2:45pm | In Long Beach, every month is ‘Arts Month.’ October, however, is the official, nationally designated, celebration of Arts and Humanities, so the Arts Council for Long Beach has created the GLOBAL brand to bring focus to the amazing diversity and numerous institutions, individual artists, and groups that make up our City’s cultural landscape.
The GLOBALLB.com calendar is packed with more than 1000 events, all taking place in Long Beach during the month of October. Craig Watson, Executive Director of ACLB and mastermind of the GLOBAL concept, said that the calendar “has reinforced my belief that Long Beach is hungry for cultural experiences that take us outside of our ‘normal’ routines and, similarly, when we do get pushed outside of our comfort zone, we like and want more!
“More and more, I hear the excitement in people’s voices about how the arts community is heading toward a “tipping point” where our pride and momentum can really make past disappointments less powerful in our collective psyche. I hear from my counterparts in Southern California that they think Long Beach is experiencing a renaissance. The better we tell our story, the more likely we will see early explorers, followed by small bands, then entire tribes checking out this thing we call Long Beach!”
GLOBAL kicked off with First Friday’s in Bixby Knolls, followed by Green Port Fest and SoundWalk2010 on Saturday.
“Now, the challenge is to identify other events that can rise to that level of innovation and uniqueness, and help them to do so. The new Arts Marathon initiative could be a spectacular version of this. A re-invented 2nd Saturday Art Walk should be one of these. GLOBAL will continue to move in the direction of higher quality, increasing its pull on a regional audience.”
In perusing the listings on the GLOBALLB.com website, I find exhibitions of painting, photography, and sculpture. There are music, dance and theatrical performances. There are all kinds of classes, from needlefelting to Khmer Martial Arts. Poetry readings, open mic events, and even the Long Beach Q Film Festival 2010 at the Art Theatre. In case you were wondering, all these events are happening in the next few days.
“The Khmer Arts Academy Salon, on October 9th at Renaissance High School, should be great,” Watson said. World renowned choreographer and traditional Cambodian dance instructor Sophiline Cheam Shapiro will be presenting a new work.
“Andreas Mitisek [Artistic & General Director of LB Opera], in collaboration with the Long Beach Museum of Art, is presenting a free piano recital for GLOBAL. It will be on Sunday, October 24th at 3 PM, and will feature Michelle Schumann, currently on a 15 city world tour, performing works by Philip Glass, John Adams, Bach, Mozart, Chopin, and others.
“We also have a photography exhibit,” Watson continued, “Opening on the 12th, of photographs from Philippines and WWII that an artist found in someone’s dumpster. We helped them get funding to do the matting of all the photos.”
GLOBAL is yet another way for our community to celebrate the amazing talent, energy, and diversity that thrives in our City. I encourage everyone to visit the on-line calendar, and discover the riches that await you.
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