ArtNight Sweeps City, Thousands Savor Interactive Art Events

Lisa Odigie, Day One staff member, leads a dance line on Friday, March 14, 2014 during an ArtNight Pasadena event called themed “Sensory Overload.” [Photo: Brian Biery]

 

Thousands flooded Pasadena streets for the semi-annual Art Night that opened doors at the city’s most prominent museums and cultural institutions at no charge and allowed creative organizations to engage audiences with interactive art on Friday night.

The debut of a collaborative by Day One and Light Bringer Project at Art Night had everyone on sensory overload as kids and adults participated in art with six senses.

“The idea behind it was how do we let people experience art through community? You sit down at a table with people you don’t know and work on an art project together. It’s education, fun, and community building,” Christy Zamani of Day One said.

From chocolate covered vegetables to drawing blindfolded at the “intuition” station, the exploration of the senses allowed community members to entrench themselves in art rather than only look at it from the sidelines.

“It was an organic process. Tom Coston is on the board of directors and were both just as crazy. We started thinking about Art Night and what we could do to engage the community and have fun,” Zamani said.

Day One Director Wes Reutimann was happy to be able to cater to youth and families as well as incorporate healthier elements.

“It’s sensory overload and we have a tasting room with a lot of healthy alternatives. Some chocolate covered broccoli, chocolate covered bell peppers, so pushing the boundaries a little bit and encouraging people to try something different and healthy,” Reutimann said.

David Diaz added that kids are resistant to bland foods often like celery or broccoli, but if you sprinkle it with something a little sweet, the child begins to associate it with a positive taste and slowly become less aversive toward trying new things.

Zamani and Tom Coston said they were already thinking up big ideas for next year to make Art Night an even bigger splash.