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Art Walk News was created in 2009 to document the original Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk, whose organizers focused on providing artists with venues where they could exhibit their work and connect with the public.
Since July, Art Walk News has launched each new issue inside a private event held in conjunction with Art Night in DTLA, a revamp of the popular self-guided tour.
Exciting, new and bold, Art Walk News Launch Event is an open-air night market filled to capacity with art, food and music that changes its theme each month.
On September 3, the event will host Art Walk News Wine & Cheese Fest, with organizers donning purple and gold, establishing the unofficial Art Walk News Launch colors and paying homage to our favorite team—no, not the Lakers: wine and cheese.
Everything is in its right place!
Art Walk News’ monthly four-hour launch events encourage the community to attend for the opportunity to meet and greet local artists, fill their dwelling with original artwork, support independent artisans, discover new talent and help fortify an Art Night in DTLA where artists become the main focus.
Back after a 10-year hiatus, as news reporters in support of the event, as we continued to reach out to find participants and gain an overall sense of the revived art scene, our correspondents kept coming across scores of articles and petitions, past organizers and local artists who shared stories expressing concerns about where the nights’ true focus lay.
Without speaking negatively about the event—which has made some strides in renewing enthusiasm for visiting the Historic Core of Downtown after dark—it became increasingly clear that much of the programming was perceived as being geared at increasing foot traffic for local businesses that may or may not necessarily be art-related.
For example, rising from the depths of the original Downtown Art Walk came artists like Robert Vargas, the late Emmeric Conrad and ever-working André Miripolsky, whereas this new revamp hasn’t managed to present its own group of local artist heroes, as of yet.
Perhaps it was because DTLA Art Night, as explained to our team, originated with the help of real estate professionals, local landlords and the Historic Core BID, which focus mainly on stimulating the economy for local businesses.
The original Downtown Art Walk was a nonprofit headed by local artists, not a private entity.
“The Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk is a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit economic-development and art-placemaking organization that helps promote, educate and advocate for artists, galleries and the local community.” It goes on to read:
“proud to support, encourage and promote our colorful, inclusive community of artists of every expression and medium.”
While the official DTLA Art Night statement reads:
“Our goal is to bring life back to the Historic Core and Downtown Los Angeles. By creating a walking tour of the Historic Core, our event brings revenue to the local bars, restaurants, galleries, and retail while culturally connecting not only the Downtown Los Angeles community, but the greater Los Angeles population. We are focused on rejuvenating our beloved DTLA.”
See the difference?
Long-established local artists we spoke with questioned why the same commitment wasn’t being made to keeping them visible, recognizing their contributions and providing comfortable, stable spaces where they can exhibit their work.
One popular visionary known for her thought provoking street art installations noted, “Being in these spaces is a tremendous amount of work and liability on us as artists—if anything we should be getting paid by the city, definitely not the other way around.”
Artists for Artists!
Held outdoors beneath the cool night sky, the Art Walk News Launch Event offers a refreshing alternative to hot, crammed indoor spaces, with room for visitors to move freely between live art, installations, vendors, food and music.
The focus of an art-labeled event stays exactly where it belongs—on the culture of downtown Los Angeles, on the artists of said community and visitors coming to support them.
The attention, foot traffic and money coming into Downtown Los Angeles on Art Night are brought there by the promise of experiencing art and meeting the people who create it, versus intentionally using artists to simply attract prospective tenants, customers or foot traffic into otherwise empty spaces.
In other words, from an artist’s point of view, artists are actual people, not commodities; any non-art-related venue opening its doors to benefit from an event labeled “art” should have at least one artist exhibiting inside. No?
The Legend of Art Hunter
The good news for any local businesses that are willing to relate is there is no shortage of artistic talent in Los Angeles.
Art Walk News is ready to connect businesses with artists.
To book an artist for your Art Night in DTLA event, feel free to reach out to
Art Walk News Origins
Originally created to document the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk—the event that helped rejuvenate Downtown Los Angeles in the early 2010s—Art Walk News has a new glossy magazine style format and has expanded its coverage to include galleries, museums, public art, artists, cultural events and creative businesses in support of art walks from Los Angeles to San Pedro.
Art Walk News Returns with Open-Air Night Market in Support of Creativity
Walk the Vote!
Art Walk News is also putting the power of recognition directly into the hands of the public with Walk the Vote!
Through the Art Walk News App, visitors can use an interactive map, walk from gallery to gallery, experience and vote for their favorite artwork and become active participants in the art community.
Winning artists will be featured in future editions of Art Walk News, providing them and their participating galleries with continued recognition beyond a single night.
Celebrating Creativity Beneath the Night Sky
Held in one of the publication’s original event location at 7th and Spring Streets, across from Gloria Delson Contemporary Gallery, The Hive Gallery and Rizo Corp Gallery, the Art Walk News Wine & Cheese Fest will also serve as a test run for the larger DT Wine & Cheese Fest planned for Downtown Los Angeles in summer 2027.
July’s debut, Art Walk Alien Invasion, transported guests into a world of cosmic creativity, while August’s Art Walk Mecca invited the community to make the pilgrimage of art, music and exotic eats.
Returning from those events are artist Erika Person, body-painting extravagance from Nicolette Spear and Bodies & Beats and the magic frequencies of Corazón Sound.
A light-based art installation will be provided by the neon Liberace, Joshua Kirsch.
Adding to the splendor of September 3rd are visual artist Akira and artisan vendors High Kitty, House of Manners Apparel, Colibri LA, Locked In Permanent and Flora Charm organic flower hair accessories.
No starving artists at our camp!
The event is sponsored in part by Downtown Weekly and gourmet mobile food kitchens: Dear Neighbor Hand Rolls, College Boy Philly Cheese, Bite Co Mediterranean and local favorite Ghost Hibachi, with mocktail beverages provided by Stoked Sips.
Together these entities keep artisan vending fees low, provide tents, tables and lighting, and offer full sponsorships for live visual artists and art installations to attend the event, giving artists opportunities to create and exhibit without having to pay to participate.
This month’s live artists include Anna Sutton, fresh from DTLA Proud Fest, Dan One and many others.
Artists, performers, photographers, muralists, sculptors, curators, artisans, designers, food vendors, creative businesses and nonprofits from everywhere are invited to apply at www.artwalknews.org.
Art Walk News Wine & Cheese Fest will be held on Thursday, September 3, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. beneath the cool night sky in Downtown Los Angeles.
To RSVP, donate or sponsor these monthly events visit www.artwalknews.org.
