Saturday shindig at Torrance Cultural Arts
Aileen Quinn and The Leapin’ Lizards perform at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the outdoor Torino Plaza stage
Perla Batalla, a former backup singer for Leonard Cohen, performs at 3 p.m.
All Together Now
Torrance art festival has music, dance, painting, and more
Envisioned as a celebration of the diversity of the arts in the South Bay, from San Pedro to El Segundo, the Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation, or TOCA, has made big plans and is about to bring them to fruition. The inaugural South Bay Festival of the Arts takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center.
And not just in one venue, but in virtually all of them:
Live music from the outdoor Torino Plaza stage includes Just Us (11 to 11:45 a.m.), Streetlight Cadence (12 noon to 12:45 p.m.), Aileen Quinn & The Leapin’ Lizards (1 to 1:45 p.m.), Truckstop (2 to 2:45 p.m.), Perla Batalla–House of Cohen (3 to 3:45 p.m.), and In Contempt (4 to 5 p.m.).
The James Armstrong Theatre features entertainment throughout the day from Shawn McMaster, the Aerospace Players, Encore South Bay, the McNulty Irish Dancers, Unit One Taiko, Dance One, the South Bay Conservatory, plus South Bay’s Got Talent participants Liz King and Lacei Music.
In Contempt (and not unkempt) performs at 4 p.m.
In the George Nakano Theatre acoustic and classical performance are scheduled from the Music Teachers Association, Jessica Lombardozzi, and the Palos Verdes Symphonic Band’s Flute and Trumpet Ensembles, among others.
The Ken Miller recreation building is highlighting art by Cansu Bulgu, Emily Brantley, plus Destination Art’s Margaret Lindsay and David Wolfram.
Ben Zask is conducting two children’s workshops, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. He’ll supply the objects and future Calders or Nevelsons will turn them into sculptural masterpieces. Voila!
Mark Comon, of Paul’s Photo, is showing his work as well as additional images from the Creative Photo Academy, which he oversees.
Truckstop performs at 2 p.m.
David Parsons, who runs Summer Studios Art Academy in Lomita, is hosting continuous children’s workshops, one each 20 minutes, in drawing, painting, and sculpture.
Not to be missed, of course, is the latest art exhibition in the Torrance Art Museum, curated by Max Presneill, and entitled “Why Art Matters.” The group show is in response to the potential defunding of the National Endowment of the Arts.
We’ve yet to mention the food, the craft beer tasting, and the forecast for a bright and sunny day.
The Torrance Cultural Arts Center is located at 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance. The event is free (limited $150 VIP tickets available), and further details are at torrancearts.org. ER