Media
Sand City popup offers ‘Portrait of an Artist’
By Beth Peerless, Monterey Herald
Posted: 03/16/16, 6:01 PM PDT
Sand City >> The modern world moves in mysterious ways. More so now than ever, society evolves rapidly. That lack of permanence and the resultant fluidity creates fertile ground for spontaneity and creative thinking.
In this type of environment, the popup event has become an interesting reality. Just like the food truck trend that supplants the brick and mortar restaurant, a popup art exhibition allows artists to make their art known to the public without having to make a long-term commitment.
Such is the case with this weekend’s “A Portrait of an Artist” at The Independent Gallery in Sand City.
The popup brings together 25 Sand City artists, each showing a single piece, in an exhibit anchored by 15-by-20-inch framed portraits of each artist by photographer Kayhan Ghodsi.
At first, the popup was planned only for 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, an artist reception party featuring music, food and drinks. Later, the Sand City Art Committee decided to keep the artwork on display for one more afternoon, from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Ghodsi moved to the tiny burg by the bay a little over a year ago, taking an apartment on Hickory Street that looks out over the The Independent’s courtyard. A filmmaker born in Iran, the 62-year-old has made many moves in his life, but this one he thinks is most fortunate because it places him in a crucible of creative thinking.
“That’s the whole thing about Sand City,” he said as we shared tea at his kitchen table. “If there’s so many people thinking creatively every day within two square blocks of me, it makes a wonderful place to live.”
When he came to look at the apartment, he met future neighbor Craig Hubler, who happens to be the chairman of the five-member Sand City Art Committee. Their conversation convinced Ghodsi that this place had found him.
Ghodsi had an idea to create one- to two-minute film clips about the artists who surrounded him. Hubler invited him to share his vision at a committee meeting, where members talked about the possibility of using the clips on a new website, sandcityart.com.
“Kayhan has this drive, and he came to our meetings to see what we were doing,” said Maya Freedman, committee secretary and social media/PR person. “And he told us about his project, before he started doing it. He wanted to do one minute video clips of the artists, their statements or whatever, and it morphed into his doing a series of photographs instead.
“With the video idea, at first we thought we could put them on our new website we were building. And then when he started doing the portraits, we thought, ‘Let’s do a show.’”
As a 19-year-old aspiring filmmaker, Ghodsi left Iran to attend a technical film school in Paris, which then led him to San Francisco to receive his bachelor’s degree from the Art Institute. He went on to work as a freelance camera operator and documentary television and film producer.
He relocated to Iran after the revolution there, but after several years of not seeing the change he wanted, he returned to the Bay Area and opened a restaurant, Café Select in Berkeley.
He studied meditation and healing at the Berkeley Psychic Institute and the Church of Aesclepion Healing in San Rafael. In 1999, he began teaching and doing healing readings. He’s written a book with Stephanie Gunning titled “You Are a Spirit: Nine Steps to Heaven on Earth.”
Using his clairvoyant visual abilities, Ghodsi beautifully illustrates the Sand City artists in the environment in which they create their art. He considers the show to be an art installation, an artistic endeavor in itself.
Ghodsi is donating the portraits to the Art Committee, and they will be on exhibit in several Sand City locations in the coming months, including City Hall and Sweet Elena’s Bakery and Café.
“It was nice meeting all these accomplished artists,” Ghodsi said. “I had just moved here to Monterey and it was nice to meet these people. The range of artists is amazing. From the 25-year-old daughter of Greg Hawthorne, Shelby Hawthorne, who does glass work, up to Eleen Auvil, who came here as an artist in the ’60s, and she’s now 85 years old. She does copper pieces.
“The differences are amazing. Some are professionals that sell their art and make a living from it, and there are artists who have no interest in selling their art. The one thing they do have in common is they’re all really, really good artists.”
