The empty lot which is home to A LOT Downtown. Photo courtesy of the Arts Council of Long Beach.
Where on earth can you find a troupe of clowns that are willing to show you all the tricks they hide up their sleeves, all the while listening to a musical duo who collects their sounds from The Gerald Desmond Bridge? Only in the wacky art-mosphere of Long Beach can you stumble upon such wide and weird array of self expression.
A LOT Downtown 2, invading Downtown this Sunday, will feature several interpretive dance performances, a play, a clown workshop and a community gathering through the serving of a meal. If you want to learn how to clown or contribute to a larger-than-life woven structure, head down to the empty parking lot on 3rd St. and Long Beach Blvd, previously used for Acres of Books.
As part of the Arts Council for Long Beach’s initiative for finding common ground between residents, A LOT 2014 is an effort to break down barriers and create an interactive arts event for all audiences. According to the council’s experience during last year’s A LOT, “accidental audiences,” or residents driving or walking by that stopped to participate, were some of the best patrons.
Hosting creative events in a non-traditional environment, like the underutilized A LOT in downtown, can encourage members of the Long Beach community to imagine the potential for these unused spaces. The seven performing and visual arts groups participating in this Saturday’s A Lot Downtown 2 are:
- Cornerstone Theater Company will present a Spanish Language play about day laborers in Southern California.
- WikiGong is an alternative music group focused on sound production that mimics our environment.
- Donna Sternberg & Dancers will present a dance piece created from interviews with local residents about why they love Long Beach.
- Pony Box is an all-male dance company who will perform a piece based on Sylvia Plath
- Four Clowns will present a workshop and performance on clowning.
- Arts and Services for Disabled (ASD) will serve a communal meal. Simulating a home environment, ASD will bring the community together through the serving of a meal, encouraging engagement between people that may not otherwise meet.
- Carole Francis Lung is a textile artist who will create a larger-than-life weaving structure for patrons to participate with.
A LOT Downtown 2 will take place this Saturday, September 28, from 4:00PM to 8:30PM at the empty lot located at 3rd and Long Beach Blvd. For more information, click here.