Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk August 13, 2009

Downtown L.A. Art Walk 8/13 – Gallery Highlights

WHAT: Downtown L.A. Art Walk, the hottest grassroots cultural event in Southern California.
WHEN: Every second Thursday from 12pm-late. August Art Walk is August 13.
WHERE: Downtown Los Angeles, 5th & Main and surrounding area.
COST: The Art Walk is always free.
INFO: http://www.downtownartwalk.com or (213) 784-2598.

LOS ANGELES- The Downtown L.A. Art Walk, held on the second Thursday of the month year round, is one of the great success stories of the neighborhood's revival. Launched in 2004 by a small group of true believers in what was then the western edge of Skid Row, the event now draws upwards of 10,000 art enthusiasts, and includes live music, a thriving bar and restaurant scene, literary events, impromptu performances, and of course art on view in dozens of galleries.
In July, a new management team took over the Art Walk, to help steward an event that threatened to outgrow its borders. As a non-profit, the Art Walk is now run by Richard Schave, owner of Esotouric bus adventures and longtime host of the Art Walk's curated shuttle, The Hippodrome. With the aid of a passionate board of directors, Schave is dedicated to building on the community's good work and making downtown L.A. an even better cultural destination for great art, good company and exciting urban experiences.

The August 13 Art Walk might just be the biggest one yet, and art lovers will want to come early to make sure they see everything on their wish list.

To make the most of your visit, your first stop should be the Art Walk website: http://www.downtownartwalk.com

First click on the MAP link and print a guide to gallery hours and locations. Next click on WALKING TOURS and sign up to explore the Art Walk, for free, with expert tour guides like Mike the PoeT (Museum of Neon Art), Anne Block (Take My Mother Please), Crimbo the Clown (Esotouric), Richard Schave (Esotouric/ Art Walk Director) and Boris Mayzels (Downtown's favorite chiropractor). Finally, come to the Art Walk and explore the dozens of independent art spaces packed with original, affordable work. There's sure to be something to suit every taste and pocketbook, and memorable adventures to be had along the way.

Selected exhibits on view during the August 13 Art Walk include:

CREWEST (110 Winston St., LA, CA 90013, 213-627-8272) presents "Love and Guts," a continuing exhibition of artwork created by some of the most important pro-skaters and innovators of this influential branch of street culture. http://www.crewest.com

DEBORAH MARTIN GALLERY (209 West 5th Street, LA, CA 90013, 310-428-6464) shows French artist Valerie Daval, whose new American painting series " Les Grandes Vacances," invokes the luminosity of childhood memories -- intimate moments of grace where time seems suspended in space and light. http://www.deborahmartingallery.com

FIDM MUSEUM AND GALLERIES (919 South Grand Avenue, LA, CA 90015, 213-623-5821) hosts the 4th Annual "Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design" exhibition, featuring some of the best costumes from television's past and present. Featured productions include "Gossip Girl" (designer Eric Daman), "Coco Chanel" (Pierre-Yves Gayraud and Stephano DeNardis), "Grey Gardens" (Catherine Marie Thomas) and designs by Leanne Marshall, "Project Runway, Season 5" winner and FIDM graduate. http://www.fashionmuseum.org

JULIE RICO GALLERY (118 Fifth Street/ 500 South Spring Street, LA CA 90013, 213-817-6002) will exhibit paintings by Natalie Hile Cross, a downtown L.A. artist whose works are rooted in a representation of organic abstraction. In the adjacent Weeneez space, see contemporary photographs in the vintage tintype technique by Allan J. Barnes. http://juliericogallery.com

MORONO KIANG GALLERY (218 West 3rd Street, Bradbury Building, LA, CA 90013, 213-628-8208) presents "Traces of Being: Iran in the Passage of Memories," an interactive exhibition of new mixed media and installation works exploring the primacy of personal memory against a backdrop of divergent cultural experiences and collective histories. http://www.moronokiang.com

And on THE FREE HIPPODROME SHUTTLE (6pm-10pm) passengers will enjoy performances from GRETHEL BONILLA, CRIMEBO THE CLOWN and JANE CANTILLON, PICARD MANEUVER, FORT KING and RUTHAN FRIEDMAN, and DICK 'N' JANE. http://www.esotouric.com/hippodrome

Official Website: http://www.downtownartwalk.com