The Court of Sciences, a location typically associated with
science and math, catered to the fine arts this weekend as an
inundation of artistic activity drew crowds to ArtsDay LA on
Saturday. The event adopted the theme, “Explore the art
within you,” and indeed granted attendants numerous
possibilities to discover and harness their creative side.
Produced and hosted by the UCLA Extension’s arts
department, ArtsDay LA featured a multitude of different sponsors
encompassing every artistic enterprise imaginable: creative
writing, screenwriting, landscape architecture, graphic design,
painting, theater and photography.
Representing over 30 L.A. arts organizations, volunteers manning
the outdoor booths supplied information and answered questions
while distributing handouts. Businesses sponsoring the event sold
art, writing supplies and software, along with many other
products.
The first 300 arrivals received a gift package that included
magazines, booklets and hats. Those who came later did not leave
empty-handed, however. Attendants gathered not only insight into
the featured arts, but also plenty of paraphernalia. LA Weekly
offered satiric posters of President Bush, while Amoeba Music gave
out canvas bags.
Attendants enjoyed samplings of exotic fruits supplied by the
California Rare Fruit Growers, which included tamarinds, swantal
feijoas and prickly pears, all with appearances and tastes as
unique as their names.
Any person who signed in was eligible to enter a drawing for a
number of prizes such as bonsai trees provided by Dai Ichi Bonsai
Kai and art supplies provided by Utrecht Art Supply and Graphaids
Inc.
The highlight of the event was the variety of lectures presented
throughout the afternoon by a panel of professional individuals in
their respective fields. Thirty-two different sessions were
offered, each 45 minutes in length, focusing on different subjects
in the areas of architecture, visual arts and design and
writing.
Topics varied from writing a screenplay to viewing a landscape
as art; from Picasso and cubism to taking the perfect photographs.
The discussions gave an interesting perspective into these specific
fields and followed with a chance for those attending to pose
questions to the panel. The only drawback was the extensive nature
of the schedule ““ attendants had to choose from eight
appealing lecture topics for each time slot.
The upper courtyard featured a book signing of different authors
throughout the day, with a station nearby selling their works. A
workshop called the Circle of Creativity encouraged direct artistic
participation, offering the public a chance to sketch a live model
in various poses. ArtsDay LA also provided a child-friendly setting
with a huge tented kids corner devoted to arts and crafts.
Throughout the event, live music played, with the sounds of
classic guitar and jazz filling the air as people took advantage of
the warm weather by resting outdoors for an afternoon respite.
““ Laura Picklesimer
E-mail Picklesimer at lpicklesimer@media.ucla.edu.