San Pedro Arts and Culture

The San Pedro Arts & Cultural District’s peninsula geography lends a small-town atmosphere despite belonging to the nation’s second largest city. The historic core of downtown San Pedro has been renting to artists since the 1920’s replete with studios in storefronts and warehouses. Many commercial buildings also house studios, arts organizations, and work/live options in the district.

A coalition of San Pedro cultural organizations joined together to win the state distinction, led by the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District, and including collaborating partners - the Office of Council District 15 Joe Buscaino, San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, Angels Gate Cultural Center, and the Grand Vision Foundation.

The Arts & Cultural District features colorful public art in the form of painted DOT boxes, at 25 locations near traffic signals. Large scale murals grace the stage house of the Warner Grand Theatre and in the walkway next to the historic venue. Two new painted storm drains at 6th and Harbor highlight the drain’s connection with the ocean. Numerous murals depict our commitment to public art throughout the district. CRAFTED at the Port of LA, a permanent weekend market with handmade apparel, home decor and food goods, houses a plethora of artists with space and marketing to sell their artwork at the Port of Los Angeles. The Angels Gate Cultural Center offers studios in former army barracks for more than 50 artists of all disciplines. Vacant spaces remain, open to new artists and organizations, providing more opportunities and promise to grow the district’s arts culture. These nontraditional spaces offer regular arts events, with monthly art openings and classes in settings all over the district. For 24 years, the community has participated in a 1st Thursday ArtWalk, one of the first in the region. Thousands of residents show up every First Thursday to celebrate the visual arts, socialize, and patronize participating restaurants.

THE SAN PEDRO WATERFRONT ARTS DISTRICT

Sanpedrdowaterfrontartsdistrict.com Generating new opportunities to support local arts and nurturing the cultural roots of San Pedro. The Arts District’s programs celebrate the diversity of our neighbors and inspire deep appreciation of the many cultural and artistic influences found in San Pedro.

San Pedro’s arts community has been a naturally occurring haven for the arts since the 1920s and has been an arts destination as other areas become unaffordable. The San Waterfront Arts District promotes the dozens of San Pedro art galleries, artists and performing art spaces, as well as collaborating with them to manage the 1st Thursday ArtWalk. The Arts District specializes in public art, a visual expression of our cultural heritage, in existence since antiquity. Some of the earliest forms in Roman and Renaissance times were stonework or statues commemorating Emperors, royalty, or mythical characters as God-like figures looking down on the public from on high. Creating and displaying public art, creates an indelible sense of place, giving residents and visitors a chance to enjoy memorable art in an outdoor setting. During the 20th and 21st century the scope of public art widened dramatically. Greater political purpose was invested into public art projects, as seen in the idealistic propaganda art of Soviet Socialist Realism, nationalist Mexican murals, and Chinese art around the Cultural Revolution. One of the most prominent and contentious sites for impromptu public art was the Berlin Wall, part of which still exists as an open-air site known as the East Side Gallery preserved by the Berlin Wall Foundation. On view throughout the Arts District are 25 artist-painted traffic signal boxes, numerous large-scale murals (like the one on the parking lot side of Sirens) and two new painted storm drains at the foot of 6th and Harbor Boulevard. For a map and more information about the artists of San Pedro, visit: SanPedroWaterfrontArtsDistrict.com.

1st Thursday ArtWalk

Every First Thursday of the month, 5:30-9pm 1stthursday.com The San Pedro Waterfront Arts District supports artists throughout the community, where historic downtown San Pedro property owners have rented space to artists in storefronts and warehouses for generations. For more than 24 years, artists have garnered special attention each month at the 1st Thursdays Artwalk downtown, anchored between Pacific Ave, 6th and 8th streets.

Little Italy of Los Angeles

638 South Beacon Street Lilaa.org Little Italy of Los Angeles is a central gathering spot to highlight the lives, language, culture, and stories of Italians & Italian-Americans in Los Angeles. Nestled next to Harbor Boulevard and a soon to be completed state of the art piazza, LiLA hosts a weekly Friday Farmers Market, featuring fresh food and Italian delicacies. Residents and visitors alike are welcome to experience the rich and lively Italian culture through hospitality, shopping and cultural events. Nestled in the epicenter of the last remaining ethnic enclave of Italian Americans in Los Angeles, San Pedro has over a century of Italian history embedded into its roots.

Angels Gate Cultural Center

3601 S Gaffey Street San Pedro CA 90731 Angelsgageart.org On San Pedro’s coastline The Angels Gate Cultural Center offers studio space for more than 50 artists, in former Army Barracks.

Crafted at 22nd Street

112 E 22nd Street San Pedro, CA 90731 Craftedportla.com Near the Cabrillo Beach area CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles is a warehouse transformed into a permanent handmade artisan marketplace with dozens of artisans

selling and commissioning goods. CRAFTED faces Brouwerij West Tasting Room and a parade of food trucks, making every weekend a celebration of San Pedro arts and food. It’s easy to enjoy art of all kinds in San Pedro.

PERFORMING ARTS VENUES

Performing Arts run from the Warner Grand Theatre experience to long-loved Shakespeare summer performances. A converted garage in the historic downtown houses Little Fish Theatre, where a full performance schedule runs year-round.

Shakespeare by the Sea

807 Paseo del Mar, San Pedro, CA 90731 ShakespeareByTheSea.org This 10-week admission-free nonprofit repertory theatre runs each summer at Point Fermin Park.

Little Fish Theatre

777 S. Centre Street • Littlefishtheatre.org An intimate setting for a variety of new, classic, and contemporary works. This 65-seat black box equity waiver theatre is in the heart of downtown, around the corner from several restaurants.

The Warner Grand Theatre

478 W. 6th Street • Grandvision.org The 1920s Warner Grand Theatre, a 1,500 seat Art Deco moving picture palace with glowing marquee and grand architectural details, anchors the top end of historic downtown San Pedro.

The Grand Annex (left)

434 W. Sixth St., San Pedro, CA 90731 Grandvision.org The Grand Annex features a 150-seat listening room and is appropriately located a few doors down from the Warner Grand. The organization’s Grand Vision is to see San Pedro revitalized through the arts, and to bolster arts education experiences for youth, schools, and community.

COLLAGE: A Place for Arts and Culture

731 South Pacific Avenue • collageartculture.com The mission of COLLAGE is to serve our local and broader community with accessible, yet adventurous programs. We take an expansive view of the arts to include the visual, performative, culinary, and literary world. We consider ethnicity, affinity, ability, and emerging ways people are brought together. COLLAGE will build relationships with artistic and cultural communities and provide an intimate 49 seat space where we come together to teach, learn, and entertain.

Galleries not to miss:

Gallery 478, 478 West 7th Street - carofano.com

Menduina Schneider Art Gallery, 366 W. 7th Street

www.msartgallery.com 4th Street Lofts, 401 Mesa past Wellington Signs - featuring MichaelStearnsstudio.com, CarolHungerfordArt.com, Meeson Pae Yang, Angelica Sotiriou and more…. Gallery Azul, 520 8th Street - GalleryAzul.com POLAHS: Pixels Creative Space, 439 West 6th St. - PolaHS.net Backdoor Studios, 368-378 West 7th Street - featuring Guillaume Zuili Photography, Cherry Wood, Peter Scherrer, Julia Strickler and Fabian Rodriguez

National Watercolor Society, 915 South Pacific

NationalWatercolorSociety.orgcom