Summer Crawl festival will pleasure eyes and ears

Culver City is ready to welcome the warmest season of the year with a Summer Crawl on Saturday, June 20 from 3 to 6 p.m.

Organized by the Culver City Arts District (CCAD), the event will allow locals as well as those from other cities to enjoy a free, self-guided tour of art galleries, featuring new and established artists, discounts at select restaurants and retail outlets, and two musical performances.

Some of the retail outlets include area favorites, Arcana Books on the Arts, Cognoscenti Coffee, Attire LA, and Graphaids. In addition to the various artists, Summer Crawl will also include musical performances at Sixty29 Contemporary art gallery by 11-year-old opera singer Jennifer Lockhart, and Folk performer Mark Humphrey.

Paul Dahmen, director of FP Contemporary and one of the Summer Crawl organizers, said one of the artists to be featured in his gallery is Betty Gold, an 80-year-old sculptor who will be debuting the gallery’s first bronze piece.

Another artist who will feature prominently at FP Contemporary will be photographer Christina Craemer, who will be debuting her 48×72-inch photograph chronicling her travels to Iceland. Dahmen said Craemer’s artwork is the first photo of that size to be shown anywhere in the world. Along with the featured artists and musical performers, attendees will also be able to attend a book signing featuring some of the biggest names in the art world, including D.C.-based photographer Cynthia Connolly and graphic consultant Bryan Ray Turcotte.

Attendees who mention Summer Crawl will enjoy discounts including 20 percent off all drinks and coffee bags at Cognoscenti Coffee, free sunglasses with any purchase at Attire LA, and 10 percent off all meals at EK Valley Restaurant.

Dahmen said when the CCAD began two years ago, it was a very grass-roots movement with funding for the event coming from local businesses.

Last year, the CCAD organized an event called the Summer Solstice, a similar event to the Summer Crawl that featured art exhibitions, but was timed to coincide with Make Music Los Angeles, a music festival that happens in 800 cities in 110 countries including Germany, Italy, and Morocco.

The Culver City Arts District encompasses more than 35 contemporary art galleries, 25 boutique and design retailers, and 17 specialty restaurants and coffee bars. It is also home to creative enterprises such as architecture, advertising, culinary arts, post production, and interior design.

For more information on the Summer Crawl, or for a full list of area discounts and promotions, or for more about the Culver City Arts District galleries, restaurants, and shopping, please visit www.culvercityartsdistrict.com.