Today’s things to do list is a celebration of October Arts Month—and it’s chock full of exhibits, activities and art-related happenings taking place this weekend.
FARM FRESH: Narsiso Martinez
The inaugural solo exhibition of Oaxaca-born artist, Narsiso Martinez, captures the lives of field workers through this site-specific, mixed-media artwork. After moving to the United States Martinez discovered his love for art and eventually went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Cal State Long Beach, while working in orchards to support himself. Farm Fresh opens Friday and is a must-see.
Farm Fresh will be on display through Jan. 6. For more information, hours and tickets check out the museum’s website here.
The Long Beach Museum of Art is located at 2300 E. Ocean Blvd.
Toaster Music Presents: Art, Music and Dance
This is a multi-media event not to be missed, with paintings, projections, dancers, music and more to be experienced on Friday. Check out new oil paintings by artist Anita Sinclair to the improvised electronic sounds of Toaster Music duo Sander Roscoe Wolff and Sumako, with guest freestyler Britt J., Hardknox genius Steve Proctor and Maha and Company dancers.
The event runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and is part of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association’s larger show at the Expo Arts Center and Allery in celebration of arts month. For more information, check out the Arts Council for Long Beach’s website here.
Expo Arts Center is located at 4321 Atlantic Ave.
Blood and Fire Inaugural Art Show
Presented by The Raven and The Wolves Art & CarlosTorresArt, the show will feature more than 50 artists from around the world, along with tattoo artists, in the heart of Downtown Long Beach.
The event is from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at 212 The Promenade, Long Beach.
UNFILTERED Photography Contest
Grab your camera and capture the spirit of downtown Long Beach for a chance to win a prize and your photo displayed at the Downtown Long Beach Alliance offices for a year. In partnership with the arts council, the 2nd annual competition invites participants to enter photos taken from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31 in the categories of People/place/events, architecture, environment and skyline.
For more information, check out the link here.
Free Creation Station at the Rancho
Drop in to this free children’s activity at Rancho Los Cerritos on Saturday, where participants get to experiment with “old fashioned” arts and crafts. The program takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. rain or shine, with this month’s theme being Outrageous Orange.
Check out the Facebook event page here and website here more info and upcoming dates.
Rancho Los Cerritos is located at 4600 N. Virginia Road.
Off the Page: The Story Behind the Stanzas
Learn about the inspiration and the process of three local poets at this poetry reading and open mic hosted by the library and The Long Beach Literary Arts Center. Located in the Miller Room among walls of ancient tomes, Off the Page is described as like the “The Moth Storytelling Showcase. But for poets.”
The event takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. The event is free, but space is limited. You can RSVP to guarantee a seat. For more info, check out the Facebook event page here.
The Long Beach Public Library is located at 101 Pacific Ave.
C Gallery Opening
The grand opening exhibit at C Gallery on Saturday will feature the architectural work of glass artist Alisha Volotzky, the metal sculptures of artist Rhonda Kap and the “ethereal acrylic paintings” of Ronen Pollak. Come for the art and stay for the food by Restauration and live music by Nuevo Flamenco band Roman Street.
The opening begins at 5 p.m. and runs until 8 p.m. Check out the Facebook event page here for more info.
C Gallery is located at 441 E. Broadway.
Long Beach Camerata Singers to explore love through vocal art at Sunday performance
4 Years of Making Mosaics
Elizabeth Bogen Hedenberg, an artist with Down Syndrome, has been learning the art of mosaics from Betty Rosen for the past four years, who is a teaching artist and staff member of the Arts Council for Long Beach. On Sunday, Hedenberg will debut her works during an art show and sale of mosaics, paintings and potholders at Rosen’s studio, Mosaic Alchemy.
Guests can stop by between 1:30 and 5 p.m. For more information, check out the webpage here.
Mosaic Alchemy is located at the Ice House at 625 W. Anaheim St.