By Mayor Marsha McLean
October is eagerly anticipated for tricks, treats, spooks and scares. However, October is also National Arts and Humanities Month. This nationwide celebration recognizes the importance of culture in America. In Santa Clarita, we call it ARTober and pack all 31 days with opportunities to discover, create and enjoy art in our City.
To make the most of ARTober, you can explore the dozens of art galleries located throughout the City, as well as the public art pieces that are at our parks, painted on walls and stamped into our sidewalks. Some “not-to-be-missed” highlights include the Santa Clarita Valley Photographers Association’s Spring Print Competition exhibited in the First Floor Gallery located at City Hall. This exhibit will showcase winners and those receiving merit in the group’s 2018 and 2019 annual competition.
Then, you can head over to the Valencia Library and interact with the new public art piece “Imag_ne” located in front of the library. This piece, by Australian artist Emma Anna, invites you to become part of the artwork by filling in the blank space and becoming the second “I” in imagine.
Art meets action sports on Oct. 19, at 10 a.m. as the new mural “Inertia” is unveiled at the Santa Clarita Skatepark. Painted by Chicago artist Miguel A. Del Real, the colorful and abstract piece will completely cover the office building at the skatepark. In addition to the art dedication, the event will also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the skatepark with skating demonstrations, a DJ, vendors and food trucks.
That evening, Halloween meets creativity with the always popular Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest at the Santa Clarita Aquatic Center at 6 p.m.
You may have discovered the nine poems that are stamped into sidewalks at different locations throughout the City. They are part of our Sidewalk Poetry Project, where residents have a chance to submit original poems. Aspiring poets and writers of all ages can submit a poem to the 2020 Sidewalk Poetry Project. The theme is Poetry of Place, and poems should reflect the cultural, natural and shared spaces in our community. Enter your poem on SantaClaritaArts.com before the Oct. 31deadline.
ARTober wraps up with the second annual Arts Symposium on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Centre, located at 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway. The day-long educational conference focuses on helping artists of all skill levels reach new heights.
To make the most out of your ARTober, please visit SantaClaritaArts.com. There you will find a calendar of events, and take a quiz to discover which famous artist you are, then share your alter ego on social media. Find your inspiration and express your creativity during ARTober!
