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Health & Fitness

Be a Part of Art in Long Beach - Lemonade Day

When life gives you lemons, make Community Lemonade in Long Beach with me. Day 54 - I'm wondering what I can do for Arts Month. I want to make something. Monsters? Giant dominoes or chess pieces?

. I'm taking the opportunity of this unplanned time off to connect with the many artists and creators in this wonderful city that I love. Come with me on my 100-day odyssey of art and creativity in Long Beach. I call it .

The Arts Council for Long Beach wants you, Long Beach creatives, to color Long Beach with art, song, dance and performances in October.  Everyone who creates is invited to share what they create!

August 24th was Day 54.  I'm thinking about what I can do for Long Beach Arts Month.

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I've been to a few of the Arts Month planning meetings.  So far, meetings were focused around some anchor performances and spaces for those performances during Arts Month.  October must be getting closer, I think, because the meeting yesterday seemed different.  True, it was at the EXPO arts building, exciting in itself, but this meeting was full of new faces.  Faces anxious to deliver workshops, exhibits and performances!  People came in to see what they could offer, and to find spaces for their efforts.

A very beautiful thing happened then. 

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Some of the attendees were representing spaces that could be used for delivering those workshops and art displays.  The artists found their spaces at that very meeting!  I love when you can see the path from facilitation to engagement to connection to success. I especially love it when you can see it within an hour!

In October, Arts Month will show the diversity of our city of Long Beach through art in any form.  This is the third year for this initiative, previously known as Global Long Beach.  Arts institutions, individual artists with shows, galleries, performance spaces, are encouraged to plan a public creative offering for October Arts Month and to register that event on the Arts Month calendar.  Yes, you may have a fee for admission to or participation in your activity.

Registration of your event will permit the artist or artist's space to cross-promote to their communities using the Arts Month logo.  Artists must also register for the Arts Council registry.

Are you an artist with a vision of something you can do for Arts Month?  Come to the next meeting on September 6th, at 3:00 PM Utopia Restaurant.  If you can't make it then, contact Molly Gardner at the Arts Council. 

Are you a book store, a record-store, a restaurant, an artist's outlet, a studio, a church or warehouse and you want to offer your space?  Do you want to host an artist but don't yet know who, how or what?  The meeting is a great opportunity for you to make a connection!

Arts Month is one of the ways that the Arts Council for Long Beach advocates for the creative community in Long Beach.  This year's Arts Month event is chaired by Kamran Assadi, one of the co-owners of Utopia Restaurant (1st & Linden).

A Call for Board Member Applications

You may have seen a call for board members in one of our local Long Beach papers, one of the local websites or from the ACLB itself.  Molly explained to me that outreach for board members has not previously been done at this level by the Arts Council.  The why is this.  The ACLB knows that there are people who care about the arts... people who care about Long Beach... that are not yet involved.  It seeks to broaden the board.  They're looking for folks excited and energized about what can be.  People who bring new ideas to the table, people who can help to get the word out that Long Beach is an arts and culture destination.  People who can help to continue the growth of the arts in Long Beach.

Want more lemonade?       

Tidbits, Things, Trails

  • You may be interested in knowing about the interesting people I met at the meeting.  Here's one for you!  Slater Barron, the Lint Lady who has made art out of lint for many years, including some rather large pieces!  Ooh, I so have to go and visit her!  If you can find a use for lint, you can find a use for anything!
  • Then... printmaking and silkscreen artist Traci Durfee and friend Jamie Kivisto who will be doing classes in October.  You know I'll be hanging over shoulders at that session!
  • Carol Roemer, Painting, mixed media, LBCC Professor.
  • I'm pretty excited.  I started a Long Beach Makers Meetup group, and would love anyone interested in Making, Crafting or DIY culture to join so that we can start to connect!  I'm hoping to have project share days, shared interest classes and more!

Next up:

It's Saturday.  I have to take the GLASG drum carder back.  I wonder what the folks are doing?

Also... a friend pointed me to an interesting Maker Space in Echo Park.  Machine Project.  I thought about one of their recent offerings... Staple Draping Workshop.  Hm... how does that work?  Sounds as if it might hurt!

If you would like to contact me, please email me at  info@handmadepenguin.com

Trish Tsoiasue writes as herself about creative and maker topics for and as Handmade Penguin for the Handmade Penguin Blog.

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