\u201cIt\u2019s just a really nice way to spend a Saturday in San Diego.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how North Park artist Jacki Geary describes Art Around Adams, a free two-mile music and art walk along Adams Avenue in Normal Heights and Kensington to be held on Saturday, June 2.<\/p>\n The annual event, founded by Papaha Gosline in 2004, started off with a handful of art displays at a few coffee shops \u2014 a skeletal version of what it is today. Now, 14 years later, the event has grown to include more than 80 businesses. Approximately 80 percent of those businesses are returning, with around 20 percent making their debut.<\/p>\n Local art, music, entertainment, culture and more are showcased at and around these Adams Avenue businesses. This year features 138 music performances, 18 stages, 75 impromptu art pop-ups and more than 70 artists.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of making it like a street fair, it\u2019s almost like an anti-street fair. Not to say anything bad about street fairs, but we don\u2019t have huge vendor villages,\u201d said Adam Rosen, the executive director of Art Around Adams. \u201cWe try to put the action on the sidewalks, in the businesses, in the parks [and] in the parking lots. So, it\u2019s very open feel when you go there and there\u2019s a lot of lively things happening.<\/p>\n \u201cWe try to have it organically pop up, whether it be a little table in front of a business or maybe the business is fully immersed with art all around the walls of the business \u2014 it varies from spot to spot,\u201d Rosen continued.<\/p>\n Rosen, a former North Park resident, took over the reins in 2008. To put on the event, he enlists the help of his core team, which includes: Bart Mendoza of Blind Spot Records and Vania Zemora of SDML, who both help with booking bands; and Johnny Tran from Thumbprint Gallery, who curates the artists. Additionally, \u2018day of\u2019 volunteers help run the festivities.<\/p>\n Rosen and his team find artists using their online submission process, as well as through monthly art competitions. These competitions have been held for the last 10 months, and the winners of each competition have moved on to the final round \u2014 a juried and popular vote finale art contest during Art Around Adams.<\/p>\n Tran also curates a large chunk of the artists, which is how Jacki Geary found out about the event. Geary is a local artist who has called Uptown home for the last eight years. She has participated in the event for a couple of years, showcasing her work at different exhibits and storefronts around the avenue.<\/p>\n Geary\u2019s art \u201ctends to have a vintage slant\u201d with old-fashion styles in female-centric portraitures. This year, Geary\u2019s work \u2014 including abstract art, prints of portraitures and block prints \u2014 will be displayed in Mona Lizzy\u2019s, a salon at 2610 Adams Ave.<\/p>\n She describes Art Around Adams as a creative space where locals have the opportunity to connect.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a really positive vibe walking through the streets and it\u2019s a lot of creative energy there,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then you see things that you would never have known before, like little restaurants or murals that pop up in the alleys.\u201d<\/p>\n With five years under his belt, Normal Heights resident Paul Naylor is a veteran of the event and decade-long Uptown native, who previously lived in University Heights.<\/p>\n His artwork will be displayed at 4071 Adams Ave. in front of Buddies and Babes, formerly Kensington Pet Supply, for the third year. Animal themes prevalent in his pieces partially attributed to this ongoing pairing. Some of his other art plays around with lighting and is centered on \u201cstrange landscapes and giant squid,\u201d inspired by his love of old sci-fi and horror.<\/p>\n The artist also performed with the former local band Monsters from Mars a few years back. \u201cWhether it\u2019s visual art or music, [the event] is a fun scene to be a part of for sure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019m able to get away from my booth for a while, it\u2019s like any art show \u2014 it\u2019s amazing to see the kind of diversity in the art and whatever else is going on: the performance, the music, all that stuff,\u201d he continued. \u201cThere\u2019s so much going on. I feel like it\u2019s very inspiring and broadens your horizons a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n Geary describes the event as a creative space where locals have the opportunity to connect with one another over art.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the best part is having everyone come by and actually being able to talk to the artists,\u201d she said. \u201cSome of the artists are set up, creating their work outside of these businesses. The interaction with the artists is really great, and the music is a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI really like meeting with people and talking with people,\u201d Naylor added. \u201cArtists are generally pretty introverted and I\u2019m certainly not out being social a lot of the time. But it\u2019s certainly nice having a connection with people. You never know what [piece of art] is going to really click [with someone].\u201d<\/p>\n The all-ages event encourages families and hipsters alike to attend, including three beer gardens as well as a Kids Zone. Naylor noted that the day isn\u2019t just for art lovers \u2014\u00a0 there is something for everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re a person who likes art and music, by all means this is going to be right up your alley,\u201d he said. \u201cBut even if you think you\u2019re not like that, I\u2019m always amazed by the amount of people who find something that clicks, you just never know. There is such a huge variety of things going on; you might not be into any of the paintings you see, but there\u2019s going to be fire performers and all kinds of really cool stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n Because of the event\u2019s growth, Rosen advises first time attendees to come early to find parking. Alternatively, he encourages visitors to utilize the free bike valet or two trolleys. One of these trolleys \u2014 \u201cThe Comedy Trolley\u201d \u2014 features family-friendly performances, handpicked by local comedian Emily Hope Allyn.<\/p>\n The Comedy Trolley is just one of many quirks the event has to offer that differentiates itself from other festivals, street fairs and the like.<\/p>\n Other unique elements include the \u201cSuper Awesome Showdown,\u201d where the intergalactic wrestling warriors will throw down in Unity Mason Lodge parking lot. That same stage will hosts magicians, circus performers and sword fighting shows.<\/p>\n Another eccentric component is \u2018Electric Giraffe Project,\u2019 a life size robotic giraffe that will literally roam the street alongside attendees. Designed by Frank Lawlor, the special guest has touch sensors and can be pet by visitors passing by.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s title sponsor is nonprofit CAF\u2019s Operation Rebound, a program dedicated to \u201cstrengthening the mental and physical well-being of veterans, military personnel and first responders with permanent physical injuries by providing them opportunities to use sports and fitness,\u201d according to the organization\u2019s website.<\/p>\n In addition to collaborating with sponsors for the festival, Rosen and the Art Around Adams team work with the Adams Avenue Business Association, as well as the participating business owners, to get input on the event. Rosen said that they have seen a spike in attendance and business participation.<\/p>\n \u201cA good number of people show up to the event and discover the Normal Heights\/Kensington communities through it,\u201d he noted. In fact, the San Diego Police Department estimated that last year the event brought out 30,000 people to Adams Avenue.<\/p>\n Part of the ongoing success of this decade old event is attributed to the close-knit neighborhood atmosphere in Uptown that may not be as prevalent in other parts of the region.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the most wonderful thing about Normal Heights and Kensington \u2014 also that travels through North Park, South Park, even Hillcrest, etc. \u2014 is that there\u2019s really a sense of community that you don\u2019t get in other parts of San Diego, and that I really love,\u201d Rosen said. \u201cYou got this neighborly feel and vibe in these areas and they’re really true communities, which I think San Diego\u2019s lacking a lot of.\u201d<\/p>\n Art Around Adams takes place on Saturday, June 2 from noon to 8 p.m. in the Adams Avenue Business District. An event program, map, and detailed list of exhibits, performers and businesses can be found online at artaroundadams.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Art](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/cover-photo.jpg\")
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at last year’s event (Photo courtesy of Art Around Adams)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n