We plan on welcoming these New Yorkers with open arms….as long as they involve either gourmet ice cream or artisanal, handcrafted goodies. These criteria make the Arts District debut of Brooklyn-born craft market Artists & Fleas a no-brainer. Every third weekend of the month, stroll along Mateo St (between 6th and 7th Sts) from 11am to 5pm, for an outdoor weekend event, featuring locally made art, fashion, vintage wares, vinyl, edibles and beyond. Mingle with LA’s hippest while eyeing hand-beaded jewelry or one-of-a-kind reclaimed wood work from 75+ vendors. Including one of our new favorite local vendors Pretty Soap Suds Co. Plus, there’s a “feed lot” each weekend that features five LA-based food trucks; past participants include Coolhaus, Currywurst and Komodo. Admission is free. Check here for more information regarding this months vendors and more!...
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“Zodiac in Retrograde” Artists Reception: Saturday, May 16th, 2015, 12pm – 4 pm The Gabba Gallery presents Zodiac, an exhibition inviting the viewer to experience a myriad of interpretations of an age-old driving force. Arriving in the 2nd millennia BC, astrology is, arguably, part of the human collective unconscious. In its’ broadest sense, astrology is humanities search for meaning in the sky. The Gabba Gallery has curated its’ almost 2000 sq. ft. gallery, with this search for meaning and what energies drive us. In this exhibit, the coming together of the artists’ exploration is an experience inviting you to discover different interpretations as they give rise to, and touch the viewer’s collective unconscious memories. The curiosity is palatable, to see what artists such as Mike Christy, with his otherworldly painting style, Andrea LaHue aka Random Act, with her layered and nature based paintings and Frank Forte and his love for the cartoon, craft. “We are so driven by astrology, the stars drive each of us differently. So in this show we are excited to see what moves our artists. There is a lot of passion when it comes to the zodiac. We are harnessing it in art, and couldn’t be more excited.” Jason Ostro, Curator The artists included in Zodiac were handpicked by curators Ostro and Santos to explore and share their unique visions of this ancient, deep-rooted and sometimes controversial subject of astrology and the zodiac, and are as follows: Amy Smith, Andrea Lahue, Benedigital, Bleep Bloop, Cody Bayne, Daisuke Okamoto, Daryll Peirce, Espana Garcia, Frank Forte, Gabe Larson, Gianni Arone, Jeremiah Allen Welch, Jessica Ward, Jinx, Joey Rotten, Kate Kelton, Keith Dugas, Kristi Bockrath, Laurene Alvarado, Mary Ancilla Martinez, Mary Hanson, Michele Waterman, Mike Bell, Mike Christy, Moncho1929, Monty Montgomery, Paul Hogue, Michael Pukac, Rene Gagnon, Scott Holloway, Septerhed, Toshee, Vakseen, Valerie Pobjoy, and William Zdan Zodiac will be on view through May 23rd, 2015. A reception for the artists is on Saturday, May 16th, 12p.m.-4 p.m. and is sponsored by Hubert’s and...
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ECHO PARK — The lulling sounds of a Buddhist chant box invite passersby to peep inside the small store at the corner of Echo Park and Scott Avenues. Inside, in an otherworldly setting, a wild variety of cacti displayed on cinder blocks are jammed into the 350-square-foot shop, illuminated by red light bulbs that decorate the walls. Welcome to Echo Park’s cactus shop. Actually, the shop, known to some as the Cactus Store or Hot Cactus, does not have an official name. “The store intentionally doesn’t have a name,” said co-owner Carlos Morera, “We felt the neighborhood didn’t need anything that was branded, it just is what it is. We wanted it to feel like you’ve wandered into another dimension and, if it had a big name outside, it wouldn’t feel like another dimension, dimensions don’t have names,” Morera has collected cacti for more than 18 years. After leaving a Los Angeles design firm to start his own self-funded projects, Morea saw the small space open up down the street from his house. Within two weeks, Morera opened the cactus store on December 5 , along with four partners and fellow designers, and his uncle, Johnny Morera, who manages the store. The 350-square-foot store has a collection of more than 150 cacti that have been handpicked for their quality or unusual shape. Prices range from about $25 to $750.“All of the owners are designers and we are all involved in different projects that try to blur the lines between what we are,” Morea said. A “Devil’s Run” is what Morera calls the trips to the California/Mexico border where they handpick their new stock at hard-to-reach cactus farms. The trip is usually taken by one person and a trailer hitch along fire roads that are not maintained by any jurisdiction, Morera said. “You really have to keep your confidence on these trips, but when you get back it feels like a major accomplishment, like coming from hell and back with badass cactus!” They recently built a greenhouse at Morera’s house and are looking into hiring a horticulturalist to crossbreed and propagate different species of cactus. They hope to offer their own “weird species”...
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The Silver Lake Craft Cocktail & Beer Exposition is right around the corner! Join us April 25th at 4100 Bar for an inclusive showcase of the best hospitality providers in the Silverlake community (4100 Bar, The Thirsty Crow, The Black Cat, El Condor, Garage Pizza, & more!) Partake in an array of cocktails, locally brewed craft beers and bites presented by over a dozen local Bars, Breweries and restaurants. Tickets are $30, $5 of which will be donated to the Sunset Free Health Clinic. Buy yours before it’s too late! Guests will also have the opportunity to sign up for our Pizza Eating Contest where Garage Pizza will crown the Neighborhood Champion for 2015!...
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Echo Park Craft Fair May 9th-10th If you’re looking for some last minute weekend fun or just want to tinker around at another one of Echo Park’s ever evolving carousel of hipster events, head east this weekend to hit up The Echo Park Art and Craft Fair. This biannual arts and design showcase will be taking over Mack Sennett Studio this Saturday May 9th (10-6 pm) and Sunday, May 10th (10-5 pm.) As per the usual, Echo Park Craft Fair’s beautiful and talented creators, Beatrice Valenzuela and Rachel Craven have collected the most impressive roster of creative heads to satisfy any hipsters indie shopping desires. This year the fair will showcase the work of Gabriela Artigas, Dream Collectiveand Objects Without Meaning. Cold-pressed organic juice will also be provided by Moon Juice, hipsters rejoice....
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So Coachella sold out before you could get tickets to the big festival? Then come out for the next best thing: Bootchella! Bootie SF resident DJ Tripp joins Bootie LA’s own ShyBoy in playing music from Coachella artists past and present throughout the night! But there’s one big twist — they’ll all be mashed up! For the Midnight Mashup Show, rock and roll chanteuse Kat Robichaud joins ShyBoy to belt out mashups live, while resident dance crew R.A.I.D. put on their best festival outfits to throw down go-go madness for you all night! Plus SceneSnaps captures it all, and free Bootie mashup CDs for the first 100 people through the door! It might not be the “real” Coachella, but it’s 3000 percent cheaper and you won’t get sunburned! Launched in 2003 by San Francisco DJ duo A Plus D, Bootie was the first club night dedicated solely to the then-burgeoning artform of the bootleg mashup — and is now the biggest mashup event in the world, with regular parties in several cities on four continents. Voted “Best Club Night” for the past nine years, Bootie celebrates pop culture both past and present, keeping your brain guessing and body dancing with creative song combinations. Mixing and matching every musical genre, era, and style into one big dance party, it’s a place where everyone is welcome. And with free mashup CDs given away like candy, Bootie provides the soundtrack for the A.D.D. generation. For all Bootie parties worldwide: http://BootieMashup.com...
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