Fifth annual art festival takes over Bayfront park for the weekend
By Elena Buckley | SDUN Reporter
For the fifth year in a row, ArtWalk on the Bay will feature over 3,000 pieces of original art, covering every genre, from oil to photography to jewelry to sculpture to digital and beyond. On Sept. 10 and 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1 Park Blvd., this free event allows local artists to come out and show their work, talk to people and share with other artists.
The two-day art and culture festival is different in many ways from its sister event, Mission Federal ArtWalk, which takes place every April in Little Italy.
This more compact, intimate event came to life in 2006 after an invitation from the Port of San Diego to utilize the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Park as a calming, beautiful backdrop for music, art and entertainment. The smaller event is easier to walk around in a shorter amount of time and has tents set up on the grass, creating a low-key atmosphere.
Sandi Cottrell, the managing director for ArtWalk San Diego said that though the event is not ticketed, they have estimated an attendance of 38,000 to 40,000 people in previous years, and only see the event growing as time goes on.
Ben Horne, a landscape photographer who has been participating in both ArtWalk events for the past three years, said that the size of the smaller fall event makes it very appealing.
“I enjoy the smaller venue of ArtWalk on the Bay because it is easier for people to see the entire event,” said Horne. “The layout encourages attendees to visit each and every artist.”
The event is the perfect venue for artists to showcase new work, and for spectators to view and purchase, new, original, one-of-a-kind pieces.
Horne describes his pieces as being large format landscape photographs, focusing on the lines, textures, patterns and vivid colors of California, Utah and Arizona. With his main inspiration coming from nature, Horne plans to go backpacking with all of his equipment to get a new perspective, because as he put it, “it is humbling to spend time away from civilization on a solo photography trip.”
“I use a traditional 8×10 view camera—similar to what you would imagine Ansel Adams using,” said Horne. “Though this might seem like it is ‘old technology,’ the final image quality is unrivaled by anything digital.”
Like many of the artists with booths throughout the park, Horne will be unveiling some new pieces, one of which was shot 3,000 ft. up a cliff in Arizona, and another of the vast La Jolla seascape. He will also have a video display looping his travel journals, telling the individual stories and adventures that produced each photo. Horne will also be selling some of his photographs in a silent auction during the event.
In addition to live music—including the San Diego Symphony, Robin Henkel and Nikki Wilkins—being performed throughout the day, there will be a designated KidsWalk area with interactive booths set up by local organizations where kids can learn a new artistic trade. ArtReach San Diego, a non-profit organization that puts art back into schools, will be doing “Australian Aboriginal Art,” instructing the kids how to create images of animals using Australian Aboriginal dot painting techniques. There will also be booths teaching wood crafts, ceramics, percussion instruments, loom weaving and how to make a birdfeeder.
For more information, or to browse the work of some of the participating artists, visit artwalkonthebay.
org.
