The Downtown Fullerton Art Walk is a multi-venue art event that happens every first Friday of the month. It hosts art exhibits, music acts and performance arts in over 20 venues.
This year, instead of celebrating the landmark’s sixth anniversary in a centralized location, the Downtown Fullerton Art Walk anniversary was held throughout the city at participating venues.
In 2008, Jesse La Tour, an adjunct English professor at Fullerton College, co-founded the Hibbleton gallery with his friends at West Santa Fe Avenue in Fullerton.
“At the time, it was kind of a weird little anomaly in Downtown.” La Tour said, “There wasn’t a lot of art stuff happening.”
After a successful opening and a good response from the community and visitors, other businesses and places in Downtown Fullerton started to show interest in art.
In March of 2010 is when The Art Walk concept came to life in the heart of Fullerton.
“There were a lot of creative people and creative energy in Downtown” La Tour said while he walked around with a clipboard gauging people’s interest.
A collaboration of galleries and businesses in Downtown Fullerton, The Art Walk helps artists to promote art and build a community.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to introduce people to another kind of life in Downtown Fullerton,” said Susan Upton, Lolo a Boutique’s owner.
The monthly first Friday art event is open to public, and it offers free art activities and exhibition within walking distance from each venue.
Each participating venue have a different creative charisma. It attracts diverse demography and brings culture to the city.
Lolo a Boutique has been a part of the Art Walk since it started in 2010. According to Upton, the Art Walk has grown over the years and it continues to reach people.
“I think people now look forward to the first Friday art walks. We have new people coming all the time, and that’s exciting to me,” she said. “We’re reaching out to the community, we’re giving them something; offering them something different.”
Sarah and James Eakins of Dreaming in Film, have been participating since December 2014.
The Eakins are both photographers and currently have a two-part photo story installation exhibiting at the Magoski Arts Colony.
Dreaming in Film produce unique and raw photographs by capturing moments in instant films on vintage Polariod and large format cameras that intrigues visitors of the colony.
“We’re breathing, working artists” Sarah said.
The monthly event also showcases wide variety of artistry. It features talents from poetry, carpentry, photography, all the way to creating products from recycling, and plenty more.
Heather Paxton, owner of the Paxton Original, exhibited her self-made recycled tire inner tube bags and accessories at the Magoski Arts Colony last night.
The monthly event brings people of all ages together to celebrate the talents the city has to offer.
“It’s an eclectic collection of people’s process” said Black Brain, the artist featured at the Hibbleton last night.
The Downtown Fullerton Art Walk is a not-for-profit organization. They are individual venues with the same goal, to present Fullerton in a positive light to the art world.