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Soul-stirring art. Warm summer days. San Diego’s finest craft beer. The notes of jazz filling the air. Mixed together, it’s a perfect recipe for an extraordinary experience at the La Jolla Festival of the Arts (LJFA). Two hundred award-winning local and national juried artists, along with their creative works in painting, sculpture, photography, glass, jewelry, ceramics, wood, fiber, and mixed media, will dot the sprawling green grass of UC San Diego’s Warren Field on June 20-21, 2015.
San Diego Magazine has joined the Torrey Pines Kiwanis as producers of LJFA in its 29th year. “We couldn’t be more pleased to be a part of this inspirational event,” says Jim Fitzpatrick, CEO and president of San Diego Magazine. “The La Jolla Festival of the Arts has made such a tremendous impact on our community through its support of adaptive sports and recreational programs.”
Vice President and Assistant General Manager at Harrah’s Resort Southern California, Darrell Pilant, says, “Harrah’s Resort Southern California is proud to be a part of the La Jolla Festival of the Arts. We’re avid supporters of San Diego’s cultural scene, and the festival is the perfect opportunity to give back to San Diegans with disabilities through the arts.”
Experiencing the La Jolla Festival of the Arts in 2015
With 7,000 people expected to attend, close to 200 visionary artists onsite, live music, libations, and gourmet eats, the La Jolla Festival of the Arts is a grand gathering for artistic minds and kindred spirits wanting to celebrate creativity. One hundred percent of the festival’s net profits are distributed to local nonprofits that serve disabled individuals. Here’s what you’ll find at the 2015 LJFA:
La Jolla Festival of the Arts
Eddie Garcia III E3 Photography
Food & Drink
For good reason, San Diego has made a name for itself as a craft beer capital. With more than 100 breweries in the county, the city boasts a wealth of award-winners and palate-pleasers, from hoppy IPAs and Belgian blonds to brooding browns and coffee stouts.
Albertsons and Vons will host a craft beer bar featuring San Diego’s finest so you can sip while you stroll. There will be tasty boutique wines and nonalcoholic refreshers as well.
Along Restaurant Row, you’ll find gourmet food trucks and fish tacos; Memphis-style dry-rub BBQ and mesquite wood-fired pizzas; vegan dishes and vegetarian falafels; fresh-from-scratch baked goods by Miss Shortcakes; and more.
Live Music
Music plays a key role at this annual festival, and LJFA has a wonderful lineup of acclaimed musicians playing throughout the venue on both Saturday and Sunday.
Jazz fans will appreciate the quintet Jazz 88 All-Stars, who make magic performing classics from Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock to Horace Silver and Miles Davis.
High-energy Latin jazz fusion will fill the air as the well-loved Jazz Pigs take the stage for their first appearance at LJFA.
Enjoy the exciting duo of master guitarists Peter Sprague and Fred Benedetti; local award-winning singer/songwriter Gayle Skidmore, world beat musician Ace Tropics, renowned guitarist Ben Owens, singer/songwriter Jasmine Commerce, the multitalented Tom Greisgraber, The Bayou Brothers, and more.
Please check the event schedule at lajollaartfestival.org for days and times of performances.
La Jolla Festival of the Arts
Artwork at LJFA
2015 will shine as another spectacular year in art, with several of the 2014 Best in Show artists returning with new works. Look for these four past winners at LJFA 2015:
Joanne Casey: Winner of the fiber/textiles category, Casey hand-makes her own paper and also uses paper from around the globe to create her thoughtful contemporary collages inspired by natural landscapes.
Gustavo Santana: Winner of the glass category, acclaimed artist Santana has a passion for plants and animals, as seen in his delicate and ethereal glass creations.
La Jolla Festival of the Arts
Hester Van Diggelen: Winner of the jewelry category, Van Diggelen is a certified gemologist, goldsmith, and silversmith who incorporates gold, gems, rubber, felt, resin, and enamel into her unique line of contemporary jewelry
Jeannine Emmett: Winner of the painting category, Emmett is an emerging artist in Los Angeles, known for her contemporary take on traditional landscape and figurative painting.
Family Fun
For the younger set, Warren Field will also be home to the KIND Kids’ Zone, with engaging games and exciting crafts like face painting and puppetry, bounce houses, and creative projects to inspire the inner artist.
