MYTH: 1
No One is Buying at Art Walk
There is a reason why corporate sponsors post banners at 10,000 plus people events to market their products and establish their brands.

There is a reason why downtown property managers pitch prospective businesses about the surge of visiting consumers who attend the Art Walk event each month.

There is a reason why art marts and food truck operators pay permits and property owners to set up pop-ups and vendor spaces for visitors to shop for art during the Art Walk.
There is a reason the bars and restaurants fill to capacity with out fail each month as well, during the event.

And there is a reason why galleries stay open later during the Art Walk to gain more exposure for their artists and to attract more collectors.

“There’s gold in dem dar hills”
FACT: Despite the myth, people do support the arts in Historic Downtown during the Art Walk, and that’s a fact, because for many artists, galleries, entrepreneurs and local businesses, this event is another opportunity to support their lively hoods and build on their fan base to ensure their longevity into the future.

Enough to Drink:
Over fifteen bars get their chance to earn the support of the visitors of Art Walk with live music, fun shows, specialty beers, tasty food and beverages. Many of them have Art Walk specials and after parties that allow you to attend the event past 10pm in celebration of the art purchases made earlier in the evening. Bars are often filled to capacity during Art Walk.

Manage Your Taste Buds:
A dozen restaurants compete for your taste buds and they too fill to capacity during the Art Walk. Some don’t enjoy what they perceive as competition from the food trucks, but at least visitors and residents have a once-a-month opportunity to select from a wider variety of foods. And the Food Truck court may be at least one answer for handling the over flow of orders placed by the hungry horde.

Dress Me Sheik:
Local boutiques pose ready to suggest new looks, offering Art Walk specials and going as far as to create an Art Walk spin off they call “Shop Walk” in hopes to someday duplicate Art Walk’s success.
If you are lucky enough to stumble upon any of the night’s run-way fashion shows, rest assured you’ll find everything on a rack in Historic Downtown.

Who ever said it was ok to be a starving artist?
Historic Downtown’s Gallery Row offers 12 gallery locations including the LACDA, The Hive Gallery, and the Arty Gallery. Each welcome new exhibits monthly that coincide with the Art Walk event.

Independent artists at art parks and pop ups may sell art for less than hundreds of dollars while galleries with well represented artists who are supported by their collectors may go skies the limit.

Art Collectors are Awesome:
Collectors are everywhere during the Art Walk and while some may be well versed in the arts, its likely the Art Walk will help mold plenty of future collectors as well.

Collectors may be the type that collect a particular style such as photography or abstract, or just attached to a particular artist. There may be buyers seeking to redecorate the office, or loft, or that impulse buyer who finally got exposed to a place in his mind he thought he’d never know. These are the types of thought provoking pieces you can purchase at the Art Walk.

FACT: Because this is an Art Walk, the artists and art institution should ultimately be given the highlight and effort should be made by everyone involved to ensure that support of the arts stays the main focus. Art Walk is an exploration into the 5 senses; sight, touch, taste, feel, smell and sound. Bottom line is, its good for the soul.

MYTH: 2
ART WALK is for LOCAL ARTISTS ONLY
The Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk is definitely a great place to find and support the local artists of Historic Downtown. However, many galleries welcome international works and international students of the arts as well.

Robert Reynolds Gallery on 4th and Spring, now hosts the Tiboga Workshop, instructing young illustrators from all over the globe. LACDA announces the winners of its worldwide Juried Completion this month. Gallery Mujo, PYO and the Norbertellen Gallery (formally on 6th and Spring), hold fast on their focus on the Far East. The Gloria Delson Contemporary Arts welcomes plenty of artists from the westside and the Hive Gallery is well known for welcoming continental US artists with huge followings on a monthly basis.

According to the the map, our city’s boundaries stretch out from Historic Downtown in all directions. Even as far as to the sea, Angelenos know the epicenter of commerce and culture is in the heart of our city’s metropolis, Downtown LA.

Our City of Angels, is the second largest city in the US, with strengths in business, international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, sports, etc., and the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Cultural Affairs offers art instruction, exhibitions, outreach programs, numerous events during the year and provides grants to non-profits and individual artists within our entire city boundary.

FACT: Whether or not the artists travel from across the ocean or just take the Metro, tourism is always good for the City as it promotes the arts by welcoming all of its talented artists and the many visitors to partake in the DTLA Art Walk.

MYTH: 3
Art Walk has public safety
issues?

Despite the fact that thousands of people attend the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk, a free event loaded with artistic surprises and unlimited fun, food and beverage suppliers around every corner, the enormous crowd of adventures, art buyers, boogieleaders, organizers, and bar hoppers, who regularly attend the event, don’t really do much.

Besides walking that is… And sightseeing…Eating and dancing…drinking, exploring and talking. Hey it may be huge, but it’s still just an Art Walk.

In fact, looking down from any fire escape one could say the art walk may seem a bit boring. You see nothing but bodies darkened from the distance while the presence and voices of elation are less absorbed by the five senses the higher up you climb.

From a bird’s eye view the Walk resembles more of a slower calmer peace protest. But instead of pick-it signs visitors hold hands full of literature relevant to the event. People only scream when they recognize someone they know. And of course the occasional drunken screech from the bars.

Not like in the early days of the Art Walk where one could be seen duplicating the same gate with a freshly poured cup of wine, the bars are now responsible for providing alcoholic beverages and keeping their patrons indoors and capable, while the galleries are left with the task of weeding out the buyers from the rest of the crowd.

