DTSA First Saturday Artwalk is alive and well for Day of the Dead

Despite broadcasting online-only during the pandemic, the DTSA First Saturday Artwalk is now back in full-swing on the streets of downtown each month. The Artwalk reappeared in August and has been happening each month since then with the biggest Artwalk of the year expected in November because of cross-collaborations with Viva la Vida and a Catrina Fest to celebrate Day of the Dead, plus the annual international Blading Cup skating event at the East End.

---

Most of downtown's art galleries survived the pandemic including AvantGarden Gallery. New galleries are also already making waves like Crear Studio, both located around 5th St and Broadway. Any trip to the Artwalk requires a pop-in at CSUF Grand Central Arts Center which has multiple galleries and a theatre which is home to the Wayward Artist theatre group. ​

Wendy Lopez and Maria "The Hot Tortilla" have been animating the 2nd St Artists Village Promenade with a diverse array of vendors and artists, musical performances and larger-than-life art installations. Pickup a map to the Artwalk at the DTSA Info Booth on the 2nd St Promenade and venture out to the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art and the Santora Building for the Arts, which has been popping-off in the basement to the roof.

---

Don't just hang out in the Artists Village, the Spurgeon Building (the one with the clocktower) has a special show by downtown-favorite, Matt Southgate at Anna Nalle Fine Art Gallery and Mimi Mar of The Pizza Press across the street would love you to stop by to admire her Day of the Dead altar.

It became a quick hit before the pandemic, and since it has been really heating up: Dancing in the Streets brings you a public square full of salsa dancing for hours on end during Artwalk. Start early for a lesson and you probably won't stop until they cut the lights!

We've only just scratched the surface of everything going on at Artwalk and one of my favorite things to do is to find a cozy place to grab a bite, especially on one of Downtown's new or classic al fresco dining patios like Lola Gaspar.

Enjoy the Artwalk, we'll see you next month!

Story by Ryan Smolar
Photos by Brian Feinzimer, Ryan Smolar, Mimi Mar and Matty Slice