downtown Long Beach Saturday.
Artists of all kind opened up their studios
and lofts to the public, displaying their
eclectic artwork.
The tour began at the Museum of Latin American
Art. After parking and receiving arts passports,
tour-goers were able to hitch a ride on
one of the many vans that took them around
certain areas of destination in the East
Village Arts District.
A current exhibit of Russian artist Alexej
Jawlensky was on display at the Long Beach
Museum of Art. Jawlensky was a pioneer artist
of abstraction in the early 20th century.
“The museum is right on the shoreline of
Long Beach and it is a beautiful scenery,”
Long Beach resident Paul Vega said. Vega
was thrilled to participate in this event
and is a big supporter of the arts.
Fashion illustrator and CSULB alumnus Daniel
Martinez was excited to open up his live/work
space to the public. Martinez said he got
his studio for “dirt-cheap” and invited
the public to “look through all of [his]
stuff.”
Another way the public got around to selected
art galleries and specialty shops was by
taking the Tour D’art mini bus. More exciting
than the vans, tour guides were on every
bus quizzing the public on art questions
for their chance to dig into a grab bag
of prizes if they answered correctly.
Former CSULB theatre arts professor Ken
Rugg was one of the tour guides.
“I
am a promoter of the arts and my daughter
is one of the promoters of the events,”
Rugg said.
Live music filled the area on Elm Street
as artists created a large mural on the
wall of a brick building while tour-goers
looked on in amazement. Tour-goers were
also able to participate in the Saturday
Art Walk and purchase various, artistic
items from sidewalk art vendors.
The Tour des Artistes is one of the many
events that EVA president Pat Paris Appleby
helps organize and manage. Appleby was pleased
with the turnout and was thankful for the
support of the public in helping the arts
district become one of the prime destinations
of the arts.
The district is located within borders east
of downtown Long Beach and will continue
to hold other artistic events.
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