No one walks in LA except during the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk

Inside Downtown Art Walk - Photo by Sage Sexton 

     Each 2nd Thursday of the month Downtown Los Angeles sets itself on fire with the city’s greatest artists, their art and the Angelinos that love them. If you’ve never been to the free DTLA Art Walk before, and better still, if you think downtown is only good for work or Santee Alley, think again. The Art Walk is in its 5th year and continues to gain popularity, attracting approximately 10,000 visitors each month. The crowd glides from gallery to gallery along the stretches of Main & Spring between 2nd & 9th Streets.

     The most wonderful thing about the art on display is the accessibility and range of what you’ll find there. You are guaranteed to discover something that everyone in your group will love. Even better still are the street artists. They splay their work on dirty downtown sidewalks and sell at rock bottom prices, hoping to make rent. When one frequents the Art Walk as much as this super junkie, you start seeing those street artists move from “undiscovered” to having a whole gallery show to themselves.

     One artist in particular, Robert Vargas (pictured) could be seen month after month, sketching in oil pastels on his knees in the dark. During the March 2009 walk, he managed to secure an indoor space all to himself, complete with live nude model, and volunteer subjects from the audience. Art Walk breaks emerging artists every month and does so in a totally un-snooty way, thank goodness. For those readers that are collectors as well, this is prime time to acquire hot pieces of art for very little dinero.

     If your hooves start to ache and you can’t walk another step then just hop on the Hippodrome! This is the Art Walk bus that provides a free ride around Gallery Row. The Hippodrome makes frequent stops (running from 6:00 PM to 10:000 PM) and is hard to miss with its Merry Pranksters feel and the on bus performances blaring out the windows. EXTRA TIP: BYOB for the ride and enjoy the poetry readings and live bands gripping hard to their instruments while the bus humps along the Row.

     Finally, if you find yourself lost with so many choices (Oh where to begin?!?!) take advantage of the free walking tours. The service began a few short months ago and features some of LA's most interesting underground figures like wordsmith, Mike the Poet. The tours require an RSVP and will fill up quickly as each tour guide is sure to offer an informative and entertaining journey. The walking tours begin at Clifton’s Cafeteria at the corner of 7th and Broadway. More information can be found by clicking here.

     This month's Art Walk is on Thursday, October 8th. Many galleries will open during the early afternoon hours and most galleries typically remain open until at least 9:00 PM or later. The street scene carries on until 11:00 PM. Galleries like The Hive (a popular artist collective as well) will remain open sometimes until midnight and offers avant garde poetry readings and musical performances. This Examiner highly recommends you check out The Hive gallery if you get the chance.

     See you there!

For more info: Go to www.downtownartwalk.com for information on the history of Art Walk, as well as a map, parking info and directions.

Artist Robert Vargas - Photo by Sage Sexton