June 11, 2012
Art Walk Continued from page 1 few years ago. Art Walk almost saw its demise in late 2010 after a tumultuous leadership battle led to the cancellation, then quick revival, of the happening that takes place on the second Thursday of every month. The save came only after a group of about eight property owners pledged approximately $200,000 to keep Art Walk running. Many things behind the scenes have changed and costs have risen — Art Walk is now responsible for paying for city services such as traffic control officers and fire inspectors. Despite the increased costs, and the fact that only two property owners continue to provide financial support, Old Bank District developer Tom Gilmore thinks Art Walk has put its troubles in the past and is here to stay. “Art Walk is just an extraordinary thing and it was really important for the property owners to join the way they did at that moment of crisis,” said Gilmore, who along with nightclub operator Cedd Moses are the only two area stakeholders still financially supporting the event. “I don’t believe Art Walk is in crisis any longer.” Courting Sponsors Gilmore said he puts in about $2,000 a month. These days, said Moller, who took over in December 2010, the event is mostly funded by corporate sponsors. Although that may rankle art-world purists who initially launched and ran the event as an independent operation, Moller said it is the only way to meet the annual $200,000 budget. The list of corporate sponsors includes such prominent brands as Red Bull and SOBE, which in 2011 collectively netted more than $50,000 for Art Walk. WSS shoes, Pepsi, Converse and Zippo sponsorships are expected to net approximately $100,000 for Art Walk in 2012. Moller said he is in “active dialogue” with Puma, KCET and Vidal Sassoon. What exactly that will mean for people attending Art Walk will vary with each sponsor, Moller said. “Each partnership will include different activation elements, such as an art exhibit, a live music performance and, when appropriate, giveaways,” he said. Last month, for example, Naked, a Monrovia-based juice and smoothie company, partnered with the nonprofit to give away
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DowntownNews.com free product samples at the Art Walk Lounge. The juice company was also heavily promoted on Art Walk’s Facebook page. This week Zippo will be the official host of the Art Walk Lounge at The Exchange LA, a nightclub at 618 S. Spring St. The lighter company will host a concert by Venezuelan band La Vida Boheme and performance artist Robert Vargas will create Zippo-inspired work. About 300 lighters will be given away. Moller said the organization is also working on getting grants, and Art Walk’s Facebook page has a section where people can donate to the nonprofit. So far that has raised “several hundred” dollars, Moller said. Gilmore concedes that in a perfect world there would be no need for corporate sponsorship. But for better or worse, he said, it is necessary to keep the event alive, and free. “Sponsorships are an important component for nonprofits in particular to survive and to get us all the things we want for free,” Gilmore said. Break on Fees Art Walk was launched in 2004 by gallery owner Bert Green as a way to get more attention and drum up business for the small but growing Historic Core gallery scene. It quickly grew into a major attraction and, within a few years, was criticized by some for being more of a party than an art showcase. Moller, an events producer, is the first paid head of Art Walk. Former director Jay Lopez left in cloud of acrimony in 2010; he had replaced Richard Schave, who took over from Green. The event’s low point came last July, when 2-month-old Marcello Vasquez was killed by a car that jumped the curb and rolled onto a packed sidewalk. His death led to the formation of a city task force that instituted new rules that attempted to thin out crowds. Those are still in place, and include banning food trucks, vendors and street performers from the core of the event between Spring, Main, Third and Seventh streets. The food trucks are now mainly based in lots just north of Third Street and south of Seventh. Some street performers still set up inside the Art Walk core, though they are mostly active outside the main event area. The task force meetings also led to a requirement for Art Walk to pay about $8,800 for city services for each event. Previously, Art Walk organizers spent only a few hundred dollars a month for Department of Building and Safety permits. Andrea Alarcon, president of the Board of Public Works and chair of the Art Walk Task Force, said that the require-
photo by Gary Leonard
Street performers used to set up in the core of Art Walk. Now in an effort to thin out crowds, they have been moved to other areas.
ment has changed and Art Walk now falls under a new designation as a “seasonal special event.” That means the nonprofit is only required to pay for full city services during its busy season. That timeframe is being worked out, Alarcon said. Art Walk already got a break from paying for city services. From December 2011 to April, Alarcon said, Art Walk only had to cover Building and Safety permit fees. Except for police, no additional city services were deployed during this time. In May the permit fees rose, and this month they will likely reach the $8,800 level. That figure will remain in effect until at least August, when discussions will resume with the city. Although the costs are higher, Alarcon said she thinks the arrangement is fair both to the city and the event organizers. “I think it specifically addresses the needs of Art Walk and the type of event that it is, since during off-peak months, the winter months, they don’t need special event and city services,” Alarcon said. The break in paying higher permit costs will give Art Walk some breathing room. It allowed officials to save money that will be needed to pay for more services in the busy summer months. “We all want Art Walk to thrive and succeed,” Alarcon said. Contact Richard Guzman at richard@downtownnews.com.
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