Petra Wright of Gloria Delson Contemporary Arts on Spring and 6th states this about the buyers, “They may buy or reserve a piece at Art Walk night but many times, they return in the days that follow for a more private experience before making their actual purchases.”

SO HOW SAFE IS ARTWALK?
Well, considering the high police presence, Art Walk is probably one of the safest nights to be in Downtown. According to the Los Angeles Times online crime watch reports in the past year only 21 crimes have been reported to have occurred in Historic Downtown during the Art Walk. That’s an average of 2 per month. According to the website, last month’s Art Walk yielded not a single report.

FACT: One cannot assume that just because there is a siren, ambulance or fire truck blaring a way or parked by a curb that it is a response to a violent crime. Historic Downtown has many residents and they do get sick or fall into dark places sometimes, even when there are tens of thousands of people around. Our fire dept and paramedics work well to get to the scene considering the size of the crowd and our police assure that the roads are relatively clear to where trucks, cars and horses can still get by.

The explanation for a lack of crime during the Art Walk could be the increase of law enforcement. Although most people keep moving during the walk, our men in blue stand tall on every corner watching our back. With four to sometimes twelve of our finest men and woman in uniform on any given corner, you have a greater chance of finding romance, than you do of becoming a victim of a crime during the Art Walk.

MYTH: 4
Galleries aren’t allowed to serve
alcohol

The laws concerning alcoholic beverage licensing in California have their roots in the Prohibition Era, so for some, they may seem a bit old fashioned.

Although, it is common for art galleries to serve wine at receptions or openings of new exhibits serving alcohol without a license is typically in violation of California law but only if members of the public can enter the gallery. Private party events that are not open to the public are the exception to the rule.

PRIVATE PARTY STYLE
If a proposed event meets the statutory definition of a “private party,” then an ABC license is NOT required.

According to licensing representatives at the Alcohol Beverage Control office on Figueroa, in order for a gallery or retail space to serve alcohol without a license during the Art Walk, galleries would have to: keep their events private, not be able to charge an entry fee, and hire a catering service that had an existing license to then give away the spirits, but still no money could be exchanged for alcohol, the alcohol would could be given away for free.

Galleries could however, host a non-profit’s event with donated art work, open to the public during Art Walk, where as the non-profit could easily obtain a temporary license allowing the event to serve or even charge for alcohol and charge an entry fee, but only when all proceeds received are benefiting the non-profits cause.

FACT: So although it is a myth that art galleries can not serve alcohol, during the Art Walk. No one ever said you had to drink to appreciate art, and if you do, with the many bars and restaurants offering elaborating beverages in Historic Downtown, you should know that, most galleries don’t even have to consider serving alcohol during the Art Walk event. Not like the days of old when they were responsible for the entire night’s libations, these days galleries can relax, save money and enjoy the Art Walk’s tremendous opportunity to make art sales.

If you have a questions about obtaining an alcohol permit, you should contact Downtown’s Alcohol Beverage Control District Office at 213-833-6043.

MYTH: 5
Art Walk is
dying

Well, how dare you?
Art Walk is an ever changing event that grew out of the visionary minds and paint brushes of Gallery Row.

The Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk gives opportunities for artists and art institutions to express themselves and the City maintains public safety, and the clean up.

Art Walk welcomes people from all walks of life and is publicly overseen by Joe Moller, the best Executive Director the Art Walk non-profit could ask for. He and LA artist Qathryn Brehm (Director of Operations), spear head a monthly campaign to promote the event and provide visitors with maps and information. They work closely with Downtown developers and the City to keep the Art Walk alive and its costs covered. The Art Walk non-profit supports new ideas. They meet on a regular basis with gallery owners and run, Art Mart at the LA Theater Center as well as the ART WALK Lounge on Spring Street during the Art Walk event.

The non-profit board is actively seeking support joining forces with Niche.LA.Video Art. producing the recently released promo video, “Support Downtown Art Walk.”

If you would like to make a contribution or send your ideas about Art Walk to the Art Walk non-profit you may do so by contacting them on http://www.downtownartwalk.org.

FACT: Nothing lasts forever and Historic Downtown did lose a lot of artists with the closure of several art parks and galleries in the past year but the Art Walk isn’t in danger. In fact the City agrees that more art should be showcased during the event and supports the entrepreneurship of independent event coordinators as long as all of the City’s requirements are met.

Artists coalitions have vowed to spread awareness with their “BRINGING BACK ART” campaign and rest assured Art Walk rest in capable hands. If Art Walk was ever on the brink, the Board would be its surgeons and the artists would be its intravenous “pharmaceutical drug” supply.

Sponsors of the Gallery Row Art Walk News are helping to create other ART PARK location, in hopes to bring more artists buyers and art related events to the Art Walk. There will be art booths, live art, interactive entertainment, non-profit booths, and unimaginable artistic surprises in store at ART-Z FART-Z.

The new ART PARK ART-Z FART-Z, will feature artists and art institutions only, sorry no food trucks. Food trucks are mainly at Truck-It Fest, located on 3rd and Spring for the time being.
To get involved, vend, volunteer, or sponsor the Art-Z Fart-Z Art Park please contact: editor@thegrawn.com for more information.

Art Walk has played an important role in revitalizing and changing the image of Downtown, together with new eateries, dwellings, galleries, and artists, and a few left over downtown eclectics. Downtown is well past the settlers stage on its way to becoming America’s Mega Metropolis once again.