Advertisement

Hansen: Sawdust art never ceases to surprise

Share

Artists invariably have this problem: They don’t shut off.

It’s the year before the 50th anniversary of the Sawdust Festival, so you could almost forgive vendors if they airmailed this one in — maybe erect the same booth with the same colors and the same art and wait for next year to get fancy.

But they’re not.

Behind the scenes this week, the artists are preparing for the June 26 opening as they would a new painting, sculpture or piece of jewelry. They can’t help themselves.

Photographer Mary Gulino said she stood in front of her triangle-shaped booth for two hours trying to decide what to do with it. She visualized the space, her photos and display, worried that it would not work.

Advertisement

That’s when a fellow artist from down the aisle walked by, looked at Gulino staring at her space and quickly suggested that she angle the walls — just so.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Gulino yelled.

She was happy.

Everywhere on the grounds, artists and hired booth makers are busy building new facades, painting new colors and experimenting with lighting.

Even though most have been doing this exercise for years, it’s always new. And perhaps that’s what sets the Sawdust apart.

By design, the Sawdust has never had the glitz of the Festival of the Arts. The artists are encouraged to mix things up, make it fresh and keep it real.

“Because the show is non-juried, enthusiastic amateurs display their work along with accomplished veteran artists, providing the spice and variety that make every show different from the last,” according to group’s mission. “In keeping with the spirit of its beginnings, the Sawdust Art Festival intends to be different from other art shows, visualizing itself as an artists’ ‘happening’ rather than a stuffy exhibit.

“To that end, the artists themselves build a unique village of individual booths from the ground up each summer. The architectural designs are as varied and interesting as the work they showcase.”

Advertisement

Perhaps it’s not surprising that this revitalization is codified into the rules, but it’s probably not needed. Telling artists they need to change things up is like telling a chameleon it needs to change colors.

By definition, change happens at the Sawdust. New artists proudly peacock their work; old artists experiment for kicks.

Some just continue doing what they’re doing but with renewed zeal.

Another photographer, Debra Conkey, who is also a professor at Cal State Fullerton, just returned from a trip to Berlin, where she was fascinated by the color, passion and culture that has enveloped the former communist areas of the city. Her photo exhibit this year will feature explosive displays of life that almost look like impressionist paintings.

Find her booth and she will eagerly tell you about her trip.

You can’t always get this kind of firsthand enthusiasm at other festivals. The Sawdust is special this way.

Find artist Star Shields in the back corner of the grounds, and ask him to tell you about how he used to make stage clothing for Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Paul and Linda McCartney, Donovan, George Harrison, Moody Blues, Deep Purple and many others.

In fact, ask him if Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin, really did show up at the Sawdust one year undercover by riding a rickshaw.

Advertisement

Some Sawdust stories are known only by the people who witnessed them. There’s a reason it was originally called — fondly — the “rejects festival.” And those people, bless them, will be at their booths through Aug. 30.

More than 200,000 people are expected to attend the festival. They will watch glass bend, listen to musicians and enjoy the food, drink and merriment.

Most important will be unexpected art, which is the best kind.

DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at hansen.dave@gmail.com.

Advertisement