Walking the Walk…

Walking the Walk
by Brian Prince

Downtown Fullerton Art Walk celebrates 2 years!
THIS FRIDAY, March 2, 2012, 6-10pm at The Museum Plaza

I can remember a few months after my wife and I opened PÄS Gallery, our friend and one of the Hibbleton Gallery owners, Jesse La Tour, came around with a clipboard and asked if we were interested in starting an Art Walk in downtown Fullerton. We were ecstatic. At the time I recollected the collaborative art events between Hibbleton, Buffalo Exchange and BTNC, but Jesse was talking larger-scale—something that would showcase the growing Fullerton art community and bring all walks of life together. He showed me a list of businesses and galleries along Harbor Boulevard and surrounding streets who already expressed interest, and he mentioned a lot more he was going to ask. That was late in 2009.

After a few months of planning and meeting with art-minded businesses, the Downtown Fullerton Art Walk was born. It was the first First Friday which fell on March 5, 2010. It was a smashing success. I can remember being interviewed on camera by Rita Garcia of KCAL-9. We had DJs, a live painter, hot food and wall to wall art lovers. Artists greeting other artists. People getting to know each other and becoming friends over art. The energy was alive. Community was happening without us even realizing it. And that was just in our corner of this unique downtown. I was able to walk around and the same vibe was happening in an assortment of pockets around downtown.

Fast forward two years and 24 art walks, community pride is on the rise, connections have evolved and the positivity has gone viral. There’s a new love for art these days in downtown Fullerton.

On Friday, March 2, 2012 from 6-10pm, the Downtown Fullerton Art Walk will celebrate its two-year anniversary with a massive art event at the Fullerton Museum Plaza. This special event will celebrate the growing Fullerton art community by giving people a central location to meet. The community will gather amongst live art demonstrations, interactive art displays, live music from bands like Jupilar and jams from Lil Rock, dance performances from the CF Dance Academy, visual art of many local artists like Mike Myers and Monk Muñoz, kids activities, food trucks, and the beer and wine garden. Many venues will be closed so they can attend this one-night art event. On the plaza you’ll find monthly venues Max Bloom’s Cafe Noir, Lucero Photography, Tranquil Tea Lounge, Eden Cafe, Hibbleton, Bookmachine, PÄS, Studio EMP, Josh and Monica’s Studio, Adorned, Carpe Diem Experience, Secret City Comic Society, NoCo Studio, Pastel Art Gallery, Fullerton Museum and more. Also joining the festivities are other Fullerton arts organizations such as Stages, Hunger Artists, The Muckenthaler, Fullerton College Art Department, The Fox Theater and All the Arts for All the Kids Foundation.

The Downtown Fullerton Art Walk is building relationships between arts organizations, downtown businesses, and the public, and has emerged as a regular part of the downtown culture. It is developed and promoted by the downtown art community and retailers who independently curate their own shows. It’s every month, it’s all ages, and it’s free! Starting two years ago with only a handful of art-minded businesses, the event has now grown to more than 30 venues in the downtown Fullerton area.

Formally, the Downtown Fullerton Art Walk is a coalition of galleries and businesses whose goal is to promote the arts and build community. Informally, we’re just a bunch of locals who get together every month welcoming new friends into the Fullerton art scene. The monthly Art Walk is usually a multi-venue art experience guiding visitors through the downtown area, but for March all the fun for this ground-breaking two-year anniversary event will be held in the heart of downtown at the Fullerton Museum Center. I can’t wait to see you there.

Come enjoy some family-friendly fun and be inspired by your local artists on Friday, March 2nd! For more information about this free event, please visit www.fullertonartwalk.com or hit me up at 714 871 2727.


check it out in print on the cover of the Early March issue of the Fullerton Observer: (pdf).