Oceanside Art Walk

Fun event. Nice to go around town with more to do than eat and drink. Heard about event through beauty 101 who participates with local artist. Some of the locations serve wine or food while you check out the art. Hope they keep it going.

Did you ever see the better part of a city get behind and support and event?
I did tonight.
Art Walk–
I’ve done art walks before, in Seattle. They were really good and eye opening… nothing compared to this though.
The downtown Oceanside Museum of Art is open and free to all. Celebrating, in this instance, 100 artists, spanning 100 years, in conjunction with many other San Diego institutions, and featuring artists of the San Diego Museum of Art Artist’s Guild. Simply put, the art that was chosen is world class.
We then walked through the Artist’s Alley and my wife found a shop that was participating and picked up some killer deals on a very nice purse, shawl, hat… live music filled the air from every corner. People seemed to be having a really good time, and many shops from cigar to barber, were open.
We finished the festive mood with a drop in to T.B.G. Restaurant to have ribs and wine, and waddle our way back to the car.
Great party, Oceanside.(we will be back) and… you rock!

Who: Over 1,000 regional residents are expected to attend the First Friday Oceanside Art Walk, put on by dozens of businesses and showcasing dozens of local artists
What: Downtown Oceanside is coming alive with vibrant arts, performances, music, poetry, activities, food, and fun for all ages
When: First Friday of every month from 6−9pm
Where: Businesses and vacant spaces throughout downtown Oceanside, and extending down the coast
How much? FREE.
When I told my coworkers, all inhabitants of Oceanside for years longer than this month-​old newcomer, that I was going to Art Walk tonight they all inquired, «Where?»
A flabbergasted me figured out the mystery after the event: August 1^st 2014 was the inaugural first Friday of the art district that is Oceanside Art Walk!
First stop: Oceanside Museum of Art, which was only open when I was still at work, finally opened its doors past 4pm, showcasing collections called «Spitting in the Wind» (four older artists from the region with offbeat pieces), «Rank n’ File» by John Daniel Abel, featuring chiaroscuro drawings and digital prints alongside character studies of the «underbelly» population, and «DNA of creativity» which hopes to address global and local concerns through their environmentalist-​ish art.
Stops 2 through 13: I trekked through random establishments like the Nationwide Agency showcasing art from the Sargent Art Group, a thrift-​like Plethora Galleria showcasing surfboard art from Paul Uglow, an antique Live Store featuring Celeste the jazz vocalist, the Oceanside Public Library with music from Barnwell Swift, art from Jenny Kelly and paper-​bag-​face sculptures from Amida Torres, and Endurance House which featured Jeanne Ortiz sculpting live. Of notable mention is Brooks Theatre’s showcase featuring among others, Cathie Joy Young (paintings) and Todd Carpenter (oils), two artists I intend to follow down the line. What was rad about Brooks is that it included a little self-​introduction about each artist that was immensely fun to read.
The walk spans across downtown Oceanside, from N. Nevada St to S. Coast hwy (east to west) and Endurance House to Mission Ave (north to south). Most of the shops are located heavily on Mission Ave and Artist Alley. Yarn bombing littered the town, decorating railings and trees; My favorite was a yarn bomb of a pay phone, shaping it into an iphone case with apps. Finger foods were provided at each location, though OMOA takes the cake with their fancy appetizers.
Why all this? The Oceanside Cultural Consortium established in 2013 wanted to turn Oceanside into an art, culture and entertainment destination — in short, to jump start the economy. The art walk certainly is a wonderful way to advertise business and rev up the economy, by the looks of the bountiful business cards and information I collected (note: got to get soap from Plethora Galleria when out, and see Few Good Men in Star Theater Sep 26 — Oct 5). What a fantastic event! I’m already excited for the next art walk!