Not so long ago, Laguna Beach Art Walks were like Sunday family dinners.
Wine poured freely. Rooms were overflowing with style and belly laughs. After-parties were common. The art, admittedly, took a back seat but served as an important conduit for camaraderie. The reality was no one really bought art during Art Walk, but no one really cared all that much.
More important was the monthly tonic – therapeutic and necessary.
Now, after a punishing pandemic, the First Thursdays Art Walks are trying to come alive again. And once again, it’s the fellowship that matters most. Art lovers linger in gallery corners as if it’s a 10-year reunion. Embracing and cajoling, effervescent and fully present, there is a pent-up optimism about life and beauty.
Because “life and beauty” is the tagline of Art Walk. The art comes alive because of the life that created it.
But not everything is back yet. The loss is still tangible. The crowds are a fraction of what they were. However, it is the middle of winter. Even before the pandemic, Art Walk was thin in winter.
Sue Greenwood, the taste master and materfamilias of Laguna’s art scene, said she was pleased by the turnout during the last Art Walk, admitting that the crowds “ebb and flow” but there is a renewed energy.
Greenwood, like most owners, has had to bolster sales with online offerings through Artsy and other outlets. She said old-fashioned print catalogs have worked well for her. Serious collectors have not slowed down, just as artists have not stopped doing what they do. While performing artists have struggled the most, painters and digital artists still have online platforms.
Which is why the face-to-face Art Walk is such a welcome relief. While still recovering with the nagging COVID virus protocols, people are out and adapting.
Like Sunday dinners, maybe Art Walks are a bit of a chore to attend, but in the end, they are a family tradition after all. Laguna family – messy, fun and welcoming.
