My ArtNight

I had to miss ArtNight Pasadena in March and October last year, so this time around I was determined!

On Friday night fourteen arts and cultural institutions threw open their doors for free for our 21st semi-annual event.

Jan Sanders, Stephanie DeWolfe and I set out at 6 p.m., starting at City Hall where there was a jazz combo, bistro, information table, shuttles and friendly people to answer questions.


Jan, at left below, is our library director, formally known as director of information services; Stephanie is our deputy director of planning and development.



We hopped a free shuttle and headed off to Side Street Projects.



Side Street had a huge array of the funkiest vehicles I've ever seen, and on display that night only.

Here's a sampling:





We stepped aboard Side Street's Woodworking Bus where children learn basic woodworking techniques.



There's a wall of blocks that children have personalized.



Then we hopped another shuttle and headed to Pasadena Museum of California Art, where everybody got free admission to their remarkable exhibition titled Data + Art: Science and Art in the Age of Information, curated by Jet Propulsion Laboratory's visual strategist Dan Goods and Mars public engagement outreach coordinator David Delgado.

All I can is Wow. Dan and David have translated scientific data into new art forms and challenged everyone's assumptions about where beauty can be found.

From closeup three-dimensional images of Mars to digital modeling created by keywords and rhythms captured on a computer, this exhibition was astounding.





Our final stop was Pasadena Central Library, where a Mexican fiesta was taking place to celebrate this year's One City, One Story novel "The Hummingbird's Daughter."

There was something happening in every room, from live music to folk dances to crafts.






Many of the adult participants in the Human Services and Recreation Department's Adaptive Recreation Program were displaying their fiesta-themed art in the library's Centennial Room.



So that was my ArtNight experience! There were plenty of other venues that had performances and exhibitions going on, but we decided to choose three venues, go to dinner and call it a night.

I'm sure there were others who did the entire circuit, which I did one year. It's a pretty ambitious undertaking.