By Kathleen Hughes
Start a new holiday shopping tradition at Art Under the Umbrellas at Old Town La Quinta, held annually on Thanksgiving Weekend. This year that date falls on Saturday, November 29th, which intentionally coincides with Small Business Saturday 2014. Now in its fifth year, this single day has grown into a national movement encouraging people across the country to support their small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Art Under the Umbrellas provides the ideal platform for patrons to rally behind their local small businesses on two levels. In addition to Old Town La Quinta’s collection of trendy boutique merchants and restaurants, over 80 of Southern California’s most gifted artisans — each a small business in its own right — will converge to exhibit and sell their original artworks in a broad array of media and price points.
Among the exhibitors at the après Thanksgiving show are ten newcomers to La Quinta Arts Foundation’s wildly popular series of Art Under the Umbrellas events this season — two of which stand out as particularly impressive and are “must see artists”:
Gustavo Santana – Glass, Los Angeles, CA. In 2008, former President Bill Clinton was added to Gustavo Santana’s prestigious list of collectors when the president purchased an original hand blown and etched Santana Art Glass vase in Beverly Hills. Santana is well-recognized for designs he created exclusively for Correia Art Glass of Santa Monica. He is the creator of a unique technique called “Sea Treasures,” glass sculptures that give the impression they were washed-up on the shore after years being battered by the sea and sand. Santano’s incredible wild animal themed collection that includes mere cats, zebras, giraffes and more, is worthy of a private exhibition at The Living Desert!
Joe Woodford – Ceramics, Chandler, AZ. Joe works primarily in Raku, a 16th century Japanese firing technique. Joseph’s palate of glazes includes vibrant copper and gold colors along with crackle glazes that produce an intriguing display of random vein patterns. Another distinguishing characteristic of his large vase forms are the abstract sculptural tops which he believes add personality and an individual character to each of his pieces. Woodford’s amazing work has earned him an invitation to be a first-time exhibitor at La Quinta Arts Festival 2015.
This is the perfect event to get your Thanksgiving guests out of the house, while putting a major dent in those holiday shopping lists, discovering one-of-a-kind treasures that are as unique as those on your list. Lively entertainment by the engaging Steve Madaio Band will fill the sun lit streets and a leisurely turkey optional lunch or Happy Hour libation at one of the Old Town restaurants will round out the day.
Art Under the Umbrellas starts at 10 am and goes until 4 pm with free admission and free parking. Old Town La Quinta is located in the Village of La Quinta. Take Washington Street south. Go west on Calle Tampico for two blocks. Old Town La Quinta will be on the left-hand side. Visit www.LQAF.com for more information.