Other artists showing their work are: Craig Hubler, Todd Kruper, Holly and Ashley Temple, Barney Cullen, Manny Espinoza, Jean Luc Pretti, Larry Fischer, Domini Ann, Gilbert Julian, Suzanne St. John, Dave Pendergrass, Shawn Kelly, Frank Christie, Angus Keiffer, Kristen Fuentes, Karl Schaefer, Taylor Hawthorne, Libby Sofer, Frederick Saunders, Joseph Cook and Jodie Brown.
The Independent Gallery is at 600 Ortiz Ave. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
Beth Peerless is a Herald correspondent.
West End Celebration, Sand City, California in Lego 2014
Sand City: West End Festival
By Marcos Cabrera, Monterey Herald
Posted: 08/24/14, 12:01 AM PDT
SAND CITY >> The West End Festival is a vibe.
It's live graffiti art and the smell of spray paint and the infectious thump of a live band covering Guns 'N' Roses' "Sweet Child O Mine."
It's pop-up Lego art exhibits in front yards and youth drum lines going for broke.
It's Sand City studios showcasing unique displays, like a piece of body armor made of old car bumpers.
It's pets being pushed on skateboards and the irresistible aroma of bacon wrapped hot dogs and a beautiful Peninsula afternoon being put to good use by thousands of eager festivalgoers.
The 2014 edition of Sand City's gift to Monterey County wrapped up Sunday, with several thousand attendees walking through Ortiz Avenue and its side streets, bringing a joyous atmosphere and abundance of spirit.
"I love this town," said Sand City resident Kristen Fuentes, perched under a canopy set up in the front yard of her home on the corner of Hickory and Redwood, one block up from the festival's epicenter at the Independent building.
Fuentes transformed her short front yard into a pop-up art exhibit: a scaled version of the entire West End community made up entirely of Legos building blocks.
The replica community included such West End landmarks as the aforementioned Independent building, the Carmel Stone Imports building, P.G. Mill Works, DL Motor Sports and all of the surrounding neighborhoods.
And in case you were lost, there was a red sign pointing to a replica of Fuentes' home, inscribed with the words "You Are Here."
"It's really cool to have a sense of community here," said Fuentes, a rabid Lego collector. The West End construction took about two weeks to complete. She estimated it had between 4,000 to 5,000 pieces in total.
Up the block, Salinas' Urban Arts Collaborative was spray painting a mural it dubbed "A Happening." In its early stages, the piece featured palm trees and other flourishes of landscape.
J.C. Gonzales, a program mentor and founder, said the piece was meant to reflect the access to the arts that West End Festival provided.
"It's 'A Happening' because (West End Festival) is happening," said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez said the collaborative was happy to be involved with the festival as an opportunity to share its crafts and talents with other artists.
The collaborative showcased two other installations: "The Jack," a large exhibit that resembled a giant toy jack. And a series of Crayola crayons that stood about six feet tall.
Each piece was constructed from used 50-gallon oil barrels and each will soon be put on public display. The Jack will be installed at Cesar Chavez Library in Salinas. The crayons will go up in Sand City, where they will be visible from Highway 1.
"I'm definitely enjoying myself," said Gonzalez. "It's important we have these types of events in our community."
That sentiment was echoed by Craig Hubler, Sand City Councilman and chair of the Sand City Arts Committee, which sponsors the West End Festival.
Hubler was stationed at his work studio on Hickory Street. A metal fabricator and bronze sculptor, Hubler is vested in the event as both a participant and organizer.
"I love connecting with the other artists," said Hubler, who credited the festival's success to event director Steven Vagnini and his organizational team. "I believe art is a communal thing. It's not a selfish thing. I'm all about collaboration."
This year's event featured a total of 150 artists in all mediums, visual and performance. That was up from a total of 100 in 2013. Next year, there should be even more, Hubler said.
That is the key to the festival's popularity: it's an immersive arts experience punctuated by the never-ending rhythm of music audible at each turn.
