Pasadena City Hall, 2024 Spring ArtNight (Photo – Sharon Hawley)
Pasadena will become a citywide arts adventure on Friday, October 9, when ArtNight Pasadena invites visitors to explore 23 cultural venues from 6:00 to 10:00 pm, all free of charge.
By Melanie Hooks
Free shuttles will help guests travel between locations, making it easy to build an evening around favorite interests or simply follow the next intriguing stop. Visitors can expect live performances, exhibitions, workshops, music, theater, family activities and a few delightfully spooky surprises.
The City Hall Hub will offer entertainment for all ages, including a return appearance by Bob Baker’s Marionettes. Theater Americana will present “Thriller,” along with other dance performances. At the Pasadena Playhouse, visitors can trade the traditional theater experience for a lively sing-along piano bar featuring show tunes.
Ghost stories will take center stage at Parson’s Nose Theatre, while Red Hen Press will combine eerie storytelling with blackout poetry. Guests looking for a more hands-on experience can head to the Gamble House, where the California Art Club will lead a period-costume sketching session with live models in the historic setting.
Pasadena Heritage will offer a vintage photo opportunity, giving visitors a keepsake to take home. At the Armory Center for the Arts, an art-making activity will lead into a dance party with DJ Trankis.
The evening’s music and dance lineup will span genres and neighborhoods. Lineage Performing Arts Center will feature Alan Geier and Lineage dancers performing pop and musical theater selections. A Room to Create will blend movement, music and conversation, while Alkebu-lan Cultural Center will bring together jazz, tap and percussion for “Rhythm Lives Here.” Jazz Zone will continue the musical momentum at the Jackie Robinson Community Center.
Additional performances will include multicultural music at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music’s new campus, Los Journaleros del Norte at the Pasadena Job Center, and South Asian music paired with Pakistani art at the USC Pacific Asia Museum.
ArtCenter College of Design will open three galleries featuring colorful posters, a “Tortilleria and Print Shop” exhibition, and work by award-winning students. At the Pasadena Museum of History, visitors can explore “Where History Meets the Road,” an exhibition examining the significance of Route 66 and Colorado Boulevard. The museum will also offer improvisational jazz and food trucks.
Several newer ArtNight participants will add to the mix. Fulcrum Arts will present “And Never Ends,” an exhibition centered on crystallized hair sculpture. Jazzy Jam for Empowerment will host creative wellness activities at the Paseo, while artWORKS Teen Center will invite visitors to try interactive screen printing. Remainders Creative Reuse will welcome guests to meet local artists, and Pasadena City College Gallery will feature exhibitions by students and visiting faculty.
Food trucks at City Hall, Pasadena Heritage, the Gamble House and the Pasadena Museum of History will make it possible to turn the evening into an arts-and-food crawl. Visitors can sample their way through the city while building a personal itinerary from the event’s many offerings.
ArtNight materials will include a Braille brochure, and participating venues will provide accessible programs and resources. The celebration is supported in part by the City’s Arts and Culture Commission through mini-grants that help smaller arts groups and individual artists take part.
Admission is free. Program information, the full venue list and Spanish-language details are available at ArtNightPasadena.org. Organizers also encourage visitors to use public transportation; route information and a trip planner are available at PasadenaTransit.net.
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