SLO ARTS
Art Every Day BY DARA ROSENWASSER SLO COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL BOARD MEMBER
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hether you’re new to the arts, a long-time enthusiast, advocate, or an artist yourself, Art Every Day is how the SLO County Arts Council likes to celebrate the month of August. What is Art Every Day? The concept stems from the idea of engaging with art on some level every day (learning about it, interacting with it, creating it, sharing it). You may be thinking, “this sounds hard,” or “how will I find time to commit to this?” Well, you’re not alone. The truth is, it’s like deciding to try anything new, and the old adage “practice makes perfect” need not apply here. Anything goes with how, when, and where you Art Every Day. The why is easy. Art helps your brain, and as many people who create would agree, it can help you cope on the not so good days, too. NPR put out a piece last year by Malaka Gharib extolling the benefits of art on the brain. Visit n.pr/3NOrbd8 to read the story. Still, wondering how you can commit to Art Every Day? If you’re reading and engaging with this article, that counts toward learning about art! Art continues to be a source of reflection and a way for audience and spectator to engage with ideas and the world around us. Art is in your face, distant, low drama, intense, calm, horrific, imperfect, timely, impermanent, infinite, incomprehensible, calculated, quirky, haunting, beautiful…okay, you get the point. Art is anything the creator or observer needs it to be. The City of San Luis Obispo has committed to supporting public art for several years. In every public park, you will find at least one piece of art that helps enhance the beauty of the city and promotes the arts. Sculpture, murals, kinetic art; you can find art in all iterations all over SLO! While many working artists show in galleries, in museums, or in virtual spaces, there’s this other wonderful contingent of artists whose work is not created for these traditional and socially constructed spaces. You can display your art in your home or garden or keep it to yourself in a notebook. The point is to let your creativity flow! In the words of the late Maya Angelou, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Ways to engage with art in August (and beyond!) Visit SLOMA (San Luis Obispo Museum of Modern Art) Camille Hoffman: See and Missed through August 22. sloma.org Artist Camille Hoffman uses materials collected from childhood and her everyday life to craft imaginary landscapes that are grounded in accumulation, rehabilitation, personal narrative, and historical critique. CentralCoastJournal.com
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Grab a friend and enjoy Art After Dark (SLO) / Art and About (Paso Robles, Los Osos, Morro Bay) •
San Luis Obispo “Art After Dark” First Friday of Each Month 5 to 8 p.m.
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Paso Robles First Saturday of Each Month 5 to 9 p.m.
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Los Osos Second Saturday of Each Month 1 to 4 p.m.
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Morro Bay Fourth Saturday of Each Month 1 to 4 p.m.
These self-guided art walks are free and are a wonderful way to engage with local art in the community. slocountyarts.org/art-and-about Another fun way to learn more about local artists is to visit SLO County Arts Council’s Membership Directory to read artist bios and learn about an artist’s technique, process, and aesthetic. members. slocountyarts.org And don’t forget the Open Studios Art Tour is coming up in October! slocountyarts.org/OSAT Now go out and engage with some Art and get your creativity going! August 2022 | 13
7/19/22 4:54 PM