"The music is great," said festival attendee Kathleen Marcus of Carmel.
Cradling a half-full glass of wine from Pierce Ranch Vineyards, Marcus said the festival provided a great chance to enjoy arts and crafts, people-watch, and soak in the vibe.
"This is one to come back to each year," said Marcus.
By Marcos Cabrera, Monterey Herald
Posted: 08/24/14, 12:01 AM PDT
SAND CITY >> The West End Festival is a vibe.
It's live graffiti art and the smell of spray paint and the infectious thump of a live band covering Guns 'N' Roses' "Sweet Child O Mine."
It's pop-up Lego art exhibits in front yards and youth drum lines going for broke.
It's Sand City studios showcasing unique displays, like a piece of body armor made of old car bumpers.
It's pets being pushed on skateboards and the irresistible aroma of bacon wrapped hot dogs and a beautiful Peninsula afternoon being put to good use by thousands of eager festivalgoers.
The 2014 edition of Sand City's gift to Monterey County wrapped up Sunday, with several thousand attendees walking through Ortiz Avenue and its side streets, bringing a joyous atmosphere and abundance of spirit.
"I love this town," said Sand City resident Kristen Fuentes, perched under a canopy set up in the front yard of her home on the corner of Hickory and Redwood, one block up from the festival's epicenter at the Independent building.
Fuentes transformed her short front yard into a pop-up art exhibit: a scaled version of the entire West End community made up entirely of Legos building blocks.
The replica community included such West End landmarks as the aforementioned Independent building, the Carmel Stone Imports building, P.G. Mill Works, DL Motor Sports and all of the surrounding neighborhoods.
And in case you were lost, there was a red sign pointing to a replica of Fuentes' home, inscribed with the words "You Are Here."
"It's really cool to have a sense of community here," said Fuentes, a rabid Lego collector. The West End construction took about two weeks to complete. She estimated it had between 4,000 to 5,000 pieces in total.
Up the block, Salinas' Urban Arts Collaborative was spray painting a mural it dubbed "A Happening." In its early stages, the piece featured palm trees and other flourishes of landscape.
J.C. Gonzales, a program mentor and founder, said the piece was meant to reflect the access to the arts that West End Festival provided.
"It's 'A Happening' because (West End Festival) is happening," said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez said the collaborative was happy to be involved with the festival as an opportunity to share its crafts and talents with other artists.
The collaborative showcased two other installations: "The Jack," a large exhibit that resembled a giant toy jack. And a series of Crayola crayons that stood about six feet tall.
Each piece was constructed from used 50-gallon oil barrels and each will soon be put on public display. The Jack will be installed at Cesar Chavez Library in Salinas. The crayons will go up in Sand City, where they will be visible from Highway 1.
"I'm definitely enjoying myself," said Gonzalez. "It's important we have these types of events in our community."
That sentiment was echoed by Craig Hubler, Sand City Councilman and chair of the Sand City Arts Committee, which sponsors the West End Festival.
Hubler was stationed at his work studio on Hickory Street. A metal fabricator and bronze sculptor, Hubler is vested in the event as both a participant and organizer.
"I love connecting with the other artists," said Hubler, who credited the festival's success to event director Steven Vagnini and his organizational team. "I believe art is a communal thing. It's not a selfish thing. I'm all about collaboration."
This year's event featured a total of 150 artists in all mediums, visual and performance. That was up from a total of 100 in 2013. Next year, there should be even more, Hubler said.
That is the key to the festival's popularity: it's an immersive arts experience punctuated by the never-ending rhythm of music audible at each turn.
"The music is great," said festival attendee Kathleen Marcus of Carmel.
Cradling a half-full glass of wine from Pierce Ranch Vineyards, Marcus said the festival provided a great chance to enjoy arts and crafts, people-watch, and soak in the vibe.
"This is one to come back to each year," said Marcus.
Click here to watch: Lego Sand City, California Mini Quadcopter