Spotlight on Beneficiaries
La Jolla Festival of the Arts
Mission Bay Aquatic Center
Watersports for all
Collaboratively owned and operated by SDSU and UCSD, Mission Bay Aquatic Center (MBAC) will also receive $25,000 in funding for its programs that teach watersports to individuals with disabilities.
Kevin Waldick, assistant director for MBAC, says, “For more than two decades the Torrey Pines Kiwanis have been tremendous supporters of watersports programs for persons with disabilities at MBAC. Thanks to their steadfast support, thousands of persons with disabilities and their families were able to have access to watersports who may not have otherwise been able to participate.”
La Jolla Festival of the Arts
Therapeutic Recreation Services
City of San Diego Park & Recreation Department
Accessible recreation and play for disabled San Diegans
In 2015, this terrific organization will receive $25,000 in funding, along with additional monies for its Camp at the Bay and Leisure Seekers programs. The city’s program provides sports, recreation, leisure, and outreach services each year to more than 50,000 people with disabilities.
According to district manager Kristi Fenick, the timing is perfect since they are moving into the vacated YMCA in City Heights this summer. “The new space has a gymnasium, park, ball field, and recreation and weight rooms. We are excited to use the Festival funding to purchase adaptive weight room equipment, sensory items for individuals with autism, and community recreation supplies.”
Beneficiaries in 2015
In 2015, the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Foundation has pledged $82,000 to support 30 San Diegan nonprofits that serve persons with disabilities. The Torrey Pines Kiwanis Foundation salutes these incredible local organizations for their exceptional and tireless work in helping San Diegans in need:
- Adapted PE San Diego City Schools
- Arch Academy
- Arts Bus Xpress
- Aseltine School
- ASRA Junior Wheelchair
- Sports Camp
- ASRA Sled Hockey
- Cal-Diego PVA Wheelchair Games
- Cal-Diego Reflections Art Program
- Cal-Diego PVA Motor Sports
- Cal-Diego PVA In-Patient Activities
- Camp Paivika
- Children’s Holiday CD Program
- City of San Diego Camp at the Bay
- City of San Diego Leisure Seekers
- Durango Snow Ski Program
- Grossmont Union High School—Special Education
- Hage Elementary Integrated Life Skills Program
- Helen Woodward Therapeutic Riding Program
- Kiwanis International Eliminate Project
- Mission Bay Aquatic Center Adaptive Water Sports
- Operation Game On
- San Diego Brain Injury Foundation
- Service Dogs—Canine Companions
- Service Dogs—Paws’itive Teams
- Sharp HealthCare Foundation Arts for Healing
- Sharp Rehab Adaptive Sailing
- Sharp Rehab Day on the Bay
- Sharp Rehab Quad Rugby
- St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center
- TPC Surf Ministry
Meet LJFA’s Honorary Ambassadors
Celebrating San Diego surf culture and art, La Jolla Festival of the Arts has named legends Aaron Chang and Tim Bessell as ambassadors for the 2015 event
La Jolla Festival of the Arts
Aaron Chang
Aaron Chang
By melding his talent behind the lens with his passion for surfing, Chang has become an award-winning, internationally acclaimed surf and ocean photographer. Chang charted new territories in his industry and became famous for his soul-stirring shots of waves—perfect barrels of sunlit water caught in a single instant of beauty. His epic imagery has been published worldwide in hundreds of books and magazines, including his own book entitled San Diego. He has two thriving galleries located in Solana Beach and Downtown. His brilliant photography work will be on display at La Jolla Festival of the Arts.
La Jolla Festival of the Arts
Tim Bessell
A San Diego native, Bessell grew up surfing La Jolla’s Windansea Beach and shaped his first board at age 13. To date, Bessell has produced more than 46,000 surfboards, creating some of the best custom surfboards in the world that have been ridden by world-class surfers and graced the covers of myriad surfing magazines. Honoring one of his idols, Bessell has collaborated with the Andy Warhol Foundation to create multiple Warhol-inspired surfboards with iconic images such as Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Mao Zedong, and more. Several of these stunning boards will be on view at the La Jolla Festival of the Arts.
La Jolla Festival of the Arts
