CARTWHEEL Mini Art Fair and Pop Up: Playing Music, Making Art, and Connecting

 

When Cindy Schwarzstein was planning the CARTWHEEL mini art fair and Pop Up with PROJECT Gallery, she wanted to bring the same  joy and excitement she’d experienced at art fairs across the country, from the elegance of Art Basel and the groove of SCOPE and Fountain to the spiritual community at Lightning in Bottle.

With that in mind, she looked at what was important to her, to Sarah Gough at PROJECT Gallery, and Jennifer DeSeo from Art Duet. Connecting and  engaging with the artists, the local community, and kids were the stand-outs in their discussions, so with those goals in mind, Friday night featured a free live acoustic set by local favorites Kashmere and Saturday was a day to unwind before a slew of openings around town (including “Futurology” and Heidi Taillifer at Copro and CHG’s  “Art Collector Starter Set”) with Cytokine yoga and juice fresh juice tasting, (and raffle prizes from Lululemon).

Sunday was all about family. The day was a benefit for Surfers Healing, which enriches the lives of people living with autism by exposing them to the unique experience of surfing. The surf industry was well represented: Surf legend Ian Cairns (he founded the World Champion Tour of surfing, and  is now head coach of the PacSun USA Surf Team) and wife Alisa Cairns (former professional Association of Surfing Professionals surfer and International Surfing Association world champion) and their sons, and Kris Howson from Harbor Surfboards in Seal Beach and her daughter were there, along with many fans of the sport and surf art. Plus families who have been affected by autism spectrum disorders attended, which was especially important to Cindy, since her son Spencer is on the autism spectrum and is involved with Surfers Healing. It was great to see all the kids playing, laughing, making music and art together as their parents chatted and checked out the art.

Musician Brian Frank kicked off the live music with the kids and families, with musicians Jonathan Mahan and Philip Gough joining in for added punch. Artist/musician Jane Cantillon from Dick & Jane Family Orchestra led the kids in art projects, helped out by the CARTWHEEL featured artists, Evo Love, Scott Michael Ackerman, Lydia Emily and her daughter and Corey Hagberg, along with artists Michael Torquato Denicola and Lauren Over. Callerists Torrey Cooke from AR4T in Laguna Beach, Eddie Donaldson (Ethos Gallery), and Rose Apodaca and Andy Griffith from the design company A+R all brought their kids. LA Freewalls and LALA Gallery‘s Daniel Lahoda also spent time Sunday with the parents and children.

The weekend was positive and high energy, packed with people who love art, providing a full range of ways to experience art and the communities it fosters.

Check out the photos here, with more coming up on the CARTWHEEL Facebook page.

 

 

 

photos: Cindy Schwarzstein/CARTWHEEL