By snoadmin
Shoppers were treated to live music, free food and an array of unique arts and crafts to buy from at “Indie Lux Pop-up,” an event held on Saturday at Hotel Maya in downtown Long Beach.
The event was hosted by Graffiti Beach, an organization which aims to be an outlet for local emerging artists to sell their crafts to the public, according to founder Melanie Michaud.
“It supports up-and-coming designers and artists in making a living and gives them an outlet to share their masterpieces with the world,” Michaud said.
The event also included a fashion show where designers showcased a variety of styles, including night club dresses, day wear, print T-shirts and aprons. The show included about 20 models who showcased the work of five designers.
Designers also set up booths where shoppers could buy merchandise at wholesale prices. Handcrafted jewelry and hair adornments were also sold throughout the day which included bottle cap earrings, beaded necklaces and rings.
Jami Larin, fashion designer and Long Beach resident, provided a variety of accessories for shoppers to choose from.
Larin believes the urban art scene has yet to fully branch off to new dimensions.
“You only see the typical clothes that everyone else is having … it’s cool to see different types of stuff,” she said.
Fashion designer Meagan Deschenes presented her urban style with men’s and women’s T-shirts and tank tops.
“For the women’s line we have our iconic series, which is clearly of powerful women like Marilyn Monroe,” Deschenes said.
“Then for the men’s line, it’s inspired by skateboarding and graffiti art.”
A silent auction was held throughout the day in which artists could sell their work and receive half of the proceeds. The other half will go to the Hide and Seek Foundation, which is devoted to the research of Lysosomal disease.
Artist Alan Spence provided digital prints of original pieces which dealt with themes of relationships, Sci-fi and politics.
Spence says he gets most of his inspiration from talking with friends, reading news articles and ordinary experiences.
“I’ve noticed that the titles of my pieces could be from lines of a poem or of a short story, and a lot of times they tell stories themselves,” he said.
Spence enjoys that today’s art scene has a lot of do-it-yourself methods.
“A lot of people that we would have never heard of before are out there and have their own websites,” Spence said.
The venue provided an area for live art where attendees watched still portraits of models being made.
Shopper Rebecca Hernandez said she enjoyed the variety of art provided.
“There is a lot of artwork … here and [that is] really new because it’s fresh stuff that you don’t see in normal stores,” she said. “The fact that its outdoors gives it a nice vibe.”
Another shopper, Stephanie Vigo said she enjoys the environment and friendly people of those kinds of events.
“I love to support the local artists so I thought I’d come by and spend some of my allowance money,” Vigo said.
Overall, the event attracted about 50 to 60 people at a time during its eight-hour duration. It provided an atmosphere of creativity, diversity and enjoyment for everyone.
Graffiti Beach continuously hosts these events to help local artists succeed and to support “pop-ups,” which are temporary stores with different themes and locations. Those interested in future Graffiti Beach events can go to www.graffitibeach.org.
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