by Daniella Turner De Lutis
As a local artist, I am so grateful to the Ocean Avenue Association for providing the space for local artists to nurture ties with each other and interact with the larger community. In August, OAA generously hosted "Summer Breeze," an exhibition curated by local plein air painter Shrey Purohit and myself. The exhibition brought the community together and included student and instructor work from local art ateliers Little Wave Studio and CC Arts + Crafts Studio, as well as work from professional artists from the surrounding neighborhoods. The opening reception was a multigenerational family affair that welcomed the neighborhood and was well attended. It was wonderful to see so many children attending, just overjoyed to see their student work exhibited alongside the work of professional artists. The mood was lively; children were occupied by an art table laid out with materials for open-ended process art activities, and adults enjoyed delicious refreshments from Java on Ocean, generously donated by OAA. An exciting addition to the evening that set the mood just right was live acoustic guitar by Johnny Escobedo and chill electronic beats by Mark Chai.
All in all, I feel so grateful. Grateful for the opportunity to come together and share in the creative process with my fellow neighborhood artists, grateful to OAA for supporting local artists and providing the space for creativity to thrive, and grateful for a space that lifts up our local businesses and families. Thank You to my co-curator, Shrey Purohit, and OAA Business and Marketing Manager, Rosendo Betancourt, for coming together to make this event happen and for the generosity of OAA Executive Director Christian Martin.
Daniella Turner De Lutis
Multidisciplinary Artist, Arts Educator, and Director of Little Wave Studio
