Nestled between ritzy Belmont Shore villas and the oceanside sits a historic building rife with spinning DJs, vibrant colors and a bar. Could this be the site of Southern California’s latest nightclub?
Actually, it’s the Long Beach Museum of Art After Dark event. The museum’s venture into avant-garde entertainment kicks off this Thursday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Complete with a lounge-style ambiance, the event will feature a live art performance by the Fallopian Artopians, a trio of female artists.
Margie Darrow, Yvonne Sanders and Justine Serebrin are the masterminds behind the Fallopian Artopians, which thrives on spontaneity. The artists will set up their easels in sequence and paint each other’s canvases in a collaborative effort, all while in front of a live audience. LBMA Director of Development Ed Fosmire described their work as “abstract, very colorful and very detailed.”
The process begins with the artists starting with a blank panel that they work on for 30 minutes before rotating. Rotations continue every 30 minutes, with each painting eventually evolving into a complete image. A typical performance lasts about two to three hours. Guests are encouraged to purchase raffle tickets, as the paintings are raffled off at the conclusion of the event.
To entertain guests between sessions, DJ Nobody, of Long Beach experimental duo Blank Blue, will be spinning on the ones and twos. A cash-bar and appetizer menu will serve to appease the famished. Table service will be set up for guests with servers on-hand to take orders. Appetizers will cost around $5 and drinks will be around $3.
“The entire museum will be open to guests,” said Fosmire. “They can even mingle outside and there will be plenty of places to sit and relax.”
Fosmire noted that inspiration for the event lies behind the museum’s desire to appeal to the college-age demographic, that it had been missing.
The Big Red Bus will provide free transportation to and from Belmont Shore. Admission is open to the public and there will be a $10 cover charge at the door. Museum members and a guest are admitted free.
The After Dark event will also serve as a kickoff for a new LBMA exhibition titled “Three: Fern Bowen, Carl Aldana and Lori LaMont.” All three artists are based in Long Beach and feature a unique blend of contemporary art that intersects between their respective generations. A preview reception will be held this Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Only media and museum patrons will be allowed inside the first hour.
LBMA has plans to host similar events at least four times a year, but has room for expansion, depending upon the events’ popularity.
