Located in the heart of Downtown L.A., Gallery Row sits in the area between 2nd and 9th streets, and Spring and Main streets respectively. The newly designated district enjoyed its official presentation to the Los Angeles public, as recently as May 2004. The Art Walk event came about soon afterward in September 2004, when Bert Green Fine Art and the Gallery Row Art Organization sponsored the event’s inaugural night of excitement.

Boasting in-house artist presentations, fascinating new collaborative works, live performance art, and packed sidewalks until well past 11:00 pm, Art Walk can now lay claim to being the most exciting, new ‘to-do’ event in the entire city. What began as a humble collection of 8 galleries, all willing to take part in the initial event in September 2004, has now blossomed into the unimaginable. An eclectic mix of roughly 50 gallery and exhibition spaces, public art museums, and non-profit arts ventures, now take part, and call the area in and around Gallery Row home. Cavernous museums and private galleries now share the area with tiny, makeshift exhibition spaces, and numerous impressive art collectives, each providing visitors with their own unique brand of Art Walk hospitality.

The various spaces compete with one another by typically offering free admission, drinks, hors d’ oeuvres, and live music, via in house D.J. booths. When it comes to enticing visitors, many galleries now seem to be allowing a sense of the spectacular to flourish, in light of all the recent competition. At times, beautiful models covered only in body paint have been known to make their way around Gallery show rooms carrying delectable edibles. Visitors can sometimes take part in the body paint themselves, pose for portraits by up and coming artists, and enjoy live music or dance, depending on the time and particular venue. There’s even an outdoor food tent area that does triple duty as an impromptu dance space, and arts and crafts market, while still offering a variety of healthy plates to Art Walk guests.

To find out more about the Art Walk, the history of Gallery Row in L.A., or to find a list of participating galleries, check out www.galleryrow.org

Image Credits:
First Image: Sidewalk on Art Walk Evening
Second Image: Artist and Subject demonstration on Art Walk Evening

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